If you go to the Lakes Artisan Centre’s Facebook page, you will notice a big thank you post that says “Thank you, Burns Lake village mayor and council, for the understanding and support shown to Lakes Artisan Centre in this difficult time. With your help we have a fighting chance to stay in good health and re-open after the self-isolation period is over.”
What the artisans here are referring to, is the motion that was carried by the village on April 7, to excuse the rent for the centre for the next two months. Sheryl Worthing, the CAO of the Village of Burns Lake, confirmed that the motion was passed successfully. This means that the Lakes Artisan Centre, which leases the building from the village, won’t have to pay the rent of $515 per month for the next two months.
Beate Marquardt, one of the founding members and artisans with the centre, who acts as its village liaison, had written a letter to the village requesting them to excuse the rent due to their closure in response to the COVID-19 measures.
Lakes Artisan Centre, is a cooperative, made up of a group of local artisans and artists, that was started in 2010. At present, the cooperative has nine artisans involved in the group, three of whom are over 70. Marquardt notes that the health risk to these artisans, was one of the major reasons behind closing down the centre.
“We are a cooperative; so everything that is being sold, the money we earn, goes directly to the artisans, and the co-op itself has no income,” explained Marquardt, adding that the $75 per artisan that goes towards the rent, and the utilities comes from their own pockets.
When asked about how much this would affect the village revenue, Worthing admitted that this motion represented a very slight reduction in revenue totalling $1,030. However, the far-reaching impact of this action for the centre was acknowledged by Beate while adding, “The rent we pay to the village, would’ve been a little too hard for us without any income.”