Daycare, economic development officer win awards

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This article was published 06/10/2022 (1074 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Westman daycare and an economic development officer have won awards for the positive impact they’ve had on their communities.

The Economic Developers Association of Manitoba held its fifth annual Manitoba Economic Development Awards in Winnipeg on Sept. 22. The awards recognize excellence in economic development across the province. The idea is to inspire others to take on economic development projects, said association chairperson Tyler King.

“Seeing examples of good things that are taking place in the community and saying, ‘Hey, I could do that here,’ is motivation to be able to go forward,” King said.

This year, there were 14 nominations in four categories: the Rising Star Award, Project of the Year Award Under $100,000, Project of the Year Award over $100,000, and the Award of Distinction.

Russell’s Lots-A-Tots Daycare Inc. took home the Project of the Year Award over $100,000 for a facility expansion that added dozens of new placements to a community in dire need of more daycare.

This award celebrates a new project that is business- or community-focused, can be replicated by others and has a significant impact on its community or region.

“Expanding daycare spaces is a priority for most communities in Manitoba, and definitely would be something that others would want to try to replicate,” King said, noting that Lots-A-Tots raised $1.3 million for the expansion.

Daycare director Heather Betke said she wasn’t able to attend the award ceremony in Winnipeg, but three board members who were active in the project — Melanie Shuya, Taneal Semeniuk, and Sacha Dunn — did and provided Betke with updates. After winning the award, they sent Betke a photo of Shuya accepting the award.

“I was glad they could be there and was thrilled for the acknowledgment,” Betke said.

Lots-A-Tots has been running for 32 years, Betke said, but a boost in daycare spaces was needed in Russell. The need for more daycare capacity was so dire that parents were travelling to other communities, and even to Saskatchewan, to find care.

Lots-A-Tots was licensed for 58 spaces, and the 4,300-square-foot expansion — a new building across the parking lot from the existing daycare — added another 48.

The daycare also doubled its infant care spaces to 16, which had an economic impact on the community. Parents who stayed home with their infants because they couldn’t find care could now return to work.

It was all accomplished with a huge fundraising effort, Betke said — from hotdog sales and pie auctions to government grants. The provincial government provided a $380,000 grant, while the Municipality of Russell-Binscarth provided a $275,000 grant and a $200,000 loan.

The Russell Lions Club contributed $25,000 and the Brandon Area Community Foundation kicked in the same amount. Board members and parents on the fundraising committee hosted online auctions that generated $40,000.

Westman’s second winner, Eric Forster, the Melita-based regional economic development officer for the Crocus Country Economic Development Corporation, has only been in his position for two and a half years but has already made a big impact.

“Eric has been really involved in economic development, he has been working towards bettering his community,” King said.

Forster won the Rising Star Award and attended the award ceremony. When presenters opened the envelope and he found out he’d won, he was “elated.”

“It was an incredible feeling to know that the work that we’ve been doing is being recognized and that we’re on a good path forward in the eyes of our peers,” Forster said, giving credit to other economic development officers he works with in the area.

Forster was part of expanding the local regional economic development corporation beyond Melita to include the municipalities of Two Borders and Brenda-Waskada. That made sense, Forster said, as the economies intertwined.

“We’re all working together,” he said. “You have to see it, you have to recognize it, and you have to be willing to move forward together.”

He and others also brought Class 1 driver training, professional transport driver training, to the area. That provides locals with work and businesses with trained employees.

Susan Bater, program manager for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities, won the Award of Distinction. FrancoFish, an Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities initiative that promotes ice fishing and tourism in Manitoba francophone communities, won Project of the Year Award under $100,000.

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