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 911 service disruption, highlighting the essential role municipalities play as the closest order of government and the first point of contact for residents:
The temporary disruption of 911 services on July 22nd across several rural regions of Manitoba served as an important reminder of how critical emergency communications are to the safety and well-being of our communities. While services have now been restored, this incident also demonstrated the responsiveness and commitment of municipalities to protecting public safety for their residents.
As soon as municipalities were notified of the outage, Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities mobilized quickly to share information and communicate alternative ways for residents to access emergency services, including fire, ambulance, and police services. This rapid response helped maintain access to critical resources and provided reassurance to residents when it was needed most.
Municipalities are, above all, governments of proximity. They serve their residents every day, and in exceptional situations such as this one, that role becomes even more significant. The speed of the municipal response and the collaboration among local governments, emergency service providers, and community partners reflect the dedication of those working to support the well-being and safety of our communities.
This situation also underscores the importance of reliable and resilient connectivity. Both the Prosperity Framework for Manitoba’s Bilingual Municipalities and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ report The Future of Rural Canada identify robust telecommunications infrastructure as a critical component of community safety, vitality, and long-term development.
We commend our member municipalities for their leadership, responsiveness, and commitment. The speed with which they communicated with residents and helped facilitate access to emergency services clearly demonstrates that municipalities are present, engaged, and steadfast in their commitment to ensuring public safety.
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].
