Posted on 04/25/2009, 7:30 am, by mySteinbach

Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Minister Rosann Wowchuk released a report on rural economic development delivery titled Manitoba Connects:  building a new rural Manitoba economic development strategy. The report concluded the first phase in a provincial plan directed at creating a more efficient model of inter-agency co-operation to effectively meet the economic development needs of Manitoba’s rural and northern communities.
 
“Manitobans have spoken about the need to better co-ordinate the services provided to entrepreneurs and communities in Manitoba to achieve greater results,” said Wowchuk.  “We’ve examined the current system to determine what is and isn’t working, the gaps that exist in the current system and ideas to better co-ordinate existing resources that support economic development.  We are now ready to take further steps with our partners to more closely co-ordinate efforts to achieve this objective.”
 
The minister noted each level of government contributes to economic development, but often the services offered to communities and entrepreneurs can overlap and may be confusing to clients.
 
“Entrepreneurs and communities want to access economic development services, yet they may be confused about which agency provides the type of services they are looking for,” said the minister. “The duplication of services and programs at any level of government can be a barrier to capturing new economic opportunities.”
 
Building on the recommendations of the report, Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives will enter a second phase in the process. This phase will begin by reviewing recommendations with stakeholders and discussing concrete ways to co-ordinate services and create the environment to seize the many opportunities that are available to rural and northern Manitoba.
 
“Creating an effective delivery model in consultation with a grassroots working group of stakeholders involved in economic development is an important step,” said Wowchuk.  “Federal, provincial, municipal and Aboriginal governments need to pull together to move Manitoba forward toward a stronger economic future.”