Candidate Bios

Kilner, Trudy

My name is Trudy Kilner and I am running for Council in the Town of Castor.

My husband and I moved to Castor in 2013 because we were looking for a small rural community that had everything that a bigger center could provide. We found it in Castor! It is a great town with so much to offer its residents and surrounding district.

Castor has two schools, Theresetta and Gus Wetter, that are the foundation of our future and they bring in young families that are taught by dedicated teachers and staff.

We have a wonderful hospital served by three committed Doctors and a wonderful nursing staff. As part of an extension of the hospital, the Extended Care is also served by a compassionate staff and the Doctors.

I have been Manager of Paintearth Lodge in Castor for several years and love working with the staff and the residents to help provide a warm and caring home for our residents.

Committee work is part of being on the Town of Castor Council and to the present time I have worked on the following committees:

1. Paintearth Regional Waste Management Ltd. – PRWML

2. Doctor Retention Committee

3. Dog and Cat Control

4. Food Bank Committee

5. I advocate and will not stop advocating for the return of our Helipad.

I care about our community and I am passionate about the future of Castor. Being a councilor isn’t just about making decisions, it is about listening, understanding and working with and for the people of Castor and I would love to continue being a part of the Town of Castor Council.

Kleinschroth, Gwen

PhD in Nursing

I bring high energy, deep care, and extensive professional work experience in complex hospital and university environments to my run for Castor Town Council. As a recently retired nurse educator, researcher, and online university administrator, I have the time, energy, knowledge, and experience to be a leader and public figure who prioritizes transparency, accountability, and collaboration through:

Community Engagement: Actively engage with residents, organizations and business owners to understand your needs and concerns. I envision coffee mornings, town halls, surveys, and regular communication.
Strategic Planning: Collaboratively develop a comprehensive strategic plan that outlines vision and goals for Castor for 2025-2029. This plan will address areas such as infrastructure, economic development, land use, and community services.
Policy Development: Create policies and bylaws that align with the strategic plan, promote community growth, ensure the efficient use of resources, provide clear direction for the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), inform regular monitoring/evaluation, and promote transparency and accountability.
Collaboration: Work closely with other councillors, the CAO, and external stakeholders to ensure that budget and resource allocation decisions are well-informed and have the most significant positive influence on Castor, Paintearth County and neighbouring towns.

Professionally, I have extensive research experience that directly applies to community engagement. I know how to identify key informants, elicit their input through interviews, surveys, and/or focus groups, analyze data from multiple viewpoints and diverse perspectives, and articulate recommendations for change. I also have administrative experience developing and enacting strategic plans for the Faculty of Health Disciplines at Athabasca University that equips me to provide direction for a new strategic plan for the Town of Castor, a collaborative process between the Town Council and Administration.

Professionally, I have also excelled in my interpersonal relationships. I was a sought-after graduate thesis supervisor because I was known to prioritize the student’s learning and progress. Upon retirement, my university colleagues identified my top attributes as kind, generous, warm, passionate, and engaged.
I will bring all these same traits to Castor Town Council.

Personally, I have lived in the County of Paintearth for 21 years, moving from Brownfield to Castor in 2018. I was a member of the Brownfield Community School Foundation, the Syrian Refugee Committee, and facilitated Circle of Security© Parenting groups through Paintearth Adult Learning in Brownfield and Castor, and through the McMan Family Resource Network in Stettler. I recently joined the Our Lady of the Rosary Hospital Board and am a board member at the Castor Evangelical Missionary Church. Golf, pickleball, kayaking, paddle boarding and the gym keep me energized and socialized in Castor. I am an avid reader, enjoy time on my own, and perfecting my cookie recipes. I have a loving and supportive spouse. We enjoy offering hospitality in our home and getting to know those new to our community.

I am committed to serving Castor’s Town Council with integrity and vision. My professional expertise, collaborative spirit, and personal dedication will help advance our collective goals, ensuring that our strategic planning reflects the hopes and needs of long term and recent residents of Castor. I am eager to continue building relationships and contributing to the vibrant future of Castor.

McDougall, Kevin

My name is Kevin McDougall, and I am seeking re-election as one of seven councillors for the Town of Castor.

I have proudly called the Castor area home for more than 20 years, moving here from British Columbia to work in the oil and gas sector. I currently serve as Manager for Paintearth Waste Management and recently retired after 20 years of service with the Castor Fire Department. My partner Crystal and I live in Castor with our 8-year-old son, and I am also the proud father of a son and daughter who reside in B.C.

Since first being elected to council in the 2019 by-election, I have seen tremendous growth and positive change in our community. Castor is a young, vibrant town with outstanding potential, and I want to continue building on the progress we have made together. Over the next four years, this council will face several major projects and decisions, and I believe my experience will help ensure those decisions move our community forward.

As your councillor, I remain committed to:

Listening to the concerns and priorities of residents and business owners.

Representing those concerns at council meetings where your voice deserves to be heard.

Communicating openly by providing clear updates on council decisions and how they affect you.

I believe that strong communication is the most important role of any councillor. Council must listen to its citizens, respond to their concerns, and provide regular, transparent feedback.

With your support, I would be honoured to continue serving on Castor Town Council and to help shape the future of our community.

Vote Kevin McDougall for Castor Town Council– Together, let’s keep Castor moving forward.

Peach, Shawn

My name is Shawn Peach. I am running for Council in the Town of Castor 2025 election, seeking a second term. I have lived and worked in Castor since 2013. I have remained active in Castor from being a member of the Castor Curling Club, the Castor Elks and serving on the boards of many of the organizations in the Castor area. I have enjoyed attending many of the events that our community has implemented. I am seeking re-election to have the opportunity to continue to have my input in council decisions as I have learned a lot in the past four years and I am excited to put in practice all I have learned to continue to make Castor a great place to live.

Schaffner, Lynea

Hello, my name is Lynea Schaffner and I’m excited to be running for Castor Town Council. I was born and raised here, and I’ve always been proud to call Castor home. My dad had a dedicated career for 35 years working in the Public Works Department for the Town of Castor as the foreman. In the early 2000s I had the opportunity to work in the town office myself. From 2003 to 2008, I managed our local paper, the Castor Advance, before moving into my current career as an insurance broker—where I’ve been fortunate to continue serving the community.

I love Castor’s unique character and the many small businesses that make our town special. I believe strongly in supporting local, and I know how important it is to keep our community thriving. We are also lucky to have two wonderful schools with dedicated teachers who help shape the future for our youth.

If elected, I will work hard to listen to residents’ concerns and bring those voices to council. I’d also like to see more transparency and better opportunities for the public to communicate and engage with council decisions. Above all, I believe our community members should always be heard first.

I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to Castor’s growth and development over the next four years, and to continue building a strong, connected community we can all be proud of.

Sisson, Don

My name is Don Sisson and I am running in the Town of Castor 2025 Election. I have served as a Councilor since 2021 and I am totally invested in this community of Castor and would like to continue on working for the people of Castor.

I have lived in Castor for forty-one years and I feel that it was a great place to raise our children and work. I worked in the Agriculture Business for forty years and am recently retired.

Castor has so much to offer. We have a wonderful Hospital that currently has three Doctors to cover our town and area. An Extended Care, Paintearth Lodge, Manors, and recreation facilities for Castor citizens of every age. And we have two schools that provide excellent education for our young people, Gus Wetter School and Theresetta School.

Some of my personal beliefs are:

1. I really believe in shopping local. Shopping at home is important to me and to the growth of our town of Castor.

2. My vision for Castor is to improve on the infrastructure deficit.

3. Keep working to get our Helipad back.

4. And many other issues that have come before the Town Council.

5. I believe in a unified Council and a unified Country.

I am very proud and enthusiastic about our town of Castor and I wish to continue to contribute to its growth by being on Council for the people of Castor. I have no personal vendettas and I believe that we all need to work together for the good of the community.

Sumegi, Matthew

My name is Matthew Sumegi, but my friends just call me Matt… It’s a lot easier than trying to pronounce that Hungarian last name of mine (Shoo-Meg-Ee). Since being approached last year to run for Town Council, I’ve listened to many of your thoughts on how we can make our council even more effective. From neighbours and churchgoers to business owners and community leaders, your ideas focused my attention on three key priorities for an open, engaged, and thriving community:

Accountability in Leadership - Council must actively oversee town decisions and ensure all municipal leaders, including department heads, meet rigorous performance standards through clear metrics, consistent public reporting, and a strict code of conduct. For transparency, I would develop a standard for the timely posting of council minutes throughout the year and require detailed public accounts of the reasons for private “in-camera” sessions, without compromising sensitive details.

Community Engagement - Council can foster open communication with residents by hosting town hall meetings, encouraging voter participation during council, as well as real-time feedback throughout the year on the town’s social media. I would also work with businesses on a revitalized Castor Business Association to provide a central point of connection with council before decisions are made that impact them.

Fiscal Responsibility - Council must carefully steward property tax revenue to address Castor’s priorities, including maintaining roads, upgrading water systems, and supporting essential services. I would advocate for disciplined budgeting to prevent waste, prioritize resident needs, ensure fair resource allocation, encourage town growth, and deliver maximum value without unnecessary tax increases.

I am running to make these issues a priority on council, to build on Castor’s strong foundation and make it an even better place for our families to live, work, raise children, and retire. My wife Robyn and I moved to Castor a little over three years ago. Disillusioned with Ottawa, and city life in general, we wanted to raise our kids in a place that better reflected our values.

Early on, I was a Child and Youth Counsellor at the Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa, supporting families under extreme stress through complex challenges. Later in life, I owned and operated The PlaySpace Early Learning Centre, a provincially licensed private pre-school. After selling that business, I chose semi-retirement to focus on family, allowing me to homeschool our two daughters.

Now that the girls are getting older, I find that I have more time to be of service in the community. I volunteer at the Central Alberta Pregnancy Care Centre where I provide support and mentorship to new fathers. I am on the boards of the Paintearth Community Adult Learning Council and the Castor and District Museum Society where I've been spearheading initiatives to launch a new website for the museum and modernize their accessions register. My experience in counseling, business, and volunteer work enables me to listen, build, and serve. I hope to earn your vote for Castor Town Council.

Wismer, Brenda

My name is Brenda Wismer. I moved to Castor in 1970, graduated from Theresetta High School, married and raised my four children here. I have always appreciated and supported rural living. I have been a Town Councillor for 15 years.

Being involved in municipal government has given me the opportunity to directly influence issues that are important to me, such as budget, FCSS, our library and Paintearth Lodge.

I let my name stand for re-election to stay involved and contribute to the growth of our community.

Thank you

Brenda Wismer

Yates, Cecil

I was raised on a farm near Big Knife Provincial Park until the age of 14, when my family moved to Castor. After attending Gus Wetter High School, I spent 23 years working as a repair crew foreman for a grain company, a role that took me across central Alberta,

In 1978, I married my wife, Linda, and together raised our two children, Chase and Lindsay. In 2005, Linda, our son, and I returned to the south side of Castor, where I started a construction company that continues to operate within the town. Today, Chase manages the company's daily operations, allowing me to focus on other priorities.

Linda and I are the proud grandparents to eight grandchildren, ranging in ages from 5 to 18. This gives me a unique perspective on the needs of our community - from local business owners to seniors, young families, and children.

I understand that change takes time, but as a councillor, I would work to strengthen Castor's relationship with the County so our community can continue to grow and thrive.