Charmaine Williams becomes first black woman elected to Brampton City Council

Some may find it surprising it took this long to see a black woman on Brampton’s city council, but that’s not what Charmaine Williams is dwelling on.

“I want to dwell on the fact that we made a change,” says the behavioural therapist, mother of five and newly minted councillor for ward 7 and 8. “Moving forward I know the residents of Brampton are going to start looking at the qualities of the candidates,”

Williams has been a part of the Brampton community for over 37 years. She wants to make it a city her kids choose to never leave.

However, she acknowledges there are some big issues that need to be addressed, like gun violence and the sale of cannabis.

“I’m calling on the city to run a gun buy-back program on top of gun amnesty in Brampton, so we can get some guns off our streets and out of the wrong hands,” she says.

She also says a majority of the community members she spoke with in Ward 7 and 8 aren’t comfortable with cannabis being sold legally in Brampton, but the conversation needs to continue.

“I want to encourage the community to share their thoughts with me,” she says.

Williams is ready to bring some exciting changes to Brampton and says she feels grateful she is able to. Just a year ago she was recovering from a brain hemorrhage — wheelchair bound and unable to walk.

“I have kids and a husband and people that rely on me, so I had to get up and get back up on my feet.”