Since 1994, LITE has supported jobs in Winnipeg's inner city. As a Public Foundation, we raise money from generous Winnipeggers and spend it in ways that promote jobs and long-term development in the community.Why? Take a walk through many of our inner city neighbourhoods and you'll see a mix of situations. Bright and tidy efforts at community renewal and sturdy, long-time businesses exist side by side with some pretty big problems. You'll see empty buildings, vandalism, homelessness and racism to name a few. Tragically, there is a legacy of social decline in the inner city. It's evident to the casual observer as well as in income and employment statistics, which show growing numbers of people living in poverty and depending on social assistance.
The North End Community Renewal Corporation (NECRC) was founded in 1998 by a coalition of Winnipeg organizations who were concerned about some of the trends in the north end of Winnipeg and who were aware of the good results that community development corporations in other parts of North American were achieving in revitalizing inner city communities. The NECRC was established to serve the community within the geographic area north of the CP tracks, south of Carruthers Ave., east of McPhillips Street and west of the Red River.The mandate of the corporation is to promote the social, economic and cultural renewal of the north end of Winnipeg. It does this by improving the quality and accessibility of housing, creating jobs, upgrading commercial and industrial areas, implementing employment development programs, improving the overall image of the community, and reducing crime in the community. The corporation provides co-ordination activities and a strategic focus for many of the community improvement activities taking place in the north end.NECRC is committed to the social, economic and cultural renewal of the North End of Winnipeg.NECRC defines its development goals through annual consultations and ongoing networking with North End residents and businesses
In the early 1850s, between 40 and 60 families of Métis buffalo hunters formed the original Catholic community west of Sturgeon Creek. About 1851 a mission was begun at the junction of Sturgeon Creek and the Assiniboine River, but it was soon moved to the present location at St. Charles. Bishop Tache asked Father Louis Francois Richer - La Fleche – a relative of the LaFleche family who still live in St. Charles – to construct a small log chapel. The priest did not reside there. He traveled from St. Boniface in the winter and followed his parishioners on their buffalo hunts in the summer. Father Damase Dandurand, who served at St. Charles from 1876 to 1900, was the first Canadian to become an Oblate. A windstorm on August 27, 1884, demolished the church. Father Dandurand, who retired in 1900, lived to the age of 102
When two chefs decided to open their own casual French bistro on Main Street in this little mill town, people were a bit surprised.Lee has, however, such a great diversity of people and culinary choices, we were sure it would work out. Years of training in French fine dining made us long to have a place of our own, 'chez nous,' to cook our favorite things in an atmosphere where people could really relax and enjoy.Franck Tessier and Rachel PortnoyWe first met in 1997 while Franck was working in his first post as Executive Chef at The Point, in Saranac Lake, NY. Franck had left behind his native France a few years before to work in London at the renowned two-Michelin starred restaurant, Le Gavroche. After three years working his way up through the ranks, he was sent to The Point, a Relais & Chateau property for whom Le Gavroche consulted. When I sent my resume to The Point to apply for the Pastry Chef position, unbeknownst to us, our partnership began.
WAC The Winnipeg Arts Council Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation with charitable status, charged by the City of Winnipeg to distribute funding to arts organizations and artists, to manage the City's Public Art Policy, and to foster development of the arts for the people of Winnipeg. As a pre-eminent city-building organization, the Winnipeg Arts Council focuses on the quality of life in the city and how arts and culture determines Winnipeg's reputation as a City of the Arts, both nationally and internationally. The Winnipeg Arts Council currently receives just under $4.1 million for this purpose along with another $500,000 designated for the Public Art Program.Grant ProgramsGrants are made available to not-for-profit arts organizations and individual artists and arts administrators working in all artistic disciplines. Applications are peer assessed, and the existence of high professional standards, community and audience support, and financial viability are key considerations in arriving at grant recommendations.Public ArtIn 2001 WAC was directed by City Council to develop a Public Art Policy for the City.