(submitted photo/Joel Cardinal)

By Ben Tompkins

Joel Cardinal

Nipawin appoints new CAO

Jan 17, 2023 | 4:07 PM

The Town of Nipawin has a new Chief Administrative Officer.

During last week’s town council meeting, Joel Cardinal was officially appointed as the community’s new CAO.

Cardinal comes to Nipawin from Saskatoon with previous experience as a CAO and a senior executive, in both rural and urban communities in Alberta and other parts of Saskatchewan.

Cardinal told northeastNOW he’s excited about what the northeast municipality has to offer.

“I think the Town of Nipawin is a beautiful little town, and I really enjoy the area,” he explained. “I think it’s an excellent opportunity to take place in the local government process within the town, in that organization, and I’m truly optimistic about trying to accomplish some positive things.”

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And while he hasn’t spent a lot of time in the area previously, according to him, Nipawin did quite the job of drawing him in.

“I’m not from around the area, but it’s always been an area of interest. There are a lot of recreational amenities, and I’ve only heard positive things really and truly about the area, so I think what the area has to offer is definitely attractive to me, and that’s the reason why I came here,” Cardinal said.

As for his position as CAO, Cardinal will be responsible to ensure that council has a vision and objectives, and that it’s being properly communicated to staff administration.

He also has to make sure it’s a two-way street, as it’s important to make sure administration is giving its best possible effort, while trying to achieve council’s objectives.

“At this point, just coming in, the talent objectives is what has been communicated to me, so I’m not completely aware of my own observations yet. With the correspondence and general communication I’ve had with council, economic development and efficient service delivery are big interests. We want to make sure that we’re following through and delivering the best service levels possible to the ratepayers and stakeholders,” he said.

Cardinal now has a full week under his belt, stating it’s everything he anticipated and it’s gone as he’s expected.

He also mentioned how he only has good intentions entering the position, and was sure to clarify that to the general public, in and around the area.

“I’m very impressed with what I’ve seen in the talent and I think there’s a lot of opportunities for the organization,” Cardinal added. “We’re optimistic about trying to put forward the best effort that we can in order to remain accountable to the ratepayers and the stakeholders. There’s nothing negative at all.”

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8