COLE HARBOUR – An advisor to Premier Tim Houston’s government is looking to put her experience in government and community to work as the next MLA for Cole Harbour.
Leah Martin became the Progressive Conservative candidate for Cole Harbour in the next provincial general election when nominations closed August 22, 2024.
“Seeing Premier Tim Houston’s leadership from the inside has inspired me to offer for elected office,” said Martin. “Tim’s team of solutionists are fixing what’s been broken by previous Liberal and NDP governments. As a Mom of two boys who has called Cole Harbour home for the last decade, I believe the people of Cole Harbour deserve a new, strong voice at the decision-making table that’s building up Nova Scotia.”
Born in Halifax, Martin grew up in Cole Harbour in her early years before her family relocated to Ontario. She returned home to Nova Scotia in 2005 to study at Dalhousie University, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and was a member of the Dalhousie Tigers Women’s Basketball Team. She continued to give back to Dalhousie’s basketball program for 10 years after university as both an assistant coach and conditioning coach. Martin also coached and advised a number of local basketball programs, including at Auburn High and Cole Harbour Basketball. She also played semi-professional basketball recently as a member of the Lake City 56ers in the Maritime Women’s Basketball League.
Beyond athletics, Martin worked as a project coordinator in housing and homelessness for United Way. In 2023, she joined the Premier’s Office as Executive Assistant and earlier this year, joined Environment and Climate Change Minister Tim Halman as Special Advisor.
An Indigenous Nova Scotian who is a proud member of Millbrook First Nation, Martin would become the first Indigenous MLA elected in Nova Scotia history.
“Leah Martin is part of a new generation of Nova Scotians who are stepping up to serve because they believe in building the kind of province we can all be proud of,” said Premier Tim Houston. “Leah’s energy and drive are precisely what Cole Harbour needs in government. I know that with Leah as part of my team of MLAs, Cole Harbour will have a fighter for their priorities.”
Tim Houston’s PC team has also delivered record investments in healthcare, housing and tax relief to Nova Scotians, while strongly opposing the Liberal carbon tax.