Évelyne Beaudin

Évelyne Beaudin
Mayor of Sherbrooke
In office
November 17, 2021 – November 12, 2025
Preceded bySteve Lussier
Succeeded byMarie-Claude Bibeau
Sherbrooke City Councillor
In office
November 2017 – November 2021
Preceded byPierre Tardif
Succeeded byFernanda Luz
ConstituencyCarrefour District
Leader of Sherbrooke citoyen
In office
October 2018 – November 3, 2024[1]
Preceded byHélène Pigot
Succeeded byRaïs Kibonge
Personal details
Born20 June 1988
Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec
PartyOption nationale
Sherbrooke citoyen
OccupationEconomist

Évelyne Beaudin (born 1988 or 1989) is a Canadian politician. She served as mayor of Sherbrooke, Quebec, from 2021 to 2025. With her election, she became the first woman to be elected mayor of the city.[2]

Biography

Beaudin was born in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec.[3][4] A few months after her birth, her family moved to Sherbrooke.[3] Beaudin is an economist by training.[5] She has a bachelor's degree in integrated economics and politics from Laval University and was a master's student in economics at the University of Sherbrooke.[6]

Political career

In 2011, Beaudin was one of the founders of Option nationale, a centre-left nationalist political party in Quebec.[7] She first ran for office as a candidate for Option nationale in the 2012 Quebec general election in the riding of Sherbrooke.[8] She came in fifth place, winning just over 1000 votes, or 2.8% of the vote. The following year, she first ran for municipal office in the 2013 municipal elections, as an independent candidate for Sherbrooke City Council in the Carrefour District in the city's west end. In the election, she finished second behind the incumbent councillor, Pierre Tardif. She won 969 votes, just over 200 votes behind Tardif.[9] She ran again for Option nationale in the 2014 Quebec general election, this time in the nearby riding of Mégantic. She once again placed in fifth place, with just 236 votes, worth 0.9% of the vote.

In 2016, she founded the Sherbrooke citoyen municipal political party.[10] The same year she became a member "Collectif pour l'équité toponymique au Québec" (Collective for toponymic equity in Quebec), a group which advocates for better female representation in place names in the province.[11][12] She ran again for city council in the 2017 municipal elections in Carrefour District for her new Sherbrooke citoyen party.[13] This time, she was successful, winning 2,042 votes, defeating Tardif by nearly 200 votes. She was the only member of her party to be elected to council. The following year, she replaced Hélène Pigot to become leader of Sherbrooke citoyen.[14]

In March 2021, she announced she was running for mayor of Sherbrooke in the 2021 municipal elections.[15] Her campaign focused on better financial management and protecting the environment,[16] and made public transit one of her priorities.[17] In the election, she defeated former Quebec cabinet minister and Liberal MNA for Sherbrooke Luc Fortin and incumbent mayor Steve Lussier.[18][19] She defeated Fortin by just under 1,000 votes, winning 41% of the vote.

Mayoralty

In June 2023, her administration oversaw a new urban plan to modernize the city's land-use planning vision, replacing the 2014 plan, aimed at protecting 45% of the city's territory.[20]

In August 2023, asked that the Quebec government accelerate the construction of new housing in the city.[21]

In October 2023, Beaudin announced a leave of absence due to exhaustion, citing the intense pressure of her municipal responsibilities. She resumed her duties at the end of January 2024. In an interview, she criticized the lack of progress on major issues, such as the housing crisis and citizen participation, and denounced internal tensions on council, attributing the failure of certain projects to an opposition she considered excessive.[22]

In May 2024, Beaudin announced that she would complete her term and would not run in the 2025 mayoral election.[23] She cited that it was time to inject new energy into her party, by making way for a new leader. She also criticized the Quebec government's lack of support for municipal issues, particularly regarding transportation and funding as reasons for her not running again.[24]

In June 2024, a report by the Commission municipale du Québec (CMQ) highlighted micromanagement and communication problems within her administration.[25] The report highlighted a lack of trust between the executive and civil servants, with procedures that are sometimes ineffective.[26]

In August 2024, she established a team dedicated to public participation and created citizen advisory groups to encourage greater public involvement at city hall.[27] She also introduced a five-year municipal investment plan which included limiting tax increases to 3%.[28]

In February 2025, her administration established an innovation zone dedicated to quantum technologies, attempting to position Sherbrooke as a strategic hub in this field,[29] securing $8 million in federal funding in the process.[30] That same month, the city gained 250 new affordable housing units on Galt Street,[31] and put in place financial reserves to stabilize the city's budget and ensure the maintenance of essential infrastructure.[32]

References

  1. ^ "Raïs Kibonge est le nouveau chef de Sherbrooke Citoyen". Radio-Canada. November 3, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  2. ^ Proteau, Alex (2021-11-08). "Sherbrooke a élu la première mairesse de son histoire". Le Journal de Montréal. Montréal. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
  3. ^ a b Blais, Réjean (2021-07-23). "Campagne à la mairie de Sherbrooke : le jeu d'équipe d'Évelyne Beaudin". Radio-Canada. Sherbrooke. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
  4. ^ Jessica Beauplat (La Presse Canadienne) (4 July 2021). "Course à la mairie de Sherbrooke: Évelyne Beaudin rêve d'un gouvernement de proximité". Montréal: L'Actualité.
    Dans l'article, on indique qu'elle a 32 ans ; elle est donc née en 2021-32 = 1989 ou en 2021-32-1 = 1988 - si sa date anniversaire est après le 4 juillet.
  5. ^ Ariane Krol; Marie-Eve Morasse (8 November 2021). "Coup d'œil ailleurs au Québec". Montréal: La Presse.
  6. ^ "Évelyne Beaudin : foncer pour la cause". usherbrooke.ca. Nota Bene. 8 January 2015.
  7. ^ Libre, Tribune (2011-10-12). "La suite d'un parti politique résolument indépendantiste : Option nationale". Le Québécois (in French). Retrieved 2021-11-15.
  8. ^ Gougeon, François (4 May 2012). "Option nationale a sa candidate officielle dans Sherbrooke". La Tribune. Sherbrooke. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
  9. ^ "Résultats des élections pour les postes de maire et de conseiller". mamh.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Retrieved 2021-11-15.
  10. ^ "Le futur parti politique verra le jour le 6 mars". La Tribune (in French). 2016-02-10. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
  11. ^ Beaudin, Évelyne; Béliveau, Geneviève; Martin, Gabriel (5 March 2016). "Controns l'invisibilité toponymique des femmes". Le Devoir. Montréal. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
  12. ^ Gordon Lambie, « Sherbrooke collective calls for more women on local street signs », Sherbrooke, The Record, 10 mars 2016, p. 3
  13. ^ "Évelyne Beaudin". Site officiel d'Évelyne Beaudin. Sherbrooke. Archived from the original on 2021-11-08. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  14. ^ Custeau, Jonathan (2018-10-03). "Évelyne Beaudin remplace Hélène Pigot à Sherbrooke Citoyen". La Tribune. Sherbrooke. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
  15. ^ Radio-Canada (2021-03-18). "Évelyne Beaudin veut devenir mairesse de Sherbrooke | Radio-Canada.ca". Radio-Canada. Sherbrooke. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
  16. ^ Beauregard, Ève (2021-03-18). "Évelyne Beaudin briguera la mairie de Sherbrooke". Le Journal de Montréal. Montréal. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
  17. ^ Bérard-Fontaine, Marilyne (18 October 2021). "Évelyne Beaudin propose six mesures structurantes en transport pour réduire la dépendance à la deuxième voiture". CFLX 95,5 FM. Sherbrooke. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  18. ^ Blais, Réjean (2021-11-08). "Élections à Sherbrooke: retour sur une soirée historique Élections municipales au Québec 2021 Radio-Canada.ca". Radio-Canada. Sherbrooke. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
  19. ^ Radio-Canada (2021-11-08). "Évelyne Beaudin devient la première femme mairesse de Sherbrooke | Élections municipales au Québec 2021". Radio-Canada. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  20. ^ Pion, Isabelle (June 6, 2023). "Sherbrooke entend protéger 45 % de son territoire avec son Plan nature". La Tribune. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  21. ^ Léonard, Rémi (August 23, 2023). "Sherbrooke réclame d'imposantes sommes du fédéral pour stimuler la création de logements". La Tribune. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  22. ^ "La mairesse de Sherbrooke en arrêt de travail pour une durée indéterminée". Radio-Canada. 2024-02-02. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  23. ^ Paquette, Mathieu (2024-05-03). "La mairesse de Sherbrooke, Évelyne Beaudin, ne sollicitera pas de nouveau mandat". L’actualité (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2025-03-18.
  24. ^ Proulx, Geneviève (2024-05-03). "Sherbrooke Mayor Évelyne Beaudin will not be a candidate in the next election". Radio-Canada. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  25. ^ Bergeron, Mickaël (2024-06-19). "Douche froide pour Évelyne Beaudin". La Tribune (Sherbrooke). Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  26. ^ Jonathan Custeau (2024-04-21). "Ingérence et microgestion : un rapport accablant pour le comité exécutif à Sherbrooke". La Tribune (Sherbrooke). Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  27. ^ "Des groupes-conseils pour une participation citoyenne élargie". Sherbrooke.info. August 19, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  28. ^ Léonard, Rémi (August 19, 2024). "Cap sur un budget responsable pour Beaudin". La Tribune. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  29. ^ "Plus de 690 millions $ injectés dans deux zones d'innovation en Estrie". Radio-Canada. February 3, 2025. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  30. ^ Roberge, Simon (February 20, 2025). "Ottawa allonge huit millions pour le quantique à Sherbrooke". La Tribune. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  31. ^ Proulx, Geneviève (February 16, 2025). "Sherbrooke s'enrichit de 250 nouveaux logements abordables". Radio-Canada. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  32. ^ Deshaies, Thomas (February 25, 2025). "Déficit d'entretien : Sherbrooke se dotera d'une réserve financière". Radio-Canada. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
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