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Trainer's a political survivor

Marie Trainer has long been a power to be reckoned with in Haldimand, but she's faced some reckoning of her own

The Hamilton Spectator
Apr 26, 2006

[SISIS note: The following mainstream news article is provided for reference only, as an example of how mainstream media treats indigenous resistance to genocide. Mainstream media often presents biased and distorted information, lacking pertinent facts and/or context. Inclusion of this article on our site should not be considered an endorsement by SISIS.]

The soft-spoken woman defeated two strong politicians during her 20-year political career to capture the mayor's chair. In 1991, she defeated longtime mayor Edith Fuller when Haldimand was a town and part of the now defunct Haldimand-Norfolk region. In 2003, she defeated former Dunnville mayor Lorraine Bergstrand, who was elected Haldimand County's first mayor in 2000.

There was once speculation that Trainer might be a Tory candidate for the Ontario legislature but she never made the jump. She's also been approached by the Liberals.

Lately, however, Trainer has stumbled and fallen under intense criticism. The latest is the furor over her comments that the native blockade of two roads in Caledonia is hurting working people because there's no guaranteed cheque coming in each month. Some have taken this to imply native protesters are not suffering because they get government cheques.

Last year, Trainer was censured by county council after it found her guilty of harassing her secretary. Trainer dismissed the action as politically motivated -- her secretary had been hired by Bergstrand -- but a consultant studying the situation for the county said in the private sector an executive found guilty of harassment would be fired.

She lives on a farm and runs a beef operation with one of her sons.

Trainer, 60, is seeking re-election in the fall.

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