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Growth – time to change the conversation


M


anitoba needs a public campaign of confidence build- ing to encourage growth and investment. It is time to focus on the strengths of our people and the strength of our underlying economy, including its diversity. We need to boast about the fact that because we are small we are also nimble; getting things done in Manitoba is a straightforward business. Even as we are dealing with past fiscal transgressions, we need to encourage growth and enter- prise by letting each other and the world know that we are ex- cited and open for business. For too long we have tried to build an economy in a teacup where the government spends money creating jobs whose in- come supposedly provides mon- ey to fuel purchases, growth and more taxes. For the short term, the optics may be good, but the temporary energy created by tax and spend stimulation soon loses its momentum.


Dorothy Dobbie


In Manitoba, we need to move out of the teacup economy and explore the possibilities around


us. We need to replenish the cup through individual creativity and enterprise and build a bigger, stronger more beautiful cup! We need real growth.


Investing the provincial output into government projects does nothing to promote long term health and prosperity, but nei- ther does drastic reduction of public sector activity alone; we are simply moving dollars around in the same stagnant atmosphere. There has been enough attention on the fiscal challenges. Now is the time to change the conversation. Let’s talk about our ad- vantages, strengths and potentials. Let us now set our sights on being the strongest most progressive province in the country. The premier knows how important this is. Almost immedi-


ately upon taking office, he invested in future opportunity by increasing funding to Travel Manitoba, and more recently he has established the Look North initiative, co-chaired by the Manito- ba Chambers of Commerce’s Check Davidson and Chief Chris- tian Sinclair of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation. Both of these are good moves, building on a strong business ethic with the help of a tremendous but underutilized resource – our indigenous population. As well, rumour has it that there has been a shift in the Trade Department with a more outwardly focused market- ing strategy in the works.


Others have been on the move as well.


Based on the optimism the election of the new government injected into the community, the Capital Region movement has been given new energy. Colleen Sklar and her cohort of 17 mu- nicipalities, including Winnipeg, have determined that now is the time to really make things happen. They have a conference called Shifting to Drive to be held at the Metropolitan theatre on March 9, hearing from experts across the continent about how to make collaboration work for economies.


In a small province such as Manitoba, collaboration is a natu-


ral and critical asset. With what we often refer to as “one degree of separation”, it is easy to get things done as long as the players are open to working together. So while Winnipeg is out looking for travel and investment in the human rights and peace move- ment inspired by the Canadian Human Rights Museum and the new Convention Centre, they should not lose sight of the op- portunities to collaborate with the International Peace Garden which has been a symbol of peace talks among various warring


5 ways to inspire the world (and ourselves)


1. Change our story. Both Travel Manitoba and Tourism Winnipeg are encouraging people to drop the negatives. Forget the cold, mosquito infested, pothole ridden, down trodden wilderness. Start talking about the sunny days, the lazy summers, the boundless lakes, the green elm canopy, the prosperous little towns that hide explosive and understated world class industries (Crown Royal (Gimli), HiLife (LaBroquerie), Both- well Cheese (New Bothwell), Friesens (Altona); Polar Bears (Churchill); firetrucks (Wawanesa); buses and farm equipment (Winnipeg) to name just a handful . . .


2. Tell our story. Do a complete revamp of every scrap of paper, every brochure, every publication that we currently use to promote Manitoba. Have this material written by story tellers, magazine publishers, book writers instead of public relations gurus. Stop trying to be Newfound- land and find our own voice in video, television, radio and on the Internet and social media. This is not a job for an advertising agency.


3. Celebrate our successes. Applaud our people past, present and developing for their energy, creativity, innovation and courage. Cel- ebrate the great successes and bring to life the emerging stories.


4. Get the story out there. Launch both an internal and external campaign with the newly minted materials. Get all our current market- ing agencies together to build a giant list that we can merge, purge and use to target our stories to. Talk to Manitobans. Give them the help they need in articulating how they feel about this wonderful place. Tell our stories over and over again locally and abroad. Trust our people to be our personal but unofficial ambassadors, to take our stories (as they do our Hub magazine) to the far-flung reaches of the world.


5. Show up like big boys on the International scene. Go prepared with our heads full of information, the ability and confidence to make decisions and the determination to follow up when we talk trade. Arm our politicians with the best advice we can buy, and support them with knowledgeable, sophisticated people at their side. It’s all about posture in that world.


factions for eons. A visit to this unique symbol of international cohesion could add dimension to world summits and confer- ences and provide an amazing en route tour though southern Manitoba, the home of a multitude of outward-looking enter- prises. (Plus, Winnipeg, did you know the Peace Garden has an air strip that can accommodate aircraft up to Lear Jet size?) There are just so many possibilities. I know of a project slated for the North that could be a game changer for a certain popula- tion as long as there is an open approach to competition and en- terprise. I know of another plan that was put on hold in the past because of a limited view about trade possibilities but that would have made a real difference to local indigenous populations and helped spur growth for small Winnipeg businesses. What’s holding these and other folks back? In some cases, it has simply been a sense that business needs permission from government to move forward; you do NOT need permission. The other is a habit of protectionism that has been fostered by a lack of confidence, nurtured by the idea that everything has to be sanctioned by Big Brother.


So once again, let’s change the conversation. This is a great province. It’s open for business and it is excited to help and pro- mote business ideas. It’s a fabulous place to raise a family; homes are affordable and available; schools are good and getting bet- ter; the labour market is smart and reliable; the arts and culture community is second to none in the country; we live in a sunny, lake-bound playground with clean air and clean water; we have efficient, accessible transportation . . . and most of all, we have a positive, welcoming and outward-looking attitude where people of all stripes and origins can feel at home.


Wow! What a conversation we can have with the world!


March 2017


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