Since last year’s coverage of Small Business Week, five new business openings have been reported in the Canora Courier, plus three existing businesses have new owners.
In October of 2015, Devon Sawka and Garrett Frost established Renegade Plumbing and Heating. The two journeyman plumbers had qualifications that were recognized across Canada less Quebec, and hoped to expand to hire other workers.
In December of 2015, Mathew Sleeva, employed at Gabora Electric for six years, took over the business from the late Jerry Gabora. Sleeva kept the name but added ‘2015 Ltd.’ to the end as tribute to “the best boss I ever had.”
In March, Kevin Hryhoriw was proud to return to Canora and open Carnation Street Florals. He used to own the Flower Mill in Canora before moving to Melville. He worked as a florist and as a caretaker for the parks and gardens for the City of Yorkton.
In May, Lillian Guyer, a Melville resident, opened Lil’ Pete New and Used Store. She specialized in furniture, but also sold other wares, and began the business after eight years of running a similar store in Melville.
Also in May, Wong’s Restaurant transferred ownership from Chuck and Cora Wong to relative and previous worker Betty Wong, along with her husband Allan. The name of the establishment was technically changed to A & B Wong’s Restaurant Ltd., but other than that, they said no changes were to be made to the menu. New staff hired to work in the kitchen were Betty’s nephew, Gordon Liu and Allan’s nephew, Michael Wong.
In July, Rising Stars Childhood Centre began offering day camps and then regular daycare services in August. Tricia Bedore said she wished to help shape children for the future by teaching them through fun, unique activities.
In August, Carole Reay opened her new wedding rental business, Ultimate Elegance Wedding and Event Rentals, as a home business. Originally from the Regina area, she moved to Canora and was a hairdresser for 20 years before opening the business to make it easier on local brides who had to rent from Regina businesses.
In September, Dennis Foods was officially placed under new management. The Chai family, consisting of Sue Chai, her relative Sam Choi, his wife Ann, and his son Chris, bought the business from Terry and Gerald Dennis, and moved to Canora after having run a convenience store in Toronto for several years.
