 Hon.
Dianne C. Whalen
Minister of Transportation and Works
Member for Conception Bay East & Bell Island
Prior to becoming MHA for Conception Bay East and Bell Island in 2003,
Dianne Whalen was mayor of Paradise for 18 years, where she was responsible
for managing and serving the need of the town's citizens. She served on
numerous committees relating to the promotion and development of the town
which helped it earn the reputation of the fastest- growing town in Atlantic
Canada.
Originally from Port Blandford, Ms. Whalen has lived in Paradise for 40
years. She spent two decades in municipal politics, where she served as a
director of the provincial and national federation of municipalities and
served on such standing committees as Economic Development, Community Safety
Crime Prevention, Northern Remote Forum and the Environmental Membership
Development Committee. Ms. Whalen also served as director Avalon Region on
the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Municipalities. She held the
position of chair of the Finance Committee and the Municipal Training and
Development Committee and was a member of the Communication Committee and
Social Strategic Committee. She chaired the North East Avalon Joint
Councils, and was a member of the subcommittee that rewrote the
Municipalities Act. Ms. Whalen is a past member of the Women Mentor
Committee and helped develop training literature to promote gender equity in
municipal government and school boards.
During that time, Ms. Whalen was also heavily involved in the community
beyond municipal politics. She is a past provincial director of the Heart
and Stroke Foundation and past chairperson of the Paradise War Memorial
Committee. She was a marriage commissioner and remains a Justice of the
Peace. Ms. Whalen was employed at the College of the North Atlantic for 29
years. During part of that employment, she also held the position of
President of Nape Local 7852.
|
