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This article was published 12/5/2016 (1591 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Former Brandon Sun columnist Deveryn Ross has taken the job as Premier Pallister's speechwriter. (File)

Former Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Free Press political columnist, Deveryn Ross, has taken the job of Premier Brian Pallister’s speechwriter.

The longtime Brandon resident is settling into his new digs, across from the premier’s office at the Manitoba Legislative Building.

"It was humbling and it was surprising and it was out of the blue," Ross said about the job offer. "It’s a great honour, just to even be considered."

Ross is a well-known columnist and political commentator. Over the past five years, he wrote 200 columns — some 140,000 words— for the Winnipeg Free Press. He previously contributed to the Westman Journal and recently returned to The Brandon Sun as a columnist, but will now be on hiatus from his columnist gigs.

"I’m absolutely not closing any doors. I fully expect that someday down the road I’ll be back," he said. "I'm going to miss column-writing and the feedback from my readers. I've made some great friendships throughout the province as a result of my columns."

Ross will commute to Winnipeg from Brandon, and spend most of the week in Manitoba’s capital city.

"This job will require me to spend a significant amount of time in Winnipeg, but it is a once in a lifetime opportunity that would never come around a second time."

He’s just a few days into the job, but Ross already has a number of assignments, which he is excited to dig into.

"There’s a lot to get done over the next three weeks — a throne speech, a budget, a number of important speeches to be given by the premier," he said. "It’s tremendous workload. It can be exhausting, and there’s a lot of pressure, but it’s a good environment."

Writing the premier’s speeches is a collaborative process, Ross said, beginning with a draft that includes Pallister’s thoughts and instructions.

"Several revisions are done, but obviously the premier has the greatest say in the final product right up until the moment he delivers it," Ross said. "He can have it in front of him and decide to do something completely different. It is always the case that these are his words and his thoughts."