Politicians at all levels of government expressed their condolences and sadness at the loss of Thompson MLA Danielle Adams in the week-and-a-half since her Dec. 9 death in a car accident.
At the start of Thompson city council’s Dec. 13 meeting, Coun. Les Ellsworth, a former president of United Steelworkers Local 6166, said he had many dealings with Adams during political campaigns and in her role on the board of Thompson Children’s World day care, which rented space in the union’s building.
“She sat on the board for about 10 years at Thompson’s Children’s World,” Ellsworth recalled. “When I was president of the union … we were renting to them. She had a way of listening to you and then she said, ‘But the day care needs a fridge or a stove,’ so I’d go back to the executive and we’d get the fridge or the stove. That was Danielle Adams. I remember after she was elected, it wasn’t long before she came to meet with city council and listened very diligently. It is definitely a tragedy for our whole north.”
“In two short years she accomplished a lot in the north,” said Mayor Colleen Smook. “She listened to a lot of people. Imagine in two years, if she’d actually become a seasoned politician, the work that she could have done and worked with us all in the north. She was respectful of everybody and as you can see by the outpouring from the legislature right down to Prime Minister Trudeau, she’s had an impact on a lot of people.”
Council then observed a moment of silence in her honour.
During a provincial government announcement at Wapanohk Community School Dec. 14, School District of Mystery Lake co-superintendent Lorie Henderson also said that Adams would be missed.
“Danielle was a passionate and dedicated northerner,” said Henderson. “Danielle warmly welcomed all opportunities to support the school District of Mystery Lake. Her kindness and willingness to help will be missed.”
Earlier at the same event, provincial Education minister Cliff Cullen expressed his sympathy for Danielle’s husband and children.
“Adams will be remembered as a strong voice for Northern Manitoba,” he said. “She was a staunch advocate for child care and housing, poverty reduction and supporting Manitobans with disabilities.”
Later that afternoon, at Thompson’s University College fo the North campus, Manitoba Advanced Education Minister Wayne Ewasko shared similar thoughts.
“Myself and all the members of the Manitoba legislature will miss her greatly,” said Ewasko.
Manitoba NDP leader Wab Kinew was in Thompson Dec. 20 for a visitation for Adams at the Thompson Regional Community Centre.
“I spent a bit of time with her family and some of her friends yesterday,” said Kinew in an interview with the Thompson Citizen. “It’s very sad. Danielle was a dear friend, a well-respected colleague and our team took the news very hard and we can only send our support and condolences to her family. It’s very difficult and that’s why it was important to come up. If nothing else, just to spend a bit of time and show our feelings for what they’re going through.”
On Dec. 16, Churchill-Keewatinook Aski NDP MP Niki Ashton, who Adams worked for as a constituency assistant for about 10 years, made a statement about her friend’s death in the House of Commons.
“As an MLA and as a person, Danielle believed in our region. She believed in people. She believed in building a better future for all of us. She left us on a drive we all take on her way to Winnipeg to represent Manitobans, the job she was elected to do. Her life was tragically cut short.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also expressed condolences on the loos of Adams in a tweet the week before last.
