A Quinte area lawyer who recently received the Order of Canada will be presenting a keynote speech at International Women’s Day festivities in Belleville next month.

Residents of the Quinte region are invited to celebrate IWD at a dinner honouring two local female leaders- the Community Advocacy and Legal Centre’s Michelle Leering and long time City of Belleville stalwart Karen Poste.

Hosted by the Business and Professional Women’s club of Hastings and Prince Edward, together with the United Nations Association in Canada’s Quinte branch, the dinner on Wednesday, March 8th will be hosted at The Grand, 70 Harder Drive in Belleville.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with dinner begins at 6 p.m. Tickets include dinner and can be purchased for $20 at https://bpwhpe.ca

Recently invested as a Member of the Order of Canada, Leering’s outstanding contributions to the region will be honoured. For nearly 40 years,  Leering has been an advocate for people who are disadvantaged and marginalized in the Quinte area.

Additionally, in appreciation of her leadership as the Manager of Economic Development at the City of Belleville, Poste will also be honoured.

“When women and community come together at events like this, we can recognize achievements and focus on issues that women still face today. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate that everyone can play a role in realizing gender parity” said Jennifer May-Anderson, President of the Business & Professional Women’s Club.

“The City of Belleville is blessed with diverse women leaders playing significant roles in the enrichment of our community. This year we honour two such accomplished leaders – Karen Poste and Michelle Leering,” added  Dr. Aruna Alexander, President, United Nations Association in Canada, Quinte Branch.

-Staff