With Mitch Minken's retirement, Swift Current city council had him attend one last meeting as a guest to be praised for his years of service.

Last Monday, Mitch Minken, the former head of light and power and general manager of infrastructure and operations for the City of Swift Current, attended what may be his last ever city council meeting. In this meeting, his contemporaries listed off his achievements highlighted his work, and spoke of him not only as a co-worker but as a friend.

One of the first to speak on Minken's merits was Swift Current Mayor, Al Bridal. He listed Minken's many roles with the City of Swift Current over the course of 16 years, highlighting just how versatile Minken has been. 

Starting in 2007 with Light and Power, he became the General Manager of Infrastructure in 2013. He has additionally served in the City with roles related to or leading in Engineering, Solid Waste, Fleet Services, Transit, the Airport, Streets and Roadways, Water Works, Water Treatment Plant, and the Waste Water Plant. 

"It's like we should have just thrown parks in there too," joked Bridal. "We could have just gotten rid of everybody else."

During his tenure, Minken was able to achieve some major milestones for the City of Swift Current. He was a leading mind behind the lighting of the Highway 4 and Trans-Canada Highway corridors. During his tenure, he helped with the property development of Highend, Sask Valley and Cypress Point. He was central to the development of industrial properties in Munro Park. 

His expertise helped with the implementation of Smart Carts in Swift Current. Minken oversaw the upgrades of the pump stations in Swift Current, as well as the North and South Hill Reservoir. 

"The big one for most of us here in council, is the expansion of the city's electrical franchise," said Bridal. "Mitch, I've told you this personally, but I don't believe we could have it done without your expertise to help with this. I can't imagine this isn't going to pay the citizens of Swift Current for years and years and decades to come."

Not everything was smooth sailing for Minken. Council acknowledged that the Second Avenue Over Pass rehabilitation project was over schedule. 

"There's lots of PR, bad PR, some good PR, lots of bad PR because that ran over and blah blah blah," said Bridal. "But I just want to thank you for that. It's something that needed doing, and you got it done and stepped up."

Minken was also credited with his roles in the three major highwater events during his tenure along the Swift Current Creek. He and his crews worked alongside the Swift Current Fire Department and other agencies to ensure that each time the flood waters came, they were better prepared than the last. By the 2023 high water floods, damage to public roadways and spaces was kept to an absolute minimum.

"Your leadership assisted in the future development of flood, flood modelling and flood mitigation for the City," credited Bridal. 

Bridal went on then to highlight Minken's role in charitable and volunteer efforts. He made sure to bring up his many years of work with the Children's Wish Foundation, for which he received a medal from the Governor General. 

"Mitch has served as a Chair of Curling Canada for governor, as President of Curl Sask, and has been very actively serving with the Swift Current Curling Club for many years," said Minken. 

By the end of his listing of accomplishments and accolades by his peers, Minken was not only flattered, but honoured to be recognized by the community that became his home.

"It has certainly been a privilege to serve both council and the citizens of Swift Current for a little over 16 years," said Minken. "I wouldn't have accomplished all those things that you've talked about without really great people around me. I didn't do those by myself, that's for sure. I had lots of great people."

"It's been quite a ride," continued Minken. "When myself and my family came here in 2007, we knew very little about Swift Current. We had a couple of friends here, and truly, we were taken over by Swift Current's charms. It has become home, and we are planning on staying and continuing our life here. Thank you for that opportunity." 

 

In response to Canada's Online News Act and Meta (Facebook and Instagram) removing access to local news from their platforms, Swift Current Online encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the Swift Current Online app.