The Gaynor Family Regional Library expansion campaign in Selkirk, Manitoba is just a few thousand dollars away from reaching its fundraising target of $300,000 in community donations, a milestone that would unlock a matching $300,000 pledge from the library’s namesake family.
According to the Gaynor Family Regional Library, less than $5,000 is still needed to trigger the full matching contribution from Jim and Betty Anne Gaynor, bringing the total campaign goal to $600,000. Construction on the expansion is already underway, with workers moving the StoryTime kitchenette and installing new shelving, seating, and children’s furniture.
The project will almost double the library’s usable space to roughly 22,500 square feet. It includes a new children’s wing that will feature Indigenous-inspired artwork, including the Seven Sacred Animals woodland feature. A design competition for that signature piece closed on July 14, 2026, and Viktor the bear shelf has already been installed.
In March 2026, the Manitoba government announced a $600,000 investment through the Manitoba Growth, Renewal and Opportunities for Municipalities program to support the expansion. The new wing will provide a dedicated children’s entrance, community meeting and study spaces, and shelving for about 20,000 additional books.
Jim and Betty Anne Gaynor have a long history of giving in Selkirk. The former owners of Gaynor’s Foods donated $1.5 million toward the construction of the original library, which opened in 2014, and have given an estimated $6 million to various local projects. Now 95, Jim Gaynor immigrated to Canada from Ireland in 1954 and built the family grocery business into a community institution.
