John Enns-Wind will end his time with the town at the end of the month, before moving to New Brunswick. (File photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Josh Ryan

End of an era

John Enns-Wind resigns as Battleford CAO

Jun 9, 2020 | 5:14 PM

Chief Administrative Officer John Enns-Wind has resigned from his position with the Town of Battleford.

“We accept his resignation and wish both he and his family the best of luck with their future endeavors,” Mayor Ames Leslie said during Monday’s council meeting.

Council paid tribute to Enns-Wind, thanking him for his work, particularly for his efforts to manage the town’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“You came at a difficult time,” Councillor Gordon Yarde said. “And you helped us quite a lot.”

Enns-Wind and his family are moving across the country to Grand Bay-Westfield in New Brunswick, once they sell their home. Enns-Wind and his son will move there first, where he will take up the CAO role in a community situation that he compared to Martensville and Saskatoon.

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“I’m moving to a municipality whose growth is being driven by its relationship to Saint John,” he said.

Enns-Wind served the town for almost five years after previously serving as mayor of Kindersley. Prior to that, he had worked in every province and territory West of Ontario.

“I feel very fortunate [to have worked throughout Canada],” he said. “That wasn’t planned. It just happened.”

While excited for the move, Enns-Wind said it’s bittersweet to leave this community.

“There’s a lot of things that we did and there’s a lot of things that’s left to be done,” he said.

Of his time working for the town, he takes the greatest pride in how the administrative team worked together to help modernize Battleford. Several technological improvements occurred in the last few years, including updating a more than 10-year-old information system amidst population growth.

“When I got here, the town didn’t have a server,” Enns-Wind said. “Just a back up drive someone would have to take home.”

Through his term, he oversaw a number of projects through to completion. Some projects remain ongoing such as the Lagoon Upgrade Project.

“Some of the things we’ve done aren’t sexy things,” he said. “But I think they’ve been good, solid things to move the town forward.”

Enns-Wind’s final day at the office is June 30, though his official departure is later in July. Director of Finance and Deputy CAO David Gillan will serve as the interim replacement.

Enns-Wind said he and his family will miss the beautiful scenery and the people.

“The Battlefords are a good memory,” he said.

—

josh.ryan@jpbg.ca

@JoshRyanSports