Ahead of the Times

December 27, 2020

This article was done in partnership with the Lac du Bonnet & District Historical Society.
It appeared in the February 18, 2021 edition of the Lac du Bonnet Clipper.

In January 1953, five years after incorporation, Lac du Bonnet made headlines across Canada with the appointment of 39-year-old housewife and mother of two, Edythe Brown, as Manitoba’s first female mayor.

The daughter of Frank and Anna Waters, Edythe grew up in Lac du Bonnet. She attended the University of Manitoba, graduating in 1936 with a Bachelor of Science in Home Ec., before returning to Lac du Bonnet. She met bush pilot, Frank Brown, who was recovering from a crash at his brother Roy’s home. They were married in 1937. Frank’s job took them to Northern Ontario, where Edythe flew regularly with him. By December 1945, after serving with the RCAF in WWII, Frank joined his family in Lac du Bonnet and became a businessman. He served on the 1948 inaugural village council. Edythe led the 4H Foods Club and worked as a substitute teacher.

In December 1952, following the retirement of Mayor Michael Danylchuk midway through his term, nominations were accepted to fill the vacancy. Edythe submitted her papers and faced no opposition. She was officially declared mayor of Lac du Bonnet on December 29, 1952. Her hope was to “receive the wholehearted support of council and citizens” and her immediate objective was “to see what can be done.”

By summer 1953, Edythe decided to seek re-election. Over a two-month period, she visited every home and office in the village. On election day, October 23, 95% of eligible voters cast their ballots, setting a record voter turnout. Many others were reportedly turned away after the polls had closed. Edythe won in a landslide victory, and she was just beginning.

By November 4th, Manitoba Telephone had installed an automatic dial system. In mid-November, talks had begun with the Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board as the Winnipeg River was set to rise ten feet upon completion of the McArthur Falls generating station, flooding most of the village’s waterfront property.

At the time of her resignation in 1957, after a five-year term as mayor, vapor streetlights had been installed, wooden sidewalks were replaced with concrete, and roads were black-topped. Her business negotiations with the Hydro Board resulted in favorable settlements for the village. Hydro agreed to reimburse affected landowners and to pay for the main sewer trunk line along Minnewawa St. The other sewer mains on all other streets were installed at the same time, making Lac du Bonnet the first village in Manitoba to have a complete sewer system.

In September 1959, following Frank’s death, Edythe returned to university for an Education degree. She taught history and English at the Lac du Bonnet high school until 1964, when she married Walter Ehrlich and relocated to Ottawa for his job. By 1972, they retired to Lac du Bonnet. Edythe resumed her role in the community acting as the guest of honour at many local events. She served on the History Book Committee that produced Logs and Lines.

On her 90th birthday, Edythe received the key to Lac du Bonnet. She passed away in 2008 after over fifty years of service to this community. As one resident said in 1954: “She’s done more for this town than anyone else.”

References:

Aileen Oder, ed., Logs and Lines from the Winnipeg River: A History of the Lac du Bonnet Area (Steinbach, MB: Derksen Printers, 1980), 178-180, 189-190, 392.

“Manitoba Gets Its First Lady Mayor.” Winnipeg Free Press (Winnipeg, MB), Dec. 30, 1952.

“Manitoba’s First Woman Mayor.” Springfield Leader (Lac du Bonnet, MB), Jan. 6, 1953.

“Lac du Bonnet Residents Set Voting Record.” Winnipeg Free Press, Oct. 24, 1953.

“Villagers to Meet Hydro Board.” Springfield Leader, Nov. 17, 1953.

“Busy Lady-mayor Proves Real ‘Local Improvement’.” Winnipeg Free Press, Oct. 8, 1954.

“25 Years of Progress.” Springfield Leader, June 26, 1973.

Obituary, The Leader (Lac du Bonnet, MB), Sept. 19, 2008.