Today, AMBM President and Reeve of the Rural Municipality of La Broquerie, Ivan Normandeau, met with Manitoba Premier-designate Wab Kinew, in the presence of AMBM Chief Executive Officer, Justin Johnson.

President Normandeau congratulated the Premier-designate on his party’s convincing victory in the 2023 provincial election. He also applauded the positive tone adopted by the Leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) and his team during the election campaign.

Together, the leaders took stock of the key priorities set out in Towards a Strengthened Municipal-Provincial Partnership: Notice on the 16 Strategic Priorities of Manitoba’s Bilingual Municipal Leadership produced by the AMBM, and reaffirmed the importance of placing particular emphasis on rural areas. In particular, they discussed:

• The essential support of the Manitoba government in anchoring bilingual municipalities’ commitment for the delivery of services in both official languages—particularly through the implementation of the Municipal Maturity Model (3M), which recognizes municipal investment—and through the provision of predictable and stable funding to support this gradual work.
• The collective interest in equipping municipal governments to fully play their role in building and maintaining high-quality, sustainable municipal infrastructure, which is often a key factor for the development of their region, their quality of life and their economic development potential.
• The importance of the AMBM Group’s driving force, thanks in particular to the leveraging effect of the AMBM’s two subsidiaries:
  • The potential to substantially increase Francophone and bilingual economic immigration, notably by optimizing the role of the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (Conseil de développement économique des municipalités bilingues du Manitoba, or CDEM) to better connect candidates’ skills with employment opportunities in bilingual municipalities, with an emphasis on rural areas;
  • Eco-West Canada’s (EWC) expertise and pragmatic approach to ensure that public and local decision-makers achieve measurable results, and create multiple leveraging effects for the funding of key green infrastructure. Today, EWC is recognized as a leading partner of the Manitoba government for the delivery of large-scale projects supporting the energy transition.

At the end of the meeting, Mr. Kinew and Mr. Normandeau confirmed the alignment of their priorities, as well as their mutual interest in working together to strengthen the municipal-provincial partnership to build strong, prosperous, attractive and resilient bilingual communities, with a direct impact on the development and vitality of their Francophone communities.

Information: Office of the Chief Executive Officer (O-CEO), 204-289-4077, [email protected].