The City of Penticton’s newly hired CAO comes with a background at energy company Enbridge.

Donny van Dyk worked in several senior roles in community and Indigenous relations, government affairs and finance. Prior to joining Enbridge, van Dyk served in the B.C. municipal public sector where he held the position of chief administrative officer and chief financial officer for the District of New Hazelton.

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“Council is very much looking forward to working with Mr. van Dyk over the course of our term,” said Penticton Mayor John Vassilaki. “Mr. van Dyk’s enthusiasm, education and professional experience, combined with his track record of managing issues, building relationships and overseeing budgets in both the public and private sector, confirmed his standing as the successful candidate. He is an excellent communicator and confident professional who will quickly get up to speed on all of our active files. On behalf of council, staff and residents, I welcome Mr. van Dyk to his new position and to the community.”

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The city and van Dyk are still in the process of finalizing his start date.

Originally from Terrace, van Dyk is a chartered professional accountant and holds degrees from the University of Victoria (Masters in Public Administration) and the University of Northern British Columbia (Bachelor of Commerce) as well as a diploma from Coast Mountain College (Business Administration). He also previously served on the board of governors of Coast Mountain College and on the board of the North Central Local Government Management Association and on the Legacy Committee of the 2015 Canada Winter Games.

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“I am excited for the opportunity to help implement mayor and council’s vision for the City of Penticton and am honoured to lead a dedicated and professional staff at the city,” said van Dyk.

The city received 91 resumes for the CAO position, with 21 potential candidates identified which were shortlisted to six.

van Dyk replaces outgoing CAO, Peter Weeber, who announced in January his decision to accept a new position in the private sector. Weeber will assist van Dyk with the implementation of a transition plan.

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