Board of Health welcomes Indigenous appointee for Greater Sudbury City Council

Aligned with its commitment to reconciliation and advancing Public Health’s Indigenous Engagement Governance ReconciliAction Framework (PDF), the Board of Health for Public Health Sudbury & Districts welcomed Angela Recollet as Greater Sudbury City Council’s newest appointee at its meeting on Thursday, May 15, 2025. Recollet’s appointment follows a motion passed by the Board of Health in June 2024 encouraging municipalities to advocate for and appoint Indigenous persons who are grounded in community, have lived experience, are from this territory, and who reside within Sudbury and Manitoulin districts.

“The Board is excited to welcome Angela Recollet. We are encouraged that our advocacy to promote the selection of an Indigenous appointee has come to fruition. Having an Indigenous voice at the table ensures that we are creating opportunities to adapt, enhance, and build culturally appropriate services, which Indigenous people are more likely to use, resulting in better health outcomes,” said Mark Signoretti, Chair, Board of Health for Public Health Sudbury & Districts.

“A key part of reconciliation is ensuring Indigenous people have a real voice at tables where decisions historically have been made about them, without their input. Thank you to the City of Greater Sudbury for following through on our Board of Health’s request and appointing an Indigenous member of our community to the Board. I also thank Angela Recollet for stepping up to take on this appointment. I look forward to Angela shaping our Board’s guidance and directions in ways that enable me and our team at Public Health to better advance the health status of Indigenous people throughout our service area,” said Dr. Mustafa Hirji, Acting Medical Officer of Health and Chief Executive Officer for Public Health Sudbury & Districts.

“I am honoured to join the Board of Health for Public Health Sudbury & Districts as the Indigenous Board Member, appointed by the City of Greater Sudbury. I am deeply committed to advancing health equity and ensuring that Indigenous voices, perspectives, and traditional knowledge systems are meaningfully represented and amplified in public health governance. The role represents more than governance–it’s about voice, visibility, and action rooted in culture. Through collaboration, accountability, and culturally grounded leadership, I look forward to working with fellow board members and community partners to promote holistic wellness for all communities across the region,” said Angela Recollet, member, Board of Health for Public Health Sudbury & Districts.

The Board of Health continues to support self-determined Indigenous health and strives to reduce barriers that prevent equal opportunities to health, including rooting out systemic racism, and white supremacy where they exist.

In addition to Recollet’s appointment, Amy Mazey also attended her first Board of Health meeting this month as the appointee for the Council of the Town of Espanola, the Municipal Councils of the townships of Baldwin and Sables-Spanish Rivers, and the Municipal Council of the Corporation of the Township of Nairn and Hyman.

Board of Health members are committed to improving opportunities for health and creating healthier communities for all. Proceedings (agendas, minutes, motions, and presentation recordings) for the Board are available online. To learn more about local public health programs and services, please contact Public Health Sudbury & Districts at 705.522.9200 (toll-free 1.866.522.9200), or visit phsd.ca.

Public Health Sudbury & Districts operates within the Robinson-Huron Treaty and Treaty 9 territories. The service area’s total population of Indigenous people is 27,600, which is 14% of the population. These lands encompass Anishinabek, Ininiwak (Cree), and Métis peoples among other Indigenous nations. The Board of Health, which governs the operational direction of Public Health Sudbury & Districts, plays a crucial role in reducing the barriers to accessing health services. To do so, we actively support and uphold the inherent and treaty rights to self determined health and wellness of the original Peoples of this land. We approach this work with respect, humility, and an openness to learn.