YARMOUTH, N.S. – Mandy Rennehan has spent her entire career renovating, restoring and transforming older properties. Now she’s gifted one of them, a multi-unit rental property, to a nonprofit organization in her hometown. Rennehan, a Yarmouth, N.S., native who starred in the HGTV show “Trading Up” and is nicknamed Canada’s “Blue Collar CEO,” restored a six-unit building and transformed it into a profitable rental property. “For three years, we’ve been ‘the’ luxury Airbnb in town, and it’s done extremely well,” she said. Rennehan has now donated the building to the Souls Harbour Rescue Mission, which supports people battling addiction, hunger and homelessness. The facility has been renamed Souls Harbour South. It will continue to operate as a short-term rental business and the money raised will support hundreds of people living in the Yarmouth area who need assistance. “I think it is awesome,” Rennehan said. “To be able to give them something like this, it allows them to have that income that can then give to more people.” Souls Harbour CEO Michelle Porter said the donation came at a time when the need to help people living in Nova Scotia has never been greater. She added that one thing the organization does well is “that we don’t forget the smaller towns.” “While we are receiving Souls Harbour South, the big thing in my heart is how many people that will help as a living legacy,” said Porter. “It is true, it is better to give than receive, and our level of gratitude over this incredible gift is difficult for all of us to express.” Souls Harbour South will also create opportunities for local community members to gain work experience and hospitality skills while rebuilding their lives. Rennehan inspired by personal experience Rennehan, who was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2025, said her own family has experienced addiction. She said she watched her brother Troy struggle with alcoholism. “You hear people say when they had that first drink, that was it. He was that guy,” she said. Troy, now sober, said he’s “very proud” of himself “for what I have accomplished and what I have turned out to be.” He added that his sister is a big reason for his sobriety. “I’m thankful Mandy has been with me, every step of the way.” While supporting her brother, Rennehan felt her hometown needed to do more to assist people battling addiction. She said she wanted to “build pride back through architecture,” which led to her idea of restoring the property. “We need more places for people to go.”
