Winnipeg building renamed for city’s first female mayor

A building on the City Hall Campus as been renamed after Winnipeg’s first and only female mayor.

Mayor Brian Bowman, Speaker Devi Sharma along with former Mayor Susan Thompson officially unveiled the newly named Susan A. Thompson Building at 510 Main Street on Thursday.

“Susan is a role model and inspiration for many other women across our community to become more involved in business and politics, and it is very fitting to recognize her as one of Winnipeg’s most influential women to advance the role of Canadian women in politics and to commemorate her commitment to public service,” said Mayor Brian Bowman in a release.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of her election win as the first female Mayor of Winnipeg.

During Susan Thompson’s two terms as Winnipeg’s 40th Mayor, one of her many contributions to public service was the implementation of the current administrative structure. After leaving public office, Susan Thompson went on to serve as the first woman Consul General at the Canadian Consulate in Minneapolis, the founding President and CEO of The University of Winnipeg Foundation, and was a recipient of the Order of Manitoba.

As the City of Winnipeg's first female Council Speaker, Councillor Devi Sharma originally proposed the concept of renaming the building last year, as a way to recognize the important role of women in politics and to mark the 100th Anniversary of women’s first right to vote in Canada.

The naming of the Susan A. Thompson Building was supported unanimously by council.