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On January 25 the Gladstone Community Centre officially unveiled its new identity - the Co-op Community Hall - thanks to a five-year naming rights deal with Neepawa-Gladstone Co-op. Co-op has had a presence in the community for over 95 years and is currently in the process of designing and building a new multi-million-dollar travel centre on Highway 16, on the outskirts of the community.

Rrain Prior – Local Journalism Initiative

Several dignitaries were on hand for the ceremony including Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa MP Dan Mazier, Agassiz MLA Jodie Byram, and Westlake-Gladstone Mayor Daryl Shipman, all of whom congratulated and thanked Co-op for their investment in the community.

“We need places like this to gather as a community,” said MP Mazier, who recalled his own youth growing up in the nearby village of Justice. MLA Byram added that the Federated Co-operatives are known for investing in their respective communities through these kinds of partnerships and initiatives in addition to their many employment opportunities.

Co-op General Manager Brian Hedley took the opportunity to update the community on the status of the upcoming travel centre. Because of the economic realities of the past couple of years and anticipated supply-chain interruptions and tariffs, the original plan for the travel centre is being downsized, with the option to expand later in a phased-in approach. This was preferable to delaying the project or cancelling it altogether. For the time being, lumber and hardware will remain in their current location while other elements of the project will proceed, particularly the much-needed new food store.

Hedley said that the new designs for the travel centre will be brought back to the community just as the first ones were, and any future updates will be communicated as they are available.