Helen Cooper (Canadian politician)

Helen Cooper (born 13 November 1946) is a Canadian politician and administrator. She served as mayor of Kingston, Ontario from 1988 to 1993, and was chair of the Ontario Municipal Board from 1993 to 1996.

Cooper was born in Australia, and moved to Kingston with her family as a child. She graduated from Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute, received a Bachelor of Science degree from Queen's University in 1968, and worked overseas for a few years in development programs. She met her husband when working as a teacher in northern Tanzania. In 1973, she received a Master of Science degree from the London School of Economics in England. Cooper returned to Kingston after her graduation, and worked part-time as a teacher at Queen's and St. Lawrence College.

She was elected to Kingston City Council as an alderman for the Sydenham Ward in 1980, and was re-elected in 1982 and 1985. In 1985, she became the first member of council to vote in favour of a Gay Pride Day for the city. There was a strong reaction against this decision, and she reversed her position after what the Kingston Whig-Standard described as "many vicious hate calls". When Cooper first campaigned for mayor in 1988, she pledged not to proclaim a Gay Pride Day if elected. She later regretted this decision, and again supported a Gay Pride proclamation when running for re-election in 1991.

Cooper was first elected as mayor in 1988, defeating rival candidate Joe Hawkins by over 3,000 votes. She became the first female mayor of Kingston. She was re-elected over Hawkins by a greater margin in 1991, and served as president of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario in 1991–92.

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