Women of the Year

MEET THE INSPIRING CANADIANS WHO SAW A NEED, STEPPED UP AND STEADILY TRANSFORMED LIVES.

- OLIVIA BOWDEN, REBECCA GAO, L AURA HENSLEY, ISHANI NATH and REBECCA PHILPS

Think back to January 2020. We packed into bars and restaurants and Costcos. Commuting was a thing almost everyone did. And a mysterious virus halfway around the world began making news. Then, everything changed. A global pandemic upended every aspect of our lives, the killing of George Floyd in the U.S. sparked a long-overdue racial reckoning within our own borders, and an already-looming mental health crisis was amplified. The good news: There are people who have shown, over and over again, they are willing to go the extra mile for the collective good. Here is a non-exhaustive but hella impressive list of everyday heroes who put extraordinary effort into our best health.

Jenna Lyn Albert, 27

FOR USING ART TO MAKE ESSENTIAL COMMENTARY ON HEALTH CARE

As Fredericton’s poet laureate, Jenna Lyn Albert is responsible for opening city council meetings with a poem. In September, after a lack of provincial funding forced the closure of an important LGBTQ2S+ women’s and family health clinic in the city, Albert chose a poem about abortion access. The response was mixed. While some criticized Albert for “politicizing” poetry, others supported the reading and noted that it’s the poet laureate’s job to provide cultural commentary and start important conversations in the community.