Stephenson says he’s enjoying new role

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This article was published 11/08/2025 (229 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Former Carberry Chief Administrative Officer Grady Stephenson has moved on to be the CAO for the RM of Dauphin, after more than five years with the town.

Stephenson served as the Carberry CAO from 2019 until his resignation last month. He started in Dauphin on July 28.

“It’s been great so far. They’ve got a really good team here, lots of experience, so that’s making the transition a lot easier, having that kind of experience around,” Stephenson said in a phone interview on Monday.

Even though he has the same job title, he said the new job is quite different from his old post.

“Coming from a rural community — being the Town of Carberry — compared to a rural municipality is definitely different, just a lot different things to look after,” he said. “All the same legislation and everything, but the day-to-day stuff is quite different.”

He said the drainage issue, and having a much larger municipality in terms of land, are the things that are most different.

“Just the sheer size of the municipality in comparison to Carberry is a change.”

The towns in the RM have different needs and priorities as well, Stephenson said, noting economic development was a big importance in Carberry, and is coming to the forefront in the RM of Dauphin.

“It’s exciting, there’s a lot of things I’m looking forward to and things that will be happening over the next year to five years that I’m really looking forward to.”

Stephenson, who worked with the Town of Carberry for over a decade, said he will miss the community and the town council in Carberry, but that the people in Dauphin are making the change easier.

Another thing he’ll miss, he said, is being part of the North Cypress Langford Fire Department, where he served for nearly 18 years, including as deputy chief.

“I really enjoyed my time there. I wouldn’t trade it for the world, and I have no regrets for that,” Stephenson added.

“I miss the crew there, I still say that it’s the best fire department that I’ve ever been a part of or worked around. The team was awesome, and we did a lot of really good things.”

During his time with the department, Stephenson was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal and the Order of the Buffalo Hunt for his actions while responding to the fatal bus crash north of Carberry in June 2023 that killed 17 seniors.

He said he’s taking some time off from being a volunteer firefighter, and that not being “on all the time” is a good change.

“I don’t think you realize until it’s not the case anymore, how much that actually takes a toll on you,” Stephenson said. “Having some time off from emergency services has been kind of nice.”

He said rejoining the fire dept. in Dauphin is “always in the back of my mind,” but that he hasn’t made his decision yet, and won’t until at least the end of the year. Focusing on work and his personal life is what’s important now.

“I’m going to take some time just to reset and get going again here.”

“It’ll be tough to say no forever.”

» alambert@brandonsun.com