Creating Opportunities Consultations Report
Adding Value in Rural and Northern Manitoba
 On January 17th, 2006, Minister Rosann Wowchuk announced she
would conduct a series of public
consultations to explore the opportunities that exist to add value
to rural and northern Manitoba assets.
This followed the recent Growing Opportunities re-organization of
Manitoba Agriculture, Food, and Rural Initiatives (MAFRI) that was
designed to help MAFRI focus on capturing rural economic development
opportunities in the areas of value-added processing, bio-energy,
bio-fibre, agri-tourism, among other opportunities for development.
I was on a panel with Gaye Lenderbeck, (Roblin), Paul Gregory,
(Fisher Branch), and Tom Nevakshonoff, (MLA for the Interlake). We
held town hall sessions to gather input on what opportunities exist
and how to overcome the barriers that prevent the community from
creating value-added enterprises. Public consultations also
attempted to pinpoint who could do what in working towards the goal.
Public consultations were held in 10 communities throughout the
province; most of which were within a couple of hours travel time
for most Manitobans.
We heard about many initiatives, both ongoing and envisioned, that
are being driven by private citizens, communities, clubs,
industries, chambers of commerce, economic development
organizations, and all three levels of government. We heard stories
of both success and frustration, but always with an undertone of
optimism. Most importantly, we saw that Manitobans were eager to be
heard, and to participate in building our province’s future.
As a panel, we were struck by the energy present in those who
came out for the discussions and how passionate people were about
the communities they lived in. Discussion was spirited and
enthusiastic, often allowing those present to see their town or
surrounding area in a whole new light. Many participants said they
would like to get together more often to continue to generate ideas
and strategies to strengthen their communities.
I would like to thank the panel members for the time, ideas and
energy that they devoted to the consultations.
I would also like to thank the 337 participants who attended the
consultations and provided such valuable feedback. Our hope is that
this report will provide a road map to what can be done and how the
goal of adding value to the assets of our communities can be
achieved.
Thank you,
Susan Proven
Chairperson
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