Councillors

Councillor Robert (Bob) Bernie has lived in Kenora for over 38 years. He came to Kenora in 1984 to work at the Kenora Jail, later joining the Kenora Police Service in 2000, and patched over to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in 2009, when the two police forces amalgamated. Councillor Bernie received the OPP Accolade Award as Officer of the Year in 2011 for his role in adopting the Mobilization and Engagement Model of Community Policing into the community. This term will be his first on Council.

Contact Councillor Bernie

You can contact Councillor Bernie by email or give him a call at 807-464-3935.

About Councillor Bernie

Mr. Bernie was born in Fort Frances and later moved to Rainy River and went to high school there. His father worked on the pipeline in Kenora and the surrounding area. When he was young, our family would spend the summer months staying in tourist camps to be with him. Kenora was always the most vibrant and exciting community, and he'll always have fond memories of those days.

Mr. Bernier returned to Kenora in 1985 to work at the Kenora Jail and made it his home. He became a police officer in 2000 when the Kenora Police Service (KPS) hired him. He worked extensively with the public and served as the Community Services Officer with the KPS. The Kenora Police Service amalgamated with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in 2009, and he worked as the Community Mobilization Officer (CMO) from 2010 until he retired from full-time policing in 2020. Until recently, he worked on a casual, part-time policing contract with the OPP post-retirement. He had the unique opportunity as CMO working with community partners on a wide range of projects, including the Kenora Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, the Kenora Substance Abuse and Mental Health Task Force, the Kenora Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition, Drug Treatment Court, and the RISK Table (situation table), as well as many other important initiatives. He believes this work has been informative and will enable him to work effectively as a member of council.

Mr. Bernie's wife, Tracey, is from Kenora and has worked as an English teacher for the Kenora Catholic School Board her entire career. They have two children, Emily and Jack. Emily is a speech pathologist at the Thunder Bay Health Sciences Centre and resides in Thunder Bay. Jack is attending school and pursuing an education degree in Kelowna, BC. He is also playing collegiate hockey there. 

He says Kenora has been very good to him and his family. He considers it "the jewel of lake of the woods". He is committed to helping this community achieve its full potential. 

Councillor Graham Chaze is a business owner. He was appointed to Council in 2021 to fill a vacancy, then elected to serve the current term of Council. He served on the former Lake of the Woods Development Commission and the Kenora Planning Advisory Committee.

Contact Councillor Chaze

You can contact Councillor Chaze by email or give him a call at 807-407-5253.

This term will be Councillor Lindsay Koch's first on Council.

Contact Councillor Koch

You can contact Councillor Koch by email or give her a call at 807-464-4419.

About Councillor Koch

Mrs. Koch's family moved from Alberta to Minaki, and then to Kenora in 1993. She spent most of her youth in Kenora, returning in 2009 after attending the University of Winnipeg. She and her husband are raising their son alongside their families and close friends who chose to remain in Kenora like them.

Councillor Barbara Manson retired from the City of Kenora in 2015 after 30 years of service, having worked in various departments. Councillor Manson currently works in the constituency office for The Honourable Greg Rickford, Member of Provincial Parliament, in Kenora. This term will be her first on Council.

Contact Councillor Manson

You can contact Councillor Manson by email or give her a call at 807-464-2658.

Committee experience

• Kenora Community Foundation (2017 to 2000)
• Festival of Trees (2005 to 2021)  
• Lake of the Woods Cemetery, Convener, Festival of Lights (16 years)
• Chair, Common Ground, A Sharing of Stories (2005 to 2021)
• Lake of the Woods Arts Community (LOWAC) (2018 to 2022)
• Lake of the Woods Historical Society (10 years)
• Communities in Bloom (8 years)
• Winter Lights (2 years)
• Ontario Association of Cemeteries (7 years)
• Lake of the Woods Sports Association (13 years)
• Kenora Sports Hall of Fame (1 year)
• Director, Norther Western Ontario Sports Hall of fame (10 years)
• Kenora Heritage Committee (5 years)
• Business Incentive Committee (3 years)
• Harbourtown Centre (5 years)
• Kenora Urban Trails (5 years)
• Kenora District Motorcycle Club (3 years)  
• Lake of the Woods Gun Club, Treasurer (5 years)
• Lake of the Woods Stewardship Association (LOWDSA) (2021 to present)  

About Councillor Manson

Mrs. Manson was born in Keewatin in 1955, married a Norman boy (Chuck) in 1990 and raised two sons, Dylan and Colt, in Kenora. Barb has coached in many activities, including hockey, ringette, baseball and gymnastics. Barb doesn't like to call herself an artist but enjoys painting. She is an avid book reader and trail walker. She teaches yoga and aerobics at 3 Woods Dive in her spare time and is the building's Social Convener. Every spare moment she loves to spend time at their camp on the Winnipeg River, paddle boarding, kayaking, reading, writing, swimming and fishing. She loves to travel, having gone home to her ancestral native land Sweden twice, as well as many hot holidays. Her biggest joy is hanging out with her husband and three grandbabies (not so little now), Marshall, Jett and Ayla. 

Councillor Lisa Moncrief has lived, worked and volunteered in the Kenora area all of her life. She is currently on the Board of the Lake of the Woods Concert Series and Common Ground: A Sharing of Our Stories. This term will be her first on Council.

Contact Councillor Moncrief

You can contact Councillor Moncrief by email or give her a call at 807-464-5740.

About Councillor Moncrief

Mrs. Moncrief is a wife of 41 plus years and the mother of two fine adult children who, after leaving Kenora for post-secondary education and traveling, have both chosen to return and raise their children in Kenora.

Councillor Kelsie Van Belleghem is a Member Advisor at Copperfin Credit Union, volunteer Treasurer for the Women’s Shelter, Saakate House, parent to Daphne and Roger, and wife of Ben Van Belleghem. She has been a permanent resident since 2017, and a seasonal resident since the day she was born, spending time at family properties in Clearwater Bay and Sioux Narrows growing up. This term will be his first on Council. 

Contact Councillor Van Belleghem

You can contact Councillor Van Belleghem by email or give her a call at 807-464-4806.

About Councillor Van Belleghem

Mrs. Van Belleghem was born, and (mostly) raised in Kimberley BC, went to school in Winnipeg, MB where she also worked as the Merchandiser and Buyer for St. Charles Country Club for five years, she then moved to Oakville, Ontario in 2012 where she worked as the Merchandiser and Buyer for Toronto Golf Club, and finished her career in southern Ontario as a Merchandiser for Holt Renfrew where she assisted the team in setting up their new location at Square One, and the new Men’s Department in Vancouver. A fateful summer visit to the cottage in 2017 led to her meeting her now husband Ben, and since then she has forced her way into this community through volunteering, extra-curriculars and family connections. Raising her family here, and having had a variety of experiences in many cities across Canada, she knows this community has such a wealth of resources, and attraction, and that being a part of this council, she hopes to help further foster the growth of a sustainable, inclusive community.

Contact Mayor Poirier

You can contact Mayor Poirier by email or give him a call at 807-467-2018 or 807-466-2495. Learn more about Mayor Poirier on our Mayors Office page.