Cindy Kellendonk is in her third (non-consecutive) term as an Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet Councillor, serving in the role from 2014-18 and from 2022 to the present. A long time Lac du Bonnet resident, she says the area “is and always has been a special place for me.”
Cindy graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Arts and continued studies with the University of Winnipeg and Red River College (now RRC Polytech) to develop skills in business administration, community development, marketing, records and information management, and agriculture.
Cindy has extensive experience in sales, project management/coordination, and marketing. She served as general and sales manager for an international printing and marketing company, as branch manager of Business Service with AECL (now Canadian Nuclear Laboratories), and co-managed a family farm with her husband.
More recently, she acted as project coordinator for a non-profit community services agency and has served on various local, provincial, and federal boards and committees which support local governance structures and healthy community growth.
“Having lived experiences, I truly understand and appreciate the challenges of rural communities, small business, non-profit organizations, government enterprise and volunteerism,” Cindy says.
Cindy’s reasons for representing Lac du Bonnet are many. After years of travelling North America, she was impressed with how so many small communities were “humming” and thought Lac du Bonnet should be humming in the same way. In her first term, she advocated for a Community Development Corporation to be established.
She also strives to promote the economic diversity of the region — “we cannot be putting all our eggs in one basket,” she says — advocates for the protection of the natural environment and mediation the RM’s economic footprint, to build strong relationships and shared services with neighbouring communities, and for affordable housing and other amenities that will keep young people in the community and families together.
“When councils work together, many good things get done. I truly want people to feel proud of Lac du Bonnet and engaged in our futures,” she says.
Cindy sees many challenges facing the municipality, but also many opportunities ahead. These include food security for residents in need, developing infrastructure for sustainable growth — including a full-services industrial park to accommodate a wider range of businesses — and a public beach to provide swimming access for visitors and residents who do not live on the water.
In her spare time, Cindy loves gardening and reading. She “tends to read what most people find boring, like peer reviewed studies, journals and other educational information.”
Mainly, her favourite thing is simply to spend time with family. “We are an inquisitive bunch and love to explore wherever we go, which has often led us into amazing adventures,” she says.