On March 20th, 2025, the President of the Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM) and Reeve of the Rural Municipality of La Broquerie, Mr. Ivan Normandeau, highlighted the importance of a historic funding agreement between the AMBM and the Manitoba government. Valued at $885,000, this multi-year commitment aims to gradually implement the Municipal Maturity Model (3M), an innovative framework designed to bolster the capacity of municipalities to deliver services in both official languages. This marks a major milestone for Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities:
The Honourable Glen Simard, Minister of Municipal and Northern Relations and Minister responsible for Francophone Affairs, chose the International Day of La Francophonie to reaffirm his support for Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities through this multi-year, predictable, and stable funding agreement.
On behalf of Manitoba’s bilingual municipal leadership, I extend heartfelt thanks to Minister Simard for this substantial investment. It represents a significant step forward in providing municipal services in both official languages, ensuring essential predictability and allowing us to confidently implement the Municipal Maturity Model (3M). This strategic tool will strengthen the management of municipal services in both languages and ensure their sustainability.
The phased implementation of the Municipal Maturity Model (3M) has already yielded positive outcomes. The initial group of bilingual municipalities has successfully completed their preliminary assessments and received action plans ready for adoption by their municipal councils. With this landmark agreement, we can now proceed with renewed confidence, supporting a new cohort and enhancing the municipalities’ capacity to deliver high-quality services in both official languages.
Today’s provincial investment builds upon an initial funding of $165,000 for the period of 2023-2024, raising the total support for the AMBM to $1,050,000 over five years, spanning from 2023-2024 to 2027-2028. This initiative, facilitated through provincial funding combined with federal contributions under the Canada-Manitoba Agreement on French Language Services (CMAFLS) 2023-2028, will allocate $885,000 to the AMBM over four years. It represents a unified vision dedicated to the vitality and development of our Francophone and bilingual communities.
This cooperation framework and these investments are in perfect alignment with the strategic direction outlined in the Notice on the 16 Strategic Priorities of Manitoba’s Bilingual Municipal Leadership. This crucial document directs the actions and priorities of our municipalities and concretizes the Manitoba government’s 2023-2028 Strategic Plan under the Canada-Manitoba Agreement on French Language Services (CMAFLS).
The AMBM and its members are fully committed to supporting the implementation of the Manitoba government’s 2023-2028 Strategic Plan. This plan is a crucial instrument to enhance municipal engagement and bolster the provision of government services in both official languages.
Our municipalities serve as the closest order of government to Manitoba’s Francophonie. For over three decades, they have been unwavering in their dedication to the development, prosperity, and vitality of our Francophone and bilingual communities.
As per our assessments, Manitoba’s bilingual rural municipalities allocate over one million dollars annually to provide municipal services in both official languages. The Municipal Maturity Model (3M) facilitates the measurement of their investments across three pivotal areas:
- service delivery and communications with the public;
- governance, leadership and strategic direction; and
- people management.
This commitment illustrates the strength of our municipal-provincial partnership in action. We aim to amplify this collaboration to continue deploying initiatives that will strengthen the capacities of our members, benefiting Manitoba’s Francophone and bilingual communities. The AMBM intends to play a key role in guiding and equipping our member municipalities to support their commitment.
We underscore the significance of our collaboration with Minister Glen Simard, the Department of Municipal and Northern Relations, and the Manitoba Francophone Affairs Secretariat. This partnership is crucial to advancing our initiatives and enhancing the vitality of Manitoba’s Francophone and bilingual communities. We remain committed to continuing this collaborative effort with utmost dedication.
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].
