Ivory Coast native Kassim Doumbia elected mayor in New Brunswick town of Shippagan, the first Black mayor elected in the province and a sign of the changing demographic in the region
Kassim Doumbia was elected mayor of Shippagan, N.B., in last week's municipal election, the first Black mayor in New Brunswick’s history.When Kassim Doumbia moved to Shippagan, N.B., 14 years ago, the town’s population was shrinking, its young people were leaving in droves, and it was rare to see someone who looked like him working in local businesses.
, a predominantly francophone region where many people still trace their roots to French families who settled here before Confederation., the native of Ivory Coast became the first Black mayor in New Brunswick’s history. And he hopes his journey from Africa to the top political position in the town of about 2,600 can help open the door to more newcomers who want to follow him.
That’s why he believes his region’s future is closely tied to the hundreds of French-speaking international students now coming to Shippagan to study at the local community college and satellite campus of the Université de Moncton. “When I first arrived in the region, there were no settlement agencies to help you navigate anything. I had to do that by myself, so I know the struggles people can face,” said Mr. Doumbia, who now has two daughters, 9 and 11.
With a booming food processing and seafood industry, the issue is no longer finding employment on the Acadian Peninsula. It’s finding people to fill job vacancies, leading to chronic labour market shortages caused by departing native-born Canadians and an aging population.
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