Carberry EDO leaves to helm Brandon non-profit

Carberry’s economic development officer has left her position with the town for a job in Brandon.

Starting Monday, Karra Burney will take the reins as executive director of the Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation.

Burney said she learned a lot during the more than two and a half years with Carberry.

“My time with the Town of Carberry was everything and more … that I could possibly have wanted in a position,” she said. “It gave me a chance to grow professionally and build those connections within not only my community, but also the province and beyond.”

Her last working day was Wednesday.

Burney said many skills she developed in the Carberry job will be transferable to her new position.

“Part of my role here has been that revitalization,” she said. “Going into the executive director role with Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation, my focus will be working for a non-profit that helps to revitalize Brandon’s core.”

Carberry’s downtown took a hit during the pandemic, and a lot of Burney’s time was spent getting people back into the neighbourhood.

“Some of the accomplishments that happened here was we did revitalize our main street,” Burney said. “It was once really quiet, and stores were starting to close. Now we’re at 98 per cent capacity on our main street.”

Burney said she’s happy with the work she along with the rest of the town has been able to accomplish.

“There was 35 inactive members on the Carberry and District Chamber of Commerce. And now there are 98 very active members. So, a huge increase,” she said.

“It’s because the council here at the Town of Carberry really encouraged this role as the EDO to go out and talk to people,” Burney added. “I got to go into businesses and talk to them about what was important in our community and how we could work together.”

She said this boom in development has put Carberry on the map.

“We didn’t want to see our small town just become a stop on the road for gas,” she said. “We wanted it to be the stop on the road for gas, plus get your groceries, plus, ‘Oh, look, there’s a swimming pool and a hockey rink, and there’s so many amenities there.’”

Carberry Mayor Ray Muirhead said Burney was a good resource to have, especially when attracting new businesses, helping with the chamber of commerce and even health care.

“She’ll be missed. It’ll be shoes to fill,” he said.

Muirhead said the loss is especially hard for the town as it means two of the four full-time staff have left at the same time. Chief administrative officer Grady Stephenson left his post last week. Assistant CAO Teresa McConnell is replacing Stephenson on an interim basis.

“When you lose people like that, especially our CAO and our EDO, you’ve got to step back and evaluate how things have gone and where you want to go from here,” Muirhead said.

“We’re going to have to regroup and see how we move forward.”

He said Burney is leaving for bigger and better things and that he wished her well.

Burney said she will continue to call Carberry home while working in Brandon.

In her new job, she will focus on affordable housing, homelessness prevention, different economic opportunities, as well as community wellness, recreation, crime prevention and art initiatives, along with what current staff feel is important for the city.

“My place, I’m hoping, is going to be continuing to assist that by leading and ensuring that those initiatives remain aligned with BNRC’s visions,” she said. “I think what I’ve developed here in Carberry and the things that I’ve learned … will just transpire to that bigger stage in Brandon.”

BNRC declined to comment on Burney joining the organization. According to BNRC’s staff listing, Burney is replacing Wendy Bulloch.

» alambert@brandonsun.com