I am excited to formally announce my candidacy for mayor of the Village of Canal Flats. I believe the residents of Canal Flats deserve a choice based on track record, a vision for the future of Canal Flats and collaboration with the other levels of government to build a strong, sustainable community.

During the last election cycle all candidates were acclaimed. There was no discussion around a vision for the village nor was there a forum where the candidates spoke publicly of their credentials or defended previous decisions.

I look forward to presenting my vision to our residents and to providing context surrounding decisions that I’ve made over the last 18 months as councillor. I especially look forward to a public debate with our sitting mayor, Ute Juras, so that our residents can decide who they feel is best qualified to represent our village.

When I won a by-election in April 2013 my promise was to resolve the divisive water issues that had dogged our community for over a decade. Once sworn in, my first order of business was to volunteer to be the Chair of the Water System Upgrade committee. With two referendums having already failed, I took responsibility for all communications, and when the counter-petition was launched in September 2013, 97% of the residents agreed to borrow the money. With the upgrade near completion, I am pleased to announce that, with vigilant oversight by me and Councillor Paul Marcil, the $2.7 million project is currently $167,000 under budget.

I have drafted an economic development plan that will be debated and hopefully accepted by council at our October 14 meeting, with the implementation of the plan forming the foundation of my platform. I look forward to meeting with residents over the coming month to discuss my platform as well as other important issues.

Dean Midyette’s bio

For those who don’t know me well allow me introduce myself. My name is Dean Midyette and I am running for mayor of Canal Flats in the upcoming Nov. 15 election. My family and I have lived here for 14 years. I am currently serving as a Councillor on the village council.

I work for the Pioneer as an advertising sales representative while my wife is a Special Education teacher at DTSS. My eldest son, Michael, is the head assistant professional at Windermere Valley Golf Course and graduated from Lethbridge College earlier this year with a diploma in Business Administration. My youngest son, Christopher, is a Grade 8 student at DTSS.

I have earned two university degrees including a Bachelor of Education with Distinction. As a first year teacher in Altario, Alberta I was nominated for the prestigious Edwin Parr Award recognizing excellence in first year teaching across the province. After teaching for four years I left for the private sector, working at Fairmont Resort Properties for 14 years. I have been with our local newspaper for two and a half years and recently received recognition as the number one salesperson in British Columbia for newspapers with circulations under 10,000.

I have competed in four different sports at a provincial or national level, including winning the Western Canadian championships as a baseball player and playing varsity volleyball at the University of Lethbridge where I finished my playing career ranked at the sixth best player in Western Canada. I have represented our zone in the BC Amateur golf championship on two different occasions and have held a piece of the course records at both Riverside Golf Course and Windermere Valley Golf Course.

Over the years I have volunteered my leadership and organizational expertise by organizing one of the largest high school volleyball tournaments in rural Alberta as well as helping to organize the Jurassic Classic, the largest amateur international gymnastics event in Canada. I am the past president of the Windermere Valley Men’s Club and most recently I was co-chair of the Giving Back golf tournament, which raised thousands of dollars for the Hospice Society of the Columbia Valley.

I look forward to applying my knowledge and expertise as mayor of Canal Flats and I thank you for your support.

Please vote on November 15.

Submitted by Dean Midyette

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