Mary J. Daniel is Running for Ward 1
Mary J. Daniel moved to Portland 10 years ago. Her partner’s roots in the area go back six generations. Born and raised on a nearby farm, her partner grew up cottaging on the Rideau and has stewarded a 70-acre woodlot and wetland complex off the Cat Trail, near Chaffey’s, since the early 2000s. The couple fixed up and now live in one of the village’s heritage houses.
Before moving to Rideau Lakes, Daniel worked in the cultural sectors of Vancouver and Toronto. She earned a BA in fine and performing arts from Simon Fraser University and a Master of Fine Arts in film and video from York University.
She has worked as an independent filmmaker, documentary researcher and editor, university professor, and workshop instructor and mentor to youth, newcomers, women and seniors. Her films have shown at international festivals, won awards and featured in curated programs of Canadian works in Germany and New York City. She has taught in departments of communications, visual arts and design at several universities, including UBC-Okanagan and Purdue University-Fort Wayne.
Daniel was an active member of Canadian non-profit media organizations for over 30 years and served on the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre’s board of directors for close to a decade. In 2021, she was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award from Toronto’s Trinity Square Video for the workshops she ran for the organization through the years.
Daniel said she brings several qualities to the table, including independent thinking, curiosity, communication skills and an ability to work with others.
“I am an independent thinker. I do my research and I check my facts. I ask good questions,” she said.
She described herself as curious about people and said she “love[s] to listen and learn about different experiences than my own.”
Daniel also described herself as a “bridge builder,” with family ties to farm people on one hand and conservationists on another.
As a professional communicator, Daniel said she can “translate complicated jargon into plain language (and vice versa), including in areas outside my expertise.”
Her experience as a filmmaker, she said, has also taught her how to work with people who have different opinions.
“As a filmmaker I know how to work with a team of opinionated people, and that healthy dialogue is the key to better results for all,” she said.
Comments