Creighton’s Northern Sport, Culture and Recreation office has expanded.
NSCR has added the position of program manager alongside the community relations coordinator.
Ryan Karakochuk, the former community relations coordinator, has moved up to the position of program manager and will oversee the northern parts of Saskatchewan.
Karakochuk formerly worked with the northeastern portion of the province in developing sport, culture and recreation.
“But now I work with all three service areas of the North – North, East and Central,” he said.
Alain Lachapelle has picked up Karakochuk’s coordinator position and will work closely with Creighton and other northeastern communities.
Creighton will still remain a standalone community in terms of Lachapelle’s work, but will be one of many areas for Karakochuk to oversee.
Karakochuk has also switched gears to oversee solely sport development in the district.
“It’s basically filtering sport grants and sport initiatives from the South and bringing them into the North,” said Karakochuk.
That’s where Lachapelle comes in.
Once all the information is received, it is passed onto the community relations coordinator to work with.
The information is then filtered into the communities, whether it be through Creighton Community School, Creighton Recreation or other organizations.
“(Lachapelle) would filter the information, get it to them and then bring it back to me,” Karakochuk said.
Enjoys work
Lachapelle has been with Northern Sport, Culture, and Recreation since the beginning of October and says he enjoys his new work.
“It’s pretty new to me...so that’s exciting,” he said.
Originally from Ottawa, Lachapelle once worked alongside teachers and helped develop lesson plans and gave them resources.
“So in a way it’s kind of similar,” Lachapelle said. “Now we reach out to the community and give them the tools to develop their communities.”
Lachapelle recently made the move from Ottawa to be with his partner, who recently moved home to Flin Flon.
Lachapelle has fallen in love with the community, though he was no stranger to the area, having made regular visits for the past six years.
Through his new job he has been able to travel and see many communities across the northern parts of Saskatchewan as well as meet plenty of people.
“It’s been really great,” he said.
Lachapelle says he looks forward to making a difference in the communities and essentially people’s lives.
“...it does make a good difference in people’s lives,” he said, “to have those recreation and sport and culture programs for the kids and the community as a whole.”
The Ontario native says he enjoys being able to help where he can – “whether it’s finding a grant that they can apply for or supporting them in developing a program.”
Sport Opportunities
Meanwhile, athletes from the Creighton and Denare Beach areas will have a few chances to compete for the chance at a provincial title.
Badminton, wrestling, bantam level hockey, figure skating, and cross-country skiing athletes will be competing throughout the remainder of the year for their chance to play in the Saskatchewan Winter Games, in February.
“It’s a hope that we get some kids from the hockey club and figure skating club and whatnot that would hopefully participate,” said Karakochuk.
The Winter Games give athletes the chance to compete – but they have to want to.
“My hope is that being in Creighton we get more athletes participating in the Winter and Summer Games because I am able to relay that information to the Creighton and Denare Beach kids,” Karakochuk said.
“I hope that we are able to give those kids more opportunities to hear about the games that maybe they wouldn’t have in the past.”
