Sample business newsletter: A sweet piece of Winnipeg history is saying goodbye

It seems the Can-D-Man can’t, after all.

As Gabrielle Piché and Malak Abas write, Nutty Club, with its iconic candy-cane motif and Can-D-Man mascot gracing several Exchange District buildings, will produce its last lemon drop, its final pink popcorn and its last candy-coated peanuts in January of 2024.

The company, Scott-Bathgate, has survived two world wars, two pandemics and the Great Depression to make it to 120 years of age, founded in 1903 selling confections from an office on Princess Street.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSThe iconic Nutty Club imagery on Scott-Bathgate's Pioneer Avenue building.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

The iconic Nutty Club imagery on Scott-Bathgate’s Pioneer Avenue building.

How the news broke is probably as unfortunate as the news itself: social media was aflutter with retailers — including a gas bar as far away as British Columbia — saying they had been told their last order from Nutty Club would be their last.

Scott-Bathgate had promised a statement Wednesday, but none was forthcoming.

For Winnipeg historian Christian Cassidy, writing an obit for Can-D-Man is like closing a chapter in the city’s history.

“Nutty Club is one of those iconic Winnipeg brands,” he said. “It’s the kind of that old-fashioned candy that you can’t really buy anymore.”

He’s not convinced it has to be the end, but it’s also not his skin in the game.

“I think there’s a lot of good will towards the Nutty Club,” he said, telling Piché the company could benefit from promoting its brand more.

Maybe Chip and Pepper Foster, who rode to the rescue of another Winnipeg icon — Kub Bread — could be approached to save Nutty Club?

Kelly Taylor, Reporter

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The week that was

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The coming week

Mayor Scott Gillingham presents the State of the City address to the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce Thursday at RBC Convention Centre. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $85 for members and $110 for non-members at the chamber’s website.

All eyes will be on Ottawa Tuesday when the Bank of Canada announces its trend-setting interest rate. Will it rise? Fall? Stay the same? Experts are predicting a slowdown in inflation will ease the Bank’s concerns and allow it to at least hold the rate steady.

What caught my eye

It’s getting more expensive to live in Winnipeg. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives recently concluded it takes at least $19.21 in hourly wages to have a livable income in our fair city. Gabrielle Piché reports.

Did somebody say Skip? The gig economy has been a boon for businesses seeking to escape the costs and red tape of employing people, but how has it been for the people in it? The European Parliament recently took a long look at the thorny issue and recently ruled which gig workers should enjoy the benefits of being considered full-time staff.The new rules “ensure platform workers, such as drivers and riders, receive the social and labour rights they are entitled to, without sacrificing the flexibility of the platform model,” said Nicolas Schmit, the EU’s executive commissioner for jobs and social rights.