Village of Dunnottar

The Village of Dunnottar started its current Sustainability Committee in June 2024.

What the Sustainability Committee Does

The purpose of the Sustainability Committee is to support and encourage sustainable ideas and projects in the Village of Dunnottar. This includes:

• Working with community groups already doing good work
• Helping residents bring forward new ideas
• Supporting projects that benefit the environment and the community

2025 Committee Highlights

In December 2024, the committee presented its first Annual Report to Council.

Throughout 2025, the Sustainability Committee met once a month. Meetings were held both in person and on Zoom. Extra meetings were held when needed to play larger events.

We created a Sustainability Committee page on the Village of Dunnottar website, as well as a Facebook page to share news and connect with residents. 

In June, we worked with Age Friendly Dunnottar to host a Community Group Volunteer Expo. Ten local community groups took part. Each group shared information and gave short presentations. This was a great chance to learn about volunteer opportunities and see how much our community offers. 

Our final event of the year was the committee’s first Annual General Meeting, held on August 23, 2025, at the Ponemah Beach Central Arts Centre. The event was very well attended. 

During the meeting, we held elections and were pleased to welcome new committee members: Brad Minnis, Catherine Sproat, Leigh Patterson, Harlee Ostash and John Dojack, who joined second year members Rosemary Miguez, Ken Moore, Wendy Buelow, and Janice Thevenot.

• We are grateful to all the community members who came out to the meeting and participated
• A big thank you to Florence Eastwood who has done so much for this committee as secretary and who has stepped down effective November 2025.

Looking ahead to 2026/2027: Continuing our momentum

We are currently updating the 2018 Integrated Sustainability Plan (ICSP). As part of this work, we are identifying projects for Council to review and possibly start in 2026 and 2027.

The update will include a community meeting where residents can share new ideas and help review actions taken in the past. We also plan to hold public, information sessions to discuss important community sustainability topics.  

Please feel free to contact the committee at sustainvod@gmail.com with questions and concerns.

Village of Dunnottar: A Model of Community Sustainability

The works of the Sustainability Committee (Sustain VOD) is guided by a community sustainability plan created in 2018, after community consultations. We encourage all residents to read this document.

The plan is built on four main pillars:

• Environmental
• Social and Cultural
• Community partnerships
• Economic

Sustainability in the Village is about more than caring for the environment and the lake. It also means:

• Supporting physical and mental well-being
• Encouraging arts, culture, and history
• Building a strong and connected community

Commitment to Reconciliation

The Mayor and Council carry out actions under the sustainability plan while respecting the spirit of reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. This includes First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples who were affected by Residential schools and colonization. The Village is committed to learning, listening, and sharing local and regional truths with openness and respect. 

Examples of Sustainability Leadership in our Village

The Village of Dunnottar is known as a leader in sustainability. Some of the ways our Village has contributed include:

• The Village is the birthplace of the Lake Winnipeg Foundation, founded in 2004. The founding members include Anne Dougherty, Joy McLean, Barbara Oberding, Lyle Lockhart, Bruce Smith, Robin Mather, Don Winstone, Art Chipman, Mayor Rick Gamble, and Bill Percy.
• Spirit Park (Railway St @ Tugela Creek) honours former resident Linda Parks for her work at the Royal Bank to help create an Aboriginal funds program.
• The Village of Dunnottar uses a passive wastewater filtration system, which is low-cost and low maintenance while still being effective. 
• A solar installation at the municipal office powers the administration building. The carport does more than provide parking- it creates clean energy.
• The Village has two electric vehicle charging stations:
  1. A Level 2 Charger located at Ponemah Beach Central on Central Avenue
  2. A Level 3 Charger located on Gimli Rd at Tugela Creek
• The Village of Dunnottar is home to a bird sanctuary called “Village of Dunnottar’s Little Green Space”. This protected wetland is located in the northeast corner of the Village at Division Rd and Laurel. It is especially popular with migrating birds in Spring. Visitors are welcome to relax, enjoy the picnic table, and bring binoculars.