Suzanne Rochon-Burnett

Suzanne Rochon-Burnett (March 10, 1935 – March 4, 2006) was a Canadian Métis business woman.

Born in St. Adèle, Quebec, she was the first aboriginal person in Canada to own and operate a private commercial radio station, Welland, Ontario's SPIRIT 91.7 (now CIXL-FM).

In 1965, she married Gordon W. Burnett. They had one child, Michèle-Élise.

Her lifetime achievements are numerous. Communication and social causes were her driving force. She became a great ambassador for French music from Quebec and France when "Chanson à la française" was broadcast on 21 stations in Ontario in the late Seventies after years of experience in the media all over the world. All songwriters were charmed by her unique style and elegance when she was interviewing them in English.

Most importantly, she was among the first to support Native artists in Ontario, for example David General, Vince Bomberry, Shirley Chee Choo and Carl Beam.

She established a special policy at TVOntario for Aboriginal programming, and set up a Native scholarship at Brock University in St.Catharines (Ontario).

In 2002, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada. She was also awarded the Order of Ontario. In 2006, she was inducted into the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business's Hall of Fame.

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