Patty Hajdu is well known and well respected within her community for her work on substance use issues, harm reduction, housing, and public health. She is a strong advocate for issues of equality, serving as Minister of Status of Women from November 2015 to January 2017.
Patty was the Executive Director at Shelter House, and is the author of and was a key member of the Implementation Panel for the Thunder Bay Drug Strategy. In addition, she was on the Community Advisory Board for the Homelessness Partnering Strategy.
Patty served as Chairperson for the Drug Awareness Committee of Thunder Bay. She was formerly on the Board of Directors for Alpha Court Mental Health Services and the Ontario Literacy Coalition. Patty has had a variety of her written work published, including several op-eds in The Chronicle Journal on the issue of homelessness.
Patty has lived in Thunder Bay–Superior North since 1980. She and her two sons currently call Thunder Bay home. In addition to her work on mental health and addictions, Patty is also a talented graphic designer, and she formerly served as Creative Director for a marketing firm. Patty holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from Lakehead University and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Victoria.