Municipal & School Board Election Candidates

Harrison, Jack

Born and raised in Dryden, I have spent most of my life in Northwestern Ontario.  After receiving my H.B.Sc in Forestry from Lakehead University in 1988, I worked in the woodland operation of the newsprint mill in Kenora starting out as an Operations Forester and moving into the Forest Management Planning lead and finally Assistant Purchase Wood Buyer. In 1998 I moved back to Dryden and started up J.B. Harrison and Associates with my main client being the Dryden Forest Management Company, a start-up co-operative venture of 24 small to medium logging companies that obtained the Sustainable Forest License for the Dryden Forest.  I acted on their behalf as the General Manager overseeing the planning, harvesting, silviculture, certification, government approvals and First Nation relations. In 2014 I become the Forestlands Manager for Domtar Inc. and thoroughly enjoyed growing and leading a strong team to manage the Wabigoon and Trout Lake Forest (1.8 million hectares) and daily supply the Dryden Pulpmill with sustainably sourced fibre.  I retired from fulltime forestry work in 2021, however I maintain my Ontario Registered Professional Foresters status and complete Independent Forest Audits across the Province.

Past Leadership roles include; Chair Northwestern Ontario Envirothon, Chair Dryden area TransCanada Trail, Chair/Director Lake of the Woods Section-Canadian Institute of Forestry, Chair Red Lake Forest Management Co., Director Ondaadiziwin Forest Management Co. Current Leadership roles include; Vice Chair Kenora District Services Board, Director Kenora District Homes for the Aged, Member Dryden O.P.P. Detachment Board, Chair Dryden Free Methodist Church Official Board.

I have been married for 41 years and together with my wife, we raised three beautiful daughters.  We now have 3 sons-in-law and 6 grandchildren added to our life, which has brought immense joy, laughter and spontaneity!  I like to spend time my free time in the outdoors; camping, canoeing, fishing, hunting and skiing and traveling internationally to learn about other countries, their culture and how they do community.

Ouellette, Derek

Born in the community of Astorville, I chose to make Dryden my home in 1999 to build a career and raise a family. I am proud of my mixed indigenous heritage, a father to two incredible daughters, and now part of a larger blended family with two amazing step-daughters and four incredible step-grandchildren. Together, we all proudly call Dryden home.

Public service has been my life's work. Beginning at age 16 as a volunteer firefighter with the Chisholm Township Fire Department and completing my firefighting career here in Dryden with 11 years of combined service, I also dedicated 28 years to emergency medical services across Northern Ontario, serving as a Primary Care Paramedic and provincial trainer. My tenure with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care as a Provincial First Responder Trainer allowed me to mentor 50 First Nations first responder teams. In addition, I was awarded a formal commendation for assisting in the emergency wildfire evacuation of a Red Lake long-term care home. After retiring from active paramedicine, I completed the Diabetes Educator program. Today, as the owner and lead instructor of Northwestern Ontario Medical Training, I equip local businesses and residents with vital first-response skills.

I am a dedicated volunteer, having spent 13 years with the Dryden GM Ice Dogs as a medical trainer, coach bus driver, and billet host. I have also volunteered with the Lions Club, spent five weeks assisting at the 2010 Winter Olympics, and served on the OPP Police Services Board. Lastly, I am trained for disaster aid deployment as a "Grey Shirt" with Team Rubicon Canada. I am proud to be putting my name forward for Mayor, and it wouldn't be possible without the incredible encouragement and support of my fiancée, Stephanie, who has given me the confidence to take this step.

Sedgwick, Brenda

Around Dryden, many people know Brenda Sedgwick as the woman with the long hair and two white dogs, Max and Ruby. Brenda's life has taken her across Ontario and, in many ways, brought her full circle. She spent part of her infancy in an orphanage and was adopted. Her father - the family's breadwinner - died in a tragic workplace incident when she was very young. That loss made safety deeply personal and shaped her respect for rules that protect people while remaining fair and workable. Dryden's monument honouring injured and deceased workers therefore holds special meaning for her.

Dryden was already part of Brenda's family memory. Her grandparents and mother knew the community well, and her mother remembered Brenda's father speaking warmly of it too. Brenda returned to Thunder Bay with her daughter in 2007 and moved to Dryden in 2016. Today, she lives with her husband Rodney and daughter on rural acreage on the east side of Dryden, where they care for 40 acres as stewards of the land.

Brenda owns a corporation built to fill gaps in care. For three decades, her work has combined philanthropic labour with innovative service design, helping people who hurt rebuild their abilities, confidence and prospects for meaningful work.

Bullen, Donald

Dayman, Jim

Jones, Dawn

Growing up in Dryden and attending Hillcrest, Pinewood, and Dryden High School laid the foundation for a 38 year career in financial services. That time included holding multiple leadership roles focused on strong management, collaboration, and community-centered decision-making. 

Professional achievements and contributions were recognized multiple times with the Dryden District Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Award for Manager of the Year. Experience includes previously serving on the Patricia Region Senior Services Board, currently sitting on the Dryden Regional Health Centre Board, and volunteering with a wide range of local organizations.

In my spare time my life is centered around the outdoors. Favorite activities include ice skating, ATV trail riding and exploring the surrounding wilderness. The area's natural beauty and recreational opportunities offer constant enjoyment and serve as a daily reminder of what makes this community so special.

Kiewning, Catherine

Catherine Kiewning was born and raised in Red Lake, Ontario and spent many years traveling to the big city of Dryden in her youth. After moving to Dryden in 2013 for a job in public health, she quickly ingrained herself into the community by volunteering wherever she could. She volunteered at Second Chance Pet Network where she adopted her two cats shortly after buying her home in 2015. She has been involved in leadership roles across various nonprofit organizations. In 2018, she ran for City Council for the first time but was unsuccessful, which in hindsight was a blessing due to being diagnosed with cancer later that year. Catherine declared her candidacy again in 2022 and was successful. She is forever grateful for the opportunity. She loves to travel, spend time on our local trails and the Ghost/Mavis Lake trails, spend time with friends and consume all the live music she can. 

Kikot, Richard

Email: richard.a.kikot@gmail.com

Richard Kikot came to Dryden in February 2025.

Unhoused until he was 35, Richard began his career in 2016 at The Neighbourhood Group, through a training program for people with lived experience. Within a year he was facilitating that program; then coordinating a Toronto Urban Health Fund project focused on eviction prevention. 4 years at Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre followed, first as Harm Reduction Coordinator, then Supervisor, then Manager, across programs funded by Ontario Health. Throughout the pandemic he led a COVID isolation site for people without housing, supervising a team of up to 60 staff and peer workers, where he built a managed alcohol program to support participants through isolation. Overdose prevention sites were mobilized under a Health Canada exemption he maintained through annual reapplication. From there he moved to the City of Toronto itself, as Supervisor of Programs with Shelter, Support and Housing Administration.

Simultaneously, a diploma was slowly accumulating. After years of bullying and assault, and confirmation from the school that it could not guarantee his safety, Richard left a few months into grade 9 and did not go back. Since 2022 he had been completing credits remotely. The move to Dryden came at the end of his marriage, on an invitation from a friend: "Why don't you come stay with us and graduate high school?" He boarded the train without knowing whether he was staying or going and thought the diploma would take a month. It took four. In June 2025 he graduated from Seven Generations, an Indigenous-led institute in Treaty 3 open to all, with his Ontario Secondary School Diploma and the Keewatin Patricia District School Board Student Bursary.

During a profoundly transitional period when his own safety and autonomy were being rebuilt, Dryden became a foothold. He relied on the same public supports he had spent his career delivering elsewhere, and on the grace of the couple whose offer brought him here. It was 15 months before he had a place of his own, and though he was navigating fight or flight and the fear of being without an anchor, he never was. Richard found himself tethered to the immoveable rock that is the City of Dryden, and to the newfound safety of his chosen family. He is a certified Crisis Prevention Institute instructor and since April 2026 he has been Program Coordinator with the Dryden Warmth Project.

Latham, Bill

I am proud to have served the residents of Dryden during my first term on City Council from 2022 to 2026. I have 35 years of municipal experience, having worked in a variety of roles including at the Dryden Arena, Public Works, Health and Safety, and as Director of Community Services.

I’ve completed several courses through the Municipal Administration Program, as well as Human Resources and Health & Safety Confederation courses. I also served for nine years as Zone Director for the Municipal Retirees Organization of Ontario. During my first term on Council, I was also proud to serve on the Museum Advisory Board.

Outside of work and municipal life, family is very important to me. I have been married for 45 years, and together we have two daughters and four grandsons. I enjoy fishing, golfing and camping, but I spend a great deal of my free time in the stands watching my grandchildren play hockey and take part in their many activities.

Lawrynuik, Dennis

-66 year old, retiree

-I have lived in Dryden for 29 years

-I have been married to my wife, Dr Faye Kehler for 44 years,

-We have two great children, Sarah and Peter and daughter in-law Gabby

-After high school I was a warehouse worker and truck driver for CNR Express, for 10 years

-During that time, I enrolled at the University of Winnipeg, where I received a BA with majors in History and Economics

-Following my graduation from U of W, I enrolled in the University of Manitoba, where I received a MPA, studying Public Policy in the areas of rent control and labour law

-I worked in the public sectors as a buyer in rural Manitoba and during which I received a two year, certificate from the University of Saskatchewan in Health Care Administration

-While living in Dryden I worked in sales, at the Mill for five years and together with my wife, successfully purchased, operated and sold a fast food restaurant and bus depot. We owned those businesses for twelve years

-During that time we supported many charities and local sports teams, in particular women’s softball and boy’s hockey

-During retirement I have volunteered for 2 years as board member of a Canadian relief charity in Haiti

-Locally I have volunteered on two separate non-for-profit organization boards to re- write constitutions, by laws, policy and procedure manuals in order to comply with Ontario’s ONCA, Ontario Not-for Profit Corporations Act

-I enjoy fishing, golfing and trap shooting at the local club and stock picking.

-During a visit to Ukraine two years ago, I re-engaged with the use of the Ukrainian language and have studied the language daily, on line, since my return. Slava Ukraina!

Noel, Ritch

Ritch was born in Dryden and has lived here his whole life.  His Mother was also born in Dryden and lived in Oxdrift.  His Father moved here from a small town in New Brunswick named Jacquet River. They made Dryden home for the duration of their lives.  My first Job was a paperboy for the Winnipeg Free Press at 8 years old and I’ve been steadily employed ever since. I have worked in retail, local restaurants, I was a city of Dryden employee for a few years during summer holidays from high school and college, I was a call crew member of our local pulp mill, and for many years, a log and chip haul driver and instructor.  Even today, I still drive truck for local contractors when time permits.  He ran a successful Food Truck service for many years while also operating Sunset Country Paralegal in Dryden and Northwest Paralegals in Thunder Bay. I am the proud father of two sons and one grand daughter who also choose to live in Sunset Country.                 

I’m a past member of the Local Flying Club, the Local Toastmasters Club and was a successful competitor in several speech contests throughout the province.  In his spare time he is often found with his favorite companions, his two dogs.  On rare occasions when there is spare time, I can be found making noise while driving my motorcycle, snowmobile, boat or ATV.  I’m a self professed gearhead and love to tinker and weld in spare time.  Though not a player anymore, I enjoy attending our local Ice Dogs games and root for our hometown team.  

Price, Michelle

My name is Michelle Price, and although I was not born in Dryden, I have lived here for almost all of my life and am very proud to call Dryden my hometown. I have been married for 37 years to my husband, Edward, who has always been an incredible source of love and support. Together, we have two daughters, two wonderful sons-in-law, and two beautiful granddaughters, Isabel and Sophia. Family is a very important part of my life.

Edward and I are longtime local business owners and currently own Michelle’s Top Drawer, Callidora Spa & Salon, and MarBella Coffeehouse. Giving back to my community has always been important to me. I currently serve on the Police Services Board, am Chair of the PACE Board, and have been a member of the Working Circle for eight years. I have also organized beautification projects throughout downtown Dryden and our parks and recently helped restart Downtown Summer Days and Nights at Earl’s Court. For almost eight years, I have had the privilege of serving the residents of Dryden as a City Councillor.

Outside of work and community involvement, I truly enjoy all four seasons and the outdoor lifestyle our area offers. You can often find me walking, fishing, ice fishing, gardening in our backyard, snow machining, kayaking or out on a paddleboard. Most of all, I enjoy spending time with my family and appreciating everything that makes Dryden home.

Salhani, Dan

Dan Salhani has proudly called Dryden home since 2008. Originally from Aurora, Ontario, Dan graduated with honours from high school before earning a Bachelor of Science in Geography from Queen's University. Dan's career path led him into the construction industry, where he developed extensive experience in project management and leadership. His connection to Dryden began when he was selected to lead the construction of the CT Scan addition at the Dryden Regional Health Centre. During that project, he met his wife, Robin, and quickly came to appreciate the strong sense of community and exceptional quality of life that Dryden offers. Following the project's completion, he made Dryden his permanent home.

Throughout his career, Dan has worked on major infrastructure and construction projects across Northwestern Ontario, including serving as Site Supervisor for the construction of Open Roads School in Dryden. After several years in the private sector as a site supervisor and project manager, he joined the Ministry of Natural Resources, where he currently serves as a Senior Infrastructure Project Manager. In this role, he leads multidisciplinary teams in delivering projects that support public services and community development. His expertise includes strategic planning, budgeting, procurement, stakeholder engagement, and construction management.

Beyond his professional career, Dan has been an active member of the Dryden Kinsmen Club for over 17 years and has served as Club President for the past four years. He has also volunteered as a youth soccer coach, helping young athletes develop their skills both on and off the field. When not working or volunteering, Dan enjoys fishing, hunting, golfing, and spending time outdoors with family.  One of Dan's favourite ways of spending time outdoors is on the trapping with a young man he is proud to call his son.

Tardiff, Bryan

Life long Northwestern Ontario resident; Born in Beardmore On. in 1965, moved to Ignace in 1972

Graduated from Ignace high school in 1983 and began a mechanic apprenticeship.

Opened a Polaris dealership/car repair/ custom exhaust shop in 1984

Married in 1989 and still am with 4 children.

Bought the family fuel business in 2004 and moved to Dryden 2005.

Sold business and retired in 2018

Will complete 1st term of City Council this fall and sit as Chair of the Finance Committee as well as a member of the Police Services board

Previously sat on the BMO Commercial Client Advisory committee

Was a member of the Dryden Economic Retention and Diversification Committee

Sat on the Petro Canada fleet safety advisory committee

Also sat on the National Dealer councils for OMC and Polaris

Spent many years involved in Minor hockey, both in Dryden and Ignace coaching as well as playing commercial and oldtimers. Was an original supporter and member of the Ice Dogs founding executive.

Gauthier, Barbara

I am a mother of three grown children and Nana to two beautiful boys.  When my kids were young, I volunteered in any school they attended, making hot lunches, School council/PTA, and any other needs the school had. I was an active member of the Dryden Dog Fanciers Club for many years, a freelance photographer and artist, as well as volunteering in my church, Dryden Minor Hockey and the Dryden Synchro Club.

When my children were young, I became involved in the School Council, taking on the role of Chair. I very quickly became Chair of the Area School councils as well, working closely with the School Board as a parent during a time when there were many changes to Public Education.  In 2003 I became a Trustee of the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board and remained a Trustee for some 18 years. I have worked in Long Term Care for 26 years at Princess Court and am currently the Food Service Manager.  I currently volunteer as Manager of Game Day for the Dryden GM Ice Dogs Hockey team.

Green, Judi

I am a lifelong resident of Northwestern Ontario with the last 35 years in Dryden and was elected as School Board Trustee the last term for Keewatin Patricia District School Board and have served the last three years as Vice Chair.  I have solid experience and a understanding of the Education Act (including changes) and Regulations, By Laws, strategic planning, policy development, fiscal management , logistics, public sector processes, communications and contract development and management.

Having worked with and for all four school Boards and families in the KPDSB boundary area, I am familiar with and understand the differences in each and every community. Prior to serving as Vice Chair on the board, I also was the Chair of the Dryden Regional Health Centre and the Chair of the former Dryden Police Services Board.

Please contact me at Yournorthernvoice@gmail.com  

Owen, Jason

I have volunteered my time in a number of roles in my 30 years in Dryden including; acting as a youth soccer coach for seven years, coach to the Dryden Dolphins Swim Team for fourteen years, and serving as a Board member of a local church.

My work in the Telephone industry has provided me with experience in working under City and Corporate Policies.  I have education related to business and finance management.  My participation as the President of the Board of Directors for Timberland Estates has provided me with practical experience in this area.

Bryck, Kathy

-I am running for a 4th term as trustee for The Northwest Catholic District School Board. I am presently the chair of The Northwest Catholic District School Board and sit on the Special Education Advisory Committee.

-I was born in Sioux Lookout, raised in Kenora and have lived in Dryden since marriage to Dan Bryck (43 years)

-I have been a member of Notre Dame Parish, St. Louis Parish and St. Josephs Parish

-Attended St. Thomas Aquinas School, Our Lady of the Valley and Lakewood High School

-Graduated from Lakehead University in 1982 BSc Nursing

-Retired after 30 years from Northwestern Health Unit as a Public Health Nurse

-We have 2 children Kaitlin (Chris) and Adam (Michelle) and 4 grandsons

- Volunteer: CWL 40-year pin, WOSJC member, Palliative Care Home Visiting, Dryden Regional Health Center Board Member 10 years, Princess Crt. LTC, Patricia Gardens, Go Getters Senior Activity Centre Board Member-present

-Dan and I are enjoying our retirement in Dryden and are thankful to be close to kids and grandkids and to live in such a wonderful community. We enjoy camp on Wabigoon Lake, travel when able and time with friends and family.

Marshall, Peter

Greetings.  It is a privilege to place my name on this ballot for a third term as a trustee for the Northwest Catholic District School Board.

I was born and raised in Cambridge Ontario but knew that I had found my true home when I journeyed north to attend Lakehead University.  After graduating from the Forestry and Biology programs my career took me to several communities in Northwestern Ontario.

For the past 27 years my wife, Elaine, and I have embraced Dryden as our home, raising our son and staying close to our daughter and grandchildren in Red Lake. Our interest range from camping and travel to gardening and genealogy.

Many of you may know me through other community activities including Theatre 17,  Sunset Thespians, Rotary, Dryden Ski Club, and the St. Joseph Parish.