Shop Red River Métis: Discover local treasures in the Northwest and The Pas Regions

June 15, 2026

Take a virtual trip to visit six northern Red River Métis businesses

_{Red River Métis business in the Northwest and the Pas Regions centres around community.}

Community is the heart of Red River Métis business in our northern Regions. While The Pas and Northwest Regions are distinct in their governance and location, they share the rich identity and cultural experience of being from northern Manitoba. To celebrate our northern communities and their tremendous contribution to what it means to be Red River Métis in Manitoba, MMF Spotlight sat down with six Red River Métis business owners.

These Red River Métis businesses have their identities and their remarkable business acumen in common - always on the pulse of the people they serve, they put community before all else.

Aerial Innovations - The Pas Region

_{Red River Métis business owner Julia Hayes believes community support is at the heart of Red River Métis identity and carries those values in her work.}

Some services help communities that may not even know they're benefiting from a Red River Métis business. Aerial Innovations, co-owned by Red River Métis Citizen Julia Hayes, is one of the first companies to use drone-based hotspot detection to help wildfire management, and one of two businesses in Canada to use radiometric data processing, a more precise method.

"We create maps that guide the wildfire crews on the ground in order to find hotspots so that they can be more quickly extinguished and they don't flare up again," said Hayes. "We have Manitoba's best interest at heart. We are prioritizing [northern] Manitoba - it's just an investment back into our community."

Hayes said the Manitoba Métis Federation's (MMF) support through the Louis Riel Capital Corporation (LRCC) has changed the direction of not only her business, but her life.

"I think I have a little bit of grit in me, and a desire to do well, because a lot of these opportunities were not accessible to my parents' and my grandparents' generations," she said. "The pen is now in my hand, and I'm helping to change the narrative and show what Métis people can achieve when we are well-supported and well-resourced."

The important work done by Julia Hayes and CEO Dayton Moreton helps protect northern communities from the devastation of wildfires - always keeping the community in her heart.

"Being really rooted in Manitoba - in the North specifically... [I am] proud of being from here, wanting to build the business with Manitoba at the forefront," said the entrepreneur.

Learn more about Aerial Innovations and their cutting-edge drone services on their website: aerialinnovations.ca.

Evolve Chiropractic - Northwest Region

_{Justin Kutasiewich, owner of Evolve Chiropractic, brings Red River Métis values to his everyday practice - aligning himself with each patient's need.}

Clients from all over the Region travel to get adjusted by Evolve Chiropractic, owned by Red River Métis Citizen Justin Kutasiewich. At Evolve Chiropractic, patient care is top priority.

"We follow evidence, but we also have the patients' best interest at heart too. A lot of the patients that come in here - we're their first point of contact, the first person they're seeing. It's all patient-centred care," he said. "From a treatment perspective... can you treat somebody and help their pain, manage their pain levels? Can we get them doing some exercises to strengthen up whatever is hurt?"

Kutasiewich travelled from Winnipeg to Toronto for chiropractor schooling before landing in the town of Swan River, where his family and business reside.

"As a smaller community, Swan River serves as a big hub for northern Manitoba... we have people that travel upwards of 200 kilometres to come in for assessments, treatments, [and] whatnot," he said.

Community is an important part of the Red River Métis business owner's personal and professional practice.

"In my profession, or at least in my setting here, we definitely look at giving back to our community," he said. "Giving back to kids in the community helps set a better business model and gives kids different ideas for role models in terms of what they can do and the opportunities and avenues that they'd want to get into."

To book a consultation or treatment with Evolve Chiropractic, visit their website at evolvechiropracticmb.com.

Good Time Coffeehouse - The Pas Region

_{At Good Time Coffeehouse, it's a family operation. Owner Cole Dunbar's mother, sister, cousins, and aunts have all had their part in keeping the business afloat.}

There's nothing like a coffee house to build a community hub. Good Times Coffeehouse, located in Snow Lake, Manitoba, isn't just any coffee shop. Not only does the establishment serve delicious baked goods and beautifully made lattes, it is also a photography and print shop.

Red River Métis business owner Cole Dunbar purchased the building that would become Good Times Coffeehouse only four and half years ago, on Snow Lake's Elm Street - having now been operational for three years.

"We've placed a coffeeshop directly beside a school... we built somewhere that those kids get to go," said Dunbar. "Part of the origin of this business was when I grew up here, we did not have a coffeeshop."

When Dunbar isn't snapping photos or serving up lattes to the town of Snow Lake, he shows up for his community in other ways.

"I am a pilot by trade, and while I staged myself out of the coffeehouse, my training and development was assisted by the MMF," said Dunbar. "That really is an economic driver to my reality here."

In the summer months, the Red River Métis business owner fights forest fires and uses his aviation background to detect forest fires and assess fire behaviours.

"I am deeply involved with emergency services, wildfire being my primary," he said. "The coffeehouse is an artistic expression of that... [the] business is very much a visual archive of what I'm doing. The images showcase the story that I've been telling."

Stop by, grab a latte, or have a print made and say hello to the multifaceted Red River Métis business owner, Cole Dunbar, at Good Times Coffeehouse. For more information, visit goodtimescoffeehouse.ca.

Lennan Law - Northwest Region

_{Red River Métis lawyer Peyton Smith passed her bar exam in Dauphin in 2022 and opened Lennan Law in 2025.}

When it comes to legal services, Citizens need someone who they can rely on to handle the more challenging parts of life - something Red River Métis business owner Peyton Smith does with care. Her general practice firm, Lennan Law, provides services to meet the unique needs of her clients.

"I just want to be the person that's there to help. I got into law because I want to help people... I feel like my community humbles me in a way that then I can provide that assistance to others," said Smith.

The Dauphin-based lawyer can help with a wide range of legal services such as family law, estates, estate planning, and real estate - all while adding a personal touch to her practice.

"It's not just a transaction. It's not just a file on my desk or papers. My clients are human beings. I want to get to know them as that, not just the challenges that they're facing at the time," she said.

The MMF supported Smith not only through her education - sponsoring the final year of her first degree and providing a bursary during law school - but also in launching her business. Through Louis Riel Capital Corporation (LRCC), the MMF affiliate helped finance renovations to the building she now operates out of.

Smith encourages people to shop Red River Métis, emphasizing the talent that Citizens have. "For us local Métis people to go out and support other local Métis people... there's a lot to offer."

When Smith is not serving her community through her legal practice, she spends her time beading. Over the past six years, the Red River Métis entrepreneur has honed her beadwork skills and shared her craftsmanship with her community.

To use Peyton Smith's legal services or find more information on Lennan Law, visit lennanlaw.ca and if you're interested in her beadwork, you can find her creations at the Red River Métis Marketplace.

Pyott's West Campground - Northwest Region

_{Jodi Digby calls herself a "newly minted Métis," and has found nothing but a welcoming, helpful, and inviting community while connecting with her Red River Métis background.}

There's no better time than summer to check out Pyott's West Campground, a Red River Métis-owned full-service campground owned by Jodi Digby and located off Highway 482 in Tummel, Manitoba.

The campground features seasonal sites, hosting folks all summer, and 45-day camping sites right on the water.

"You can set up and you have nothing in front of you but the lake and it's beautiful. We kind of have it all," said Digby. "You can get involved in the events that we have down here, or you can use this as a place of rest and find your peace and find your strength again after a long week of work."

The Red River Métis businessowner also operates The Camp Grind, a store and Italian coffeehouse. Stocked with bait for the fishers, ice cream for the kids, delicious coffee, and much more, this camp store and coffeehouse ensures you have access to anything you may need for your stay.

Soon, Pyott's West Campground will feature new trails, teaming up with Trails Manitoba to take some of the Crown land locally and build.

"Once the trails are ready, then they will be doing some tours," said the entrepreneur. "I'm looking forward to having some of that as part of our offerings."

For Digby, the heart and soul of the campground is community, especially since the grounds have been around for 45 years.

"A lot of the existing seasonals were here long before us... it's a community. When new people come in, new kids come in. You can be as big a part of the community as you want to," she said.

The connection between the Citizen's business and her Red River Métis heritage is strong, with hospitality being at the root of both the campground industry and the Red River Métis.

"This is exactly the same model the [Red River] Métis always had... one generation teaches the next generation... I see that every day down here," she said. "The [Red River] Métis are always about helping each other, and I think that we should, in any small community, be supporting each other in a business sense, promoting family businesses."

Be a part of the Pyott's West Campground community and book your next camping trip here: pyottswestcampground.com.

Wanless General Store - The Pas Region

_{Dylan Funk, Red River Métis owner of Wanless General Store, promotes shopping Red River Métis to carry on the tradition of entrepreneurship.}

A spot for locals and tourists alike, Wanless General Store is a one-stop-shop for any need that might come up.

"Being a general store, it makes us unique in the simple fact that we can offer a wide selection of goods and products," said Dylan Funk, owner of Wanless General Store. "We carry a vast array of convenience from fuel, to bait, tackle, ice, locally made art, gifts, wares, and items."

Due to its prime location in Wanless, Manitoba, the Red River Métis-owned store is surrounded by lush wilderness and beautiful lakes.

"One of the things I truly enjoy about operating up here in The Pas Region is just getting to interact with the vast majority of different people that come up here," said Funk. "I've met some families that have been coming here for three generations," he said. "Hearing some of those stories and interacting with the people as they come through, it is a big highlight of mine."

Various owners have operated the store since the 1970s, with Funk taking ownership last year. The Red River Métis Citizen values the tradition of family-owned general stores and has his own longstanding connection to the business, having worked at the store in his pre-teens.

"There was a strong passion in me to carry on the business at this location," he said.

Funk believes supporting Red River Métis entrepreneurs not only carries on the economic traditions, but also helps keep Red River Métis talent visible. He believes that support can uplift and encourage future generations to pursue their own goals.

Do your part to support Red River Métis economic tradition and check out Wanless General Store! For more information, check out the shop's Facebook page: facebook.com/p/Wanless-General-Store-61558078203201.

Economic development across the Homeland

_{The MMF is working diligently to uplift the Red River Métis economy, protecting generations to come.}

Throughout Red River Métis history, entrepreneurship has been at the forefront of the Nation's success. As the economic engine of the West, the Red River Métis carry a legacy of economic responsibility - one that today's business owners and entrepreneurs continue to uphold thanks to the support of fellow Citizens that help them thrive.

The MMF has been assisting Red River Métis business owners through the Economic Development Department, the LRCC, and the Red River Métis Business Development Corporation. Through these avenues, the MMF offers support, guidance, and funding for Red River Métis entrepreneurs.

Uplift our Red River Métis business owners - visit mmf.mb.ca/shop-red-river-metis to learn how to shop Red River Métis.

 

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