Ramona Robins earned the highest number of votes out of all city councillor candidates in October's election.--NEWS PHOTO KENDALL KING
kking@medicinehatnews.com
Ramona Robins likes a challenge. She has taken on many throughout her life and is excited to begin her newest of being a Medicine Hat city councillor.
Born in Whitehorse, Robins moved frequently throughout her childhood. She has lived in Grande Prairie, Prince George, Didsbury, Fairview and Edmonton, to name a few.
Each time her family settled in a new community, she would get involved in local groups and activities, many of which helped her develop life skills. When she was in Grade 4, she began partaking in music festivals as a public speaker. She continued public speaking throughout her youth and now credits it for her ability to articulate her thoughts in a quick and precise manner.
“I was a bit like Hermione from Harry Potter,” Robins told the News. “I love a challenge. I like breaking a problem down into smaller parts, then knocking them off my list one by one until you accomplish what you set out to. I love it.”
As she grew older, she began to look for new challenges.
“When I was in Grade 8, I took one of those tests that tries to tell you what kind of jobs you should have … I was the kind of kid where I looked at it and said, ‘Whats the hardest thing on the list?'” she laughs. It was then she chose to pursue a career in law.
Robins went on to complete a Bachelor’s degree in political science, then moved to the University of Alberta’s school of law. After graduating in 1998, she was required to spend a year articling at a law firm. That’s when she moved to Medicine Hat and began working with Maclean and Macdonald Wiedemann Pitcher LLP.
“I was here maybe six months and I said, ‘This is the place I want to live forever,'” said Robins.
In 2002, she became the Crown prosecutor for Medicine Hat and area. In 2009, she was appointed as chief crown prosecutor. This past summer, she advanced again and became assistant chief prosecutor for all regional offices – 13 in total.
After transitioning to her new role, Robins was able to dedicate time to another of her interests; politics.
“I’ve always been interested in politics generally, but when you do a degree in political science, you become a little apolitical, so I’m not a political party kind of person,” Robins said. “I had just transitioned from being the regular day-to-day prosecutor (and knew) I still had more to give back to the community so I was interested in municipal politics.
“We are still living through the crisis of our lifetime and I think we need leadership and we need people who can make sound decisions and have a proven history of doing that. I thought maybe my skills could be useful to the city and I wanted to give back.”
Robins, a single parent of eight-year-old twins, loves Medicine Hat and its people.
“Being a single parent is a difficult choice to make. It was the right choice for me; I’m very glad that I made it. A big part of (that choice) was living in a community like this, that is safe and accessible and healthy for (my children),” she said. “There’s just an advantage to live in a place that does so much for its citizens and to be part of that process is inspiring.”
When she’s not taking on challenges in law or politics, Robins enjoys spending time with her daughters and other family members, many of whom live in the region.
“They’re very excited to see what I’ll do,” she says of her daughters. “They’re aware of different social issues (and) are invested in that part of the community because they see … that people are struggling in a way that our family doesn’t struggle and they want to know how the city helps them. That’s a really big interest of theirs and I’m glad to be part of it.”
