AMBM Vice-President Justin Bohémier issued the following statement about the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (CDEM) celebrating its 25th anniversary on July 9, 2021:
Congratulations to our economic development engine as it celebrates 25 years of existence and commitment. Created in 1996 by the AMBM, CDEM is responsible for implementing the economic vision of Manitoba’s bilingual municipal leadership.
The very foundation of this AMBM subsidiary stems from the groundbreaking study Reconciling Language and Economy: A Study of Economic Development in Manitoba’s Bilingual Municipalities, published in 1994 by the renowned firm Deloitte.
The CDEM quickly became a vector of prosperity in our communities thanks to the many promising initiatives carried out over the years in the areas of economic development, business support, youth, tourism and, more recently, employability and immigration. It is also responsible for the creation (spin off) of two impact organizations, namely the Agence nationale et internationale du Manitoba (ANIM) in 2007 and Eco-West Canada (EWC) in 2018.
Our subsidiary’s reach and leadership extends far beyond Manitoba’s borders. In the early 2000s, more than sixty rural Francophone and bilingual communities in Canada were implementing the Vision Plan model originally developed by the CDEM. It was also the CDEM that initiated the creation of the Réseau de développement économique et d’employabilité (RDÉE) Canada, which today has members in every province and territory outside Quebec.
The CDEM also has a long tradition of committed volunteers, visionary executive directors, and competent and experienced teams. We are particularly grateful to Raymond Poirier, who was the Founding President and first Executive Director of the CDEM, as well as to the presidents (François Catellier, Raynald Parent, Denis Tétrault, Joanne Therrien, Paul Grenier) and executive directors (Mariette Mulaire) who have succeeded him.
We would like to take this opportunity to extend our warmest thanks to Edmond LaBossière, who will be completing his term of office this fall after 8 years of volunteer service as CDEM President, and to Louis Allain, who has been at the helm of the CDEM since 2007.
With the release of the new Economic Recovery Strategy for Manitoba’s Bilingual Municipalities, more than ever, municipal leadership is looking to CDEM to implement its vision and build strong and resilient bilingual communities.
The Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM) is the voice of bilingual municipal leadership in the province of Manitoba. It represents 15 local governments committed to providing services in both official languages to their citizens. Manitoba’s bilingual municipal leadership is also at the helm of the AMBM Group, a consortium of three complementary organizations: the AMBM, the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (CDEM) and Eco-West Canada (EWC), which has specialized in the green economy since 2008. These three complementary organizations actively contribute to the development, vitality and sustainability of the province’s Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs), including the French-speaking Métis.
Information: Office of the Chief Executive Officer (O-CEO), 204-289-4077, [email protected].
