Nipigon is a great place to live. I’d like to offer my time and skills to benefit our beautiful community. My career and education have both been varied and have given me skills that would be useful as a Town Councilor.
Many years ago I moved to the area with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) as the Fire and District Warehouseperson at the MacDiarmid base, then successfully acquired a position in Nipigon as the Engineering Services Technician. I was responsible for road construction and maintenance, dam maintenance and the Junior Ranger program. I became the lead in the District to protect our fisheries from the installation of water crossings, pipelines and shoreline development.
Moving to Thunder Bay took me away from work that I loved, but gave me opportunities to learn new skills. As Fire Services Supervisor I supervised the warehouse, retrieval and administrative sections of the Regional Fire program in Thunder Bay, supervising up to 15 permanent staff plus seasonal and emergency workers. As the Planner for the Shebandowan Lake Management Plan I focussed on protecting the water quality of the lake, particularly the cold water habitat. As the Regional Information Management Specialist, I provided information management support and direction to District and Regional staff and the Regional Fisheries Forum, including the use of corporate computer applications and the use, storage and exchange of electronic information.
While working full time, I went back to school part time to learn more about fisheries, fish habitat and the connection between these and surficial geology. I completed an Honours degree in Water Resource Science at Lakehead University, (thesis: ‘The Effects of Geologic History and Human Activity on the Morphology of the Black Sturgeon River and Potential Effects on Fish Habitat’), and also a Masters of Biology, (thesis: ‘Effects of Lampricide on Olfaction and Behavior in Young-of-the-Year Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens)’).
In summary, here are my skills that may be useful as a Nipigon Town Councillor:
- Successful preparation of funding proposals;
- Budget preparation, work planning and reporting;
- Communication and negotiating and information management skills;
- Skills and knowledge of erosion control and creation of sediment control plans for work near lakes or streams, as well as protecting and enhancing shoreline and cold water habitats (i.e. brook trout and lake trout).
I look forward to working with other Town Councilors to maintain and improve our beautiful community. I will fight to maintain and enhance our health care services, look for opportunities to attract new business and maintain existing ones, and ensure the best use of your tax dollars. I believe in good communications with citizens and look forward to keeping you connected with your town. I will continue to promote FireSmart in our community, to keep us safe from forest fires, and to organize community forest cleanup and tree planting projects, to ensure the forests surrounding Nipigon are healthy and diverse.
