Manitoba’s premier and one of her cabinet ministers are taking a whirlwind trip to three Northern Manitoba communities to talk tourism and the economy with residents of the region and a diplomatic delegation.
Premier Heather Stefanson and Economic Development Minister Cliff Cullen are in Churchill Oct. 13 to witness Lazy Bear Expeditions unveil a new beluga whale-viewing boat and to meet with other tour operators, town officials and the Arctic Gateway Group, which owns the Port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay Railway that is receiving up to $73 million from the province for upgrades, as announced this summer.
“Building up our northern economy is essential to our province’s success and thanks to the leadership of the premier, this historic partnership with Canada and AGG will create jobs and provide opportunities for tourism, international trade and future economic growth of the region,” said Cullen in a news release.
Stefanson and Cullen will also meet with diplomats from countries including Germany, Brazil and Iceland to learn about and promote tourism opportunities in the Hudson Bay port town, known as the polar bear capital of the world.
“Manitoba is open for business and our government’s Look North strategy is committed to working collaboratively with our community and economic development partners to facilitate economic growth and build a prosperous future for all Manitobans,” said Stefanson. “I had the privilege of travelling throughout most of the province this summer to listen to Manitobans and take action on their priorities. I look forward to continuing that engagement with Northern Manitobans over the next few days in the spirit of reconciliation, collaboration and co-operation.”
The second day of the tour will see the premier and Cullen in Thompson, where they will visit the Ford extreme cold weather testing site and the GLACIER jet engine icing testing facility south of town. They will also meet with representatives of Communities Economic Development Fund to talk about the continued implementation of the Look Northern regional economic development plan and with Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation Chief Angela Levasseur.
The tour will conclude later on Oct. 14 in Flin Flon, where the premier and minister will tour the University College of the North nurse training facility, which received $4.3 million to add places for more students in December of last year, and meet with leaders of the Northern Manitoba Mining Academy. The stop in Flin Flon will also include a meeting with members of the city’s arts and culture community to promote the $100-million Arts, Culture and Sport in Community fund and discuss how the province can support the growth of the arts and culture sector in the north.
