Town & Country

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SATURDAY JUNE 15, 2019 3 Somerset: 1152 sq. ft. 3 bedrooms 1.5 bathrooms Lyndhurst: 1254 sq. ft. 3 bedrooms 1.5 bathrooms Sheffield: 1452 sq. ft. 3 bedrooms 2.5 bathrooms Sheffinburgh: 1568 sq. ft. 3 bedrooms 2.5 bathrooms For more info:204.257.3904, 204.371.9006 admin@cobblestonehomes.ca Starter House & Lot Starting $ 232,900 Your Home. Your Way. New Bothwell Mid-level Lots Only Starting $ 62,900 GST Extra. Lot Size 64 x 130. Prices subject to change. Price includes Net GST, Base House & Standard Lot Package Prices Subject to Change ST. GEORGES C all it the little economic engine that could. The Beausejour Brokenhead Development Corp. (BBDC) was formed back in 1986 as a joint initiative between the Town of Beausejour and the RM of Brokenhead. Its mandate was simple: Promote economic development in the two communities and provide the tools needed to attract businesses to the region. At the time, there was almost no industry in Beausejour and the surrounding community. It's a much different story today. The BBDC spearheaded the development of the Beausejour Industrial Park, where the first three phases of development have virtually sold out and 25 additional serviced lots were recently added. That in turn has attracted a number of new retail developments, including Home Hardware, Tim Hortons and Dollar Tree. Although those successes have been gratifying, current BBDC chair Fred Kazina says the corporation's work is a long way from being done. "It's an ongoing process," says Kazina, a former mayor of Beausejour. "I think it's always going to be. I don't think you can all of a sudden say we're successful today because we've brought in two or three businesses. It's got to be an ongoing thing." While the goals of the BBDC remain largely the same as when it was founded, its focus has evolved over time. It now provides prospective developers with everything from assistance with investment planning and business counselling to detailed economic data on the region and identifying economic development opportunities for both the private and public sectors. Earlier this year, the corporation unveiled a new five-year strategic plan that is intended to provide a blueprint for future economic growth in the community. The plan was created following discussions this past February and March between BBDC members, staff and other stakeholders and based on a detailed economic analysis of the region. It identifies four key strategic priorities for the corporation over the next five years: Investment development and attraction; population growth through immigration; business development and attraction; and tourism. "Tourism is a major focus for us right now," says BBDC marketing director Anna Mondor, adding that a tourism committee has been struck and several promotional videos will soon be released. "We think we can attract a lot of visitors and tourism to our region because we have a lot to offer. We have a rodeo, we have some beautiful heritage (sites), we have glasswork. I think Beausejour and Brokenhead just need a stage to be seen." Immigration is another key component of the plan. Mondor says several long-time business owners have recently retired or are planning to do so soon and the community is looking to work with newcomers to help fill the void. Even though Beausejour and Brokenhead remain the primary focus of the BBDC, it has recently begun working with 11 other neighbouring municipalities in the region as part of a collaborative effort. The group is looking to create an Eastman vocational training centre for high school students and adults seeking to enter in-demand vocations. The main facility would be located in Beausejour with satellite locations in other communities. Mondor says the project was identified as a priority following a study conducted in 2018 that indicated there is a shortage of skilled workers in the local labour force. The BBDC is funded 50-50 by the town and RM. Although it doesn't receive any ongoing funding from the federal government, Mondor says Ottawa has been an important partner by providing funding for a number of one-time projects over the last seven years. The corporation was recently singled out for its efforts by Minister of International Trade Diversification Jim Carr at a reception in Winnipeg. "That was some big recognition for us," Mondor says. BY JIM TIMLICK POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT Agency promotes economic growth in Eastman region PHOTOS COURTESY OF BBDC The BBDC Board of Directors, top row from left: Beausejour Mayor Ray Schirle (BBDC Town Representative), Fred Kazina (BBDC Chair), Randy Bialek, RM of Brokenhead Reeve Brad Saluk (RM Representative). Bottom row from left Kim Hyde, Richard Stefansson and Anna Mondor (BBDC Marketing Director). Diane Dubé still gets shivers when she thinks about that 4 a.m. phone call. A s volunteer director-curator of the Musée St-Georges Museum, hearing the words "the museum is on fire" on that night in May 2014 was the worst news possible. Nestled on the shores of the Winnipeg River in the town of St-Georges, about 120 km north- east of Winnipeg near Powerview and Pine Falls, the museum had just gone through a beautiful restoration, added 12 new exhib- its and a new theme, and was set to open for the season. "It was surreal. The whole community was in shock," says Dubé, who has volun- teered with the museum for 10 years. Close to half of the museum's historic ar- tifacts were destroyed by the fire, an arson which is still unsolved. But people in small Manitoba communities don't let tragedy get in their way. Dubé and close to 50 other volunteers got busy, determined what could be salvaged, got advice from restoration experts and put together a team that spent the whole summer working to clean up and save whatever they could. Five years later, the museum has been renamed the Winnipeg River Heritage Mu- seum (Musée du patrimoine de la rivière Winnipeg), and two stunning new build- ings stand in its place, ready for the next chapter. A capital campaign project raised $3.8 million to rebuild, including $1.875 million from the Department of Heritage Canada's Cultural Spaces Program and $200,000 from the RM of Alexander. The museum is now working on raising the re- maining $800,000 it needs to complete its exhibits and landscaping. The Winnipeg River Heritage Muse- um will open to the public on Aug. 31, during the popular 4P Festival weekend. While most exhibits won't be ready yet, visitors will be able to tour the new build- ings and see photos from before and after the fire. Some artifacts that were saved will be on display, such as an 1800s-era kitchen stove and the famous ferry that transported local residents and their hors- es, carriages and vehicles across the river for decades until 1974. "The public is anxious to see what's been done, and which artifacts we were able to rescue. The opening will be a celebration of our buildings and everything we've ac- complished," says Dubé, who has worked tirelessly along with other volunteers, ap- plying for funding grants to make the new museum possible. "It's been such a long time, and I'm ex- cited to be able to show the public what the museum will have to offer that we didn't have before." Designed by Cibinel Architecture of Winnipeg, the two new buildings were constructed, starting in 2017, with ship- building technology in mind. Their shapes suggest the curve of the river bank and feature an exterior façade made from 360 cedar planks milled by Manitoba's Heavenly Pines Wood Inc. using recycled hydro poles. The hydro poles are significant because the new museum galleries will tell the story of how the construction of the Manitoba Hydro dams affected the river and the area, along with the other vast aspects of the re- gion's history, says Michael Boulet, a volun- teer with the museum for 35 years and the current board past-president. "A lot of the museums in small towns are settlers' museums, but the Winnipeg River is a different animal altogether. Out here we have so much more history — we had a paper mill at the mouth of Lake Winnipeg, commercial fishing, mink farms, trapping, mining, float planes. The new museum and the new name really encompass all of those things," says Boulet. The museum hasn't been shut down en- tirely. It has been hosting rotating exhibits inside the St-Georges Library during con- struction. Its new mantra — "We are the people of the river" — was adopted shortly before the fire, and still rings true. New ex- hibits will tell the story of early Indigenous people and fur traders in the area, as well as all of the industry that helped build up the surrounding "company towns," including mining, hydro and paper milling. The new museum will have something else the old one was sorely lacking— heat. It will be open year-round for visitors and school tours, instead of closing for the win- ter. It will also have a new gift shop and an expanded showcase of local art, plus climate-controlled archives areas to store precious artifacts and documents that aren't currently on display. The community has been supportive as the museum was built slowly, while waiting for more grant money to come in and mak- ing donations themselves, Boulet says – but it will be worth the wait when the public finally gets to see inside. "It's absolutely beautiful," he says. "It will be a sight to behold." BEAUSEJOUR RISING FROM THE ASHES Rebuilt museum will tell unsung story of Winnipeg River BY SHERRY KANIUGA PHOTOS COURTESY OF WINNIPEG RIVER HERITAGE MUSEUM Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmon presented board treasurer Diane Dubé with one of five Lieutenant Governor's Historical Preservation and Promotion awards this May. PHOTOS COURTESY OF WINNIPEG RIVER HERITAGE MUSEUM Volunteers worked tirelessly to raise funds for a stunning new museum after the old building was destroyed by fire.

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