Five municipalities sign MOU creating economic corridor on PR 210

Five southeastern Manitoba municipalities have signed a memorandum of understanding to turn Provincial Road 210 into a bilingual economic corridor.

The Rural Municipalities of Ste Anne, Tache, La Broquerie, Piney and Ritchot partnered to develop the more than 100 kilometres of road and attract industrial investment, a March 11 press release said.

Piney Reeve Wayne Anderson views PR 210 as a direct route and necessary for improving the municipal economies it passes through.

“We’ve made this committee, which will look after regional interests, rather than just the individual interests of each municipality. We look for things that benefit the whole region,” he said.

Anderson hopes to turn the region into a “French corridor” by highlighting the route and improving bilingual business opportunities. Industries like tourism stand to gain from the new partnership, he said.

Improving the road quality is an immediate priority for the partnership, Anderson noted.

“These days, the trucks are bigger and loads are heavier,” he said. “Gone are the days when the farmer takes a half-ton truck full of milk to the creamery.”

The corridor puts the partnered communities “on the map” and creates a collective voice when appealing to provincial and federal governments for investment, Anderson said.

“They (federal and provincial governments) have no idea of the how our local French-speaking communities work, and how close they are together. Eventually, if we don’t promote some some identity to them, they will disappear,” he said.

He hopes to launch a naming contest to add an identity to the road, but no date or plans have been set.

The Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities also signed onto the MOU to further develop the corridor.

President and La Broquerie Reeve Ivan Normandeau said while no plans on improvements were made, the agreement is a positive sign because it shares resources to fund and attract investment.

“By pooling ourselves together, we’re hopefully going to have more buying power,” he said.

Ritchot Mayor Chris Ewen said the partnership will share resources between the municipalities while creating a larger strategy for recruiting businesses, generating employment and developing the pathway.

“When you work with regional or neighbouring municipalities, there’s a lot more opportunities to grow stronger and faster,” he said.

Ratepayers can expect to see more ways to purchase goods and find employment in their municipality as industry and businesses are attracted to the region, Ewen said.

Elisabeth Saftiuk, Manitoba Chambers of Commerce’s vice president of policy and government relations, viewed the partnership as positive news for the region and Manitoba.

“From our perspective, no single municipality can go at this alone,” she said. “So working together, in our mind, creates the scale and clarity that investors are looking for.”

When investors look at the region for development, interconnected infrastructure and clear plans for growth, such as proper zoning, are key factors when deciding where to build or spend money, she said, and the MOU allows for that municipal alignment.

Focusing on roadways such as PR 210 are important because it improves trade routes for markets and are crucial for economic competitiveness, supply chain efficiency and business growth, Saftiuk said.

The partnership sends signals to both provincial and federal governments that the municipalities are coordinated and cooperating with each other, which can make it more appealing for government and private dollars for infrastructure upgrades.

As international trade and business casts uncertainty, with blocked trade routes and tariffs disrupting the global economy, strengthening domestic infrastructure and business is needed to build resilience, Saftiuk said. The benefit from municipal partnership extends to existing businesses as it bolsters the infrastructure locals rely on and improves efficiency for current resources like agriculture and critical minerals.

“We strongly support this partnership. When municipalities work together, they strengthen their ability to attract investment advance infrastructure and compete more effectively,” she said.

“This kind of coordinated approach is exactly what’s needed to position regions like southeastern Manitoba for long term economic growth.”