Mr. Fawcett goes to Winnipeg

“Frison to Enter the Belly of the Beast.” That was the headline for an editorial in The Cape Breton Post in 2000 when I took a job that had me advocating for Cape Breton’s economic interests in Halifax, the provincial capital.

The dynamics are not exactly the same between Brandon and Winnipeg, but there are similarities. I learned the concept of “perimeteritis” early on when I came to Brandon. It didn’t take long to experience it first-hand in my professional life.

One thing that is the same is that one needs to work harder to ensure your interests, opportunities and issues are understood when you live outside the provincial capital.

Most private investors generally invest within 100 kilometres of where they live. The same is true of public sector investors.

In his State of the City address to the Brandon Chamber of Commerce last month, Mayor Jeff Fawcett emphasized just how much investment he has been able to attract from Ottawa and Winnipeg. He posited that it wasn’t luck or good fortune — it was hard work, hitting the road and consistently raising the issues in the city with, well, anyone that would listen.

In creating Grow Brandon this was one thing we understood — having the Government of Canada, the Province of Manitoba and other influencers at the table would be key to advancing Westman’s economic interests. In our region, there are only a handful of dedicated and passionate economic development professionals spread across multiple agencies. We need the full weight of the provincial and federal governments supporting our interests.

In creating the steering committee for Grow Brandon, this was explicitly acknowledged. The deputy minister of business, mining, trade and job creation and the assistant deputy minister of the Manitoba region for PrairiesCan, are at the table. This is intentional recognition of the need for senior public sector decision makers to be involved in economic interests the way they might be in Winnipeg.

We also have the CEOs of the Manitoba Business Council and the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce — both provincial entities with significant reach and influence. A vice-president from Manitoba Hydro is also part of the group. Hydro is probably the most important public asset in Manitoba’s economy.

That’s five out of the current 15 members who reside in Winnipeg. This is not an accident, and it’s the kind of partnership we need to ensure our interests, opportunities and issues are understood by decision makers and policy influencers.

Keeping in mind that Grow Brandon is an alliance of partners and not an economic development agency unto itself, it has a limited mandate. As part of that mandate, it works with the Brandon Chamber of Commerce to host Team Brandon events in Winnipeg every year and Ottawa every second year, and the annual economic summit being held in November.

This past March, a group of Brandon businesses and organizations went to Winnipeg for the day, holding a series of meetings, attending events and hosting a reception at the Manitoba legislature, where Westman issues were front and centre with elected officials.

Among other things, it gave organizations a chance to interact with a variety of departments including finance, municipal affairs, advanced education, economic development, immigration and agriculture.

Brandon is fortunate to receive visits from a steady stream of provincial cabinet ministers.

In general, exposure at the political level is pretty good. But we have more to do to expose senior civil servants and policy influencers to the possibilities for Brandon. Events like this help tell that story, and work in concert with the efforts Mayor Fawcett described in his State of the City address.

Two years ago, we also took a delegation to Ottawa. Interestingly enough, a small delegation of provincial organizations just went on a Team Manitoba mission to Ottawa last month. It was the first time they had done it. I was fortunate to join them, but it wasn’t lost on me that this is an area where Brandon had led the way previously.

For Grow Brandon, if we can partner with provincial missions to Ottawa, this strengthens our message and opens doors. I look forward to Brandon playing a bigger role in future events in partnership with provincial organizations.

I commend the mayor for his sustained focus on bringing the Government of Canada and the Province of Manitoba to the table as partners, and not simply treating them as lobby targets. Understanding the interests of federal, provincial and municipal governments, as well as Indigenous governments, is key to creating alignment and looking for opportunities in economic development.

I have a friend who often says “awareness builds sales.” Brandon has a lot of opportunity. We need to keep building the awareness. This will undoubtedly keep building sales.