Favourite local public gathering place

1. The Good Will Social Club
2. The Forks
3. Stay home! Don't gather!

The Good Will Social Club, located on Portage Avenue, has been a mainstay of Winnipeg’s cultural scene in recent years, hosting events and serving food and drinks. This year, The Uniter readers named it their favourite local public gathering place. 

Though the Good Will has won similar awards in the past (such as being voted as peoples’ favourite local place to see live music in 2016), this year has been like no other.

Mike Requeima, who works at the Good Will, says they have been facing the same challenge as many small businesses in Manitoba due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“The space that we’re in has been barely sustainable for years, so with this year’s nightmare, it’s hard to keep our heads above water,” he says.

“Although we were one of the very few licensees forced to close even earlier in the province’s symbolic and futile effort to appear to be addressing the rise before COVID cases skyrocketed, that probably hurt our staff more than it hurt the business,” Requeima says.

Despite all the difficulties this year, he is very thankful for the Good Will’s patrons.

“We’re fortunate to have a very active and supportive but also very responsible community,” Requeima says.

“The best way to support us at the Good Will is to be safe and responsible. Do your part to end this thing, so we can all get back to doing what we do,” he says.

Another way Winnipeggers can ensure the survival of this much-loved establishment is through Khao, the eatery located at the Good Will. It is still open for takeout. 

Requeima is looking forward to things being back to normal.

“We’ll be back in some capacity as soon as we can, and we hope to see you then,” he says.

Published in Volume 75, Number 12 of The Uniter (December 3, 2020)