The first question was what their top priorities were. There was some common ground within the candidate responses, but also differences. Nestibo said a major priority was making sure people, rural and urban, would have a voice in the next four years, and that council would be transparent with the public.
“We may not agree on every issue, but I feel everyone should have the opportunity to express their concerns,” Nestibo said.
Adams, having spent many years on council, wanted to move to more of a leadership role. He wanted to see projects that are on the go, such as the lagoon, campground expansion and others, come to fruition. His personal priorities were also communicating with people on why the municipality is doing what it is doing.
“We need more community input,” Adams said.
Barwick, with a lot of experience building roads in particular, said infrastructure was his number one. Not only roads in the rural area, but also streets and sidewalks in town needed work. He gave credit to the urban and rural crews for their work and wanted to make sure they have the right equipment and materials to do the job.
McCallum agreed with that priority, saying the infrastructure under the roads was also important and made working on them more difficult than people thought.
“There is so much to deal with tearing into a road,” McCallum said. “We have damned good roads and I want to keep it that way.”
Latimer felt the roads needed more care. He also said he wanted to be a voice for the agricultural community, saying since amalgamation, the rural input had diminished.
For Coupland, naming a number one priority is difficult. Priorities change, as they do when the flood hit this summer. Flexibility is key.
Maxwell said he wanted to use his experience from other councils in his community. He wanted to speak up for those who might not feel they have a voice.
Reichert said he liked working with people, wanted to continue to work ongoing projects, and really wanted to get going on replacing Westview Lodge.
Lonnie Graham wanted to make it easier for the public to connect with the council and administration.
Lucier built on these connection concerns. As a retired RCMP officer, he felt he had a lot of skills to offer in leadership. When being asked to run, one of the concerns that came up from members of the public was a feeling they were not always getting the information from the top they felt they deserved.
“I am hearing there were some frustrations with transparency, with accountability, with availability, accessibly. Those are my priorities. I want to be as transparent as possible with people,” Lucier said.
Stead said he wanted to continue to be open to the public, and work to make the community better. Things are happening and he was excited for the future.
Doug Troke said he wanted to return to council to continue to give back to the community. As an accountant, it is not surprising fiscal responsibility was a big issue for him, making sure dollars were spent properly.
One big project on people’s minds is a new arena. Mooted for decades, there is now a space for it and a committee set up to fundraise. However, there are different views, reflected by the candidates.
Some were most definitely in favour. Troke was involved in an earlier attempt to build something new, and said recreation opportunities are very important for drawing people to the community. Latimer was similar, saying the present rink was getting old and the ice surface was too small for larger tournaments. He said a priority is for the building to be built using local companies, to keep the dollars flowing in Boissevain.
Others had caveats. Graham said he felt it could be possible to work on the present arena, to renovate, as the community cannot build a $10 million facility. Lucier and Stead said it had to be practical and had to be put on a list of priorities. It has to be done responsibly. Reichert said it was necessary, but they had to make sure it was not too expensive. Maxwell wanted to see a report from the fundraising group.
Coupland said it would not be done right away, and operating costs had to be taken into consideration. As well, they were working to develop a prototype with a local company, which could change the whole project. Barwick was not opposed, but said it would be important to keep it under control and not build something the community could not pay for. Adams is a huge supporter of the rink, saying as a real estate agent, he found it was a huge drawing card, but also admitted it would have to wait for other projects like the lagoon to be completed first. McCallum said it was getting more difficult to keep the old rink operating. Nestibo said a rink is an important part of any community, but it would have to be done responsibly.
For the challenges facing the rural part of the municipality, most candidates named roads. Maxwell said the roads are an asset for a community and need to be seen that way. Adams reminded everyone the roads were originally built without the heavy traffic and the changing climate we have now. Barwick added the side roads needed work too. Coupland added the new gravel pit the municipality purchased should help in the future. For Latimer, it was important to remember the emergency services that use those roads. Reichert also added in the poor cell coverage in some areas, and Stead the need for better drainage. Graham said the roads were in fact better than they had been for a long time. Troke agreed and added rural crime was also a concern.
Adams brought up the problems of Whitewater Lake and its unstable boundaries.
“I would like to see us revisit this issue, to do our best to push for help and answers.”
The final question was about accessibility issues. Most candidates admitted the community was becoming more accessible to seniors and those with different abilities all the time, with a few areas still needing work. Adams said many streets and sidewalks were built before accessibility was an issue. Improvements are needed, but work is moving in the right direction.
There was time for a few written questions from those in attendance before the evening closed. The event was nearly two hours in length and many areas were covered to give voters a better idea of candidate priorities. To watch the video of the evening, search “Boissevain-Morton 2026 Meet the Candidates” on YouTube. Election day is October 28.
by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff