Chamber hears about the business of belonging

Members of the city’s business community were encouraged to emulate Dolly Parton, the recently deceased country singer known for her upbeat attitude and philanthropic efforts, at a Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce luncheon Friday afternoon.

“(The message of) this whole speech is basically, ‘Be like Dolly,’” said Cordella Friesen, president and CEO at the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg, noting that some communities celebrate Dolly Parton Day on Sept. 25 (9/25) — a reference to the singer’s hit movie and song, 9 to 5.

The lighthearted remarks kicked off Friesen’s keynote address in front of around 400 business executives at the Delta hotel.

Friesen spoke about her belief in radical optimism, which she defined as “the disciplined conviction, grounded in evidence, that any problem can be solved when moral courage is expressed through action.”

“I believe that almost every problem we face is solvable,” Friesen said. “And when I say ‘solvable,’ I do not mean easily, I do not mean quickly. Maybe not by one person, one government, one business, one organization or even one generation, but it is solvable. And I believe that we have a responsibility to ask what part of that solution belongs to us.”

Friesen pointed to a handful of studies and reports — including former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy’s 2023 warning about the public health crisis that loneliness, isolation and disconnection pose to the public — to illustrate the loneliness and disillusionment many people feel.

The Y fosters belonging by offering people a place to connect with others, Friesen said. It’s something the organization has done in Winnipeg for 147 years, including 113 years at its downtown branch.

“Imagine: 115 years ago, business leaders in our community came together and said, we need a place in Winnipeg for young men to connect with each other,” she said. “Thirty businessmen came together and raised the capital funding for the downtown Y in 10 days, and that original building is still standing today and it is where we still operate out of today.”

The government, schools and health-care system shouldn’t be the only institutions aiming to make life better for people who feel lonely and isolated, Friesen added.

“Those same people are walking through the doors of our organizations, our businesses, every single morning,” she said. “Every day, in a thousand tiny ways, we tell people, ‘You matter here,’ or we don’t.”

Friesen ended her address by asking audience members to think about the ways people in their lives have made them feel like they belonged, and encouraged them to go and do likewise.

Friday’s event kicked off the Winnipeg chamber’s 2026-27 membership luncheon series.

Loren Remillard, president and CEO, said that community safety is a regular concern when he’s speaking with chamber members. Given the work that the downtown Y is doing, inviting Friesen to speak was a natural choice.

Friesen’s message of belonging and remaining optimistic is an important one, Remillard added.

“Whether it’s downtown community safety or economic growth or housing sustainability, that message of belonging (and) working together to tackle these challenges cuts across any issue,” he said.

“Having a luncheon where we just take a moment to step back and focus on all that’s right and all that binds us together — that’s an empowering way to start the year.”

The chamber’s next membership luncheon is scheduled for December. Premier Wab Kinew will give his annual state of the province address.

The chamber will host a number of other events before then, including a conversation with Richard Madan, Manitoba’s trade representative to the United States, on Oct. 22.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca