Drysdale profile

I have been married to Owen Johnston, who is a teacher at Fort Frances High School, for 18 years. We have an 11-year old daughter, Alice.
I have taught business courses and administered programs designed to encourage new job growth. In 2002, I became a full-time consultant with an office on Scott Street.
I always have taken my responsibility to give back to this community very seriously.
I have sat on numerous boards focusing on economic planning and growth, including the Rainy River Future Development Corp., Junior Achievement, the Northwest Development Network, and the Northwest Forestry Council.
I’m also a past president of both the local and the Northwestern Ontario Associated Chambers of Commerce.
In 2005, I was named one of the north’s top five “Movers and Shakers” based on my ability to influence senior policy-makers.
Recently, I was appointed to the board of Ontario Parks and the Grow Bonds board. I participate on both these boards as a volunteer, without compensation, to have our northwestern perspective represented at decision-making tables.
I have been elected as one of three district representatives to the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association, which has put the forestry crisis at the top of its agenda.
I am a member of the inaugural board of the Rainy Lake Fisheries Trust, which funds research to improve Rainy Lake, and the Northwestern Ontario Medical Education Fund, a scholarship fund that assists northern students with the cost of attending medical school.
I also chair the town’s Community Services executive committee, and sit on the Fort Frances public library board, the Sister Kennedy Centre board, and District Social Services Administration Board.
As for why I continue to want to serve as a councillor, I remain committed to working very hard to ensure Fort Frances continues to be a great place to live.
It is our collective responsibility to be sure that it will prosper for generations to come.