Westport
Robin Jones, mayor of Westport – one of Ontario’s smallest and prettiest municipalities – was appointed to the Ontario Arts Council board of directors in March 2021.
Robin brings a passionate interest in ceramics and enjoys time spent on the pottery wheel in her studio. She also has a love of music enhanced by her years as a chorister in several choirs.
Robin has a deep commitment to social justice issues informed by her years working as a police officer and in Indigenous communities in northwestern Ontario. She is the co-founder of the Leeds & Grenville human trafficking task force.
Prior to entering political life, Robin spent 33 years in policing, holding senior positions with Waterloo Regional Police and the OPP. In 2007, she was seconded to the Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services and was the provincial negotiator for First Nations police services throughout Ontario. She finished her policing career as chief of the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service. Robin then taught leadership courses across North America to police officers on behalf of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).
Robin is a board member of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and was recently elected chair of the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA).
Robin is active in her church and a member of the executive board of the Anglican Diocese of Ontario. She is chair of the Westport Arts Council and enjoys travelling, reading and spending time with friends and family.