Introduction
Rob
This is Take Five with Carnie and Carmichael, a brand new segment on Discover Moose Jaw featuring Moose Jaw city manager Maryse Carmichael.
The goal is to keep Moose Jaw residents up to date on the issues and the challenges and some of the great things happening in the city of Moose Jaw, with a focus on Moose Jaw City Hall, and the business they do that impacts all of us.
City manager Maryse Carmichael is a former flight instructor at 15 Wing Moose Jaw. In 2000, she became the first woman pilot with the Canadian Forces Snowbirds. She was the squadron's first female commanding officer in 2010.
Now retired from the Royal Canadian Air Force, Carmichael is our city manager. She accepted the position in May of 2023 and was the first woman to be our city manager. Let's talk about that first.
Maryse, you've been in a leadership role at CAE, the company that operates the NFTC NATO flying training in Canada program at 15 Wing, but then chose this new challenge. Tell us what attracted you to the job of Moose Jaw city manager.
Maryse
Well, I think to me when I had my first discussion with Council, as they were looking for a new city manager, what really appealed about the work was to be local. I had been traveling a little bit across the country, so not to be able to be here for all the residents of Moose Jaw and council was looking for a leader. And I thought, well, I don't know, my background is not municipal administration. But in leadership, of course, with the Canadian Armed Forces and even with CAE and as a leader, I thought that I had a few qualities that I could bring to the City of Moose Jaw.
Rob
Very good, and you've been at the job for about 10 months now. Are you settled in?
Maryse
I am. I went for the first budget season. So, I think now I've passed that one. So that was certainly a few weeks that were very important, that are very important for the city. So having done this now I feel that I am in routine. And now, continuing on some major projects that we have at the City.
Rob
Very good, and you work with some great people.
Maryse
You know, I have to say, and that was my focus in the first few weeks at the job was to meet our employees and to go and see on a day-to-day basis what they do. You know from Public Works or Parks and Recs crew to our city solicitor, Engineering. They do have an important job and a lot of it we take for granted, I think on a day-to-day basis, you know the water that comes out of our taps, the, the sewer system and but it takes a team of over 350 people all for our city to ensure that we have all those services.
#Notoriously Close Calls
Rob
Let's talk about something that we can all be a part of the solution for and that is the fact the city of Moose Jaw has been asking motorists to eliminate notoriously close calls in work zones. A news release was set out almost a year ago. The city asking drivers to avoid the close calls because we have a number of them in construction zones, a lot of motorists are impatient and just ignore the road closed signs and our people, City of Moose Jaw employees, are out there trying to make life better for us and we're putting their lives in danger, frankly.
Maryse
And for me, my number one objective is to ensure that our crews and our residents are safe. I've had numerous discussions with council with my own administration team on the importance of being safe in our day-to-day job and being safe, and for our residents to be safe, so this is exactly one of those initiatives that we're talking more and more, that was we brought a report to Council to change the laws, for penalties actually, for people that the motorists that would go into a closed street. Because it is important, it's the safety of our employees, but it's also the safety of the residents, especially at night. You don't know what's behind those barriers. So we're asking everyone driving, yes, if there's a road closed sign you have to obey it. Please go around, and that's where everyone's safety.
Rob
And the penalties for not obeying those signs have increased now, right?
Maryse
So we do have now the penalty of $150 for going through a barrier, and this is again important because the barriers are there for everyone's safety.
Rob
I think we should make it $1000 then you might stop it.
Maryse
Exactly. Maybe. We'll have to do that absolutely.
Rob
Anything else to add on that subject?
Maryse
I think it's, you know, it's a reality that we have to close roads once in a while and I know it is especially as an example, last summer, we had to close the intersection of Main and Thatcher. And we do it, we prepare, we plan it ahead of time so that we don't impose any bigger restrictions than we need to for residents. Asking the residents to do their part in the motorists to ensure that that we're safe.