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 launch by the federal government of the Building Strong Communities Fund (BSCF), emphasizing that Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities are ready to move quickly and deliver concrete results through ready-to-go, well-planned projects aligned with local strategic priorities:
The Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM) welcomes the launch of the Building Strong Communities Fund (BSCF), as promised in the 2025 Federal Budget and to be administered by Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC). This $51‑billion investment over 10 years, beginning in 2026–2027, sends an encouraging signal and represents a significant opportunity to address the urgent needs of municipalities across the country.
Structuring Investments, Bilingual Municipalities Ready to Act
The provincial and territorial stream of the Building Strong Communities Fund (BSCF), which provides $17.2 billion over 10 years, represents a critical lever to support strategic infrastructure, including housing-enabling infrastructure, wastewater treatment systems, health infrastructure and postsecondary education facilities. These investments directly target the key challenges faced by our bilingual rural municipalities, as set out in the Prosperity Framework for Manitoba’s Bilingual Municipalities.
That said, we wish to be clear: Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities are ready. Projects are identified, planned and strategically sound. We believe in this fund, and we cannot afford to lose a construction season due to administrative delays. Speed, predictability and flexibility in access mechanisms will be determining factors in the success of this initiative.
We also note that access to the provincial and territorial stream of the Building Strong Communities Fund (BSCF) is contingent upon matching contributions from provinces and territories, as well as commitments to reduce development charges and remove other barriers to housing supply. These conditions must be applied in a realistic manner, adapted to the financial capacities of rural municipal governments.
The direct-delivery stream, which allocates $6 billion over 10 years for projects of regional significance, major retrofits, climate adaptation and community infrastructure, is also promising. We look forward to learning more about its concrete parameters and are ready to work closely with Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC) to maximise its impact on the ground.
The Importance of a Rural and Bilingual Development Lens
For the AMBM, it is essential that the implementation of the Building Strong Communities Fund (BSCF) incorporate a dual development lens—both rural and linguistic. Francophone and bilingual rural communities in Manitoba have distinct needs, specific realities and a unique potential. These needs are already recognised through the regulatory framework of the Municipal Maturity Model (3M), adopted by all rural bilingual municipalities, which aims to improve municipal service delivery in both official languages. Our bilingual advantage is a powerful driver of economic and social development, strengthening our municipalities’ ability to attract talent, deliver high-quality municipal services and contribute fully to the prosperity of Manitoba and Canada.
In this regard, we acknowledge that the program provides for at least 20% of provincial and territorial stream funding to be allocated to northern, rural and Indigenous communities. This is a particularly welcome and well-justified direction. While rural populations represent only about 15% of Canada’s total population, they are responsible for 36% of all essential public infrastructure, as highlighted in the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) report The Future of Rural Canada. This reality underscores the disproportionate pressure on rural communities to maintain, modernise and build resilient infrastructure, reinforcing the need for targeted and increased investment.
For Manitoba, this percentage must be considered an absolute minimum. We expect a larger share, proportional to the real needs and structural challenges facing our rural bilingual municipalities.
Concretely, Manitoba’s share under this stream represents approximately $698.3 million over 10 years. By comparison, the infrastructure deficit for wastewater treatment alone in Manitoba is estimated at nearly $3 billion. This gap clearly illustrates the scale of the challenge and the need for an ambitious, targeted approach that reflects provincial realities.
The AMBM stands ready to work closely with the federal government to ensure that these investments are deployed quickly and respond to the real needs of our Francophone and bilingual rural communities. Together, let us build strong, resilient and prosperous communities—without leaving our municipalities, or a construction season, behind.
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, [email protected].
