The first announcement came from Councillor Judy Swanson. In a move that was no surprise to most, she announced in July she would be running for the top job in Boissevain-Morton. She said she had been thinking about it for a while, being a veteran councillor in Oxbow, Saskatchewan, and felt she had the time and energy to do the job. Swanson had been working on several initiatives at the time, including the new assisted living complex idea and trying to keep the EMS in the community. As well, she wanted to do a little more planning than she felt was done in the past.
“I would like to see five, ten, fifteen year plans,” Swanson said. “We want to make sure the direction is positive for Boissevain-Morton. We need to know what we need, asset management.”
As the summer went on, other councillors made their decision about running. Rob Adams, Eric Reichert, Doug Robertson, Elmer McCallum, Rhonda Coupland and Lonnie Graham – each with different levels of experience – decided to take another shot at council. There were many reasons for doing so, but one of the common ones was the tax situation. Many wanted to get the taxes, whether on farmland or on higher urban properties, under control and base it on a fairer system.
As for Mayor Stead, he chose to run again, but to try for a regular council seat. This left Swanson elected as Head of Council by acclamation.
Councillors were not the only ones looking to try their hand at local politics. The first candidate officially on the docket was Doug Troke. Like others, taxes were important, but so was community engagement. He was soon joined by a familiar face in former administrator Lloyd Leganchuk, who was bringing 23 years of experience to the table. Amanda Racine put her name on the ballot, as part of a younger generation, while George Heide, who had become well-known for his work with the assisted living project, also threw his hat in the ring. With 11 candidates for six seats, the election set for October 24 was stirring more excitement than in any time in recent memory.
So much, in fact, that the Chamber held a candidate’s forum on October 16. An informative meeting in which community questions were discussed in front of a packed house in the theatre, it gave the public a chance to hear ideas and concerns from the people they could potentially vote for.
On election day and night, it took some time to finalize the new council. In the end, incumbents Coupland, Stead, Reichert and Adams were back, while Graham, McCallum and Robertson were disappointed. Newcomers Heide and Troke were welcomed aboard, while Leganchuk and Racine came up short. The new council was sworn in and began their work. For one, they had to start planning a new lagoon for Boissevain. As well, they would be administering a new water rate hike that was to take effect in 2019. In December, they held a meeting with landowners regarding plans for refurbishing the rural roads. They will be busy for the next four years for sure.
Business changes
Business changes seem to be a way of life in the community, and there were a few of them in 2018. One of these was Hazlewood Drugs. Brent and Jill Hazlewood had owned the business since 1992, but sold it to Megan and Dan Hamilton, with the couple taking over on February 5. Megan has been a pharmacist there for a few years, and the Hazlewoods’ said selling to someone local was very important to them. The Hazlewoods’ would remain on staff, and Megan said the regular customers would not notice too many changes, and not too many in the future.
“This is a very long term plan for us,” Megan said.
In March, it was announced Boissevain would be the home of a yoga and fitness studio. Lindsay Alvis started Soul Worx in the old Hair Teasers building. It was a place, she explained, for a variety of different classes like Buti yoga and spinning, with hopes they could accommodate more down the road. Despite getting a bit of unwanted and unwarranted national attention from a disgruntled complainant, anyone passing by the studio on a class night could tell Soul Worx was well appreciated by its clientele.
Du Rites changed hands in the summer. On July 1, Jordan and Stephanie Wilkinson took over the garage from Trevor Hicks. It was nothing new for Jordan, as he had managed the garage for three years previously. No major changes were planned, but he said he was not afraid of new challenges in the future.
When Westman Mobile Tire closed, AMJ Contracting Ltd, owned by Sean and Maybelline Maxwell, purchased the equipment and began offering tire changing, starting in August.
An older building saw new usage in 2018. Parkside Construction took over the old Gord’s Service Centre at the end of the summer. Owner Gene Unrau began refurbishing it, bringing back a certain amount of the old service station style, although it would be used for his construction business.
In September, Franz Hoel and Suzie Rice took over the lease on the Bordertown restaurant from Rick Pauls. A native of Austria, Hoel has been in the restaurant industry for a long time, including working at Bordertown. He planned to run a family restaurant like before, but perhaps adding some Austrian cuisine.
After 30 years, barber Wayne Turner retired in October.
One change could be a big one, but will not take effect until 2019. Denturist Jamshid Zehtab, with partner Dr. Domingo Zuninga, purchased the Morrow Plumbing building. Zehtab of Brandon had run a part-time denturist business in town for some time, and was interested in moving out of the old Town Hall. However, he also had plans to bring a dentist or two to practice in the community a few days a week. Having this and hygienists on site is something Boissevain has not seen for a long time, and would definitely be welcome in the community.
As well as business changes, there were a few shifts in top positions. Changes on the municipal level continued, with Dale Banman leaving the development office, replaced by Christie Paskewitz-Smith. Garry Enns was replaced at the Peace Garden by Tim Chapman. Jason Dyck left his position as head of Prairie Partners, to be replaced by staff member Misheyla Iwasiuk.
Construction
A couple of projects got started and/or finished in 2018. The highway through Boissevain was completed in the summer and they started on the curves north of town in the fall, to be completed in 2019. Boissevain School saw a long-awaited project that included new bricks, windows and boiler. There was a lot of shifting going on while the work went on, with places like the library and stage being used as classrooms for a while, but eventually, the inside at least, is getting back to normal.
Although no construction happened in 2018, much was accomplished in regards to assisted living. The site for the seniors’ facility by the Health Centre was confirmed, plans were made and fundraising began in earnest. Plans are to break sod in 2019.
Magic?
No round up of 2018 would be complete without the “weird story of the year”. This goes to Boissevain native Wes Stobbe, who found himself a tabloid hero at the end of 2017. While holidaying in Mexico, he was identified as the long-lost lover of 70’s pop singer and heartthrob Olivia-Newton John. Although he looked little like the disappeared Patrick McDermott, Stobbe appeared in several tabloids as the man. He denied ever “being mellow” or “physical” with the singer, claiming there was no “magic” between them. Could the National Enquirer ever be wrong? If so, it would be the first time for the paragon of journalism. Stobbe shrugged it off.
“I thought it was pretty hilarious,” Stobbe said. “I take it as a big joke.”
by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff