Town & Country

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SATURDAY JUNE 17, 2017 5 P I N A W A Pool, Sauna & 125' Waterslide, Beer Vendor, VLT's, Conference Rooms, Private Lodge, Hot Tub Rooms, Suites, Satellite TV, Licensed Restaurant, Cocktail Lounge, Free Wi-Fi Pool, Sauna & 125' Waterslide, Beer Vendor, VLT's, Conference Rooms, Private Lodge, Hot Tub Rooms, Suites, Satellite TV, Licensed Restaurant, Cocktail Lounge, Free Wi-Fi Welcome Visitors t. 204.268.3282 wayne@wayneewasko.com Wayne Ewasko MLA for Lac du Bonnet Phone: 204-753-5172 Toll Free: 1-800-806-0412 Imagine a resort community where you can live on a river surrounded by forest and hundreds of nearby lakes and still conduct international business as if you were in Vancouver or Toronto. WW-54 Pinawa.QX8_Layout 1 15/01/15 12:39 PM Page 1 Discover Pinawa's Commercial and Residential Tax Incentives www.pinawa.com North Forge East promotes entrepreneurship in Pinawa BY SHARON CHISVIN B lair Skinner first arrived in the eastern Manitoba town of Pinawa for a summer job at Atomic Energy of Canada (AEC) back in 1980. Taken aback by the town's beauty and tranquility, he fell in love with the place and by the end of the first week knew he wanted to live there for the rest of his life. Fast forward 40 years later and Skin- ner is serving his third term as mayor of Pinawa, a town of 1,500 that is, at this very moment, enjoying a rebirth of sorts — for the second time. The town's newest renaissance is as a re- sult of an exciting new partnership recently negotiated between the Pinawa Economic Council and the North Forge Technology Exchange East. Formally announced in December 2016, the partnership is help- ing the town create a diversified business economy and attract and retain people, jobs and investments. The first Pinawa was a small settle- ment founded in 1903 when the Winni- peg Electric Company built a hydroelec- tric generating station in the area. That settlement and the dam were dismantled several years later, but when AEC estab- lished the Whiteshell Laboratories Nucle- ar Research Facility not far from the site in 1963, it also developed a new com- pany town to house its 1,300 employees. Skinner worked at that Whiteshell Labs for 14 years, until he, along with hundreds of others, was laid off in 1998 when AEC began decommissioning the facility. Like many of his colleagues, Skinner was not prepared to leave the town he loved, so he switched careers from physics to account- ing and delved into politics. He wanted to help Pinawa take control of its future. "I'd just been laid off and I realized that the town was going to have to change from a company town to something different, and it seemed like an opportunity to get involved," Skinner recalls. "We were a small community with really one focus and that was to be a place for Atomic Energy employees to work and live and play, and we didn't need a lot of other commercial activity. But when that started to change we needed to shift our focus to economic development." That shift in focus required consider- able research, vision and strategizing, as well as learning from other com- pany towns that had been forced to re- invent themselves. Eventually, it led to the hiring of a full time economic de- velopment officer for the community. The hiring of that officer, Shane Li, was a key turning point for the future of Pinawa. "Shane had, and has, an excellent network of contacts, including people with the North Forge Tech Exchange in Winnipeg," Skinner explains. North Forge Tech is a well-established business incubator created from the merger of several successful Mani- toba-based entrepreneurial institutions. Committed to invigorating the provincial economy, North Forge provides start-up businesses with a wide a range of services, among them mentorship, grant writing as- sistance, investor and market intelligence, and access to its fabrication lab. It also or- ganizes and hosts regular Ramp Ups and other events to encourage entrepreneurs to talk about and explore their ideas with like- minded people. "We learned from Shane that North Forge has been highly successful in helping entrepreneurs in the Winnipeg area and that they were wanting to expand outside the Perimeter," Skinner elaborates. "So we very quickly jumped on that opportunity." That opportunity swiftly led to the sign- ing of an agreement between the town and North Forge's newly created Pinawa-based affiliate, North Forge East. Li then began meeting with prospective entrepreneurs from across eastern Manitoba eager to benefit from North Forge's expertise. "We expected to have two to four busi- nesses start in the first year of the partner- ship," says Li. "However, we already have eight applications and six projects that have been signed and are already working inside the North Forge East business incubator." Those projects represent endeavours in agriculture, home decor, internet com- merce and the fishing industry, and repre- sent entrepreneurs from Pinawa, Selkirk, Steinbach and Sagkeeng First Nation. They also are just the tip of the iceberg. The partnership, after all, is only eight months old. As well, as Skinner explains, there are still about 350 people working on the decommissioning of the Whiteshell Labs who, once that task is completed, also will be looking for ways to stay in the town they call home. Considering their particular area of proficiency, it is expected that many of them also will have start-up dreams. "Pinawa is a safe and secure community," Skinner reiterates. Now, thanks to its part- nership with North Forge, it is also becom- ing a community with a diverse economy that is only going to get bigger and better. Start Me Up The first Pinawa was a small settlement founded in 1903 when the Winnipeg Electric Company built a hydroelectric generating station in the area. PLEASE DONATE TODAY Any Child. Any Need. Every Day. Any Child. Any Need. Every Day. Any Child. Any Need. Every Day. Any Child. Any Need. Every Day. Any Child. Any Need. Every Day. Any Child. Any Need. 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