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Winnipeg Free Press
19-07-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘He really walked the talk'
Harold Dyck wasn't a rich man, but if there was any one quality that defined who he was it was his tireless devotion to enriching the lives of Winnipeggers who experienced poverty. He died in February at the age of 72, surrounded by friends and family. In 1998, Dyck founded what came to be known as the Low Income Intermediary Project. The program advocated for the better treatment of recipients of Employment and Income Assistance, also known as provincial welfare, and helped them receive the benefits to which they were entitled. It was essentially a one-man crusade led by Dyck that helped people access benefits they likely would have been denied. In many cases, he would represent the individuals he worked with all the way to the Social Services Appeal Board, which had the final say on such matters. During its nearly 25-year history, the project represented hundreds of people and Dyck's deep-rooted understanding of the welfare system was responsible for helping them collect tens of thousands of dollars in benefits the system would have otherwise denied them. What's remarkable about his efforts is that Dyck never collected a single dime from any of the people he represented. The work was all done pro bono and the project received no government grants or private funding. His passion for fighting the system didn't come as much of a surprise to those who knew Dyck. He had experienced poverty first-hand and knew how inhumane it could be. 'That was what I found so inspirational about him,' says his daughter, Jen Dyck-Sprout. 'He really walked the talk in a way where he really believed this stuff and he wasn't going to give up his beliefs to go get a job, even though it would have obviously been more comfortable and he was in really deep poverty himself struggling to make ends meet.' Like many of the people he represented, Dyck never expected he would have to contend with poverty. He had a solid career as an inspector with Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health and later at Boeing Winnipeg. But he eventually found himself out of work; his situation was compounded by bouts of depression and a subsequent divorce. Journalist and former city councillor Donald Benham first became acquainted with Dyck in the late 1990s when he was a host and producer of the CBC Radio program Questionnaire. Dyck was asked to appear on the show as a guest to talk about what it was like to live in poverty. Benham was blown away by his guest's knowledge and insight. Harold Dyck's passion project was the Low Income Intermediary Project, which helped people on social assistance get the benefits they were entitled to. 'He had this amazing capacity for information and he had a great way of putting things so that people who weren't in the system could understand it,' he recalls. The two men became reacquainted several years later when they were both working at Winnipeg Harvest. At one point they shared a cubicle while the food bank was undergoing renovations and forged an enduring friendship that lasted until Dyck's death. The irony of that friendship didn't escape either man. Benham is a Progressive Conservative, while Dyck was a proud Marxist who ran unsuccessfully in several provincial elections for the Communist Party of Canada's Manitoba chapter. 'That was no problem and was no barrier to any communication between us at all,' he says. 'We both agreed on all the important stuff, which is poverty is wrong and unjust and we need to change it. Those were things we could agree on completely … although we were coming at them from different ends of the political spectrum. 'I guess the basis of our friendship was that we enjoyed a sense of humour together,' Benham adds. 'He was great at poking fun at all kinds of things and especially people in power. Even more important than that was what I learned from him. He was always reading.' Ah, yes, reading: maybe the one thing Dyck was even more passionate about than his anti-poverty work. Growing up on the family farm in Birds Hill with his younger siblings, Marlene and Leonard, the shy young man could often be found in his room with his nose stuck in a book. 'He was so well read,' Marlene recalls of her brother. 'Honestly, you could bring up any kind of topic and he would know something about it. He was very knowledgeable and absorbed everything. 'Even though he had his strong beliefs, he never pushed them on you. He was a great debater. He really liked to talk to people and get their view on things.' From left: Shelley Burns, Uri Maxima, Jen Dyck-Sprout, Teo Maxima, Dyck and Nelson Sprout in 2024. Although he was generally reluctant to discuss his upbringing with Jen or her brother Nelson, Dyck's daughter believes those early years played a huge role in developing her dad's political views. As a young man, he studied briefly in Cuba and Russia, where he learned about Marxism and came to see capitalism as oppressive. That sojourn cemented many of the beliefs he developed working on the family farm, where they raised minks. 'He didn't like that,' she says. 'He really empathized with the animals and talked about how cruel he felt it was that they were being killed to make coats and hats for wealthy people. I think that was some of his early … radicalizing around class.' Dyck's efforts to help others weren't restricted to those dealing with poverty. In the early 1980s at Boeing, he helped spearhead efforts to organize the first union at the company's Winnipeg plant. Several years later, while working at Harvest, Dyck was instrumental in changing the way the faculty of medicine at the University of Manitoba accepts students. Prospective doctors are required to spend one day each year at Harvest to sort potatoes and other food items. Dyck was asked to speak with them one day and immediately asked how many of them had experiences with poverty or the welfare system. Of course, no one raised a hand, something that was duly noted by one of their professors, Dr. Joe Kaufert. Kaufert went back to his colleagues, told them the story and a discussion ensued about how the gap Dyck had exposed could be corrected. Harold Dyck, seen here in 2011, died in February at the age of 72. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. As a result, the faculty now anonymously asks each applicant if they grew up in a family that experienced welfare, hunger, poverty or homelessness. Eight seats that had previously been reserved for out-of-province students are now filled by students who answer yes, something Benham says likely wouldn't have happened without his good friend's insight. Dyck had been ill for some time prior to his death, suffering from both diabetes and liver disease. While she mourned his demise, his sister Marlene says she will never forget his fighting spirit or desire to make the world a better place. 'He wanted to change the world. He helped a lot of people and he thought if everybody else could say the same, it would be a lot better of a world.' fpcity@
Business Wire
05-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Nitrogen's 2025 Firm Growth Survey Reveals Disconnect Between Advisors and Investors
AUBURN, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Nitrogen, the leading developer of integrated risk tolerance, proposal generation, investment research, and planning software for advisors, today released its third annual Firm Growth Survey, which uncovered a critical insight: despite rapid adoption of new technology and service expansion strategies, many advisors may be misaligned with what clients actually want—high-quality investment management, transparent analytics, and personalized technology-driven experiences. Developed in collaboration with DeVoe & Company and drawing on responses from over 425 advisory firms and 1,000+ investors, the 2025 report offers a comprehensive snapshot of the forces shaping organic growth, client engagement, and firm valuation in today's wealth management landscape. 'It's clear from the data that trust, communication, and client-facing technology aren't just differentiators, they're growth catalysts,' said Craig Clark, Chief Marketing Officer at Nitrogen. 'The vast majority – 95 percent – of advisors felt that cross-selling specialized services such as estate and tax planning would be a key driver of their growth, but investors shared they'd much prefer advisors utilize better client-facing technology to support and explain their investment strategies and to build trust.' Key Findings from the 2025 Growth Survey: Organic Growth Accelerated: 57% of advisory firms surveyed achieved 11%+ organic growth last year, excluding market performance. This is a stark increase from last year's report, which found that 22% of advisors achieved 5% or less growth. Technology as a Growth Driver: 68% of investors said they would consider switching to an advisor who offers better client-facing technology and portfolio clarity. Risk Tolerance Misunderstood: 91.6% of investors rated risk tolerance as critically important, yet few firms cite risk tolerance software as essential to growth. Willingness to Pay for Value: Nearly 3 in 4 investors would pay higher fees if given access to tools that increase their understanding and engagement. Organic Growth Prioritized: 35% of advisors said increasing their organic growth would have the largest impact on their firm's future valuation. The report also reveals a changing marketing landscape for advisors. For the first time, organic marketing efforts like content and SEO outpaced referrals as the top source of new client leads. Additionally, firms using lead-gen tools, such as Nitrogen's proprietary Risk Questionnaire, saw 2.4 times more prospect volume. These insights underscore a broader industry shift: firms that align their strategies with investor expectations, especially around communication, personalization, and technology, are poised to outpace their peers in both growth and client retention. Download the Full Report The 2025 Nitrogen Firm Growth Survey is available now. Download the full report and discover the strategies powering high-growth advisory firms at ABOUT NITROGEN Nitrogen has been revolutionizing how financial advisors and wealth management firms engage with their clients since the launch of Riskalyze in 2011. Today, Nitrogen offers an integrated client engagement software platform featuring risk tolerance, proposal generation, investment research, and financial planning tools designed to help firms and financial advisors deliver personalized advice. The company invented the Risk Number®, built on top of a Nobel Prize-winning academic framework, and is the champion of the Fearless Investing Movement — tens of thousands of financial advisors committed to our mission of empowering the world to invest fearlessly. To learn more, visit The 2025 Growth Survey engaged 1,400 total respondents through email, social media, and notifications within the Nitrogen platform. Participants included financial advisors, firm executives, and individual investors residing in the United States. Survey submissions were collected online between December 15, 2024, and January 15, 2025. There were a total of 55 questions divided between two surveys—one for financial professionals and one for individual investors. Advisor questions focused on: Demographics, Growth & Succession, Marketing & Lead Generation, and Technology & Client Engagement. Investor questions explored: Background & Demographics, Advisor Selection & Trust, Communication & Reporting, Services & Value, and Future Orientation & Relationships.
