The Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce has itself a new president.
Colleen Arnold, Flin Flon city councillor, frequent volunteer and former executive director of the Women’s Resource Centre, has been elected as the chamber’s new president.
Arnold was nominated and confirmed as chamber president at the chamber’s annual general meeting in early November. Arnold will serve a one-year term - the spot will be back up for election next fall.
Arnold was elected to Flin Flon’s city council in 2018 and was the driving force behind the Women’s Resource Centre for almost two decades. Now retired, Arnold has also been a part of several local boards and groups, including for the Flin Flon Aboriginal Friendship Centre and the Trout Festival Committee.
“I'm honoured to be asked, to be nominated for those positions and I have big shoes to fill,” said Arnold when asked at a meeting of Flin Flon city council. Arnold will both sit on city council and serve as the chamber’s president, as well as serving as board chair for the Blueberry Jam Music Gathering for this coming year and serving as the City’s representative on the Trout Festival committee.
“We’re looking at our path and seeing where we’re going to go from here.”
Recently, the chamber has gone without a president, instead relying on a pair of co-vice-presidents - Kory Eastman and Dianne Russell. As part of the new slate of executive positions, Russell will move into the position of past-president, with Becky Cianflone sitting as secretary, Dave Kendall serving as treasurer and both Laurence Gillespie and Tom Therien sitting as directors.
The chamber has not had a full-on president since Karen MacKinnon - one of Arnold’s co-members of city council - held the post.
Arnold also gave an update on her new spot as Blueberry Jam chair. Arnold now has the post that was filled by Edgar Wright since the event’s formal board was started in 2018.
“We’re looking forward to getting back to normal with Blueberry Jam, a three-day event, hopefully everything is back to normal and we can get back to doing everything so well.”
“They did great the last couple of years with the performances. We’re hopeful that that’s the way we’re going to go.”
