Mayor and Council
Kathy Poling, Mayor
Kathy has been a resident of Sioux Lookout since 1985. She moved here with her husband Steve after completing a Science Degree in Nursing at Lakehead University. She has two sons, Ryan and Justin, who were born and raised here. Kathy has served two terms on Council as a Councillor at Large as well as Ward 2 Councillor. Previous experience has included: Vice Chairman, Economic Development Committee; Chairman, Enhancement Committee; Chairman, Service Delivery Review Committee; and Member of the Local Citizens Coalition. She has also been involved with many community projects and events such as Volunteer Coordinator for the Community Living Conference as well as the Fitness for Life Expansion Project. Kathy is currently employed as a Registered Nurse with the Sioux Lookout Dialysis Unit.
Contact Kathy here.
James Brohm, Councillor
James was born in Port Hope, Ontario, a small city one hour east of Toronto. He moved to Sioux Lookout with his family when he was six years old. James grew up in Sioux Lookout, went to Central Public School, Wellington School, and graduated from Queen Elizabeth District High School in 1993. Growing up, he was involved in the Army Cadets and volunteered at the Out of the Cold shelter when it was just created. In his early twenties, James' focus was on the music industry and he left to work as a stage and lighting technician for many musical acts. At the same time, he worked as a marketing assistant in a small company that sought out and developed new talents. James' wife Amber and he returned to Sioux Lookout in 2004 to take permanent full-time positions and to raise their children in a safer, cleaner environment. He is the Office Manager for T. Nebbs Building Materials Ltd. His wife is a Registered Dietitian currently employed at the Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre. They have two children, Nicholas and Presley. In his spare time, James enjoys spending time with his family and playing music as the lead singer and guitarist for The Four Ohms band.
Contact James here.
Donald Fenelon, Ward One (Hudson) Councillor
Donald was born and raised in Sioux Lookout. He attended Sacred Heart School and went to Dryden High School. In 1972 he started working for McKenzie Forest Products and has remained employed with them since then. Community involvement has always been important to him. He is a member of the Sioux Lookout Volunteer Fire Department and is the District Chief for Hudson (Platoon No. 2) and a member of the First Response Team. Over the years he has sat on several boards. Currently he is involved with the Vermilion Lake Advisory Committee and the Minnitaki, Abram, Pelican, and Botsford (MAPB) Lakes Advisory Committee. Donald feels that the wards in our area are necessary for an equal representation of the unique community of Hudson. He has represented the Hudson residents on the Municipal Council since 2003. There are several issues of importance pertaining to Hudson. Crucial to the further development of Hudson is the release of land for population growth. To maintain what we have and allow and encourage future growth the infrastructure has to be improved upon. It is his hope that within the next four years Hudson is able to see an increase in population.
Contact Donald here.
Ben Hancharuk, Councillor
Ben Hancharuk was born and raised in Sioux Lookout. He graduated from Confederation College in Thunder Bay as an Aviation Manufacturing Technologist. He spent ten years in Toronto working for Bombardier Aerospace at deHavilland; five years as a Methods Analyst (converting engineering drawings into assembly manuals providing step by step instructions for manufacture); and five years in management, three of which as the Manager of the Q Series Change Management Department. This department is responsible for determining the feasibility of engineering and customer changes in regard to where in the production line they are incorporated at the least cost, then co-coordinating and supplying governance to ensure successful implementation of the change. At present, Ben is a real estate Broker for Molstad Realty Ltd. He also sits on the Board of Directors for the Association for Community Living. His interests include hockey, golf, fishing, and just being outdoors.
Contact Ben here.
Joyce Timpson, Councillor
Joyce Timpson grew up in Toronto and began by studying sciences before switching to Social Work. After her first social work job, she took a two year backpacking world tour. In 1976, she came to work with the Kenora District Childrens Aid Society in Sioux Lookout. She next joined the Zone Hospital to work with First Nations persons in providing their own mental health services. This program became Nodin Counselling Services. Joyce returned to Southern Ontario to earn a Masters of Public Administration and a PhD in Social Work. Her interest lay in analyzing the relationships between the workings of government, history and the high number of First Nations children in care in the 1960s. She was a researcher/writer for the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, taught at Cambrian College in Sudbury, and served as Adjunct Professor of Social Work with Lakehead University until assuming a consulting practice in Sioux Lookout in developing mental health, health, and social services with First Nations. Joyce has written eleven academic articles and spent six years on the Ontario Ministry of Health's Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council, chairing the committee on the regulation of Naturopathy and Traditional Chinese Medicine. She enjoys cooking, entertaining, swimming and cross country skiing. Joyce's interest is in working with the citizens to build a Sioux Lookout that is a model for race relations and environmental and economic sustainability.
Contact Joyce here.
Sue Williams, Ward Two (Sioux Lookout) Councillor
Sue was raised in St. Catharines Ontario, the younger of two children. An avid participant in a variety of sports, she was also very involved in Girl Guides, eventually earning the Canada Cord. Sue's first career was as an ambulance attendant, beginning on the land ambulance in Dunnville Ontario, as one of the first females in that position in the province. She then moved to Sioux Lookout in 1987 to train to be a critical care paramedic on the air ambulance and has continued to work in that capacity. During that time, Sue also served as the paramedic's union representative. In 1991, Sue took a break from paramedicine to travel to Toronto for two years, where she studied massage therapy, and then returned home to Sioux Lookout in 1993 as a Registered Massage Therapist to open a practice. Sue also served for five years as the President of the Ontario Massage Therapist Association. As a volunteer in the community, Sue has been involved in many things, from Cedar Bay, to Rotary canoe trips, to helping at the Out of the Cold Shelter. She is an active member of St. Andrew's United Church, serving both as a Trustee as well as the President of the United Church Women for six years, and can always be found at events like the Soup and Sandwich Luncheons in the kitchen or serving. Sue lives with her spouse, Leslie Myers, along with three dogs and two cats. Their horse, Cricket, has been happily relocated to Cedar Bay.
Contact Sue here.
