MBiz

15 MBiz | november 2015 Pinawa deveLoPMent CorPoration w ithin a week after Mayor Blair Skinner arrived in Pinawa in 1980, he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life there. As a summer student at the Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) Whiteshell Laboratories, Skinner got such a warm reception, he was immediately at home in the community 110 kilometres east of Winnipeg. Now, he and other leaders are inviting entrepreneurs to experience the kind of quality of life most people only dream about. They're even offering commercial tax incentives and flexible business plans for people who want to set shop in the town of 1,444. "We have been working hard to attract young entrepreneurs who don't need to be in the city to do their jobs. They can do it here and enjoy our lifestyle," Skinner says. With Broadband Internet service, the work-live-play possibilities are endless — and enviable. Recreation runs from sailing to cross- country skiing, swimming and hiking on the Winnipeg River and Pinawa Channel, from which the town derives its name. Called pinnowok — meaning calm waters — by early First Nations people, the channel is an idyllic place to canoe, kayak or ice fish, and wild rice is harvested by licensed individuals along its shores. "It's very peaceful, serene, beautiful — lots of wildlife," Skinner says. Deer are a common sight in town, and the Whiteshell's boreal forest and scenic Pre-Cambrian rock outcrops provide habitat for foxes, bear and other mammals. Great grey owls, trumpeter swans and some 300 more species of birds in and around town are a treat for birdwatchers, and if birdies are more your bag, the 18- hole golf course is one of the most beautiful in Manitoba. A curling club, quality schools and day-care services, library, bike paths and playgrounds are among the family-friendly amenities. And if you want to spend more time with your family, a business in or near your home is an option. "You can definitely have a residence as a secondary use for a commercial entity," Skinner says. The town and Pinawa Community Development Corp. (Pinawa CDC) are working to improve wireless service, and open up new development and commercial opportunities at the decommissioned AECL site, which has plenty of land, roads and infrastructure. A long-term socio-economic plan is in the works to ensure sustainable job opportunities well into the future. And the Pinawa CDC-owned W.B. Lewis Business Centre offers commercial space, a business incubator program and flexible business agreements to encourage growth. The centre is home to technology, health and mining organizations, along with retail goods and services and an art gallery. Skinner says the town's cultural scene is thriving, with visual artists, the Pinawa Players — Manitoba's longest-running community theatre group — a community band and the Eastern Manitoba Concert Association, which presents several concerts each year. With its well-stocked Solo Market and most of the other essential services you'd hope to find in an urban centre, Skinner says the town's most pressing need is for accommodations and restaurant options. Investors interested in developing a hotel conference centre or other business are eligible for incentives including a minimum of two free years of municipal taxes. It's an offer residents would advise you not to refuse. While physicist Skinner and his chemist wife Leslie loved doing world-class nuclear research, they decided they loved the local lifestyle even more when AECL laid off staff in 1998. "(We) could have transferred to Chalk River and continued our careers, but we decided we'd rather be here unemployed," he says. "That was an awesome decision." Make an awesome decision in your life. Learn more at www.pinawa.com. ■ Live, Work and Play in PiNawa

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