The shoes of former Financial Services Manager Pat Sibilleau have been filled, and the man stepping into her recently-vacated position is Ken Ostraat.

Ostraat comes to Merritt from Summerland, where he served as Director of Finance, a position similar to that of a financial services manager.

Ostraat told the Herald he came to Merritt because he didn’t want to move too far away from Summerland and wanted to do something different.

“Merritt just turned out to be the perfect spot for me right now,” Ostraat said.

He said there were other job opportunities for him but this region is where he wanted to stay.

“There were other opportunities, especially over on Vancouver Island, and I didn’t want to go over there at all. Even the Lower Mainland, that’s totally out to lunch as far as I’m concerned,” Ostraat said, noting he was searching for a place in the Interior and found the job in Merritt.

Since moving to the city and starting his job just over a week ago, Ostraat has been getting himself acquainted with the job and new surroundings.

However, it’s not totally new territory to Ostraat. He said he has frequented the Merritt area to go fishing and already has plans to hit the lakes with the rod and reel again.

Ostraat graduated from Simon Fraser University with a degree in commerce in 1979.

He received his chartered accountant designation in 1983 while working for a national accounting firm in the B.C. Interior.

While there, he worked on a number of local government audits and obtained a significant amount of experience in local government accounting and management.

In 1992, Ostraat started with the District of Summerland as the Director of Finance.  While working at the district, Ostraat obtained his diploma in public sector management from the University of Victoria.

Ostraat acted as the chief administrative officer for the District of Summerland on three separate occasions while the district was looking for a replacement.

Despite being here just a short while, Ostraat said he’s seen a very committed city staff.

“That’s the one thing that I’ll say about this municipality: all the workers are very, very dedicated and they’re a pleasure to talk to,” Ostraat said.

Ostraat said he’s happy to answer any questions the public might have for him.