Jeff Johnston, the new CAO for the Town of Beaverlodge (photo from the Town of Beaverlodge Facebook page)

By Liam Verster

Chief Administrative Officer

Town of Beaverlodge hires new CAO

Nov 9, 2020 | 1:31 PM

After more than four months of operating without a Chief Administrative Officer, the Town of Beaverlodge has hired Jeff Johnston, a former technologist with Aquatera, to fill the position.

During his 17 years with the utility company, Johnston worked in management positions overseeing operations that include water distribution, wastewater collection, solid waste, curbside services, and engineering.

He says he hopes to bring his experience in both infrastructure and assets, and in leadership, to his new role as CAO.

Beaverlodge Mayor Gary Rycroft says he expects Johnston to bring a lot of knowledge and experience to the job.

“He has a long history dealing with municipalities and infrastructure and dealing with staffing. He’s just a well-rounded… fit into our community.”

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Johnston says he’s excited to take on this new role, though he will need some time to figure out how the municipality operates.

“Specifically working with Council on understanding what they see as challenges, and then working with the staff as well, and getting all that input and really building up an assessment of where we need to spend time, [and] our resources like our people, but also our dollars, to really impact in a positive way as quickly as possible.”

He says getting that assessment and establishing a baseline is critical, so that plans can be developed that are aligned with the 2020-2040 Strategic Plan that Council has put together. In order to make those plans work, he will also be engaging in discussions with local residents and businesses to ensure resources are being allocated to projects that have positive impacts on the community as a whole.

Johnston adds there will be a bit of a learning curve as he takes on this new position, but he’s ready for this challenging opportunity.

“I think understanding the day-to-day municipal operations and the legislative [process] and working with the Municipal Government Act and that part of it… The infrastructure I know, but the other stuff is really what appeals to me and I see as a challenge. It’s something that excites me, to take on that challenge and learn something new.”

Johnston fills the position left by Karen Gariepy in June, who helped find and hire Johnston as her replacement. Johnston says she left big shoes to fill when she stepped down from the position, and that he will try to fill it as best he can and continue on with the work she has done for the town.

Johnston will officially begin work as Beaverlodge’s CAO on December 1, 2020.