Greg Mandzuk is in his first term on the Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet Council, but he is not a newcomer to the organization, to politics, or to serving the public.
Greg has been working in public-facing roles for nearly 50 years and hopes to bring all the skills he’s built in that time to his role as Deputy Reeve.
Greg served as the Rural Municipality’s Public Works Manager for 10 years — from 2010 until retiring in fall, 2020. He didn’t stay “retired” long.
“Simply put, I love the entire idea of serving the public,” Greg says. “After serving as the Municipality’s Public Works Manager, I felt like I could still make a positive difference and raise the benchmark when it comes to delivering public services to the ratepayers.”
Greg initially moved to the RM of Lac du Bonnet in the fall of 2009. He had long enjoyed the area prior, often coming to visit his brother.
“What in this community can you not fall in love with?” Greg asks. “Take your pick. Living in the middle of the Canadian Shield and the lakes and rivers are things the rest of the world envies, without a doubt.”
Before moving to the RM of Lac du Bonnet, Greg lived in Winnipeg and owned a family cottage in the Town of Winnipeg Beach. It was in Winnipeg Beach he first got involved in municipal politics, successfully running for Council in two successive terms and serving the community as Councillor from 2000 to 2008.
Greg graduated from Transcona Collegiate Institute in 1972 and worked 18 years for the City of Winnipeg’s Water and Waste Department. After that, he was hired by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and represented City of Winnipeg employees and members for the next 19 years.
Greg credits his nearly two decades with CUPE as making him extremely familiar with labour relations and giving him the ability to problem solve. Thanks to his experience as Public Works Manager, he has a good understanding of the challenges the department faces today and is comfortable in leadership roles.
As Deputy Reeve, Greg looks forward to playing a role in ensuring the services the RM delivers are improved. His priorities include advocating for both a personal care home and a recreation centre that can accommodate a multitude of regional services to be built in the area. He also looks forward to working with regional groups and neighbouring municipalities to foster healthy working relationships.
Greg and his wife Terry have been married for more than 30 years and have three children — two daughters and a son — together. Their eldest daughter is a labour lawyer, while their younger daughter is a real estate agent and their son an electrician.
Greg’s main hobby is golfing — specifically at Granite Hills Golf Club — which he says, “of course is Manitoba’s most beautiful and most challenging course.”
In the winter, he enjoys creating a skating rink on the Lee River, which serves as a hockey rink for his grandson and granddaughters and also provides a great surface for jam-pail curling.