Leganchuk came in November of 1994, replacing another long-serving administrator, Gerry May. Prior to that, the Shoal Lake native had worked in different positions, including for a construction company and time with Revenue Canada in Winnipeg. He joked that the government job trained him for the sometimes tough sledding with the public, that municipal administration would provide him.

He said his move to municipal work was actually foreshadowed earlier. He had once owned an insurance agency, Leganchuk Agencies, in Bredenbury, Saskatchewan. They did the town’s books. It gave him the first taste.

“Then when I was in Winnipeg, when I didn’t want to work with Revenue Canada anymore and wanted to get back to the country, I could see it would be a good job to be an administrator,” Leganchuk explained.

He took the courses and got to applying for positions. One of them happened to be back in Shoal Lake and he took it. He spent six and a half years there, but in that community, the town and the RM did not operate a single office and staff. Although he tried to move them in that direction, they resisted. Only having one municipality meant the money was not great, so he went looking for a pair that were merged at the office level.

Through conventions he knew May and that he was retiring. So he applied and got the position for the Town of Boissevain and the RM of Morton. This started 23 plus years of work in the community, which ended a little earlier than planned this past March 23.

During that time he worked with one mayor, Ed Anderson, and two reeves – Erv Neufeld and Bob McCallum. As well, there were plenty of councillors for both municipalities. Leganchuk would be a big part of a great period of development in the community.

Many projects went ahead during this period. Leganchuk stresses that they were done by Council and others who saw a need and got things moving. But he was also involved in all of them to some level – whether be in organizing committees or just funding or budgeting for them.

There are simply too many to list here (see “Highlights”), but they range from the well-known like the water plant, fire hall and new development, to the less considered like the miles of roads in the municipality, replacement of sewer and water lines on a consistent basis. It is really a staggering list; one Leganchuk was surprised with when he looked at it.

“I liked to work on things, I liked to help things grow. I had a good feeling. There were a lot of things done in town. I don’t even think Council really knows what they have done.”

Leganchuk added he volunteered hundreds of hours working in the first twenty years, without getting paid. As well as serving as CAO, he was also secretary-treasurer for the Vet Board from the beginning, secretary-treasurer of the Recycling Committee, the Legion Hall Board, TM Development Corporation and the Irvin Goodon Wildlife Museum.

“I loved my work and I just loved to see things getting done.”

Leganchuk had a few principles he lived by. He would work hard to keep harmony between Councils and not get into territorial problems. He would create reserves to handle big-ticket items, not debenture. There would always be a lot for someone to build on. Taxes and water rates would go up gradually, there would be “fat” in the budget for unforeseen incidents, and he would not comment to the media, as elected officials should do that.

Leganchuk was happy with his work and relations with Councils for 20 years. But the Province pushed amalgamation of municipalities, and he felt that changed everything. Boissevain and Morton had worked well together, but the formal connection, in his mind, over-complicated things.

“I felt we got more done when we had two separate Councils,” he stated. “I think a lot was lost with it. I got more done with Ed and a small group, and the same in the RM. I felt inertia developed. It is not the Council’s fault; I want to make that clear. This is happening across the province with amalgamation.”

He added the mutual respect seemed to dissipate after amalgamation and he knew it was only a matter of time until he left.

Since his retirement, he took a brief holiday and hit the links, completing 130 rounds of golf this summer. He enjoyed every bit of it, and said he made some shots that were “a thing of beauty.” But he is looking to continue working, as he enjoys it. Several possibilities are available. He may have to travel some as he and Betty plan to remain in Boissevain. A trip to the east coast and lots of Jets games could also be part of his future.

Leganchuk said he feels the current staff are the right people for now, and he appreciates his opportunities for many years.

“Thank you Ed, Bob, Erv and all Councillors past and present for providing us with the leadership that made things happen in the community of Boissevain-Morton over the past two decades. It was my pleasure to serve you and the people of Boissevain-Morton and be part of it.”

Retiring Mayor Ed Anderson paid tribute to his close partner.

“Lloyd is a really, really good person,” Anderson said. “He is smart and dedicated. He was a really good person to work with, and I always got along with him.”

ACCOMPLISHMENT HIGHLIGHTS OF CAO LLOYD LEGANCHUK WORKING WITH MAYOR ED ANDERSON

Some highlights of projects accomplished during Chief Administrator Lloyd Leganchuk’s term serving the Town of Boissevain and RM of Morton since 1994, while working with Mayor Ed Anderson.

Leganchuk, as CAO worked on grant applications, budgets and finances for the projects and often volunteered time on organizing committees. Mayor Anderson came on council in 1980 and served as Mayor from 1989 to 2017. Leganchuk retired in 2017 after 23 years of service.

• New water plant.
• New town maintenance shop.
• New fire hall.
• New rural municipality maintenance shop.
• New residential lot development; development of around 50 lots for new homes.
• New change rooms for swimming pool.
• New community library.
• New recycling building.
• New veterinary building – three phases.
• New theatre.
• New disposal site.
• Renovations to Legion Hall.
• Development of trailer court.
• Development of 30-40 all service campsites.
• New ball diamond upgrades, including washrooms and concession building.
• Renovation of office work area and upgrade to MuniSoft computer programs for accounting.
• Upgrade to town maintenance equipment.
• Upgrade to R.M. maintenance equipment.
• Water line south of town, extension to waterline north of town.
• Soccer fields.
• Town clock and message board.
• Water tank load facility east and west of town.
• Road behind hospital for semi traffic delivering to the hospital.
• Miles of rural roads, especially in the region around the new elevator; received over ½ million in grant money under the good roads program.
• Natural gas – final stages. Gerry May was the workhorse in getting this project done.
• Program to replace sewer and water line every year to prevent water breaks of old lines in the winter.
• Paving of a couple streets each year to keep our grid in good shape.
• New fire truck and related equipment.
• Did the town numbering of houses and the commercial district.
• Purchase of the automatic water meters to help in recording accurate water consumption.
• Arena change rooms.

 by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff