New CAO is named

BARRY ELLIOTT

Barry Elliott is the Town of Maple Creek’s new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).
He will start at the end of April.
His appointment was announced by Michelle McKenzie, the Mayor, at the end of Tuesday’s Town Council meeting.
For the past six years Elliott has been the CAO of the Town of Nipawin, a small community on the Saskatchewan River portion of Tobin Lake.
He finishes his term there on April 24.

Soul-searching
In a letter to Nipawin council on January 28, Elliott said the decision to leave was “extremely difficult” to make.
He said it had caused him, and his wife, Carmen, much soul-searching and reflection about their time in Nipawin.
“In the end, I determined that, given the opportunity presented in Maple Creek coupled with the opportunity to be located closer to family, now is an appropriate time to leave.”
During Elliott’s tenure as CAO, Nipawin is said to have enjoyed progress in regional relationships, community expansion, and improvement of services.
In an interview with the Nipawin Journal, Elliott said that he was proud to have been part of the development of the water treatment plant.
He was also proud of the council-led initiatives to strengthen relationships with Nipawin’s municipal neighbours in the region. Other highlights include new recreation opportunities, better public works services and behind-the-scenes improvements such as updating policies and bylaws.
Elliott told the paper that he and Carmen were familiar with Maple Creek and fond of the community.
“We know people there certainly, we have family in the area,” he is quoted as saying, adding that he expected his new job would be challenging and exciting.
Although Elliott began working for municipal government in 1980, it was not until 2007 that he completed the Municipal Administration Program at the University of Manitoba and transitioned into administration.
He has worked in all provinces from Ontario through to British Columbia, and marked his 40th year in municipal government in 2020.
In 2012, while working in Fort Macleod, Alberta, Elliott graduated from the University of Alberta’s National Advanced Certificate in Local Authority Administration Program. He has completed two terms on the Board of the Saskatchewan Economic Development Alliance and is serving as the Division 5 director for the Urban Municipal Administrators’ Association of Saskatchewan.
McKenzie said Elliott had applied for Advance Levels 1 and 2 in administration.
“We are looking forward to him coming to Maple Creek,” she said.

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