Thompson was the site of the provincial government’s third economic growth summit April 30 and the discussion of how to foster economic development couldn’t have come at a more opportune time, given that Vale’s Manitoba Operations recently began issuing layoff notices in preparation for the permanent shutdown of its smelter and refinery in August.
“When the layoff notices begin, that’s when reality hits home,” said Growth, Enterprise and Trade Minister Blaine Pedersen, who was in Thompson for the summit, adding that, despite the challenges posed by Vale layoffs, they can provide opportunities as well. “It’s not just how to find employment for those people but how do you retain the people who are taking retirement packages? How do you get them to stay in Thompson? You have to provide the services here in Thompson. Is there an economic development potential in creating the services to make it attractive for people to stay in Thompson so you can keep your population base?”
Participants in the summit included local business people as well as others with a stake in promoting economic development, such as the Thompson Chamber of Commerce and agencies like Communities Economic Development Fund and northern Community Futures offices.
Part of the impetus behind the summits, which were also held in Bandon and Winnipeg April 26-27, is to streamline the provincial government’s economic development activities and ensure that money spent on them is being spent wisely.
“We found when we came into government that there was a lot of talk about economic development but there was no concentrated effort in terms of return on investment, where we were getting the most gain from doing government programs, and there was a lot of duplication between departments,” said Pedersen.
Dave Angus and Barb Gamey were appointed to consult with Manitobans and bring back recommendations to the government. “Rather than having government come down and say, ‘This is what economic development should look like in the province,’ we said, ‘No, let’s have Dave and Barb go out and talk to business, talk to individuals, what they feel economic development should look like,’ and then government can take that and co-ordinate it.”
Talking to people directly involved in economic development is important, said Manitoba Chambers of Commerce president and CEO Chuck Davidson, one of the summit participants and also co-chair of the Look North task force that concentrates specifically on growing the Northern Manitoba economy.
“The challenge with any kind of economic development strategy is that you can’t just think, ‘I think this is what people think,’ and develop the strategy,” he said.
It’s also important not to try to find a one-size-fits-all solution.
“I think the comments here, they’re going to be different than they are in southern Manitoba,” he said. “That came out as part of the discussion today and it was very clear that a vision for southern Manitoba is going to be different than a vision for Northern Manitoba based on what sectors they have.”
Pedersen said Manitoba’s economy as a whole is doing well with record private capital investment and exports to other provinces and outside of Canada’s borders growing. As for the north, he said mining companies prize its mineral resources, even if they aren’t yet maximizing those resources’ potential.
“I was at the mining conference in Toronto back in the beginning of March and I was surprised at the enthusiasm shown for Manitoba by both mining exploration companies and the mining companies,” Pedersen said. “We know it’s a long haul. To develop a mine takes a long time but the mining companies and exploration companies were calling Manitoba the untapped jewel of potential. That’s also why we have (former Norway House Cree Nation Chief) Ron Evans and (former provincial cabinet minister) Jim Downey doing our mining protocol because there’s been uncertainty with Indigenous communities and the mining companies as to what the protocol is for development, whether it’s just in exploration or whether it’s in actually developing a mine and we’re very close to seeing a final report on that. We want to create the certainty so that both Indigenous communities and the mining companies know their rights and responsibilities. There’s tremendous career potential for Indigenous communities there with training to get into the mining industry.”
Davidson said while more needs to be done to make Manitoba mining and attractive venture for investors, it isn’t always about spending money.
“Sometimes it means process, permits, and different things and how do we encourage that,” he said.
He also said that Look North is getting closer to providing recommendations to the province after more than 18 months of consultations and discussions, but that the process should not just be abandoned once a report has been finalized.
“The last thing we want to do is to say to northerners, ‘OK, here’s your strategy and see you later, we’re done.’ It needs to always be a process, that you’re continually having discussions, that it’s a living document, that you say, ‘OK, here’s the goal that we’ve set in six months. Have we achieved it? If not, what do we need to do to achieve it?’”
Pedersen said the broader provincial economic development strategy is not about a quick fix either.
“This is all long haul stuff,” he said. “It’s not just going to be instant. It sets the tone for a very positive future and that, as much as anything, that’s government’s role is to make sure that we can set the right tone for future development because if you don’t do that, then it doesn’t happen.”
