For the past year, Louise Portelance served as Vice-President of AFMO and, as such, chaired the local Conference Organizing Committee. "AFMO is the only association in Ontario that represents municipalities with significant Francophone populations," she said. "It is a pleasure and a privilege for me to assume this leadership role at the provincial level."

Elected in 19XX, Louise Portelance was a Councillor with the former Town of Valley East prior to being elected to the new City of Greater Sudbury. She has been Deputy Mayor of the City of Greater Sudbury for the past year. She is co-chair of the Mayor and Council’s Children First Roundtable which developed the City’s first Children’s Charter.

Councillor Portelance is currently a member of a number of community organizations, including: the Sudbury and District Health Unit Board, Earthcare Sudbury Steering Committee, Management Committee for Pioneer Manor (Chair), Greater Sudbury Lake Improvement Advisory Panel, Community Viability Committee (Vice-Chair), Planning Committee, Priorities Committee (Committee of the Whole), Children's Services Co-op (President), Children's Aid Society (Board Member), Fire Advisory Committee, Transition Team Children`s Community Network (Chair), and the Sudbury Airport Community Development Corporation.

The Francophone Association of Municipalities of Ontario was created in 1989 with a primary objective of maintaining and improving the delivery of municipal services in French. AFMO member municipalities include Ottawa, Hawkesbury and Cornwall in the East, Timmins, Cochrane and Kirkland Lake in the North and Welland, Toronto and Windsor in the South. The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) is one of many associate members.