'Grief and guilt' for owner of Winnie's, a community staple in Enterprise, N.W.T.

A discarded Johnny Farcy painting was part of the large collection at Winnie Cadieux's art gallery and gift shop in Enterprise, N.W.T. 

The painting was on its way to becoming kindling a few years ago when a friend saved it and brought it to Winnie's for safekeeping. 

"Now I've left it there, so it burned anyway," said Cadieux. 

Winnie's has been a staple in Enterprise, for decades. From restaurant to art gallery and gift shop, it was one of the community's main attractions, led by Winnie Cadieux herself, who's lived in the community for nearly 40 years. 

Winnie's — and all of the artwork it held — was incinerated by a wildfire along with 90 per cent of the community in August. 

More than three weeks have passed since the fire tore through town. 

Yet, Cadieux says it still doesn't feel real. 

Like most residents, Cadieux has not been back to see the remnants of her livelihood in person. 

She says she became friends with many artists whose "so many treasures" were featured in the gallery. 

Now: "a lot of grief and guilt" has built up in the time since the fire and that she feels "like I let people down." 

Without insurance, Cadieux says she can't afford to rebuild the shop or replace the work it housed. 

"There's just no way; that was a lifetime of building," she said. 

"Is it time to just let it rest and become an advocate for arts, maybe just in another way than in the physical sense?" 

There is, however, one piece of art that survived the blaze: a three-metre-tall statue of a trapper made by Cadieux's brother-in-law Dolphus.