Approximately 60 people came to the Tweed Public Library on Saturday, January 24 to elect a new Board of Directors for the Hastings-Lennox & Addington-Tyendinaga (HLAT) Federal Liberal Association at its General Meeting.
“This is the highest number of people I’ve seen at a General Meeting in a number of years,” said newly elected Chair, Valerie Watts-Dafoe.“The strong turnout is a testament to the deep relationships we’ve built in our communities”
Joining Watts-Dafoe on the 2026 Board will be: Aline Lamere, Vice-Chair, Cynthia Surette, Organization Chair, Peter Nayler, Policy Chair, and Christine Peets, Secretary. Six Directors-At-Large were also elected: Irene Backholm, Alexandra Barlow, Duncan Brownlee, Maureen Gafney, Bill Nacu, and Alphonse Poitras.
The Board will appoint a Treasurer and Fundraising Chair from the Directors-At-Large at its first meeting in February.
After the election, guest speaker Suzanne Brant discussed her work as President of the First Nations Technilogical Institute (FNTI) located on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.
“After a lot of hard work by a number of people, FNTI is recognized as an accredited Institute in the Province of Ontario. We are ready to offer a more programs and we are already over-subscribed to many of them. Our difficulty is funding, but we will find a way. Our philosophy is to always meet the needs of Indigenous students in whatever way helps them the most.”
In closing the meeting, Watts-Dafoe thanked everyone for coming out and said that she looks forward to working with the Board and all of the dedicated volunteers who are ready to work hard and have a Liberal representing HLAT after the next election.
