The Decision Makers: Neepawa Councillor Yvonne Sisley Brings a Younger Perspective and Cultural Connections to Town Council

NACTV journalist Rrain Prior speaks with Yvonne Sisley in this episode of The Decision Makers.

The one brand new face on Neepawa Town Council this term is Yvonne Sisley, who despite her newness to municipal politics is no stranger to the community. Sisley has been the administrator at ArtsForward for the past two years and prior to that worked for the school division as an educational assistant for nearly twenty years. In addition, she has served on local boards and committees including the Yellowhead Centre and the Spruce Plains Justice Committee, and has in general been a very visible community member.

While she has a lot on the go, Sisley felt that now was still the right time for her to serve on Town Council. Her former partner is with the public works department so she already had a fairly comprehensive knowledge of some of the inner workings of the town, and her father serves as mayor of his town in Alberta and has been able to give her a lot of insight into his work. Sisley also expressed a desire to work with the current town administration, who have a stellar reputation in the community and who she knows won’t necessarily be in those roles forever.

Sisley believes she brings organizational knowledge and strong existing relationships to Council, and as well says that it’s important to have some younger voices in the mix to support a diversity of ideas and viewpoints. Council, she says, needs people in the trenches who understand the immediate impacts of some of their decisions. Overall, she is very happy with the mix that they have on Council this term, and believes all Council members feel comfortable to express their opinions.

One of Sisley’s Council appointments is Recreation and Economic Development, which dovetails nicely with her role at ArtsForward. She has already worked with the recreation director at the town office and the administrator of the Yellowhead Centre and was ready to jump feet first into that role. The Yellowhead Centre is currently nearing the end of an operational review and Sisley is very interested in the results. While a replacement for the ageing facility is probably not in the cards in the near future, she’s hoping to see other actionable suggestions for the community to help us put money in the right places.

Another of her new roles is on the Handivan committee, and that’s another spot where she’s already making her mark. Bringing social media experience from her day job at ArtsForward, she has created an online presence for the Handivan and in doing so has created a lot of engagement with the community. While the Handivan has a mandate to provide transportation to those that need assistance, it is also available for other purposes and Sisley wants to be sure the community knows that.

Sisley’s long-term vision for the future of Neepawa includes continued growth in its current direction, and believes that within as little as five years the community will qualify for city status, something she says the town administration is aware of and already preparing for. The local Filipino community already comprises almost half of the population of the town, and she sees even more integration happening as families become more established. As well, she sees the need for another big industry to set up shop in town so we’re less reliant on a single employer.

Residents of the town should know what a great community we have in Neepawa, says Sisley, and as her final word she adds, “Just be kind.”