'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?" 

A survivor standing guard

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. 

"We heard one story where a fellow was driving to Enterprise just as the fire was happening, and the roof of my building collapsed. And this fiery figure emerged. He said he almost went in the ditch, it was incredible. And it's incredible to us to see it." 

The statue — made from thousands of dismantled and reassembled traps — is "standing guard" in the community, said Cadieux. 

It's still not clear when Enterprise's residents will be allowed home. 

Mayor Mike St Amour has said the community wants to ensure inspectors come in to assess the damage before residents return. 

The fire that destroyed the town is still burning near Hay River, about 40 kilometres away. 

Cadieux voice hitches when recounting having to leave her home and shop behind. 

"Every other community [that] was told to evacuate, somebody was there to fight," she said. "I guess that's what I had in my mind that, yes, we were being asked to leave for safety reasons, but someone was going to fight that fire for us. And it didn't happen." 

Fire officials have said the fire was burning so quickly and so intensely at the time that it would have been unsafe for any firefighters on the ground. 

Cadieux says the community's leadership holds regular online meetings to update residents. 

St Amour has been adamant about rebuilding the community, but there are still many questions on how and when that will happen. 

Cadieux hopes the trapper statue is part of that process. 

"I hope he remains in a place where people can be reminded that things can come from the ashes. We can make new beginnings."