Osborne Village BIZ seeking a new executive director

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This article was published 27/09/2023 (1072 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A force behind the ongoing revitalization of Osborne Village is leaving her helm and a positive impact on the community.

Now, the Osborne Village Business Improvement Zone (BIZ) is looking for a new executive director to champion a neighbourhood “on an upswing.”

“We have the residents, we have the walkable services — it truly is its own economic driver and community in the heart of Winnipeg,” said Lindsay Somers, the BIZ’s outgoing executive director.

“The building blocks are there — they just need to be championed and dusted off.”

It was her goal, when she took on the job in October 2021, to unite the community and move it forward.

COVID-19 wracked the world. In Osborne Village, the business community’s annual rental value — the value given to rentable business space — hit a low of $5.95 million.

The number depicts the business sector’s health in the region.

“We took this as an opportunity to take a big step back and to look at the big picture,” said Somers, 44.

The business improvement zone, using funding from Coun. Sherri Rollins (Fort Rouge–East Fort Garry), worked toward a blueprint for Osborne Village’s revitalization, which they released earlier this year.

Somers hit the ground and regularly spoke to business owners and community members about their wants for the area, locals said.

“Safety was a top concern,” Somers noted.

The BIZ enlisted the Sabe Peace Walkers. The Indigenous-led de-escalation team has a presence in the neighbourhood five days a week.

The Osborne Village BIZ recently got a $10,000 grant for further work with the Sabe Peace Walkers, which will fund community safety engagements later this fall, Somers said.

The pandemic has ended and growth is happening, like the building of Zü, a 207-unit apartment along Osborne Street, Somers said.

The Osborne Village BIZ area now has an annual rental value of $6.65 million, the highest it’s been in six years.

Around 150 businesses are in the zone.

“I really feel it’s on an upswing,” Somers said. “It is a true iconic neighbourhood in Winnipeg, and it deserves to be so much more, and it will be so much more.”

Plenty of work still needs doing, she noted. She’d like to see full implementation of the Osborne Village’s healthy neighbourhood blueprint, including wider sidewalks and creation of an accessible dock to the Assiniboine River.

“(Osborne Village) needs to be reconfigured to be built and redesigned for more people,” she said, adding all three levels of government must address the “major social challenges” found across the city.

Somers has taken a role in Manitoba’s creative arts sector. She wouldn’t divulge details Wednesday.

“We’ll miss Lindsay a lot… she’s done a lot for the Village,” said Lynda Regan, a longtime staff member of Rooster Shoes, an Osborne Village clothing shop. “Especially after COVID, she really helped us come back to life.”

Regan is excited for Osborne Village’s future — the new apartment is minutes away from the store.

“Things are really rebounding,” she said.

Wendy Waters, owner of clothing store Out of the Blue, also expressed a feeling of “renewed energy” for the neighbourhood.

“It’s been the best season since pre-COVID for us,” she said. “It’s been… maybe a spring back. (We’ll) wait and see — we’re being cautious.”

Waters is sad to see Somers go. The executive director brought positivity and a fresh approach, Waters said.

She’s hoping the next leader will further address community policing and mental health initiatives.

Coun. Rollins, who’s on the Osborne Village BIZ’s board, seeks a continued focus on “complete community (and a) healthy community.”

“You’ve got cranes in the sky there,” she said. “It holds promise.”

Rollins increased investments into the Osborne Village BIZ under Somers’ leadership. She called the outgoing executive director “an excellent partner.”

The organization runs on a “limited” budget — it received $192,000 from the city, without grants and donations, this year, Somers said.

The Osborne Village BIZ is searching for a new executive director. The part-time posting is listed on Indeed, an online job site.

Somers’ last day in the role is Oct. 13.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com