The President of the AMBM and Reeve of the Rural Municipality of La Broquerie, Mr. Ivan Normandeau, made the following statement to highlight Local Government Awareness Week, which began yesterday and continues until November 30th, 2024:
The AMBM is proud to join its colleagues and counterparts from the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM), as well as the Manitoba government, to highlight Local Government Awareness Week.
Municipal governments are the closest order of government to citizens. The decisions they make impact the daily lives of families, whether it be through programs, infrastructure, potable water, waste management, road maintenance, or police, fire, and rescue services. They stimulate economic growth and contribute to the development of our communities.
In addition, for Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities, there is a critical role in supporting French life in the province. This role involves the continuous improvement of municipal services in both official languages, relying on the Municipal Maturity Model (3M), and a constant commitment to building prosperous, attractive, and welcoming Francophone and bilingual communities.
By doing so, bilingual municipalities are a key part of the Manitoba government’s vision: to make Manitoba a truly bilingual province that fully benefits from the immense potential and economic and cultural strength of our two official languages. We fully support this vision.
Strong bilingual municipalities, in both rural and urban areas, will help us achieve this. In this regard, better supporting Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities, notably through the municipal-provincial partnership, is a winning proposition for everyone.
During this week, it is also important to remember that our municipal administrations depend on thousands of people who devote themselves every day to creating prosperous bilingual milieus: to the municipal elected officials, chief administrative officers, staff, and all those who form the backbone of our municipalities, we warmly say thank you.
The AMBM is the voice of bilingual municipal leadership in the province of Manitoba. It represents 16 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 that brings together three organizations with complementary missions: 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. Complementary, these three 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 (O-CEO), 204-289-4077, [email protected].
