Event combines comedy, local tourism and hope for future attraction
Red River North Tourism (RRNT) brought business-minded folks from all over the Selkirk, St. Andrews and St. Clements area together for their Tourism Expo and AGM last weekend.
The event started out with the Tourism Expo where businesses from the region filled Selkirk’s Memorial Hall with local offerings and information about all that our region has to offer. Then at 3 p.m., the AGM itself started with informative speakers who spoke about what a great place our region is to see and visit.
Lois Wales, President of RRNT started the event off by introducing Gordon Mackintosh the event’s keynote speaker. She explained that Mackintosh was called to the bar in 1988 specializing in environmental issues. He worked for the Canadian Human Rights Commission. He decided to get into provincial politics in 1993 serving in positions like Minister of Justice and Attorney General in his time at the legislature. He retired from that line of work in 2016 and published a lighthearted memoir then went on to teach political science at the University of Winnipeg. He’s now writing a travel column for the Winnipeg Free Press which brings a cheerful perspective of the value and importance of tourism.
Record Photos by Katelyn Boulanger
Reed River North Tourism held their AGM and Tourism Expo last weekend
Mackintosh’s presentation was a celebration of local tourism and a comedy show all in one.
He shared that he has a personal connection to Selkirk as his father and grandfather lived in the area.
He explained, “I’m here to celebrate the area’s highlights and, from my travels, reflect on the impact of tourism and offer some ideas.”
Mackintosh started by talking about Lockport. He talked about what a unique community it is. It has a little under 750 residents once you count both sides of the river but manages to have 10 local restaurants. A pretty impressive restaurant to resident ratio.
“In 2021, I declared that River Road was the greatest riverside route in this province,” said Mackintosh.
Of course, it’s not just the food that makes our region great but the attractions as well. Mackintosh mentioned the fishermen competing with the pelicans on the Red River in the summer and the fishing freeway that the Red River becomes in the Winter. Additionally, he called out the St. Andrews Heritage Centre, Lower Fort Garry and Selkirk’s Little Lake Park’s winter sliding hill as some great places to check out among others.
Selkirk was celebrated for its fun village vibe, art centre, trails and, of course, Holiday Alley which brightens the city annually at the beginning of the holiday season. Some other features that some people might not think of in a prairie province are Selkirk’s lift bridge and Marine Museum.
Mackintosh also mentioned our many local businesses that celebrate our region by selling local products and you can’t talk about local tourism without mentioning the wonderful beaches on Lake Winnipeg.
“People are looking for Canadian destinations. Manitobans, they want staycations. They want to explore Manitoba. I know that we just have to open the door. We have to let them know what a fantastic place this is and tourism is a proven booster for small business,” he said.
Mackintosh explained that, according to Travel Manitoba, there was $1.8 billion in visitor spending last year in the province not counting Manitoban’s travelling within the province, which is harder to track, and that the tourism industry accounts for 25,000 jobs which is a huge part of our GDP.
“Manitoba, communities benefit more than I think we too often recognize from tourism. And sometimes we think of tourism as being something that only big companies can deliver by way of some big structure or something but no, I want to celebrate, really the volunteer backbone of tourism,” he said.
Mackintosh then shared his tips as someone who visits a lot of destinations as a tourist.
He said that it’s important that businesses keep their hours of service updated on all platforms including their websites so that people don’t get disappointed stopping by and then learning that hours have changed.
He also suggested that we lean into the things that make us unique regionally and as a province. One suggestion is that anyone can dip their food in plum sauce but in Manitoba, we have the opportunity to have honey dill sauce on the menu.
“When people leave home for somewhere else. They seek something else. They want something different than what they get at home,” said Mackintosh.
He also emphasized that our area is the home of the Red River Métis and Indigenous cultural experiences are something that people want to learn more about.
Finally, this area is a great spot for fishing. Our river is something that we might not realize is as amazing as it is but Mackintosh suggests that we lean into that more with our tourism efforts.
Mackintosh concluded by saying “People in this room are real leaders. You provide local jobs for families, build local pride, build the economy and I just hope you feel as enriched by your efforts as I know you’ve enriched the experience of others who have come to your destination.”
Up next were Cesar Cazares and Melanie Gagnon of Republic Architecture Inc. who spoke about the work that’s been going on at Captain Kennedy House. The project is still underway but progress is being made and there were some presentation slides that showed just how much has changed since the site was closed in 2015 due to structural issues.
Cazares took to the podium first and explained that they were going to take residents through what has been going on and where they are in the process.
As residents in our region know, Captain Kennedy House is a historic building in St. Andrews. In 1866, stonemason Duncan McRae began quarrying stone from the Red River to erect “Maple Grove” – the structure we see today. It was owned by William and Eleanor Kennedy, who are prominent figures in both Manitoban and Canadian history.
The process of Captain Kennedy House becoming the historical attraction that it is today started in 1968 when Dr. Edward Shaw, being passionate about preserving our history, purchased the property to be opened as a museum. It was purchased by the province in the 1980s and the Maple Grove Tea Room opened in 2003. In 2015 structural issues closed the space but luckily very soon after the Kennedy House Renewal Committee was formed and advocacy for its renewal started. In 2021, the province announced funding for the project and it’s been underway since. Initially, phase one of the project saw structural reinforcement take place and then phase two is currently underway where accessibility and life safety upgrades are taking place so that the space can be functional for all to see. The slide in the presentation indicated that this phase is likely to be completed sometime this year.
Gagnon then took on the speaker role discussing the upgrades that needed to be made in order to make the house accessible. This meant conforming to modern safety codes which meant some changes to the kitchen and bathroom spaces as well as widening doorways.
Gagnon explained that though they did have to make some changes they tried to keep as many aspects of the original structure as possible and where they had to modernize they worked to respect the original structure of the house as well as honour William and Eleanor Kennedy.
This meant moving the bathroom into what was the study as well as expanding the kitchen into the previous bathroom space.
Wales explained that in the future, once construction is complete, it’s hoped that the Tea Room will re-open, they will have room to honour the history of the space, there will be a gift shop and events might be able to be hosted in the space.
Wales then called the official Annual General Meeting to order.
In her President’s message, Wales said she felt that last year was a year of growth. This year, she acknowledged, is currently experiencing economic upheaval but like we learned in 2020, upheaval can also lead to opportunities for growth.
She suggested following industry leaders like Destination Canada who have already updated their webpage appealing to Canadians to experience your country like never before. Wales then suggested that we build on our strengths.
“Red River North has much to offer as a gateway to the Lakes, with a river brimming with fish, an unforgettable and unique history, and proximity to Winnipeg,” said Wales.
Wales’s third point was to emphasize the need to seek out new opportunities and focus on emerging trends such as hometown tourism.
Next came a brief financial report by Jim Pelletier.
The AGM ended when Wales asked if anyone would like to speak and The Cozy Fox owner Ken Kovalik came to the podium to encourage residents to take part in RRNT.
“If you are a business, and you’re not a member, well you should be, because they do great promotion for you. You’ve got to work together and if you work together, you grow together. It’s a valuable asset. I just want to say, ‘Hey, be a member of Red River North Tourism.’ You’ll be happy you did,” he said.
