A Lakeshore woman with a long history of community work will be honoured this weekend when the municipality names a gathering space in Comber after her.
Local leaders will help cut the ribbon on the newly created Linda McKinlay Square on Main Street on Saturday at 11 a.m.
"We are excited to officially open the space and celebrate the incredible contributions that Linda McKinlay has made to the community of Comber, Lakeshore, and the region," said Mayor Tracey Bailey.
McKinlay's list of contributions is long. Her political career began in the late 1980s when she served as a councillor for Tilbury West until amalgamation in 1999. During that time, she oversaw the development of the Comber Community Centre and the Tilbury Arena.
After amalgamation, McKinlay was elected to Lakeshore's council in 2010 and served three terms before retiring in 2022. She chaired the Committee of Adjustment and co-founded Lakeshore's Arts Advisory Committee. She was instrumental in renaming the Municipality of Lakeshore, recognizing the municipality as a community of communities.
Early on, she volunteered as a Brownie leader, PTA member, and baseball coach. She served on the Comber Agricultural Society Board for 25 years and was a member of the Comber Chapter IODA for 45 years, where she was president for several tenures.
Even in retirement, McKinlay has worked to better the community. She continues to serve on the Committee of Adjustment.
She was recently the first recipient of the Linda McKinlay Leadership Award.
