Saint Firmin Monestime

Saint Firmin Monestime (born December 16, 1909 in Port-au-Prince , Haiti , † October 27, 1977 in Mattawa , Canada ) was a practicing doctor in Mattawa and mayor of the city from 1962 to 1964 and 1971 to 1973 . He was the first elected black mayor in Canada.

childhood and education

Monestime was born on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola as the only son of a wealthy tanner and grew up in times of constant political turmoil and economic change. After graduating from the University of Haiti's medical school in 1936, Monestime began practicing near the Dominican Republic border . From 1936 to 1942 his work as a state doctor consisted mainly of providing medical care to the rural population in the region. From 1942 to 1944 he worked as chief physician at a rural clinic and in the Ministry of Health in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince . During this time he published four papers on medical care for the rural population.

Monestime has been awarded the Order of Honor and Merit for caring for injured people during a border dispute with the Dominican Republic.

In 1944, however, Monestime had enough of the political turmoil, gave up his position in the public service and left the country shortly afterwards. Since he was francophone , he originally wanted to move to France. However, since the Second World War was still raging there, he applied for permission to study in Canada. Fearing reprisals, he left his homeland without announcing it and traveled to Québec .

Arrival in Canada

In 1945 Monestime came to Canada empty-handed. As a foreign doctor, he first had to repeat his medical training and worked for seven years as an assistant doctor in various hospitals in Québec, Montréal , Sherbrooke and Ottawa . In 1947 Monestime started a four-year job at Ottawa General Hospital.

His arrival in Mattawa has now become a local legend. While he was passing through, Monestime spontaneously decided to stop in Mattawa to refresh himself in a restaurant. There he was served by one of his former patients who told him that Mattawa absolutely needed a doctor. Monestime immediately liked the city, and he settled in a private practice in 1951 that was part of Mattawa General Hospital.

He distinguished himself as a good doctor with an open ear and treated his patients anytime and anywhere. This often involved medical care for injured loggers in remote areas. Many patients could only pay him in kind, and so he often returned home with live cattle.

Political activity

After Monestime met the Prime Minister of Ontario, Leslie Frost , in 1955 , he developed an interest in Canadian politics. After his youth under the volatile government of Haiti, he recognized the privilege of choice and the opportunity to be personally involved in all levels of politics. He received Canadian citizenship in 1957 and rose to president of the Mattawa Progressive Conservative Party within two years .

Mayor of Mattawa

Monestime had a major impact on the cityscape during his tenure

Since the now very popular doctor saw great potential in the city and wanted to help shape it, he stood up for election to the city ​​council and was elected mayor in 1962 for the following two years. Monestime was a big believer in continuous improvement and successfully implemented a range of settlement and new construction measures. When asked about his political success, Monestime replied: "I just want to improve, improve, improve."

In addition to his political interest at the local level, he also became active at the national level. He became national leader of the Progressive Conservatives , but failed in 1970 when he was elected President of the Progressive Conservative Party .

After a brief absence in local politics, Monestime ran again for election to mayor in 1971 and was re-elected. One of his most visible contributions to the city is still standing today. After twelve years of fighting for a retirement home in Mattawa, the Algonquin Nursing Home opened in 1976. Previously, people in need of care were forced to move far away.

family

In the mid-1940s, Monestime met the Russian immigrant Zenaida Petschersky, who helped him learn English and whom he eventually fell in love with. On February 8, 1952, Monestime married Zenaida, with whom he had four children: Valentina, Fedia, Yura and Sasha. At Monestime's insistence, Zenaida's mother also moved to live with the family in Mattawa.

On February 29, 1976, Monestime was called to hospital for an emergency. His son and three other bystanders were shot dead by a drunken hunter. Fedia died in his father's arms. Monestime never recovered from this loss. He died on October 27, 1977.