craven’s new mayor and council are a powerful example of ‘being the change you wish to see’
craven mayor dayna anderson and councillors linsay kozak and stephanie morin have united through common goals to improve their community.
5 minute read
craven mayor dayna anderson stands in regina's victoria park on oct. 26, 2023.
kayle neis
/
regina leader-post
craven’s dayna anderson — one of saskatchewan’s youngest mayors at 35 — is a refreshing voice of change for her community.
the working professional, who’s married with two small children, clearly remembers the moment she realized she had to take matters into her own hands if she wanted to enact lasting change in her village.
“the former administration was … a little closed-minded,” anderson begins, choosing her words carefully. “i remember attending a ratepayer’s meeting in 2018 and there was a massive turnout with lots of questions. things got quite heated and i remember this reckless attitude towards what i saw as irresponsible spending of our tax dollars and no accountability.”
anderson arrived at the meeting with a list of questions in hand. she dared to speak up and challenge the administration but was swiftly and demonstrably put in her place.
“i was spoken to like an immature little girl who couldn’t possibly know what i was talking about,” she recalls. “that made me angry. they basically said, ‘if you think you can do a better job, then run for council.’ that sparked something inside of me and i said, ‘i will!’”
anderson smiles at the memory, her steely resolve softening in the midst of two friends and colleagues.
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“she put her money where her mouth is and wound up becoming mayor,” says 33-year-old councillor linsay kozak, who was elected at the same time as anderson in 2020.
rounding out the female trifecta is councillor stephanie morin, 38, who joined craven’s four-member council in a 2023 byelection.
with anderson leading the charge, they make quite a team.
“just don’t call her ‘your worship,’” morin quips.
at that, the three friends break into easy laughter.
craven mayor dayna anderson (centre) stands in victoria park alongside councillors linsay kozak (left) and stephanie morin (right).
kayle neis
/
regina leader-post
the mayor and two councillors have gathered for an informal chat in the craven town hall, sitting at a plain wooden banquet table in an empty, sparsely decorated room.
there are no grand desks or leather chairs often associated with the seat of a public office. the décor is fitting for this new breed of council — young, approachable, and transparent.
the three women laugh easily and finish each other’s sentences, reminiscent of friends gathered at a kitchen party.
but don’t let the joviality fool you.
these councillors are exceedingly sharp and engaged in the issues that matter most to them, including clean drinking water and long-term sustainability of their community.
when civic duty calls
after the fateful ratepayer’s meeting, anderson called kozak and another friend, scott montgomery, to meet in her garage and discuss strategy.
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“we thought we’d have a better chance of unseating the former administration if we ran as a slate since we all held similar values,” recalls anderson. “when we were elected, with scott getting in as mayor, it was a complete turnover of council. none of us had ever done this before, so we had to rely heavily on the administrator to walk us through our paces.”
montgomery eventually had to step down due to competing priorities, and anderson was elected mayor in a 2022 byelection. morin then won the byelection to fill anderson’s old councillor position.
“being the mayor doesn’t mean there’s more responsibility — we all just work together as a team,” says kozak, who serves as a volunteer firefighter in craven and also works a day job in regina as an engineering assistant at sasktel.
looking back, anderson believes the people of craven were tired of the lack of communication from council.
“we campaigned hard, hitting every house in town,” she says. “people were surprised and told us no one had ever campaigned before. i think the old guard just took it for granted that they had an uncontested seat for life.”
adds kozak: “we showed up and ushered in this breath of fresh air, signalling that we were going to do things differently.”
craven mayor dayna anderson flanked by councillors linsay kozak and stephanie morin.
kayle neis
/
regina leader-post
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tackling the issues
while craven has good water, the new council felt more investment was needed to meet future government standards.
“there are communities in saskatchewan that have non-potable water, and that’s impacted their housing prices,” anderson says. “if craven doesn’t keep up, we could find ourselves in a similar situation.”
according to anderson, people had been told that improving the water treatment facility was too cost-prohibitive, so the status quo remained.
“but we knew with some hard work and a bit of paperwork, we could apply for municipal grants,” adds anderson, whose day job in talent acquisition at sgi suggests she’s highly resourceful. “we retained a project manager and issued an rfp for a water assessment to outline where our priorities should be.”
the current council has since applied for an investing in canada infrastructure grant and is hopeful some good news awaits.
“i think it took a younger, computer-savvy council to search out these grants and find ways to make this work,” adds morin, who — in addition to her council portfolio — holds a day job in regina as team lead at group medical services. “these grants can help make change possible.”
other topics on the councillors’ radar include ensuring local services remain.
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“we don’t want to become a bedroom community of lumsden,” kozak says. “having services like a volunteer fire department ensure families feel safe.”
anderson recalls a nearby train derailment that happened at the end of 2021. volunteer fire crews played an integral role in securing the scene.
“if we lose our firefighting capabilities, it will take lumsden crews an additional 15 minutes just to reach us,” anderson says. “we can do better by maintaining the services we have.”
looking ahead
all three change-makers are very aware of the fact that they may one day be unseated at the council table. rather than fear this inevitable change, they embrace it.
“we don’t want to become the old girls club,” morin says with a laugh. “we welcome the younger demographic to come up and challenge us with new ideas. a community no longer remains vital if young people don’t come forward.”
anderson agrees and believes having a council that’s forward-thinking and approachable will ensure they remain relevant for years to come.
craven mayor dayna anderson.
kayle neis
/
regina leader-post
while craven may be known as the home of country thunder, one of north america’s preeminent country music festivals, anderson, kozak and morin believe craven has a lot more to offer besides country stars and festivities one weekend out of the year.
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while all three women commute daily to their career jobs in regina, they spend about 20-plus hours a month on their council duties. the stipend is low ($400 annually for councillors and $500 for mayor), but the women say they do it because they love their community.
“the town’s population stands at 266 — according to the 2021 census,” says anderson. “we want to make sure those numbers stay strong. we’re passionate about craven and our role serving others. it’s a huge responsibility and one we take seriously.”
they’re serious, yes, but they also know how to approach the job with a sense of camaraderie and a healthy dose of daily laughter.
“we’ve got a great team,” anderson says with a smile, embracing her colleagues. “we just want to get things done.”
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