Winkler & District Chamber of Commerce

History

The Winkler & District Chamber of Commerce is an independent, membership funded, non-profit organization that represents Winkler business from the grassroots level. Winkler businessmen responded to the changing economic times by organizing a Board of Trade. In the 1920s, the Board of Trade was organized under the leadership of John J. Loewen and it became very active over the next number of years in many aspects of Winkler life. In particular the election Henry F. Wiebe in 1968 marked a new era in Winkler’s approach to community growth and development. The Chamber of Commerce, or the Board of Trade before it, had the vision for growth and development in Winkler & District.

Our Mission

To partner with the business community in providing innovative programs and networking opportunities to support a vibrant business environment.

Chamber activities are governed by an Executive Board of Directors composed of 10 local business persons, with elections being held each February to fill positions that have reached the end of their two year elected term. The Board of Directors is the legal representative of the Chamber. Its role is to plan, make decisions and policies, and set objectives for the Chamber on behalf of the membership.

The Chamber Movement – Board of Trade / Chamber Past History

(Permission granted by Hans Werner, author of “Living Between Worlds – A History of Winkler”: Winkler Heritage Society, 2006.)

Falling Behind?

The Canadian economy generally entered a period of prosperity after the Second World War. The industries that produced all the goods that people had money to buy were the ‘apple of every small town’s eye.’ Winkler was no exception. There was almost a panic in Winkler about falling behind. In 1952 {the Winkler Progress town newspaper} editor chided the community, warning that other towns had sewer and water to attract industry and Winkler did not. The Chamber of Commerce, as the earlier Board of Trade was now called, took up the theme. They invited a speaker from the provincial Department of Industry to speak at their luncheon. He advised that industries would not come to revive dying towns but rather would locate to centres that were organized for industry and showed evidence of growth and efficiency. The Chamber organized a tour to see what others were doing. In 1954 they went to Virden to learn about the oil industry.

The Progress editor also took up the theme of tourism. He encouraged local residents to spruce up the village for the tourist season and printed numerous articles about the benefits of tourism to the local economy. The Chamber of Commerce joined the Game and Fish association in promoting the development of a lake on the Dead Horse Creek near Morden. It was believed that Lake Minnewasta would boost tourism, even though it would be much closer to Morden than Winkler.

A lot changed on the Main Street in Winkler between the 1920’s and 1955; the Co-ops and the Credit Union had become a permanent feature of the Winkler business community. Although the crises that had plagued Main Street in the form of the Depression and business failure had been overcome, Winkler seemed to stagnate. By the 1950’s there was a marked sense that the community was falling behind. The editor of the Winkler Progress and the Chamber of Commerce were actively promoting industry to remedy the village’s apparent failure.

Waterworks & Food Industries

Early in 1963 a new proposal from the Manitoba Water Services Board was being considered. The proposal now called for water to be pumped from an aquifer believed to lie underneath and considerably beyond the town. The new proposal won the favour of ratepayers in another plebiscite held in 1963 and Winkler finally got water.

The effort to bring sewer and water to Winkler had taken ten years and for most of that time the main arguments advanced by the Chamber of Commerce and the Village and Town Councils had been that without sewer and water, Winkler would be left behind. Left behind in the competition for the all-important industrial growth that was believed to be the ticket to a rural town’s success.

Sports

In 1949 the new arena was built on Main Street just south of the Winkler Creamery, which was on the corner of Stanley and Main Street. There were problems once the building was being built. An unexpected rise in lumber prices threatened to stall the project and there was a call for volunteer labour to offset the higher costs. The Chamber of Commerce once again held up the benefits of the covered ice rink for the community. The greater recreational opportunities it provided would result in better-adjusted children, more carnivals and above all, hockey.

New Immigrants

The rural landscape was also changed by the arrival of new immigrants, many of whom took the places of those leaving the villages for town life. Economic conditions in Mexico contributed to a steady migration of Mennonites from Mexico to the Winkler area. There was also a small migration from South America. In response to labour shortages in Winkler, Adele Dyck, a Winkler businesswoman, school trustee, and herself an immigrant from Paraguay was instrumental in fostering a new wave of immigrants. Dyck had connections to the community of Soviet Germans in Europe and worked aggressively with the Chamber of Commerce to make it possible for immigrants from Germany to come to the Winkler area.

The Sewing Factory and a ‘Quaint’ Trailer

The first sign of change in the kind of industry that Winkler might attract came in the mid 1950’s. There had been rumours of the garment industry in Winnipeg having an interest in establishing factories in rural Manitoba since the early 1950s, but the first concrete developments in Winkler came in 1956. At the Chamber of Commerce meeting in December 1956 a letter from the provincial Department of Industry was read advising the Chamber that there was interest in locating a garment factory in town. The meeting was also told that Chamber representatives had already been in discussion with parties from Winnipeg on the same subject. The Chamber immediately embarked on completing a labour force survey and organized to have a delegation from Winnipeg visit the town.

Promoting Industry

The election of Henry F. Wiebe in 1968 marked a new era in Winkler’s approach to community growth and development. The activities of the Town Council immediately took on an air of urgency to promote development and growth in the town. There were special meetings with the Chamber of Commerce to organize town clean-up days and to plan for better coordination between the efforts of the Council and the Chamber.

Wiebe was a masterful promoter and in August 1969 the Town and the Chamber put on an industry day where dignitaries were invited to participate in honouring eighteen businesses and the sod turning for sixteen of them. Although not all of them were that new, the event served to create the atmosphere of growth and progress.

The worries over industrial expansion seemed to evaporate in the early 1970s and industrial growth seemed to be the order of the day. In 1970 Winkler had twelve industrial establishments, by 1975 there were twenty-five.

Serving the Consumer Society

During the 1980’s, the age of buildings and the presence of the Southland Mall made the question of what to do with Main Street more pressing, but progress was slow. In 1983 Chamber of Commerce President Harvey Friesen and the mayor challenged the downtown merchants to move the project ahead. In 1985 the Chamber hired a landscape architect to develop plans for giving Main Street a new look. It took until the 1900s before the town, business owners, the co-op and the demand for retirement condominiums came together for a solution. The entire west side of Main Street between South Railway and Mountain Avenues was demolished and a new retirement housing project with ground level retail stores and a parking lot was built. For the first time since the 1890s the very center of Winkler did not have storefronts next to the sidewalk. The new development, Crocus Village, was set back from the street and offered parking between Main Street and the building. The leadership of the Co-op was instrumental in making the project a reality and although different than had been envisioned fifteen years earlier, it gave their entire retail image in the community a facelift.

The Chamber Movement – What We Do

The Winkler & District Chamber of Commerce was established in 1922. Our many years of operation give this institution a distinguished and recognizable history that is bigger than any of us.

We are the current caretakers of this fine institution, and it is with respect and dignity that we must hold this reputation in trust and ensure that it emerges from our care intact and with an even greater history.

Chambers of Commerce hold several basic values in common across our country and others. In Canada, we have a longstanding tradition of being the voice of business within our communities. First and foremost, these organizations represent the members in their community. The chamber’s existence is based upon the following elements:

Competition in a free market;
Efficient and effective government;
A public policy framework that supports economic progress and fosters business success.
Reasonable profit;
Broad economic and social community prosperity;
Law and order;
Excellence in customer service and satisfaction;
Private ownership;
Individual integrity and responsibility;
Many of these elements of “Chambers of Commerce” worldwide can be seen in our own statement of existence and mission, as shown above.

Chamber Roles and Authorities

At the Chamber, the Board of Directors and the Executive Director have different yet complementary roles to ensure the smooth operation of the Chamber and the achievement of its goals. The following outline of roles and responsibilities for both the Board of Directors and the Executive Director are as specified in the Winkler & District Chamber of Commerce By-Laws, most recently updated in 2005.

The executive shall be: a president, the past-president, a first vice-president, a second vice-president, a treasurer and four (4) other elected members. The Board of Directors shall at the Annual General Business meeting elect a 1st vice president, 2nd vice president and a treasurer for the upcoming year. When the president finishes the term in that office, the 1st vice president automatically becomes president, with the retiring president becoming past-president.

The President shall preside at all meetings of the Chamber and Board of Directors. He shall regulate the order of business at such meetings, receive and put lawful motions and communicate to the meetings. He shall vote only in case of a tie. Upon an appeal being made from a decision of the presiding officer, the vote of the majority shall decide. The president shall, with the treasurer sign all papers and documents requiring signature on behalf of the Chamber, unless someone else is designated by the Board of Directors. It shall be the duty of the President to present a general report of the activities of the year at the annual meeting.

The first Vice-President shall act in the absence of the President and in the absence of both these officers, the second Vice-President shall act and in his absence the Past President assumes the duties of President.

The Office Manager shall have charge of all funds of the Chamber and shall deposit, or cause to be deposited, the same in a chartered bank or Credit Union, selected by the Board of Directors. Out of such funds he/she shall pay amounts approved by the Board of Directors and shall keep a regular account of the income and expenditure of the Chamber and submit an audited statement thereof for presentation to the annual general meeting and at any other time required by the Board of Directors. He/She shall make such investment of the funds of the Chamber as the Board of Directors may direct. Any two of the Treasurer, President or Executive Director, shall sign all notes drafts and cheques.

The Past President shall review the by-laws of the Chamber from time to time as required. The executive should approve any changes before being brought to the Board of Directors (se Article VIII).

No public pronouncement in the name of the Chamber may be made unless authorized by the Board of Directors or by some person to whom the Board of Directors has delegated this authority.

The office manager shall be responsible for keeping the books of the Chamber, conducting its correspondence, retaining copies of all official letters, preserving all official documents and shall maintain an accurate record of the proceeding of the Chamber and of the Board of Directors, as well as other duties as determined from time to time by the Board of Directors.

All books of the Chamber shall be opened at all reasonable business hours to any member of The Chamber, free of charge.

Winkler & District Chamber of Commerce
Board of Directors
Executive Committee

English @ Work
Program Coordinator
President
Past President Executive Director

1st Vice-President Settlement Program Office Manager
Coordinator
2nd Vice-President

Treasurer Staff DAWN Program Coordinator
(2 year)
4 Elected Members
Skill Developer

The main areas of functional responsibilities for the Board of Directors are: Strategic Planning, Policy determination, Continuance of the Chamber, Financial stability, Public relations, and Evaluation.

Special Functions of the Board include:

Legal:

To govern and direct the Chamber according to the Constitution and By-Laws.

To be fiscally responsible for the Chamber and accountable to the members and community.

Policy, Planning and Programs:

To formulate goals (short and long term) and objectives.

To develop policies.

To establish priorities of programs and services.

Leadership:

To initiate orientation and leadership development of a qualified Board of Directors and maintain of a pool of well-qualified potential Directors.

Personnel:

To develop, approve and monitor personnel policies and procedures in accordance with the laws of the Province of Manitoba.

To ensure an Executive Director who is capable of assuming responsibility for the implementation of the Board’s programs and the policies through the efficient administration of the association according to the established By-Laws.

To maintain an effective working relationship between the Board and the Staff.

To hire, terminate and negotiate employment and wages with staff.

Finance:

To plan for and acquire sufficient funding to operate the Chamber effectively and ensure its future financial stability.

To be responsible to the members and business community for the efficient management of funds.

To maintain accurate financial accounts and have audited financial reports.

Budget:

To develop, implement and monitor the Chamber’s operating budget.

Public Relations:

To communicate the purpose and programs of the Chamber to the community.

Evaluation:

To regularly evaluate the strategic plan, policy development, program effectiveness and the performances of the Board and Chamber staff.

General:

To establish the necessary Committees and Task Forces.

To ensure that the Chamber is a responsible member of the community.