Palmquist named Save Our Seine’s managing director

St. Vital

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This article was published 10/01/2023 (713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ryan Palmquist has high hopes for 2023.

The Old St. Vital resident was recently named the new managing director of Save Our Seine.

Based in Winnipeg, Save our Seine is a non-profit organization whose mandate — in short — is to preserve, protect, enhance, restore and repair the Seine River greenway.

Not one to sit around with his feet up, the 34-year-old was also elected as a first-time school trustee in Louis Riel School Division’s Ward 3 in last October’s municipal election. He is also a community correspondent for the East edition of the Free Press Community Review.

Prior to being elected as a trustee, the Glenlawn Collegiate alumnus was the executive assistant to St. Boniface city councillor Matt Allard.

A longtime active transportation advocate, Palmquist is looking forward to working collaboratively in his new leadership role at Save Our Seine.

“I’ll be supporting the work of the board, and it’s a very active board,” Palmquist said. “I’ll be involved with the day-to-day operations of the organization.”

Having been born in 1988, Palmquist said he’s literally grown up Save Our Seine, which was formed in 1990.

“I’ve been hearing about and learning about its work in the community since I was a toddler. Save Our Seine is an institution in Winnipeg, and it has a long, impressive track record,” he said.

“Some of what we’re seeing now is a direct result of the work of Save Our Seine. I’ve heard that parts of the greenway were in poor shape, environmentally, in the days before Save Our Seine, and much of the successes that have been accomplished are the direct results of the organization’s work. I’m thrilled to now be in a position to help contribute to this continuing.”

While many people will be familiar with the urban forest called Bois-des-Ésprits in the Royalwood area — “a crown jewel” according to Palmquist — Save Our Seine has, at any given time, a number of areas where the river flows in its sights, including the Sumka Road forest area south of the perimeter, which Palmquist notes is part of an ecological zone.

“Eventually, it could become part of a protected area,” Palmquist said, noting SOS has been working on the issue with area councillor Brian Mayes for several years.

Another interesting aspect of his new position is that it gives Palmquist the opportunity to use the skills he honed working with Allard, while developing new ones.

“Before, me and Matt were often being lobbied by people. Now, I’ll be one of the ones doing the lobbying,” he said.

“I’ll be approaching things from the point of view of a stakeholder, which is new for me but also exciting.”

Palmquist said he’s passionate about the concept of natural eco-systems co-existing and thriving in urban areas, and he’s excited about fostering partnerships and building relationships in the community in his new role.

“I’m very excited about the future,” Palmquist said.

Visit www.saveourseine.com for more information.