Local News
Community leader Brian Scharfstein recipient of 2022 Queen’s Jubilee Medal
Last November, long-time downtown Winnipeg retailer Brian Scharfstein was a recipient of the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee medal, presented annually to Manitobans who have made meaningful contributions to the community. The award was presented to the long-time downtown business owner and community leader by Dr. Jon Gerrard, the Member of the Legislature for River Heights alongside nine other recipients of the award in Gerrard’s riding.
“I was taken aback by the honor,” says Scharfstein. “It was certainly unexpected and humbling.”
Although Scharfstein has held some more visible leadership positions – notably serving as chair of our Jewish community’s Grow Winnipeg initiative as well as chair of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, and is currently a board member of the Mount Carmel Clinic Foundation, he generally prefers to fly under the radar in terms of his efforts in helping others.
“More than money, though, I give of my time,” he points out. “When I get involved in something, I really get involved.”
For the most part though, the president of Canadian Footwear prefers to follow the Torah’s precept that the ideal form of charity is to give of yourself anonymously. Scharfstein says that he looks to his late father, Albert: “Dad always showed compassion and concern for people in need,” Brian Scharfstein recalls. “He tried never to turn down anyone who came to his door seeking a handout.
“That is the way that my three sisters and I were raised.”
Albert Scharfstein acquired Canadian Footwear in the downtown area around 1932. When Albert and his wife Ethel passed away within nine days of each other in 1987, Brian and his wife Pam purchased the business from the family estate.
Soon after the couple acquired the business, Brian Scharfstein started his education to become a Certified Canadian Pedorthist. Working together, Brian and Pam have built Canadian Footwear into a successful, family-owned business in Winnipeg. Today, Canadian Footwear operates four retail stores in Winnipeg and Calgary.
“One of the keys to our success,” Scharfstein notes, “is that we don’t just sell shoes and orthotics. We build relationships. Our goal is to provide a memorable experience for all of our customers and clients”
Scharfstein also follows his father’s example in trying never to turn down people in need. One of the ways in which the Scharfstein family helps those in need is through the family charity program, “Fit on the Street”.
We receive referrals from missions, churches, inner city schools, and resource centers,” he notes. “We try to make sure that no one – whether they be homeless or a newly arrived refugee – has to go without proper footwear”.
“We believe that everyone who comes into our store should be treated with dignity.”
Canadian Footwear is a life member of the industry’s Two Ten Foundation SOS program. “Through this program, we have given away thousands of pairs of shoes,” Scharfstein says. “The foundation receives shipments of footwear that have been turned back for whatever reason by manufactures, importers and other retailers. We are the prairie distributor of this footwear.”
Another important focus for Scharfstein is helping to create a safer downtown in an effort to encourage more shoppers to return there. As part of that effort, Scharfstein has been representing small and medium retailers in Manitoba in a national pilot program – authored by the Retail Council of Canada – called Operation Safe Shop. The pilot project begun three years ago – focused on facilitating better collaboration between retailers, police, and the courts, and is now moving to Phase 2. With over 100 retail storefronts submitting data through the platform, more than 600 incidents reported, and just over 60 repeat offenders identified, the Retail Council of Canada is now working with Winnipeg Police Service, RCMP, and Brandon Police analysts to focus on the most prolific offenders.
In his own stores, Scharfstein has introduced a policy whereby everyone who comes into one of the stores is asked his or her first name and offered a personal shopper – although customers can still browse on their own.
“We haven’t been able to completely eliminate shoplifting,” he concedes, “but these new measures have made a noticeable difference. We employ a lot of people in our organization. We consider every one of them like family. We are responsible for their safety as well as the safety of our customers.”
Brian Scharfstein, the community activist has just stepped down from 5 years serving as the civilian member of the Winnipeg Police Board. As well, a few months back, he appointed David Stern as the company’s new general manager and has stepped back from the day-to-day operation of Canadian Footwear. At 70, the now semi-retired Scharfstein – while still available to mentor new pedorthic practitioners and consult with administrative matters – finds that he has more time on his hands for community service.
The Scharfstein family’s newest initiative, he says, is in support of a group that is trying to open a self-sustaining clothing and footwear depot focused on helping the homeless. “Much of our philanthropic giving is based on our not receiving any recognition and that applies in this case, too,” Scharfstein notes. The concept will be modelled after the successful North End Women’s Centre’s 20-year-old Up Shoppe, a women’s co-op that provides clothing for a small fee for those who can afford – and at no charge for those who can’t. This facility/store will provide those in need with clothing, footwear, and personal hygiene necessities.
“We are currently looking for a location in which to open the store,” Scharfstein adds.
Local News
Jewish Child and Family Service helped over 1800 families in 2025
By BERNIE BELLAN Jewish Child and Family Service will be entering the 75th year of its existence in 2027.
With a budget over $4,300,000, JCFS is also the largest beneficiary of funding from the Jewish Federation of the 12 Winnipeg Jewish community agencies that are beneficiaries of the Federation. (To see a list of the 12 agencies go to Funding for Beneficiary Agencies.)
Its impact has grown over the years as JCFS has expanded its horizon, continually adding to the many services it provides. During the JCFS’s Annual General Meeting, held in the Seniors’ Lounge of the Asper Campus on Tuesday evening, June 23, the important role that JCFS plays in the lives of so many members of the Jewish community – also a significant number of non-Jews as well, various speakers cited the many ways in which JCFS has continued to have such a huge impact.
With total revenues of $4,325,160 in fiscal year 2025 (which ended March 31, 2026), but slightly fewer expenses, JCFS not only delivered a wide gamut of services, it managed to deliver those services without incurring a deficit in 2025, despite some significant financial challenges.
As outgoing Board Chair Elana Grinshteyn observed, JCFS had to navigate some major reductions in funding, including a cut in funding from the federal government to the tune of $100,000, plus the loss of funding from the Claims Conference, which had provided support for Holocaust survivors.
Yet, despite those setbacks in funding, Grinshtein reported, “Together, we insured that services remained intact.
“We increased access to interest free loans,” she noted, “doubling” the amount that had been allocated in 2024.
And, amidst the ever-increasing demand for services, “JCFS has continued to navigate space limitations,” Grinshteyn noted. (I should note that as far back as 2019 I reported in an interview I had conducted with JCFS CEO Al Benarroch about the JCFS’s dire need for more space. Here is an excerpt from what Benarroch had to say about the JCFS’s need for more room back in 2019: “…we’ve been looking for roughly 3,000 more square feet of space. We have a footprint right now of roughly 5,000 square feet for over 40 staff. We’ve given up a board room here. It’s been taken over by older adult service staff. We have a conference room which is adjacent to the board room; we’ve moved two staff in there.
“Yesterday I gave up my office for the entire morning so that staff could interview clients.
“We need to relieve the pressure we’re facing right now – yet alone plan for expanding and growing.
“Whatever space we’d be looking at would be temporary. It’s now 22 years that we’ve been in this facility. The campus has taken over squash courts, it’s taken over a museum – internally, to accommodate the growth in services. Maybe it’s time now to look at growing outside this building…”
As the saying goes: “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.” (That’s me, trying to impress.)
While I tried to take notes during Al Benarroch’s CEO report, I realized following his remarks that there was so much important information conveyed, also a slew of statistics, that it might be more helpful to reprint a good portion of what he said verbatim, so I asked Al to send me a copy of his remarks. (That’s one of the nice things about writing on a website. There’s an infinite amount of room to print the kind of stuff that nerds like me pretend to read.)
During his CEO’s report, Benarroch enumerated the many challenges JCFS encountered in 2025.
Among those challenges, Benarroch noted, were:
• The rising and high cost of living
• Food insecurity
• Housing issues
• Our aging population demographics
• The complex needs of our newcomer families
• The increasingly complex needs in mental health & youth mental health
Yet, despite all those challenges, Benarroch said, “As always… we rose to meet those head on, and with the support of our community.”
In particular, Benarroch cited the support of the Jewish Federation, which contributed $948,800 to JCFS in 2025. (The largest portion of JCFS funding, by the way came from the Province: over $1,100,000.)
Fundraising also played a significant role in contributing to JCFS revenues, with almost $700,000 raised through that route, including direct donations of over $320,000 and bequests over $40,000.
As Benarroch noted, “Every year, we look forward with hope that it will be a quiet year.
“Well, if that’s the case, we are in the wrong business.
“We happen to be in the reflect, respond and pivot business.
“This is the nature of the human existence.”
Benarroch went on to add some more statistics about how JCFS played such a pivotal role in the lives of so many people. In 2025 JCFS:
• Served 1,800 client households – impacting almost 5,000 people.
• Assisted 15 foster children.
• Served 70 families in Child Welfare….
“But what is even more important is that we assisted 90 children that remained at home with their families,” Benarroch said.
The year 2025 also saw the inauguration of what is known as the “Asper Empowerment Program”, through which:
• 311 clients were assisted (including Passover Assistance)
• $80,000 was disbursed in financial assistance
• Over $20,000 was given out in interest-free loans.
• 6,500 kg of food were disbursed
In the area of mental health and counselling services, Benarroch noted that JCFS:
• Supported over 50 adults with mental health challenges
• Our Friday Mental Health Wellness Group participants took part in 22 group activities or outings
• We support some 20 individuals and families impacted by addictions through individual and group services.
• We delivered almost 1,100 counselling sessions, over half of which were subsidized on our sliding scale.
• We continued to support individuals, families, and partner Jewish organizations with the ongoing emotional impacts of the war in Israel and high levels of global antisemitism.
In the area of support for older adults, JCFS served over 250 seniors including:
• 70 newcomer seniors
• 50 seniors living with mental health differences
• 65 Holocaust Survivors (including celebrating “25 years of our Holocaust Survivor Drop-in Group, a partnership with the Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre.”)
In the area of settlement services, JCFS:
• Welcomed almost 80 new families
• Almost 50 families from Israel, seeking reprieve from the ongoing stresses and pressures of the war.
Benarroch noted that “These families are dealing with the deep trauma of displacement, having lived under constant stress, fear and the ensuing post-traumatic impact, family and parenting challenges as a result, emotional exhaustion, financial strain, and more.
“Thanks to the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, we hired a trained specialized support worker, with a background in therapy, to help these families cope, adjust, and receive much needed emotional supports.”
Benarroch went on to describe many more initiatives in which JCFS was engaged in 2025, but I want to return to the retirement of Elena Grinshteyn from the Board of JCFS after nine years serving on the Board, including the last two as Chair. Grinshteyn will be succeed by Bradley Abells, who has been on the Board since 2021. In his remarks, Abells noted that he is an actuary at Canada Life and that he first joined the Board when his particular expertise as an actuary proved extremely helpful in helping to solve a problem that had arisen, and he found the experience so rewarding he decided to remain on the Board ever since .
Also on the Board is Michael Schacter, who is returning as Treasurer and who looks the way you’d expect a finance guy to look.
Local News
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Local News
Jewish Foundation’s asset base surpasses $200 million for first time
By BERNIE BELLAN The Jewish Foundation of Manitoba continues to show stellar growth – having achieved total assets over $200 million in the 2025 fiscal year (a 7.4% increase from the 2024 fiscal year), also having distributed $8.2 million in grants during the year.
Those were among the highlights reported at the JFM’s Annual General Meeting, held Wednesday evening July 18, in the multipurpose room of the Asper Campus.
JFM CEO John Diamond noted that one of the most successful aspects of the year just past was the launch of what is known as “Fund Match II” which, he explained, is “building on the success of the original FundMatch project introduced in 2012.”
Under the terms of the new Fund Match program 18 initial organizations that created endowments with a combined value of $689,388 at the JFM benefitted from matching funds of $178,000 that were added to those endowments, with an additional four other organizations having joined in the program during the course of the year.
Other highlights (which can all be perused in the JFM’s annual report, available simply by going to the JFM website) include the JFM having “awarded 72 scholarships and academic awards totalling $230,759.”
JFM Board treasurer Bruce Caplan also spoke of some other notable achievements of the JFM in 2025, including a 12.64% return on investments and $4.27 million in new contributions.
The AGM also saw a number of changes to the composition of the board. Most notable among them is the retirement of Dan Blankstein as Board Chair – after having served two two-year terms, to be succeeded by Dafna Shore.
Also, the current longest-serving member of the board, Bonnie Cham, is retiring from the board after having served on it for 13 years, including three terms as Chair.
One other significant retirement announced at the AGM was that of Chief Financial Officer Ian Barnes – who will be retiring in December after 26 years as CFO During his remarks to the audience Barnes noted that “When I arrived at the Foundation, the assets were $29 million.” As noted, that figure has now grown to $200 million.
He also noted that “Since the Foundation was established in 1964, total grants and
distributions are $113.6 million.”
Barnes paid tribute to the three Chief Executive Officers with whom he worked: David Cohen, Marsha Cowan, and John Diamond. With regard to Marsha Cowan, Barnes said that “Marsha taught me about business – and how to dress!” (Barnes will be succeeded as CFO by Lynda Joyal.)
One of the annual customs of the JFM AGM is to thank the JFM staff – and to announce how many years each staff member has served at the JFM. While there are a number of individuals who have been with the JFM for a fairly long time, no one comes close to Patti Boorman, Director of Administration, who has been with the JFM for 37 years.
Among the largest new grants given by the JFM in 2025 were: a grant of $122,000 to the Asper Jewish Community Campus, Gray Academy of Jewish Education and Rady JCC to support the construction of a “new accessible outdoor play structure, ensuring safe, inclusive play for children and families; a grant of $150,000 to the Simkin Centre for the hiring a Volunteer Engagement Specialist – a three-year project to modernize volunteer programs and enhance resident, family, and intergenerational involvement.
Among the leading recipients of distributions from donor-recommend endowment funds – all of which had received grants in the past were:
The Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada $149,618
Rady JCC 154,746
Gray Academy 168,535
Canadian Associates of Ben-Gurion University 163,488
Jewish Child & Family Service 447,471
Simkin Centre 858,654
Asper Campus 431,099
Combined Jewish Appeal 907,688
Jewish Federation of Winnipeg 531,076
Note: A number of the above organizations also received community impact grants – which are one-time grants given for special purposes.
