Nowhere to go but up

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Published on Friday, January 29, 2016

Submitted by Vern May 

The Neepawa Banner

Manitoba ranks dead last among 10 Provinces in terms of its success in foreign direct investment.  It’s a humbling reality for practitioners in the field who are tasked to deliver our communities to economic prosperity.  However, it’s also with the Provincial situation in mind that a group of local communities are exploring the benefits of collaboration to best capitalize on opportunities to ensure our future success.

Dubbed the “Yellowhead Corridor Partnership”, the group brings together communities along the Manitoba leg of Highway 16 including Portage La Prairie, Neepawa, Minnedosa, Shoal Lake and Russell-Binscarth.  The group has collectively submitted an application for grant funding through the Invest Canada – Community Initiatives (ICCI) program for a project that will increase awareness of the region’s attractiveness for external business investment.

At the heart of the project is that most of the current economic assessments of individual communities fails to recognize the commuter culture of the prairies.  As such, on paper, many rural towns show an unfavorable level of available workforce which may impede on our ability to attract industries which will create jobs.  Though business and industry may elect to set up shop in one community, the economic benefits have a much wider radius to neighbouring municipalities and towns if suitable paying jobs become available.  In addition, the area’s reputation for not only agri-food production but also as a great location for resource-based development of neutraceuticals could open new doors that we have yet to explore.

Through the process, this regional partnership is looking to engage a nationally recognized firm that works with international clients on site selection processes and highlighting regional benefits to those investors.  The project will include identifying the competitive advantage for business to consider our region and how to increase our attractiveness to site selectors.  Key industries that we should be targeting will also be determined followed by strategy development to allow for an effective pursuit of those types of businesses.

Pending the outcome of the funding announcement through the ICCI program, work on this project could commence as soon as February.