REGIONAL NEWS


 Big City Mayors collaborate


to compete Continued from page 1


starting to look on scale that can really only be answered by a re- gional entity because you need the breadth of the entire region to be able to respond to the new diverse needs of various different companies that are approaching.” Our partners and neighboring


regional organizations to the West are up to big things when it comes to regional thinking. Edmonton Innovates with Edmonton Global


Edmonton, like many Canadian


cities, grew rapidly since the mid- last century. It is surrounded by several municipalities that have likewise grown and, for the last 20 years, the ever-increasing proximity of each to the other has prompted the development of a regional approach to long-term planning and, recently, economic development. Te region now has a popula-


tion of 1.3 million and accounts for 725,000 jobs, although it is projected to double in population over the next 30 years, with jobs growing to 1.2 million. It repre- sents about 30% of Alberta’s GDP. The Edmonton Metropolitan


Region was officially created by the provincial government in 2008 as a regional platform for collabo- ration amongst the metro region’s 24 municipalities. In March 2014 CRB used its specific mandate for regional growth planning and “regional prosperity”, and its tagline Regional Action Global Opportunity, to pass a motion to more fully investigate the oppor- tunity for more focused regional economic development. Several of the member mu-


nicipal ities in the Edmonton region have created a new entity: Edmonton Global. This entity fosters a regional strategy to at- tract jobs and investment. Since that time, a Transition Board has been working with the Sharehold- ers to set the conditions for those outcomes, that is, the recruitment and orientation of a permanent Board and Chair, and the recruit- ment of a CEO and staff. After decades in the making,


it’s a matter of when, not if, the Edmonton Metropolitan Region will take its rightful place as a unified economic force on the national and international stage. Calgary Connects with OnIt The Calgary Regional Part-


nership (CRP) is a collaborative network of 11 municipalities in the Calgary Region that work together to promote sustainable growth. Collectively they represent


more than 1.2 million people and are preparing the Region for the more than 1.8 million people expected to arrive over the next 60 years. Currently, the region sur-


rounding Calgary is home to more than 1 million people. By 2073, that number is expected reach 3 million. With that kind of growth, comes new prob- lems: How will those 3 million people get from point A to point B?


The Calgary Regional Part-


nership (CRP) has developed a forward-thinking solution. On- It Regional Bus Service will con- nect walkways and bike paths with bus routes and transit hubs, so those 3 million people can choose how they want to get to where they need to go.


4 Regional Times


A changing landscape for health care


Regional Times News Desk E


ven though the year is not yet done, 2017 has brought quite a lot of changes to health care in the Winnipeg Capital


Region. Faced with a tough economic situation, the Province of Manitoba announced earlier this year that significant changes would need to occur in the way it delivers health care. According to the Canadian Institute for


Health Information, Manitoba spends $7,120 per person on health care, the second highest rate among Canadian provinces. With federal transfer payments dropping from 6% to 3% tough decisions are going to be made in all regional health authorities in how they deliver health services. However, these tough deci- sions have shone light on some opportunities that spurred innovation. The Town of Niverville has recently em-


barked on a new direction for health in the province by partnering with the private sector in its delivery of health care services. Based on the public-private partnership (P3) model, a new diagnostics centre will be built to offer a variety of health services to residents, most notably MRI services. Niverville took on this initiative to try and


reduce wait times. Currently the average wait time for an MRI in the province is 24 weeks and has resulted in people crossing the U.S border to access services. Niverville hopes the new centre will reduce these cross border trips. By taking a P3 model approach, the private sector will contribute the initial investment required and will profit from the centre for a leased time. After the leased period is up, the centre will be turned over to the Town adding to the inven- tory of public assets. Niverville anticipates


The Selkirk Regional Health Centre. Photo courtesy of Signex.


the centre to open in Fall of 2018. According to Mayor Myron Dyck, he says, "It's not private or public but rather a third way. We believe this is an innovative way to help the healthcare system ultimately helping the public.” Changing services are also occurring in the


Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority with the opening of the new Selkirk Regional Hospital. Tis $111M facility provides 65 beds, with 80% of them being single occupancy rooms. Services offered in the hospital have been expanded to include a family birthing centre, larger emergency room, and the re- gion’s first MRI machine. Te Province hopes


this new facility can help attract new doctors to the region, as the health authority currently has 37% of physician positions vacant. Not only is it anticipated that the facility will attract new doctors, but health authorities hope the hospital’s design will be a welcome change to patrons. With its many windows and pinwheel model design, a feeling of wellness will greet patients and their families. Although our region might be going through


some significant and sometimes difficult health care changes, innovation and new di- rections will bring new approaches to health services that could benefit us all.


Moving around the Winnipeg Metro Region A


Regional Times News Desk


nyone who has taken a risk to merge into highway-speed traf f ic, or sat idling amid a sea of brake lights on


city streets, knows the frustration of the rush hour jam as the Winnipeg Metro Region’s major arteries and corridors get hit with what is perfectly predictable traffic volume. Now imagine almost 1/3rd more vehicles on those same roads. Tat is the picture of the Winnipeg Metro Region within 20 years when the population here is expected to top 1 million residents. We know the Winnipeg Metropolitan


Region- communities spanning across 18 municipalities including the City of Winnipeg - is growing and that means more people and busier roadways. In the spirit of collabora- tion and in an effort to help commuters in the region add transportation choices, the Partnership of the Manitoba Capital Region (PMCR), in collaboration with the Green Ac- tion Centre, has become a founding partner of GoManitoba – a province-wide ridesharing program with the official launch taking place this past September 2017. Tis unique program isn’t just about get-


ting around the centre city, it’s so anyone can move with ease from the Town of Niverville to the Town of Stonewall. Te ridesharing pro- gram allows users to find carpooling partners as well as cycling, walking or transit buddies for their commute. Te program will increase mobility options for the entire region by pro- viding a variety of ways to get to work, classes,


social gatherings, recreational activities, and appointments either on a regular basis or on occasion. “We are very excited to be partnering with


the Green Action Centre on the GoManitoba initiative. Trough the collaborative efforts of local leaders across the region, the GoMani- toba ridesharing service will allow residents across the growing capital region the option to share rides to where they need to go while reducing their carbon footprint,” said Colleen Sklar, Executive Director of the PMCR. With forward thinking regional organiza-


tions like the PMCR, the demands of growing metro regions and metro areas, are sure to be met and planned for more efficiently through a regional lens. By fostering strong partner- ships between all towns, cities and munici- palities will be able to move forward with a vision that can connect us all to the people and places that we need to get to. Te more people that get involved, the more


choices commuters will have to get around the region. To get involved and register with GoMantioba, please visit www.manitobaca- pitalregion.ca.


Manitoba Capital Region Leaders Launch FRS@OPEN[AXIS] Regional Times News Desk


T


his past summer, the Winni- peg Metro Region launched a Co-op Fire Department Inci-


dent Reporting System as part of its OPEN[AXIS] data platform as well as its equipment Purchasing Group, signaling a new spirit of cooperation among leaders in the province’s most populous area. Te reporting system – dubbed ‘FRS’ (Fire


Reporting System), was “developed with sup- port from the Province of Manitoba, the City of Winnipeg and the surrounding municipali-


from the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Services, regional leaders as well as Minister Eileen Clark who provided comment. “Te Province is proud to support this work to assist municipal officials and fire officials in com- municating and keeping track of the emergency response services being provided by each municipality.” Minister Clarke went on to describe


ties, and is the first component of the shared OPEN[AXIS] platform,” said Colleen Sklar, Executive Director of the PMCR. On hand for the launch of this event was Fire Chief John Lane and representatives


www.manitobacapitalregion.ca


the initiative as, “An exciting and forward- thinking service partnership will make it easier for municipalities to collaboratively ad- dress complex and costly emergency services operations.”


Fall 2017


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