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CAO Eriksson in familiar territory
Mac Olsen
South Peace News
Just three years into retirement, John Eriksson welcomed the opportunity to get back into municipal affairs.
Eriksson is the new CAO for the Town of High Prairie, taking over the position Jan. 25 2010. His wife, Beverley Eriksson, will be moving back to High Prairie soon.
Eriksson started working in municipal affairs in his hometown of Pickering, Ont. in 1970. He has some post-secondary education from the University of Waterloo, but most of his training came through working in municipal affairs.
Later, he came to Alberta to help make improvement districts into municipal districts.
“Half of the province was improvement districts under the direct control of the Province of Alberta. The mandate was to incorporate it all and I was part of that,” says Eriksson.
“I always looked for things that were a challenge, which were new municipalities, whether they were parts of others or newly created.”
Eriksson helped to create the M.D. of Big Lakes, which came into effect Jan. 1, 1995, out of parts of Improvement District 17. He worked as the CAO for the M.D. until his retirement in 2007, which he regretted.
“I realized I did it too early. I saw what was happening here and called Archie Grover (the former CAO) and he said, ‘John, come, you’ll have fun.’ So, I’m back.”
As the CAO, Eriksson feels strongly about his loyalties to the Town of High Prairie.
“With the municipality, your loyalty is to your employer, always. But let’s face it. Between the two municipalities, the M.D. of Big Lakes, the Town of High Prairie and other jurisdictions, you’re still one community, which has no boundaries. The boundaries of a community are what you make of it.”
Eriksson also says it was very difficult in the area because, as a rural administrator, the partnerships were overwhelming. There are two towns, three Métis Settlements and four First Nations and they’re all partners in a community. They come into town and shop he adds.
“No one is an island unto themselves. Regardless of where you park your hat on the urban or rural scene, you deal with your specific duties, but you also have to remember the community as a whole. The people who pay taxes in this town could not survive if somebody from the outside of town doesn’t come in and purchase goods and services here.”
Eriksson is still getting familiar with his new role, so it will be a while before he can create a list of priorities. Nonetheless, his goal is to help maintain High Prairie as a viable municipality.
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John Eriksson is making High Prairie his home again. Eriksson, shown in a file photo after receiving the R.W. Hay Award Nov. 13, 2006 for excellence in municipal administration, says retirement didn’t agree with him. He is pleased to accept the role of CAO for the Town of High Prairie.
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