WINNIPEG COMMUNITY COMPASS • SUMMER 2025
Winnipeg Community Compass
Self-taught, three-day build that connected 5,000+ Manitobans to emergency resources and reached 1.3M+ views on national news
The Challenge
Responding to a provincial emergency in under 3 days
Manitoba's 2025 wildfire state of emergency left thousands displaced from their homes. Winnipeggers, in true Friendly Manitoba™ spirit, piled in donations of pet food, clothes, and supplies to support evacuees.
The Problem
Critical information fragmentation when stakes were highest
As one of these donors myself, I quickly noticed that wildfire aid and donation information was scattered across unorganized Facebook groups and community forums.
Scattered Data
Donation and relief points buried across dozens of Facebook posts
High Friction
Existing platforms required logins or app downloads (inconvenient for users looking to donate in a pinch)
Zero Central Verification
Community-run businesses accepting supplies had no centralized channel to broadcast open hours or urgent needs
Experiencing this frustration firsthand, I realized that took the opportunity to build a centralized, instant-access solution.
The Solution
Zero-barrier interactive mapping
I built the Winnipeg Community Compass, a lightweight and mobile-optimized interactive map.
No Sign-up Barriers
No logins, downloads, and form friction so those in high-stress situations could access information instantly
Client-Side Leaflet.js
Leaflet.js vector mapping to ensure map tiles rendered fast even on weak cellular networks during regional strain
Real-Time Dynamic Filters
Categorized drop-off points, food banks, and shelters dynamically on client side with zero page reload latency
The Outcome
5,000+ Manitobans helped, 1.3M+ views, and provincial recognition
What began as a small personal build quickly became an essential community hub during the wildfires. Below are some messages I received from users (by far the most rewarding part of the project for me!)
National news coverage and 1.3M+ views
CBC News featured my project on consecutive nights of The National: the first night showcasing the website, and the second showcasing my parents’ – who had no clue I had even made this in the first place – shell-shocked reaction to seeing their son on the news (my Mom thought I deepfaked myself onto the TV!).
Meeting Manitoba's Minister of Innovation
Following the CBC broadcast, Manitoba's Minister of Innovation and New Technology, Mike Moroz, reached out directly to thank me on behalf of the province. I met with his team to discuss my platform and learn more about the province’s crisis information site MBReady, which launched in the weeks following.
Meeting with Manitoba Minister of Innovation and New Technology, Mike Moroz.
Sparking My Product Management Career
Experiencing how rapid execution, technical problem-solving, and empathetic solutions directly helped thousands of real people sparked a feeling I've been chasing in everything I do, ever since: to lead and build products at the intersection of technology, business, and human impact.