Karli Carr, left, and Melissa McNeil will join La Ronge council in October. (Submitted photos)

By Derek Cornet

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After a second call for nominations, Karli Carr and Melissa McNeil have filled the remaining two spots on council and will be sworn in next month.

Carr and McNeil were the only two residents to submit their names for the second call for nominations and therefore have been acclaimed. They will join fellow newcomer Robert Pacey Sr., and members of the current council including Mayor Joe Hordyski and councillors Viviana Ruiz Arcand, Abby Besharah and Terry Hunt.

Had there been enough interest to join town council, a municipal election would have been held Oct. 2.

“I wanted to put it forward because I want to be there to learn and to listen to people’s concerns about things and try it out as best as I can,” said Carr, who is the owner of Boreal Colours and who has been a hairstylist for six years.

Carr is a graduate of La Ronge’s Churchill Community High School and she has been a resident of the community for 25 years. She is a current board member for the La Ronge and District Chamber of Commerce.

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During the upcoming term for council, Carr wants to prioritize mental health, addictions and homelessness.

“Ever since COVID too, we have seen so much change in La Ronge, especially downtown,” Carr said.

“A lot of people don’t come downtown anymore to the beach or anything, and we live in such a beautiful place and can have such a beautiful place. I just see a lot of mental health and addictions and homelessness more so just downtown.”

McNeil, who is originally from southeast Saskatchewan, has been a resident of La Ronge for 15 years. She came to La Ronge as a deacon for the Lutheran Church, but now works at the clinic for the Saskatchewan Health Authority as the opioid agonist therapy program coordinator.

“I have always been interested and have always followed the meetings that are held … so I was paying attention to it, but when nobody was putting their name forward, that was concerning to me,” McNeil said.

“I think we are in a critical time in our community. We are looking at housing issues across the housing continuum [and] what we need to do as a community. There’s just a lot of important things to decide coming up, and I thought this is an area I know a bit about and it’s a way for me to contribute and give back to the community.”

During the upcoming term of council, McNeil wants to prioritize housing, community safety and well-being, as well as development and economic growth. She is a current member of the Tri-Community Housing Strategy and, in the past, has been a supporter of the La Ronge Ice Wolves, Northern Animal Rescue, La Ronge Arts Council and the Piwapan Wellness Centre.

McNeil holds an after-degree in religious studies and has considerable education towards a Bachelor of Social Work degree.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com