On February 15th, 2024, four members of the AMBM Group’s leadership team, Mr. Gab-Riel Turenne and Mrs. Madeleine Arbez, respectively President and Executive Director of the Economic Development Council of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (Conseil de développement économique des municipalités bilingues du Manitoba or CDEM), as well as Dany Robidoux, Executive Director of Eco-West Canada (EWC) and Justin Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of the AMBM, met with the Honourable Adrien Sala, Minister of Finance, Minister responsible for the Public Utilities Board, Minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro and Minister responsible for the Manitoba Public Service.
The purpose of the meeting was to present the AMBM Group’s strengths to the Minister, and to discuss key elements of the Notice on the 16 Strategic Priorities of Manitoba’s Bilingual Municipal Leadership, as part of the consultations currently being conducted by the Manitoba government in the lead-up to its spring 2024 budget.
More specifically, here are the themes addressed:
- The importance of a strengthened municipal-provincial partnership to realize the implementation of the new Municipal Maturity Model (3M) in Manitoba’s rural bilingual municipalities. In doing so, the 3M will enable AMBM member local governments to assess their level of maturity for each of the indicators relating to: 1) service delivery and communications with the public; 2) governance, leadership and strategic directions; and 3) people management.
- Our aim to substantially increase Francophone and bilingual economic immigration to Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities, particularly in rural areas, by attracting a targeted workforce that meets the needs of local employers, as well as immigrant investors.
- The long-term sustainability of CDEM’s role in Francophone and bilingual economic immigration within the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP), and the strengthening of its capacity to respond effectively to employer demand, particularly in rural areas.
- The importance of adequately supporting CDEM so that it can fully exercise its coordination role in the field and optimize its impact in Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities by supporting community economic development and job creation in Manitoba’s Francophone and bilingual communities, as well as the importance of investing in measures to develop the region and support entrepreneurship.
- The enhancement of EWC’s role as the interlocutor of choice to support local governments across Manitoba in implementing concrete measures to reduce their GHG emissions, adapt to climate change and increase their use of clean energy sources. Thanks to its expertise and pragmatic approach, EWC ensures that public decision-makers achieve measurable results, in addition to generating multiple leveraging effects involving the federal government in the funding of key infrastructure.
- The aim to see the partnership between the Province and EWC consolidated so that our subsidiary can pursue its mission of mobilizing Manitoba municipalities in their energy transition, a key sector of our economy.
In closing, the parties confirmed the alignment of their values, as well as their mutual interest in continuing to work together to build more sustainable, attractive, strong and prosperous Manitoba communities, notably through the upcoming release of the 2024 Provincial Budget that will support the future paths discussed during the meeting.
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 head of the AMBM Group, a consortium of three complementary organizations: the AMBM, the Economic Development Council of 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. These three complementary organizations actively contribute to the development, vitality and sustainability of the province’s Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs) and of the province as a whole.
Information: Office of the Chief Executive Officer (O-CEO), 204-289-4077, [email protected].
