Tiny Manitoba town left with $12M donation to spend
The small community of Minto, Man., is dealing with a great problem to have — deciding what to do with a $12 million gift left by a former resident.
The late Lloyd Campbell is behind the massive donation left for the district located 241 kilometres west of Winnipeg. Although he was originally born in Brandon, Man., he went to school in Minto before moving to British Columbia in the late 1940s. It was on the West Coast where he found success working in the construction industry, which led to his substantial fortune.
Lynn Flewitt is the chairman of the Minto Philanthropic Committee. He says the rural municipality, which is home to approximately 100 people, was originally told about the gift 15 years ago.
“The Vancouver foundation advised us that we, as a community, were in his will and would be receiving the money once he passed on,” Flewitt told Yahoo Canada News.
The town received $25,000 about a decade ago and will be rewarded $55,000 every year in perpetuity. Next year will be the first year Minto receives the full amount of its yearly inheritance.
The community is home to a town hall, a skating rink, a restaurant, a community market and a total of seven businesses. Unlike other communities in the area, its livelihood doesn’t appear to be in decline, which Flewitt credits to its proximity to a highway.
Surveys were distributed to community members last summer to get an idea of what residents wanted to see the money spent on. Many have suggested updating recreational equipment for children in the community. Residents will meet Thursday to start determining what to do with their new endowment.
“Certainly upkeep and renovations have been a little difficult in the past, so now we’ve got money to upgrade some of the facilities, like the rink or ball diamond,” says Flewitt. “It’s a huge opportunity for a community of this size to create and maintain better facilities.”
