FEATURE
Exterior of the building Dee’s Electric installed a new electrical supply at Bakers Narrows Provincial Park
Dee’s also had to work closely with provincial park officials to
ensure everything went off without a hitch. Delaurier says the fact
that the work they performed took place in a provincial park presented
no real challenges.
“Not really. We’ve done quite a bit of work with (Parks and
Protected Spaces) before,” he said. “They’re very good to deal with.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF DEE’S ELECTRIC
Dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and all the health
restrictions that were in place at the time proved to be far more of
a challenge for Delaurier and Collinge.
“It forced us to go there and come back in the same day so we
didn’t have to worry about the lockdown and everything that was
going on. We filled up (our truck) before we left and packed a
lunch and didn’t make any stops. We came back the same day. It
was not worth the risk if we’d had to stop anywhere,” Delaurier said
of the three-hour drive each way between their shop in Swan River
and Bakers Narrows.
Dee’s Electric has been a fixture of Manitoba’s northern business
community for nearly half a century. Delaurier’s uncle opened
the business in the mid-1970s and operated it until about 10 years
ago when he sold it to his nephew, who was working for him at the
time, and his business partner, Colleen McKenzie, who remained
Delaurier’s business partner until early 2021. The company does
work in several northern Manitoba communities including Ste.
Rose, Dauphin, Churchill, Gillam, and Thompson.
“My uncle focused quite a bit on work up north so that’s really
kind of helped us,” Delaurier said, adding the company’s track
record in the north has helped it build a loyal customer base in
the region.
Dee’s Electric has a long history with the Construction
Association of Rural Manitoba (CARM). It joined the organization
soon after it was established by Delaurier’s uncle and remained
a member after Delauier and his partner took over the business.
Being a part of CARM has been integral to the partners connecting
with others in the construction industry, which Delaurier
says can be difficult at times because of how isolating it can be
working up north.
CARM membership also allows the company to remain
apprised of what’s going on in the industry and bid on new projects
thanks to PlanPoint, the association’s online tender platform.
“It’s great to be able to see everything online. It’s so much
easier to see what’s going on. You can see from here to Flin Flon
to Brandon. You can see what projects are up for bids and get contracts
from a lot of contractors.” n
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