Mandate letters sent to key groups in Manitoba’s economic development plan
Premier’s chief of staff is CEO at Economic Development Office
Premier Brian Pallister has appointed Phil Houde, former chief of staff, to lead the new Economic Development Office tasked with coordinating the province-wide initiatives intended to growth Manitoba’s economy.
Houde will also be secretary to the government’s economic growth committee.
The Pallister government issued mandate letters to the organizations identified as partners in the effort.
They were sent to: Communities Economic Development Fund, Winnipeg Metropolitan Region, Economic Development Winnipeg, North Forge Technology Exchange, World Trade Centre and Travel Manitoba.
A seventh organization responsible for economic development in rural Manitoba will be established. That process is being led by the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce and the Association of Manitoba Municipalities.
The groups have specific areas of responsibility for economic development initiatives and will sign contribution agreements with the government, setting out the items they are to deliver on each year.
“Our plan is based on the advice we received from representatives of business, industry, economic development organizations, Indigenous groups and academia,” said Pallister, in a release April 5. “We are establishing a focused approach to supporting economic development that builds on Manitoba’s strengths and better responds to the needs of business and industry.”
Indigenous engagement will be a key focus for all seven partners to foster the ongoing strength of Indigenous contributions to Manitoba’s economy, said Growth, Enterprise and Trade Minister Blaine Pedersen.
The Communities Economic Development Fund, tasked with increasing the economic competitiveness and prosperity of northern Manitoba, has been directed to “undertake a board-led review of its existing loan programming, to determine if it is meeting the needs of northern enterprise. It is expected that CEDF will submit a robust analysis and recommendations to government in the first half of the 2019/20 fiscal year.”
Winnipeg Metropolitan Region is responsible for collaborating with Economic Development Winnipeg to help align Winnipeg “and the surrounding municipalities for coordinated, strategic economic growth, to work with government over 2019/20 to develop and adopt a strategy to improve and coordinate land use and development in the region. The strategy will promote co-operation between area planning districts and municipalities in the delivery of services, economic development initiatives and infrastructure planning and development in the region.”
You can view the mandate letters here.
