The President of the Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM) and Reeve of the Rural Municipality of La Broquerie, Mr. Ivan Normandeau, issued the following statement following the release of the Statutory Review of Provincial Planning Legislation Report:

The AMBM welcomes the tabling of the final report and thanks the Manitoba government for the significant work carried out as part of this independent and thorough review of recent amendments to The Planning Act and The City of Winnipeg Charter.

The AMBM actively participated in the consultation process and is pleased to see that the comments and priorities of local governments have been reflected in the report.

We look forward to working with the Manitoba government to implement the recommendations arising from this review, while respecting the role and autonomy of municipalities. As our municipal colleagues from the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) have reiterated, municipal councils know their communities best and are best positioned to make informed decisions that reflect local realities and priorities.

In this regard, the AMBM emphasizes that our Francophone and bilingual communities need strong and autonomous bilingual rural municipalities to effectively plan their development, manage growth, and fully leverage their bilingual advantage.

The AMBM reaffirms that a rigorous implementation plan will be essential to ensure follow-up on the recommendations and strengthen land-use planning processes. It also underscores the importance of supporting municipalities—democratically elected local governments—so they have the necessary tools to fully exercise their mandates in service of local communities.

With this in mind, the AMBM will continue to collaborate with the Manitoba government and municipal partners to ensure that any reform helps strengthen land-use planning, protect local decision-making, and support the sustainable prosperity of all Manitoba communities.

About the AMBM

The AMBM is the voice of bilingual municipal leadership in the province of Manitoba. It represents 16 municipal governments committed to offering services in both official languages to their residents. Together, these municipalities represent the majority of Manitoba’s population. Manitoba’s bilingual municipal leadership also leads the AMBM Group, a consortium of three organizations with complementary mandates: the AMBM, the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (Conseil de développement économique des municipalités bilingues du Manitoba, or CDEM) and Eco-West Canada (EWC), which specializes in the green economy. Complementing each other, these three organizations actively contribute to the development, vitality and sustainability of the province’s Official Language Minority Communities (OLMC) and the province as a whole.

Information: Office of the Chief Executive Officer (O-CEO), 204-289-4077, bcdd-oceo@ambm.ca.