On the morning of Tuesday, December 17, Niverville’s council held two public hearings, on related subjects. The first pertained to the second phase of the retail development at 40 Drovers Run. The second pertained to a proposed tenant, Anytime Fitness.
Council voted unanimously in favour of both the new development and Anytime Fitness’s proposal to join Niverville’s business community.
Ray Dowse spoke on behalf of Westside Properties, the owner of 40 Drovers Run. He says the first phase of the property, which includes the Great Canadian Dollar Store, Niverville’s Pizzeria, Negash Coffee, and Dairy Queen, is full and that the 6,075-square-foot second phase will have room for two new tenants. Of this total, 5,085 square feet will be taken up by Anytime Fitness. Another 990-square-foot unit has not yet been leased.
Representing Anytime Fitness at the hearing was Nathen Dyck and Kelly Barkman. A third member of their ownership group, Jayson Barkman, was not present.
“We’ve wanted to bring something very different to Niverville, something that has not been here before,” said Nathen Dyck, who explained that they already own Anytime Fitness locations in Lorette and Steinbach.
The Niverville facility, he said, would include the hiring of three to six new employees from the local area, as well as support, training, fitness programs, diet plans, and 24/7 access for new members. He said that a high level of support is important since their market research indicates that 60 percent of their members will be entry-level, people who have never worked out before.
“All three of us [Anytime Fitness franchisees] are born and raised in southeastern Manitoba,” said Kelly Bartman of their local roots. “My brother [Jayson] and I grew up on a farm in southeastern Manitoba. He’s a physician in Steinbach and Nathen is a firefighter in Winnipeg. I reside in Lorette… This is a very progressive company that we are running, and we’re very interested in health and wellness of the people and towns around us.”
One question came from Councillor John Funk, who wanted to know if they intend to install security cameras around the property. Dyck and Barkman confirmed there will be cameras to offer a comprehensive monitoring system, which they note is actually mandatory.
Dyck then addressed some lingering anxiety about the introduction of a chain like Anytime Fitness to a community that already has a couple of gyms.
“We understand there’s some uneasiness about us applying for and wanting to be part of this community,” Dyck said. “Our market studies show that because we’re bringing so many people in, we’re actually having a trickle-down effect… We think we can work in this community.”
Dyck noted that not one business has closed around in either Lorette or Steinbach since those locations opened. He said they do not foresee damaging effects to the other gyms in town, like Average Joe’s or ShopGym.
Concerns from Local Business
After the presentation, Chris Friesen, owner of Average Joe’s, came forward to express his concerns.
“When our family took over Elite Fitness five years ago and began to transform it into what it is today, it was in a very dire state,” Friesen said. “We have invested tens of thousands of dollars to fix all these issues, add more equipment, remodel, and do renovations in order to save and improve this business… The fact of the matter remains that another 24-hour gym opening in a town the size of Niverville is a very real threat to our livelihood.”
Friesen indicated that he believed only 10 percent of the local population would hold an active gym membership at any one time, and that Niverville, with a population of 5,000, won’t be large enough to sustain multiple gyms. He also raised concerns that Anytime Fitness will duplicate some of the services his business already provides.
“I would like to end with the following question for the town council: do you want to allow a big brand fitness franchise to set up shop in Niverville and take money out of the local economy, a franchise with deep pockets that is not a part of the community and at the same time potentially start two local family business down the road to bankruptcy?” Friesen asked. “Average Joe’s Fitness sincerely hopes the answer to that question is a resounding no.”
Two emails were read into the record, both of which expressed concern about allowing Anytime Fitness to set up shop in Niverville. One of those emails came from Crystal Stott, owner of ShopGym.
“I understand that it’s council’s mandate to grow business in our town and that we are a capitalistic society, survival and the fittest and all that,” wrote Stott. “But I also believe that in our zeal to encourage more mainstream chain retailers, recognizable names, we need to be mindful of the small, locally owned businesses that continue to add value to the fabric of our community and spend those dollars in our community. While there are numerous businesses that can successfully compete in a small town, restaurants coming to mind first, fitness facilities are not one of them… We may weather the storm, or we may not. So our town could lose two or three businesses to gain one.”
Nathen Dyck and Kelly Barkman were then given an opportunity to respond to these concerns. Barkman refuted the notion that only 10 percent of residents would hold gym memberships, citing market research showing that the national average is 15.7 percent—and that in Steinbach the number is actually higher, at 18 percent.
The pair also pointed out that the local market is bigger than Niverville alone, and that there are potentially about 20,000 people in Niverville and the surrounding area. Barkman noted that their facility will attract a large number of new gym members, and many commuters, who currently work out in Winnipeg, will be attracted to the new Anytime Fitness location.
Finally, they made it clear that although Anytime Fitness is a global brand with thousands of stores around the world, the money invested in the Niverville location is local—and they expect the revenue generated will come back to the community in many ways.
Role of Council
Before the vote, Councillor Nathan Dueck addressed his fellow members of council.
“I think our population currently is about 5,000 people, possibly just over at this point, but we have expanded growth models that we’ve been looking at with the province of pushing upwards of 10,000 people in the next 15 to 20 years,” said Dueck. “When we’re dealing with businesses, although we really appreciate every single business that’s in Niverville that’s invested their time and effort, one thing just to note at the end of the day is that as Niverville grows, we have to expect a lot of change.”
Dueck then reminded everyone present of the role of council. He quoted from The Planning Act, which lays out the conditions that can considered when council hears a proposal of this type.
The Planning Act states that a proposal must be “compatible with the general nature of the surrounding area, will not be detrimental to the health or general welfare of people living or working in the surrounding area, or negatively affect other properties or potential development in the surrounding area, [and]… is generally consistent with the applicable provisions of the development plan by-law, the zoning by-law and any secondary plan by-law.”
The role of council, Dueck pointed out, is to make sure that growth is safe, controlled, and made with the safety of the public in mind.
“But it’s not for us to determine what should or shouldn’t come to town,” he concluded. “That’s just the point I’m going to be making at this point. But I do appreciate every single business and everybody that’s ever put anything into Niverville.”
Council then unanimously voted in favour of Anytime Fitness’s application.
