Tetrault, Wiens face off in La Broquerie

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This article was published 31/08/2015 (3158 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s a familiar face in the race for ward councillor in the RM of La Broquerie by-election—former longtime CAO, Laurent (Larry) Tetrault is looking to return to the council chamber

Tetrault, also a longtime La Broquerie resident, is no stranger to municipal politics. He was the CAO for the RM of La Broquerie from 1975 until 2006 and the CAO for the RM of Springfield from 2007 to 2011.

“Now that I’m retired and have time, I think it’s time to give back to the community. I have a lot of experience and there are a lot of special projects to be done in La Broquerie. Building a country never stops. I think we have a wonderful community here and I want to help build it in a better way. With my experience I think I can add a lot to this council,” he said.

Tetrault said two key qualities that make a successful councillor include having vision and passion. He believes he possesses both those qualities and combined with his experience, he will be able to help grow the community.

“Experience you can’t buy. I’ve lived through building this community for the past 40 years,” said Tetrault, who cites a significant growth in the RM’s population since he became CAO in the 1970s.

Some of his goals—if elected as a councillor—include completing some big projects in the RM like the lagoon expansion. He said he also thinks the arena parking lot should be paved, because thousands of people go there every year. He also hopes the RM continues to pave municipal roads in the rural areas.

Tetrault ran for reeve of La Broquerie in the 2014 municipal election. He lost to Lewis Weiss by only 29 votes. Prior to last year’s election, Tetrault ran provincially as the Progressive Conservative candidate for Dawson Trail losing to NDP incumbent Ron Lemieux.

Tetrault said he also has an understanding of the business side within the La Broquerie community, as he previously owned the La Broquerie Hotel.

“I know both sides and if you want your community to grow, you have to have an open door to people who want to invest in your community,” he said. “And that’s one thing I really want to emphasize. La Broquerie should be a place where people want to invest money.”

On a personal note, Tetrault and his wife have eight children and are currently awaiting the arrival of their 13th grandchild. Three of his children currently live in the RM and he hopes to continue building a better community for them.

“Really, the biggest responsibility of elected officials is to build a better community for the people that are here,” said Tetrault.

Manitoba’s auditor general released a special audit of the RM of La Broquerie in 2008. The report questioned some of the municipality’s accounting practices and projects initiated by council while Tetrault was CAO during a five-year period ending in 2006.

Wiens stands in Tetrault’s path

The RM of La Broquerie could have a new face on council if Eric Wiens is elected in the by-election tomorrow.

Wiens—who has not previously held a council position—has sat on the board at the Marchand Community Club for six years and the board for the Seine-Rat River Conservation District for the last ten years

Wiens has been farming for 35 years. He is a livestock producer and owns a beef ranch. As a business owner himself, Wiens feels he’ll be able to work well with other business owners if elected to council.

“Birds of a feather flock together,” he said, adding that he has a thorough understanding of the business side of the community.

Wiens said he’s hoping to address many rural issues, like drainage, roads, and infrastructure, if elected.

“I think we can work quite well together,” said Wiens, about the current council, adding that he wants to “help make things run smoothly.”

Wiens said he feels a person needs to be fairly sharp and understand fiscal management—qualities that he feels he possesses as someone who is self-employed.

“The pencil needs to be pretty sharp,” he said, adding that he would hate to see mismanagement and wasting taxpayer’s money.

Wiens said he doesn’t have any big projects in mind that he’d like to complete if elected, but instead would like to see where there’s need and go from there.

Running against Wiens for Ward 2 councillor in the RM of La Broquerie is Laurent Tetrault.

Voting for RM of La Broquerie by-election takes place tomorrow (Sept. 2) from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Club de l’amitié in La Broquerie and the Marchand Community Club in Marchand.