Regina’s Salon Spa Owner Big Winner of a $ 50K Grant | The Canadian News

The owner of Miyosiwin Salon Spa recently won a $ 50,000 grant and will use part of the money to launch a distance beauty training program for First Nations youth.

When Jennifer Dubois found out that her salon won the grant, she didn’t believe the news.

“We didn’t think it was real,” Dubois said. “I called a couple of people through Mazda Canada to make sure it was accurate and not fake. When I realized that it was initially true, I started crying. “

Miyosiwin Salon Spa first opened in 2017 in downtown Regina. A year after opening, Miyosiwin had temporarily closed its doors due to a fire in the neighboring building called Lang’s Cafe. The fire forced the hall to close its doors for a year until repairs were made.

Business was doing well until the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the world, forcing businesses to close.

It was a blow to the salon spa.

“It’s been a lot of ups and downs for us as a company,” Dubois said. “But what kept us going through all of this was the community support we received.”

Miyosiwin is currently in the middle of relocating the hall due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dubois said they struggled to keep their doors open due to the cost of renting the space at the center.

They haven’t been in operation for three months, but Dubois has been in business by taking his team to different indigenous communities to provide beauty services.

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Dubois wants to help cosmetology students gain salon service experiences. With that thought, the idea of ​​creating a distance beauty training program for indigenous youth was born. Dubois said that with the grant money, he can make the program a reality.

“Many of the academies that offer training [is] in no time, ”he said. “So what we want to do is provide online training for members who are out of town, who can’t come to town.”

Hands-on training will take place in the classroom or Dubois will take his team out into the community. The $ 50K grant will provide this reality to create opportunities for indigenous communities, as well as Miyosiwin Salon Spa.

An anonymous person put Miyosiwin Salon Spa in the campaign for the national grant. The grant money comes from the Mazda Canada Local Legends campaign, where Miyosiwin is among the three winners.

This campaign was designed to help small businesses during times of the pandemic.

Sandra Lemaitre of Mazda Canada says the initiative gives away one million dollars to small businesses in Canada.

“We all know those businesses in our communities that are true pillars,” Lemaitre said. “We had a team search across Canada for some small businesses that closed their doors that the community really missed.”

Although Miyosiwin Salon Spa is currently temporarily closed, it is expected to reopen at its new location after the New Year.