If you don’t know Jeff Easton, you must be very new to the community.
Jeff, serving in his first term as Councillor in the Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet, has lived, worked, and served in the area for nearly 40 years.
Jeff grew up in a small town near Toronto but moved back to Winnipeg in 1984 with his parents and sisters. The bought cottage property in Lac du Bonnet a year later, and his parents built their dream cottage and future retirement home.
Jeff initially went to the University of Winnipeg to attain an education degree, but after one year, got a job diamond drilling in the Northwest Territories, falling in love with the quiet and peacefulness of the outdoors. He stayed in the drilling field for about five years, and during his time off, he would stay at his folks’ cabin.
It was during that time he met and became close friends with many people in Lac Du Bonnet, and chose to become a full-time RM of Lac du Bonnet resident in 1994/95. He had a stake in a Ski-Doo dealership, Power-line Sleds, for five years, and at that time, joined of the Lac du Bonnet Fire Department and served as a member and instructor for 15 years.
In 2000, Jeff was offered a job at Manitoba Hydro and entered the Lineman Apprenticeship Program; he has been with Hydro ever since. He spent many years in the Overhead Construction group and travelled extensively throughout the province, but, as he says: “home was always Lac du Bonnet.”
Jeff recently took a permanent position at the Lac du Bonnet Manitoba Hydro Customer Service Center. All of his work experiences have helped him build strong communication and organizational skills, as he’s had to maintain high levels of efficiency when dealing with multiple agencies to complete large projects on time and on budget.
His new position with Manitoba Hydro made his decision to run for Council a lot easier.
“I have always been interested in running for Council but never had the opportunity working away from home so frequently,” Jeff says. “Now that I have taken a job close to home, I feel that 2022 was the right time to put my name forward. I have so many friends that supported my decision, and encouraged me to run, that I felt I could make a difference.”
During his campaign, Jeff heard from ratepayers that the condition of infrastructure — including roads, the lagoon, and boat launches — was important to them and will strive to listen to the community to make educated and fair decisions.
Jeff and his wife Kristin have lived on the same property in the RM since 1997 and have two adult children, Emma and Anika. Kristin has worked at Mrs. Lucci’s Resource Center for more than 25 years and was one of their first employees.
Jeff is a sports fan and coached fastball and minor hockey for several years. He was involved in restarting the Lac du Bonnet Blues Senior Hockey Club and served on the Minor Hockey Board for five years as vice president. He currently sits on the Lac du Bonnet Arena Board and has for seven years now.
He enjoys spending time outside with family and friends all year round and enjoys many activities including swimming, fishing, ice-fishing, and of course, hockey.