 |
| Release of new book
SMASHING IT: Conversations with Influential Women on Cape Breton Island In October 2020, in the middle of the COVID pandemic, Amanda McDougall won the position of Mayor of Cape Breton Regional Municipality, becoming the first female to occupy this role. During her campaign and soon after winning the election, she was met with threats and attacks against her and her family, including against her newborn son – a sure sign that securing gender equality on Cape Breton continues to be an ongoing struggle. In this book, Dean Laplonge discusses what it means to be a woman living on Cape Breton today with 15 women who are shaping the social and economic fabric of the island. “This is one of the most inspiring and humbling pieces of writing I have ever done,” says Dean. “When I first moved to Cape Breton, all the conversations I was having were about industry, economic decline and what men wanted to do to revitalize the island. What I have learned through talking to all these wonderful and passionate women is that the island is being revitalized. I see and live the changes. But it is women who are leading on this. It is the dedication and ideas of women that make the future for Cape Breton look incredibly exciting, diverse and more equitable.” Dean is currently a Visiting Fellow in Residence in the Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs at Carleton University. In 2022, he will be teaching an honors seminar exploring responses to gender-based violence in the private sector. This book is available for direct order via Amazon. |