CANORA – With the Canora Golf Course Activity Centre filled to near capacity on Nov. 6, voters had the opportunity to hear the thoughts of candidates for the six town of Canora council positions in the Nov. 13 municipal election. Of the 13 candidates in the running, only W. H. (Bill) Reaume was unable to attend.
The evening began with the candidates introducing themselves to the audience.
Todd Bobyk:
Thank you for taking time out of your busy lives to join me and the other candidates here tonight.
I’m looking to build a better and a stronger community, a community that focuses on its people, working together to benefit and improve the lives of everyone, and to promote harmony and equality so that Canora can be great again. We need to develop a smart budget and allocate funds where they’re needed most.
Jacqueline Fetchuk:
I’ve been on council for four years and I would like to serve another four years. We have some big projects in the works. It’s been a steep learning curve and there’s more that I would like to learn.
Bradley Gabora:
I'm a home homeboy, born and raised in Canora. I was always involved in minor sports and everything else. As my wife and I raised our two kids and they participated in things here in Canora, I always felt that you need to give back to your community. So after numerous years of work, I decided to get involved in municipal politics and got on council. I'm happy with what we've accomplished to this point. I hope to continue that and keep Canora strong.
Kevin Haw:
I’ve been living in Canora for 14 years. I've seen a lot of different changes, lots of things that don't make sense and some that do. I have lots of experience in politics. I was fire chief for seven years in my hometown. I've dealt with budgets, I've dealt with numerous levels of government, and I hope that I can make a big change here. We have a lot of different projects that need to be done, that have to be prioritized. We have a lot of other smaller projects where people have voiced their opinions, and I hope to be able to address as much as I can.
Denise Leslie:
I was born in Canora, grew up on a farm near Buchanan. I want to eventually retire here with my husband, because my roots are here. I want to do what's best for the community. I have always volunteered throughout my life. I belong to different organizations, such as the Canora Arts Council, Canora Legion branch, Ukrainian Heritage Museum, Ukrainian Canadian Congress Canora branch, my church group and Canora Tourism Committee. The groups and organizations are what make up a community. I'm excited to continue to connect with the people. I would like to thank you for the honor and privilege of representing you as a town counselor for the past term.
Cory O’Dell:
I was born and raised here, attended school here. I'm fortunate enough to be raising a young family with Sarah Waters, consisting of three boys. One of my favorite connections to this place is that my great uncle was once a town foreman. My admiration for him is one of the reasons that makes it second nature, contributing to this place. One of these ways is being back to work, operating my towing company and more services available as they get back into the swing of things. Having been on council previously, I know some of the ins and outs, and it'll make a smooth transition to the job. I look forward to meeting and, more importantly, listening to residents, ideas, concerns and needs.
Gina Rakochy:
Canora has always been home to me. I grew up here, married and raised my family here. The majority of my work life was with an organization that regularly gave back to the community. It was a perfect fit for me, understanding and mitigating financial risk while weighing it to service was ingrained in what I did for 29 years, I chose to retire here in a place I call home, close to family and friends. Being involved and wanting to make a difference is who I am, like everyone else, I want the best life I can have, and Canora gives me a home base to achieve that, so I need to do my part to keep Canora moving forward.
Dwaine Senechal:
I've been here for over 15 years. I haven't really done much civically, but I've been involved in the community in other areas. I am married with four kids that live in the community. I've got grandkids as well and so I'm concerned about building a better town. One of the things that I think makes a good council is transparency and accessibility. I hope to be on it, on a council that is transparent and accessible to you in terms of ideas.. I think you've got some great ideas, and I'd like to facilitate ways to hear some of the community's ideas and to implement some of the things that I've heard from some of you to make this a better town… Change, I believe, needs to start from the bottom up.
Lucas Senechal:
I am Dwaine’s son. Thanks for the opportunity to run for council. I lived here growing up, moved to B.C, moved back in 2021. I haven't really been involved too much in the local politics, but in my interests, such as politics, economics, religion, philosophy, I felt like I had a moral obligation as a young man to see what I can do to make the local area in which I live better. And I think with my background, with very many diverse interests over my life, I think I might have some cool ideas that I could bring to the table if you guys vote for me.
Eric Sweeney:
My wife, daughter and I chose to live in Canora about 15 years ago. We checked out a bunch of other little towns and we just found that it had a nice feel to it. Since I've been here, I've been pretty well involved in the town, whether it was with the soccer, the daycare currently. Now, I'm a member of the fire department. I'm one of two volunteer medical first responders with the SHA in town, and I've had the honour of serving two terms so far on Town Council. I'm passionate about Canora. I think it's a wonderful place and I think we're moving forward really well. The new swimming pool, which isn't just great for Canora, it helps draw people to town. When they're in town, what do they do? Maybe go get a bite to eat, get some groceries, maybe gas, go check out the shops downtown. So I would just like I say I would like to keep that going. Also, we have many big projects in the works right now, and I would like to see those through.
Kerry Trask:
My name is Kerry Trask. I live in Canora with my wife, Norma, who works at the Gateway Lodge. My daughter Methyl is currently enrolled at the U of S and my son, Liam, is in Grade 10. I coach baseball. I work for Parish & Heimbecker based out of my house on Main Street. I've served two terms as a counselor and I've enjoyed every minute of it, a drastic learning curve. During the eight years, I've worked with a number of very capable mayors and councillors. To lend a helping hand is awesome. I have served on a number of boards as a representative for Canora, and I've always kept the town’s best interests in mind. Most important, I'm not scared to ask questions where questions need to be asked, and I'm not scared to confront or oppose a motion or discussion that is not in Canora’s best interest.
David Wasyliw
I was born and raised in a Canora. I have lived here most of my life. I worked for Department of Highways, also carpentry, drywalling, painting and at a Dodge dealership. I'm also a journeyman mechanic. I also helped on my family's grain farm for over 20 years. I was an employee of Wyonzek Brothers Construction for about 10 years. I was a volunteer firefighter for 10 years. I've been a member of Canora Cruisers Car Club for over 35 years now. In the early ’90s, the town council and the foreman at the time asked me to take a job opening in the Public Works Department. That was the start of my 30-year career, first as laborer and then finishing the last 12 years as a town foreman. Five years ago, I retired from the town. As you can see, I have time and knowledge to make fair decisions at the council table.
The introductions were followed by questions for the candidates, many submitted by audience members after the introductions. The following are a few highlights.
(NUISANCE BYLAW)
Bradley Gabora:
The current nuisance bylaw is there for a reason. If people choose not to follow the rules, there are penalties, as we all know. The reason for it is to keep a clean community. Should you have a yard that, shall we say, has too many things in it, and you have a neighbour who keeps their yard clean, eventually they might want to sell their house. When it comes to something like a house sale, the possibility of you selling it can be affected by the neighbours’ yards. So we like to keep it to a standard. We don't think we're asking for too much. We can tweak things if need be, but we like it where it is now, and we think it's helping the community.
Jacqueline Fetchuk:
The nuisance bylaw is something that is very controversial in this town. Some people don't want it. Other people want it. In the ’80s, when I was growing up, every lawn was cut with nice flowers. This town was gorgeous, and I think that's what we want to go back to. And it's up to the individuals to look at your home. If you're not going to do it, we're going to push it so that it happens, so cut your grass, put the snow fence away. It's that easy and it's a lot less hassle for council.
Dwaine Senechal:
Look, I'm not a guy that's really big into bureaucracy, I think people basically are reasonable, and we don't need to legislate everything. I like to work on a pattern. If you start to see a pattern, then deal with the pattern. Don't make a blanket law. So that's probably where I would start. Yeah, let's keep our lawns, our front lawns, clean. But really, I don't want anybody in my backyard, especially since we've got a fence, that's my backyard. It’s none of your business. So keep your front lawns clean. Keep the town clean, the front facing of your house clean. Yes, and I struggle with that. I've got five foster kids and a couple of dogs, so it does get busy. And so when they come and say, “Hey, clean up some stuff,” I get it, but I don't want people going through my backyard.
Lucas Senechal:
The nuisance bylaw, obviously, it's put there for a reason. Could there be maybe amendments to be more specific? One idea actually connects it to local businesses. If someone's violating this bylaw, maybe it's like, “Hey, here's some local businesses that can help you pick up your yard.” Maybe try them first. So I think the bylaw is important, but I think we can definitely go about executing that policy a little bit better.
(PROMOTE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT)
Gina Rakochy:
I believe businesses come in all sizes. Canora already has in place the opportunities, the support and space available to entice business. The key is keeping that business viable and their doors open to us. Our community responsibility is to actually walk through those doors, not past them. We need to welcome their families and provide a place they want to call home at the end of the workday. I remember being a part of a committee with the goal of enticing more doctors to Canora, when some were asked how much money they would take as incentive and, they actually asked what we could do to keep their family happy here. That resonated with me. I will listen to any and all business opportunity ideas. I believe almost anything realistic is possible. We just need to support them in return.
Todd Bobyk:
Take away the roadblocks for small businesses, but encourage them. Small towns are built on small businesses. They are the foundation. And we need each other. We need to see what we can do about commercial growth, but not bank on tourism alone. Bank on services like the blue collar man, the repair shop, the ma and pa shops. We need to focus on supporting each other in doing so, and I believe we'll keep our hard earned dollar in this community, and it'll fuel our economic growth.
Kevin Haw:
I believe economic development starts at home with the people of the town. We should start bringing more people in to start new businesses, but also support the ones that are here and help them expand. We don't do that right now. I watch people driving to Yorkton every day just for small things. So I really, really would think that we should support the businesses we have to help bring in more business. We don't need big corporations. They don't work.
David Wasyliw:
Economic growth, I believe, can be broken down into three phases: attractive, affordable and livable. As a councillor, I will strive to support all three phrases to bring development to our town, both residential and commercial.
(SAVE TAXPAYERS MONEY)
Denise Leslie:
We have a great town administrator. I know this because I am on town council. He has been doing this for over 20 years. He has a spreadsheet where it shows all the necessary things that need to get paid first, and then it's like Christmas, where there's the wish list that you'd like to possibly have. But if the town can't afford it, then we really sharpen our pencils, and then just pay pretty well what is necessary, so that’s how we try to spend your money wisely.
Cory O’Dell:
One area we could look at is the garbage collection in town. This year, the budget was $330,000 for contracting the services. You spent a lot of money with these contracts. For how long have we had the truck coming and visiting us instead of just buying our own truck? So there's all kinds of ways we could actually do it ourselves, save money, and even something like the rink. If we had town employees taking care of the rink, for instance, we could use our existing employees properly.
(SELLING GOLF COURSE LOTS)
Eric Sweeney:
The golf course lots, that comes up a lot at council table. The price on those lots is cost recovery. That's it. As far as lowering the price, we have to look at it as council. Our big job, or mandate, is to look after your assets, your financials. If we lower the price, we have to write that off. It shows as a loss to the town. To get the couple of houses that are started there now, yes, there was some dealing done on those and lowering prices, but individuals came and made offers. And so, we're always open to stuff.
Kerry Trask:
We have 20 lots to use as an example, and if we lower the asking price and take a $25,000 hit on each lot, and they all sell in one year, we're going to take a $500,000 loss. We’ve got to prime the pump, we’ve had two houses going, and we’ve just got to be patient, or you take a $500,000 hit for a small town.
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