Biggar Revitalization Project supported by Brownlee Family Foundation funding

There’s a Biggar future on the horizon for the central Saskatchewan town, which is being supported by a revitalization campaign backed by former resident Wayne Brownlee.

Brownlee and his wife, Ina Lou, joined town officials and business leaders to launch a $5M revitalization campaign for the town of Biggar on Tuesday.

The couple, via the Brownlee Family Foundation, is matching any proceeds for the project up to $2.5 million to renovate and reinvigorate the town’s downtown business area.

“When we talk about this, it’s not just about redoing Main Street — which is a great thing to do,” said Brownlee at the town’s unveiling ceremony.

“It is about revitalizing, it’s about bringing memories forward and it’s about reconnecting.”

Brownlee, who left Nutrien in 2018 as a top executive after a 40-year career working in the mining industry, has transitioned into a career of philanthropy. The Brownlee Family Foundation recently pledged a $10 million donation to a Saskatoon literacy program among other causes.

For Brownlee, giving back to the town where he was born and raised was a deep-rooted project he’s spent plenty of time thinking about.

Wayne Brownlee was born and raised in Biggar, Saskatchewan. Brownlee, who left Nutrien in 2018 as a top executive after a 40-year career working in the mining industry, has transitioned into a career of philanthropy.

He spoke about driving old roads with familiar bumps and iconic landmarks that have remained unchanged in the days leading up to Tuesday’s announcement.

“Every time we touch something, we get a memory back,” Brownlee said. ”

And it’s the fondest of memories. We already feel like we’ve been paid back one thousand times over.”

The aim of the project is to overhaul Main Street and downtown, but the centrepiece of the revitalization will see the Canadian National Railway grounds, an iconic landmark with a deep history in the area, turned into a multi-use park with a festival stage, historic garden and tourism hub.

With the Brownlee’s contributions, the project could potentially provide a $5 million boost to Biggar’s downtown, but Biggar Community Development Officer D’Shae Bussiere said the town is committed to upgrading infrastructure and partnering with other levels of government to complete any additional work in phases.

Biggar mayor Jim Rickwood is optimistic about what a project like this could do for the town’s future.

“We want our downtown to celebrate our heritage (and) bring people — local and tourists — to experience what we had, what we have and what we’re capable of being,” Rickwood said.

No timeline for construction or detailed plans has been revealed, but more announcements are expected in the coming weeks.