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Brandi Zavislak, someone with long ties to the community, has been hired as the town’s community development officer. She started work on October 28.

            The community already has so much going for it, Zavislak said, adding that her initial priority will be to keep that momentum going. Established events such as the Winter Lights Festival and Canora in Bloom carry most of the momentum but there are also newer events such as the farmers’ market which was held last summer in front of the Visitors’ Centre which must also be nurtured.

            One of Zavislak’s first jobs was with the Town of Canora when she was hired as the youth liaison worker for the Child Action Plan. After about a year’s time, she was looking for a greater challenge and she bought the Flower Mill from Kevin Hryhoriw. She put her own spin on the business and showed the community how well promotions worked. Her specially designed delivery vehicle became a mobile advertisement.

            She built up the business for five years to when she observed an ideal time to sell it. After she and her husband, Darcy Sliva, had their first baby, she wanted to continue working for a year, but then she wanted to be home to bond with her child.

            After her child turned three and was more ready to explore the outside world, Zavislak said she needed more challenge in her life. Helping her father with farm work wasn’t doing it for her. (She is the daughter of Terry and Gladys Zavislak.) She managed a flower shop business in Melville which needed to be rebuilt from the ground up. She began working in Melville in February and worked her last shift last week.

            Having proved herself in business, Zavislak said she expects that was what convinced the town council to give her a chance at the CDO job. Having owned a thriving a business is often better than having a degree in business.

            Having travelled around the world and having proved her entrepreneurial spirit in business are the exact tools that make her perfect for this job, Zavislak said.

            While her first priority as CDO will be to keep the momentum going and she is already working in the Winter Lights Festival from November 30 to December 6. As she delves deeper into the job she wants to promote the community because the community has so much going for it. There is plenty of room for new businesses and Canora has very affordable housing to attract young families.

            Zavislak says she also wants to do more with tourism in Canora. When she was in business, it was the tourism business (mainly those staying at nearby lakes) who could be counted upon to pay the bills during the summer months. That tourism potential applies to the whole business community, she said.