By Heather Marshall
EDITOR’S NOTE: Manitoulin is being transformed with the influx of new residents and business owners who bring with them fresh ideas, experiences and perspectives that are enriching the area. Some individuals and families are still unpacking boxes, having only moved in the past month or two, while others made the move over the last few years and are now comfortably established in their new communities. Here are some of their stories.
“The Island’s not really all that different from where I grew up near 8 Mile Point in Carthew Bay on Lake Simcoe, which is surrounded by nature,” observes Christian Lauder. “My family lived just outside Orillia in a beautiful, peaceful part of the world.”
Although there may be similarities between his memories of an idyllic childhood and his current location and lifestyle on Manitoulin, most of Christian’s adult life was dramatically different.
He spent close to two decades employed in the fast-paced urban tourism industry where he was out and about in the public eye and at the heart of the action.
Prior to buying a small home in Tehkummah, where he has recently launched his new pet grooming business, Christian spent almost his entire life in Orillia. He attended both elementary and secondary school there before going to Durham College in Oshawa.
He did a legal administration program studying to become a paralegal, a career he ultimately opted not to pursue. “I realized that paralegals do 80% of the work for lawyers and get 20% of the pay, while lawyers do 20% of the work and earn 80% of the rewards! That wasn’t for me.”
What was definitely for him was meeting Carrie-Anne, the love of his life who would go on to become his wife, ironically, at the wedding of his mother and her new husband, Carrie-Anne’s uncle. After a whirlwind romance the couple wed and, for the next 20+ years, life was great if hectic.
When he returned from school, Christian started bartending and serving in an Italian semi-fine dining restaurant in Orillia, work only meant to be temporary until he figured out what to do next with his life. The restaurant was the regular haunt of the owner and general manager of a high-end boutique hotel in the city, who Christian served on a regular basis.
About the same time he decided he had to get serious about finding a better job, Christian mentioned in passing to these clients that they should consider hiring him. They took him up on his suggestion and, within a day, he had dropped off a resume and was hired to begin working as an auditor at the hotel.
Over the next dozen years, Christian moved up the ranks through the full gamut of hotel positions, from Lounge Coordinator to Director of Sales and Marketing and, ultimately, acting General Manager. This work exposed him to a wide range of community groups that he eventually worked with as a volunteer for 10+ years.
He served on boards and committees including the Downtown Management Board, as vice-chair of Ontario’s Lake Country, a destination marketing organization for Simcoe County, as Chair of the Orillia Jazz and Blues Festival, and as artisan coordinator for the Mariposa Folk Festival.
It was during this frenetic period that Carrie-Anne received a stage four cancer diagnosis, prompting Christian to relinquish all his volunteer activities to focus solely on his wife. Tragically, the disease claimed her life in 2017.
Being very busy with work helped in small measure to help fill the vast void in Christian’s life but he became increasingly weary of the hotel business. When the pandemic struck, which hit the hospitality sector especially hard, it became clear to him that it was time for a major life change.
“I needed to reinvent myself and always had an affinity for dogs. There were never less than two or three in the house when I was growing up and I love animals, so it seemed a logical fit. I knew I could never be a veterinarian or even work in an animal shelter, as I wouldn’t be able to put an animal down. But I thought maybe pet grooming would be a viable option, something my wife had mentioned years before would be natural for me.”
In early 2021 Christian started taking courses at one of the top three pet grooming schools in North America, located in Richmond Hill, and began the long daily commute from Orillia to learn the trade. The comprehensive training included not only grooming techniques but also animal behaviour and business aspects.
“When I graduated, someone I knew who’s from Manitoulin became aware I was looking for a business opportunity and connected me with Patti Lougheed, who ran Pampered Pets for many years. She immediately offered her help and support, so I came up in the summer of 2021. I started out on my own, at first in Providence Bay, and worked with Patti several days a week.”
At roughly that time, Patti concluded she was ready for retirement and suggested that Christian assume her client list. Recognizing what a tremendous opportunity it was, Christian took over the business, renaming it The Friendly Groomer. However, he faced serious challenges finding a place to live and work. Rentals and home sales were nearly impossible to find due to the housing shortage during the pandemic, so he started asking customers if they knew of any available locations.
His now neighbour and friend, Kelly, thought the house next door to her in Tehkummah might be available and, by June 2022, Christian became its new owner. He wants to do renovations and has longer-term plans for new grooming and boarding facilities but, for now, Christian is simply content to lead a quiet life in a peaceful place working with people who dote on their dogs and cats as much as he does.
“It’s stressful at times, I’ll admit, as it’s all new to me and running a small business is precarious. I’ve gone from having a bi-weekly salary to being self employed and have to trust that things will all work out. I am optimistic, because of the tremendous support I’ve received from some very kind-hearted people here on the Island who have already helped me so much. There are some real gems around here, for sure.”
Heather Marshall and her husband worked as journalists and consultants in the National Capital Region for more decades than they care to admit before making their Sandfield cottage their permanent home. A lifelong learner, Heather loves discovering new things and people and relishes the opportunity to write about newcomers to the Manitoulin. If you would like to share your story or know of recent arrivals we should meet, send a message to HAMarshall@proton.me
