The President of the AMBM and Reeve of the Rural Municipality of La Broquerie, Mr. Ivan Normandeau, issued the following statement in response to the announcement by Mr. Andrew Smith, Minister of Municipal Relations, of a total investment of $84 million to fund infrastructure projects in municipalities outside Winnipeg:

The Manitoba government’s overall investment of $84 million includes one-time funding of up to $39.9 million, which will be distributed to all municipalities outside Winnipeg on a per capita basis. For our member bilingual municipalities, this represents just over $3.5 million that they will be able to use to mitigate the high levels of inflation that can directly influence the realization of capital projects. The Manitoba government specified that funding will be provided through the annual Strategic Infrastructure basket available to municipalities outside Winnipeg.

This investment also includes up to $44.5 million in additional funding for the Strategic Infrastructure basket under the new Municipal Economic Development Infrastructure Program in 2023-2024.

As illustrated in our Economic Recovery Strategy for Manitoba’s Bilingual Municipalities, local governments have identified many priority infrastructure projects. The Manitoba government’s new program comes at just the right time; we invite our members to take advantage of this funding, and we’ll support them in their efforts thanks to the strength of the AMBM Group, including the AMBM,  the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (CDEM), and Eco-West Canada (EWC).

We applaud Minister Smith and his team at Municipal Relations for this strategic investment, which demonstrates innovation, leadership and sensitivity to the growing needs of local governments outside Winnipeg. Well-funded municipalities are essential to sustaining Manitoba’s economic and demographic growth. With adequate financial support, local leaders can confidently tackle today’s challenges, including transportation, infrastructure renewal and climate resilience.

We’re also pleased for our urban member, the City of Winnipeg, which also received $89.8 million to implement its infrastructure priorities in the 2023-2024 budget.

We would like to thank the Manitoba government for listening to the voice of our major partner, the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM), which has been advocating for a review of the municipal funding model for several years. Right from the start, we joined forces with the AMM on this important issue. Congratulations to Mr. Kam Blight, AMM President, and Mr. Denys Volkov, AMM Executive Director, for their tenacity and their strategic action, which has now come to a more than positive conclusion.

Together, let’s continue to build strong, resilient and prosperous bilingual communities for future generations.

The 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. Together, these municipalities represent the majority of Manitoba’s population. Manitoba’s bilingual municipal leadership is also at the helm of the AMBM Group, a consortium of three complementary organizations: AMBM, the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (CDEM) and Eco-West Canada (EWC), which specializes in the green economy. These three complementary organizations actively contribute to the development, vitality and sustainability of the province’s Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs).

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