Lei Meilin is the new owner of Gateway Service, located on Highway No. 9 at the south end of Canora.
Meilin and his family, including wife Selina, son Mike, 20 and daughter Vicky, 10, moved to Canora and took over the business on August 1. The family has only been in Canada since April, when they arrived in Regina from their native China. Meilin said the children have always liked Canada, which was more than enough motivation to move here.
Meilin has some experience in the business world, and still owns a small IT (information technology) company in China.
After doing some diligent research on business opportunities in Canada, he made the decision to purchase Gateway Service when it became available.
Meilin believes Gateway Service is a pretty stable business, which is exactly what he was looking for. It also allows them to live and work at the same location.
But before making the move, he wanted to find out more about Canora. He got in touch with Raymond Kuang, the own of Raymond’s Family Restaurant. Meilin discovered that he and Kuang are from the same region in southern China near Hong Kong.
Kuang had nothing but good things to say about Canora and its residents. Meilin discovered that Canora is a quiet town with very friendly people, which convinced him that moving here was a good idea.
Meilin said Gateway Service customers can expect to continue to receive the good service they’ve become accustomed to at the convenience store, gas station and shop. But he is also planning improvements.
In the next few weeks they are planning to begin renovations to expand the convenience store, so that they can begin serving breakfast, including hot food. Meilin said he discussed the idea with the owner of the neighbouring Gateway Motel, who was interested in having a convenient breakfast location available within walking distance for motel patrons.
Meilin said that after the renovations, there is a good chance they will begin selling Chinese food, but they will continue selling food that the business is known for, including shishliki. They will also continue to sell fireworks.
But Meilin and his family are planning to enjoying Canora for more than just work. He has been interested in hunting and fishing for quite a while, and is looking forward to meeting people with experience in these areas.
The family is also looking forward to experiencing snow for the first time, something which will happen at some point, it’s just a question of when.
