Kevin Weedmark running for Sask Party nomination in Moosomin-Montmartre
July 19, 2024, 2:23 pm
Kevin Weedmark has announced he intends to seek the Saskatchewan Party nomination in Moosomin-Montmartre.
More information on the campaign is available at www.kevinweedmark.ca
Weedmark says several Sask Party members approached him to run after Steven Bonk announced he will not seek re-election.
“I believe that Scott Moe and the Saskatchewan Party have the vision to keep building Saskatchewan and I want to be part of that.
“I believe I have the skills and the experience to be an effective MLA. Through my work at the World-Spectator and the Moosomin Chamber of Commerce, I have made contacts at all levels of government and have been effective at uniting the community behind important projects and issues, and motivating government to act on and solve issues.
“After several people approached me locally and from around the province to consider running, I decided to let my name stand.”
Weedmark is the president of the Moosomin Chamber of Commerce, chair of the Moosomin Housing Authority, a member of the Moosomin Economic Development Committee, and a member of the Community Builders Alliance.
“Part of my motivation as a business owner is seeing the potential in my employees and wanting to help them reach their full potential,” he said.
“Part of my motivation in economic development is seeing the potential of my region and wanting to see it reach its full potential.
“I see lots of potential in the Moosomin-Montmartre constituency and across the province of Saskatchewan, and I would like to do my part to help the constituency and the province realize their full potential. This region has the ability to be an economic powerhouse with its natural resources—potash, energy, and agriculture and all the peripheral businesses that spin off from that. I have seen those industries grow and develop, and I intend to help them realize their full potential through advocacy, innovative solutions, and collaboration.
“It’s been great to see things happening in the Moosomin area over the last few years as a result of everyone working together,” he said. “With efforts such as the Moosomin Airport Expansion, we’ve seen the value of co-operation, in that case between the provincial government, local governments, the corporate sector, and local businesses. I was honored to chair the meeting in 2023 where the provincial government and Nutrien announced the support that led to the completion of the project.
“After all the work that went into the expansion I was thrilled to be on the tarmac last week as the Saskatchewan Air Ambulance landed in Moosomin now that the new runway is complete. It’s amazing to see what can happen when everyone works together. I want to take what I’ve learned from some very smart people by being involved in the Chamber of Commerce, the Community Builders Alliance and Economic Development in our area and apply those lessons at the provincial level.
“With the Chamber of Commerce, the Community Builders Alliance and the Economic Development Committee, some very hard work has led to some wins on the economic development front. My experience in this area gives me some insight into what works in economic development.
“With the World-Spectator we have succeeded and grown in a difficult media landscape. We have tried to be a media outlet that reflects and serves our entire community, and that has helped us grow in an industry where that is not the norm.
“What being a small business owner has taught me is that the people you work with are invaluable and if you expect a lot of them, they will deliver. I have spent my career talking with people who have done great things or have amazing ideas, I’ve spoken with politicians, with athletes, with business owners, with community builders, with volunteers, and I have appreciated and learned something from every one of them. I love to take these ideas and come up with solutions and outcomes that work for everyone. Listening is the first step, collaborating and acting are the next steps.
“I have learned that everyone has a unique perspective and unique life experiences, and all those views need to be respected. It has been wonderful to learn from so many and to be able to help so many of them by sharing their stories. I look forward to applying some of what I have learned at the provincial level.
“Also being a business owner has helped me understand what makes business work and how businesses can grow and prosper.”
Background
Kevin Weedmark is the long-time owner and publisher of the Moosomin World-Spectator, Plain & Valley and Ag News. Kevin has been an active member of the community in the Moosomin region for over 35 years.
Kevin has a long history of serving his community. In his role with the World-Spectator, he has spent many hours interviewing federal, provincial, and municipal politicians about issues that concern the Moosomin region.
Most recently he has advocated for the Moosomin Airport Expansion, which has allowed for the Saskatchewan Air Ambulance to land in Moosomin and expand health care services.
He has spent time reporting overseas in Afghanistan, Vietnam and the Philippines. When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, Kevin worked to get his former interpreter, Qasem Sediqi and his family, out of Afghanistan, and they are now safely living in Canada.
He has also worked to help others within his community. In 2017, when a local Honduran family living in Moosomin—the Santos-Cardoza family—had their refugee claim rejected and faced deportation after fleeing Honduras for Canada, Kevin not only told the family’s story, but contacted other media outlets to help shine a spotlight on their story. He stayed on the story, contacting federal politicians and fellow media outlets, and worked to keep it in the public eye until the deportation order was stayed. The family became Canadian citizens in 2023 and continue to be active members of the Moosomin community.
Words of support
“Over the last 24 months I’ve gotten to know Kevin a lot better through the Community Builders Alliance and my top two reasons for supporting him would be because he would be in my handful of people who are the most passionate, not only about Moosomin, but about the whole southeast region, and secondly, the man is a library of facts and figures on the whole area—of where it started and where it has come from and where he hopes to see it go. He really has some strong feelings and passion to get it there,” said Kristjan Hebert, owner of Hebert Grain Ventures and Vice-President of the Community Builders Alliance.
“The biggest reason I’d support Kevin is his connections and the opportunity that he brings to our whole trading area just with his business alone, as well as his involvement with the Chamber of Commerce. His connections with government from provincial to federal are just remarkable and I can’t think of a better guy for the job to be honest.
“Kevin’s passion for progress and business and growth is very transparent. Being in my business I see a lot of people firsthand, a lot of people who aren’t from our area, and Moosomin is constantly complimented on how progressive it is. Some people will say, ‘What is it that Moosomin has that we don’t?’ and I say ‘Kevin Weedmark.’ It’s just his passion. He’s so intelligent and so smart. Being in the newspaper business for as many years as he has, he has been on the front line for every single kind of story out there. With that comes knowledge and relationships. I couldn’t think of a better person for the job,” said Kari Kosior, owner of Kari’s Kloset and a Moosomin Chamber of Commerce member.
“Kevin has been studying politics because of his job for as long as he’s been here. He knows all the issues and what we need in our constituency and I think he’d be an excellent candidate.
“He’s a great candidate due to all that he’s done to learn the issues and know what’s going on in our area.
“To be able to listen is number one for a candidate. There’s an old saying that goes ‘you’ve got two ears and one mouth, so you listen twice as much as you talk,’ and I think that Kevin does that,” says Moosomin town councillor Chris Davidson.
