Valerie G. Barnes Connell Jordan
Northern Advocate
Long-time La Ronge resident, Bruce Skilliter is the Town of La Ronge’s newest councillor after winning a by-election on Oct. 8.
Skilliter won the Oct. by-election with 174 votes, followed by Glen Watchel, 50; Ken Beaven, 46; and Cody Docken, 30.
“I have a real interest in our town and the betterment of our town,” Skilliter said in an interview with the Northern Advocate. “I think I have the tools and the experience that may help us move forward and make us a more viable town, more progressive.”
Skilliter sees working toward making life easier for those who are houseless, addressing crime, and attracting more businesses as top priorities for the Town.
Addressing houselessness, Skilliter said, “I don’t think the homeless want to be in that situation, so maybe there’s something we can do. I don’t know what; it’s not going to be easy.”
Skillitere said, he was “humbled” by the election results.
“They maybe don’t know me, but I came here in 1977, so I know a lot of people, (and) I guess they must trust me.”
Reading and researching the back and current Council history and information have kept him busy preparing for Council meetings.
Sworn in at his first meeting, Skilliter has been placed on three committees, waste management, the Park, and Woodlands and Waterways Visitor Centre.
Tourism is another interest for Skilliter.
“When I first came here, we were like a thriving tourist town and that has all gone … some businesses have left, why? I don’t know, something we could fix, make better?”
He also said, “Housing is a major factor, not only for the homeless, but everybody.”
Skilliter expressed concern around the lack of housing for people who might come to work in the long term care facility currently under construction.
As a new councillor, Skilliter said, he knows he “needs to do more listening than talking.
:I’ve done a lot of reading, back stuff, to get myself up to speed on things, it takes up a little time, and I’m pretty busy in my other life,” he said.
Following a long career with SaskPower, Skilliter started his own business, training young people.
“I still run my powerline training through Northlands College … travelling around the province doing training, yah, I’m busy.”
When asked about his vision for the Town, Skilliter said, he would like to see some beautification.
“We have weeds growing in our sidewalks, broken curbs and hunks out of the sidewalks.”
One thing he sees as an important project, publish washrooms in the downtown area.
“I think that’s something we need to try and address is a public washroom, not just for the homeless people, but everyone, because the businesses don’t want people just coming in and using their facilities … it’s a big problem everywhere,” he said, referring to cities in Saskatchewan and beyond.
Attracting people to the many jobs in the north that go unfilled, is another interest Skilliter has.
Skilliter’s election comes one year into the four-year term, with the next election slated for 2028.
“I am open to listening to people, getting their suggestions and taking them to Council,” he said, as he goes to put his nose in the books to be prepared for the next Coouncil meeting.
