Bold Ideas


Pallister’s slow and steady pace is bringing Manitoba back to life T


he province is alive with promise right now for the first time in years. The once ext inct


construction crane has made a reappearance in downtown Winnipeg as new buildings, homes and businesses are blossoming on our skyline. CentrePort is coming of


age, the land filling up with transportation related busi- nesses – you have to see the mile after mile of transport trailers and trucks for your- self to understand what I mean – this is BIG – accord- ing to Winnipeg Economic Development, the “industry operates more than 15,000 power units and 20,000 trail- ers”, many of these assets on view as you drive through the Park. And this component is growing. Just this past September, Freightliner, a long time Winnipeg company, announced it will build a 78,000-square-foot showroom on 13.5 acres in the Park, doubling their space and offering some new service concepts in Manitoba. Canada West, a private investment


and real estate company out of Edmon- ton also announced it will build 350,000 square feet of industrial space. Canada West president and former Manitoban Dale Klein commented, “National ten- ants are looking for comparable proper- ties to what they have in other markets…. Winnipeg is an incredible market to invest in because there is high demand and so much potential for growth.” Investment isn’t all just about trans-


portation at CentrePort. CentrePort CEO Diane Gray is working on the final touches to the long awaited dream for a Canada Rail park, expected to drive $183 million in tax revenues for the govern- ment and to have a $526 million impact


on the local economy. In the agribusiness sector, Manitoba saw more than $1 billion worth of investment in 2017, including the $488 million Portage La Prairie Roquette pea processing plant, the largest of its kind in the world, and the $460 million investment by Simplot, add- ed to residential investment to support the hundreds of new jobs that will be created by the investments. In the first eight months of


Bold Ideas Dorothy Dobbie


2018, our exports have risen 21.9 per cent; Manitoba had record levels of capital in- vestment in housing and commercial buildings – all- area housing starts were up


a whopping 41 per cent, putting us at number two nationally. Cash receipts were up about $500 million in 2017 to $6.5 billion, an all time high. Tis is just a sprinkling of the good


news that continues to grow in our province as business begins to realize the potential under a business-oriented government. Brian Pallister and his group of talented MLAs are regaining the confidence of the all-powerful global credit rating agencies. Te job is not finished by any means.


There are still dozens of big-picture corrections and literally hundreds of smaller ones to contend with, but there is a decided understanding that this is a competent crew, bent on doing what they promised to do – turn around our economy and bring us back to prosper- ity.


Entrepreneurs and corporations are


beginning begin to feel comfortable with the direction the government is taking. While there are some who wanted to see immediate draconian action, the


Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister.


premier wisely set forth a plan for steady improvement. It’s working. We are win- ning our way back to the top in every area of priority. Much credit goes to the business sec-


tor which is quickly relearning the art of self-reliance. Te sense that government permission


was needed for every small move is dis- sipating. Tere is a new understanding that if you have a dream, pursue it, you don’t need government permission. If you are blocked by red tape and regu- lation, let government know. Tey are looking for the barriers to business so they can untangle you from the red tape web. Tere is even a web site set up to take your concerns forward: https:// www.gov.mb.ca/reduceredtape/sub- missions.html Te job is not finished, but the pace


is accelerating. Te pall that had fallen over our province for 39 of the last 50 years is dissipating. New attitudes bring new hope and new opportunity. Now we just have to reach out and seize the day..


Learning and development importance


When the election ends, the real work begins


to continue serving as their Mayor. When I first decided to run for Mayor in


I


2014, like many Winnipeggers, I felt City Hall was work- ing for itself. And when it wasn’t working for itself, it was working for partisan and spe- cial interests. T h is was a


State of the City Brian Bowman


major factor in my decision to initially run for Mayor because I wanted a City Hall that worked for Winnipeggers, a City Hall driven by more common sense and less be- holden to parti-


san and special interests. I wanted a better, more innovative and


inclusive city, one that was built smarter and more efficiently. And at the end of the day, I wanted to


bring control of City Hall back to the people where it belonged. Over the course of the last four years, I


believe we’ve made major strides in putting City Hall back on track. We’ve moved away from audits and investigations and are now focused on policy and debates that matter to Winnipeggers. Together, we’ve set a new tone at City


Hall. We’re on the right track and the momen-


tum in our city is growing every day. Over the next four years, I remain com-


mitted to continuing this positive momen- tum. And I remain committed to a vision of building and positioning our city for a population growing toward one million people strong. Tis means growing our city in a more


collaborative, informed, and compassion- ate way. It means building a safe and inclusive city


for families, building stronger government, and growing our city and its economy. It also means continuing to invest in


rebuilding our roads after years of neglect. A key election commitment of mine was


to continue with historic investments into our roads with an unprecedented $976 mil- lion, six-year plan that leverages funding support from the federal and provincial governments. More than a decade of property tax cuts


Investing in employee education puts value back in your company. “What if we invest in our employees and


they leave us?” – CFO “What if we don’t, and they stay?” – CEO


cessful business. Te people working for an organization directly control the success or failure of a company, but also the speed of growth or level of stagnation. By investing your employees, rather than pre- paring them for something bigger, you are actually more likely to satisfy their needs as an employer and retain them. Te Association for Talent


I


nvesting in the growth of employees is the founda- t ion of building a suc-


training programs for both the technical skills that lead to innovation and increased efficiency, and also the core competencies that allow an employee to develop profes- sionally. Technology today has had


Development estimates that companies with formal train- ing programs see 218% higher income per employee and a 24% higher profit margin with than those without. It is beneficial to develop these


December 2018


Human Resources Graeme Burke


a significant impact in ef- fectiveness and efficiency of developing employees. Learning Management Sys- tems are becoming more common and can help to cut costs of training, while also streamlining the learn- ing process. Virtual Reality technologies are beginning to enter the market as well. Tis technology will enhance hands on learning, stream- lining development in many areas from skilled trades to surgical practice. Chat bots have even been designed


to address frequently asked questions in many workplaces such as in customer ser-


vice. Keeping up with technology for learn- ing and development is very important to building employee growth, however, human interaction is still very an essential part of today’s development. Externally, investing in the education


of your employees helps to retain them and helps them to add value back into the company. While it may seem to be a short- term expense that negatively effects the bottom line, the return in the long run is much more impactful. Not only does investing in employees


make them more valuable to the organi- zation, but it also helps to retain them. Contrary to common belief, employees are not looking for a free educational ride, but they are actually looking to grow with a company that shows that it cares about their professional development. Employees do want longevity with their employer, they just also want the opportunity to grow. Graeme Burke is Recruitment Consultant


at Te Headhunters. You can contact him at gburke@theheadhunters.ca.


www.manitobapost.com


and freezes left our roads in terrible shape. In the last term of Council, we more than doubled the amount of investment over the previous term of Council, and this work is going to be strengthened over the next four years. Te days of standing still and the days


of letting our city languish without a clear vision and a strong belief in who we are and what we can achieve, they’re finally behind us. And we can’t go back. As we grow our city and as we move


forward, we need to do it together. And we need to do it guided by a positive vision. We also need to ensure we don’t leave


people behind because in my Winnipeg – in our Winnipeg – a Winnipegger is a Winni- pegger, now and into the future. Tank you, merci, and miigwetch for the


opportunity to lead our city for another four years. It’s been an honour, it’s been a privilege,


and it’s been humbling. I know each of you will do your part to


keep the positive momentum going, and I’m committed over the next four years to do my part as well.


Manitoba Post 5


am humbled and honoured to have been given a stronger mandate by Win- nipeggers in the October 2018 election


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