The City of Selkirk is governed by an elected City Council, made up of six Councillors and one Mayor who is the head of council. The City of Selkirk is not broken into wards, so each member of council represents all citizens in the community. City Council sets the strategic direction for the city and provides general policy guidance to the City’s administration. Day-to-day management of the City is the responsibility of the Chief Administrative Officer, who reports to City Council directly.
Council’s core authorities and responsibilities are defined by the Municipal Act of Manitoba. Generally speaking, each member of council must attend council and committee meetings and participate in the development and evaluation of policies and programs that consider the well-being and interests of the municipality as a whole.
Mayor Larry Johannson
Larry Johannson was born and raised in Selkirk, where he and his wife, Charlotte, continue to make their home. Together, they have four children and seven grandchildren.
A graduate of the Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School, Larry has been representing the citizens of Selkirk on Council since 2006 — first as a Councillor and now in his fourth term as Mayor. Along with five terms in politics, he is the Manitoba Interlake Caucus Chair, sits on the boards of the Red River Basin Commission and International Red River Watershed Board, and is consistently working on relationships that improve quality of life for all citizens here in Selkirk.
Larry is retired from Canada Safeway where he had worked for 40+ years and received the First Community Hero Award from Safeway for community involvement.
Outside of Council Chambers, Larry enjoys being physically active, and many citizens see him on his daily walks, waving back at everyone who waves and honks at him. His walks take him all over Selkirk — just to keep an eye on the status and visual appeal of our fine city.
Larry attends almost every event he is invited to, showing his support and appreciation for local organizations and citizens young and old. His presence and enthusiasm at these events reflect the deep pride he has in Selkirk and the people who call it home.
Deputy Mayor Lorie Fiddler
councillorlfiddler@cityofselkirk.com
Lorie Fiddler is a lifelong resident of the Selkirk area and is currently serving as Deputy Mayor for the City of Selkirk. Lorie recently retired after 28 years as Director of the Selkirk Friendship Centre Daycare, capping off a 45-year career in childcare. She found her work with families to be deeply rewarding and continues to stay connected with the Friendship Centre’s family and cultural programming, as the organization is an integral part of our community. Lorie also does contract work for the Province of Manitoba as an advisor to Early Childhood Educators upgrading their skills and working towards ECEII certification.
Lorie is proud to serve on the Soup Kitchen board, the Growing Years Family resource board, the Gaynor Family Regional Library board and the Heritage advisory committee. She is also a member of the Interlake Sexual Exploitation Educators group, where she works to educate parents and students about safety for our children and youth.
Lorie has three adult children and eight grandchildren. In her free time, she enjoys getting outside and curling, skiing, and snowshoeing (even organizing community snowshoeing events) in the winter and running, hiking, and paddling when the weather is milder. She also enjoys travelling, especially around Manitoba and Canada.
Councillor Kelly Cook
councillorkcook@cityofselkirk.com
Kelly Cook has been proud to call Selkirk home for over 30 years. He and his wife, Betty, have two adult children and are the loving grandparents of two precious granddaughters.
Kelly is a graduate of Portage Collegiate and continued his studies through the University of Manitoba’s Continuing Education programs in Management and Human Resources, as well as the University of Winnipeg’s Public Relations program. He retired after a 35-year career with MTS Allstream, spending much of that time in management before finishing his career in Corporate Sales.
Kelly has always been deeply involved with his community. He is a past president of the Selkirk Chamber of Commerce, was a very active executive member of the Selkirk Kinsmen Club, and an executive member of Selkirk Youth Hockey, as well as a coach. He is also a former member of the Interlake Regional Health Authority Health Advisory Board and was the inaugural Chair of the Interlake-Eastern Health Foundation.
In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, cycling, golfing, swimming, boating, especially spending time with his grandchildren and playing his guitar occasionally.
Kelly looks forward to many more years of being involved in the community and making a difference.
Councillor April Smith
councillorasmith@cityofselkirk.com
April Smith is a non-profit and government professional who supports the people in her community to enhance and expand services.
As a deep-rooted Red River Métis citizen, April has spent the last two decades in her career focused on serving Indigenous peoples. She currently serves as the deputy chief operating officer for the Manitoba Métis Federation.
A long-time advocate and community leader serving various volunteer roles in service groups and as an elected official, her commitment to improving systematic policies for families drives her passion. She brings traditional values and inspires to continue to uplift voices through cultural preservation, modern development, and turning grassroots ideas into reality.
April is continually inspired by her children, Alexander and Ariken, both university students, whose witty sense of humour and curiosity for what life has to offer keep her grounded in supporting the next generation of leaders.
In her spare time, April enjoys exploring the outdoors with her partner Daniel, whether on trails, waterways, or on new adventures. Always close to them is their beloved pet Knysha, a sweet sixteen-year-old, three-legged, bichon shih tzu with valour and youthful cuteness.
April’s worldly adventures in travel have influenced her to know that there is no place like home and she continues to appreciate and care for Selkirk, for all it is and aspires to be.
Councillor John Buffie
councillorjbuffie@cityofselkirk.com
John Buffie has spent the majority of his life living in Selkirk. He married his wife, Debbie, in 1976 and together they have three children: John Buffie has deep roots in Selkirk and a long history of professional achievement.
John graduated from the Computer Analyst Programmer (CAP) program at Red River Community College (RRC) in 1976. Prior to this, he worked as an accounting clerk for Amsco Cast Products for four years while attending evening courses at RRC and earning an extension certificate in accounting.
Following his completion of the CAP program, John joined Great West Life Assurance Company, where he spent 39 years working in the Information Systems Division, rising to the position of Assistant Vice-President of Corporate Systems before retiring in 2015.
Originally from Selkirk, John accepted a company transfer to Denver, Colorado in 1980, living there for four years before returning to Canada in 1984. Following his return, John and his family settled in Winnipeg for six years before returning to his hometown of Selkirk in 1990.
Before his retirement, some of John’s favourite hobbies included golfing, curling and old timers’ hockey. While golf remains a lifelong passion, since retiring he has also pursued his interest in classic cars, acquiring and restoring a 1967 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 and a 1969 Pontiac Lemans. John credits his father for his love of automobiles, who ran Selkirk’s first autobody shop and provided John with hands-on experience and knowledge that continues to influence his hobby today.
Councillor Darlene Swiderski
councillordswiderski@cityofselkirk.com
Darlene Swiderski grew up on Matheson Island as the second oldest of eight children. Her dad was a commercial fisherman and when fishing was stopped due to mercury poisoning on Lake Winnipeg, he moved the family to Selkirk in 1969.
Darlene completed grades 1-8 on Matheson Island and then, because there was no high school, attended Frontier Collegiate Institute, a provincially-run residential school in Cranberry Portage. In the early 1980s she went back to school part-time, taking courses from different universities such as Simon Fraser, Waterloo, the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg. Darlene graduated from the University of Winnipeg in 1987 with an arts degree, majoring in psychology.
Darlene’s first job was at the Electro-Knit in Selkirk. She met her husband there in 1971 and they married the following year. Darlene worked various part-time positions until her daughter was born in 1974. She then went to work at Safeway where she held several different positions over the years until she left the company in 2002. In 2007, Darlene was hired as the Director of the Selkirk Community Renewal Corporation, a position she held until her retirement in 2015.
In her spare time, Darlene enjoys golfing (although she doesn’t get out on the course as often anymore), crossword puzzles, Sudoku and cryptograms. She also spends a lot of time with her four granddaughters who live in Yorkton, Saskatchewan.
Councillor Doug Poirier
councillordpoirier@cityofselkirk.com
Doug Poirier is a long-time resident of the City of Selkirk and is currently serving his third term on Selkirk Council. He and his wife, Janice, have been married for over 45 years and have two children, Michael and Jacqui, and a grandson, Theo.
Doug graduated from the Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School in 1972, where he majored in Food Services. He tried his hand at many different trades as a young man, including construction, welding, and glass blowing – which led to him repairing the iconic Garry Theatre marquee sign. However, he always found his way back to the Food Services industry.
Doug completed his Chef training at the Old Swiss Inn in Winnipeg and fostered his restaurant and management skills with Landmark Inns. He has operated the Riverboat Restaurant in Selkirk since 1988.
Beyond his career, Doug has also been an active and dedicated community member. He was involved in youth hockey for many years and has been a sponsor and volunteer for the Marine Museum of Manitoba’s Pancake Breakfast. He’s also gotten involved with the Firefighters Burn Fund, helping to raise $412,000 for the Burn Unit in the Health Sciences Centre.
In his spare time, Doug enjoys fishing, making fishing lines, and reading.