Latest News

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Yes, Winnipeg, 1,208 jobs have been created

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 11/30/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Bill Morrissey of Yes! Winnipeg is confident his group will help create 4,200 new jobs by 2015. (RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES) Photo Store

Related Items

Articles
- City retail complex to be one of largest geothermal sites in North America

A two-year-old economic development organization whose goal was to help create 4,200 new jobs in Winnipeg by the end of 2015 is well on its way to reaching its target, its top executive said Thursday.

Yes! Winnipeg leader Bill Morrissey told about 150 people attending the private-sector organization's annual meeting that it needed to help create at least 1,175 direct jobs in its first two years to stay on pace for 4,200 new jobs by the end of its five-year initiative.

And with a month still to go in year two, it has already hit 1,208, he added.

Yes! Winnipeg, which operates under Economic Development Winnipeg, Inc., hopes to achieve its goal in four ways -- by helping local entrepreneurs launch new ventures here, by helping existing firms expand their operations here, by helping attract new companies to the city, and by helping convince existing businesses that are thinking about leaving to stay.

Morrissey said 454 of the 1,208 new jobs were created as a result of local expansions, 368 were created by newcomers to the city, 329 were from new start-up ventures, and 57 were from company retentions.

He said the organization's 45 "successes" to date include a variety of different types of companies. Some of the examples he cited were Traffilog, an Israeli company that opened a North American office here to offer web- and cellular-based fleet management services to trucking firms and other transportation-related businesses; Vesta Home Delivery, a Dallas-based firm that opened a Canadian office here after landing the contract to deliver and assemble furniture for customers of the newly opened IKEA store in Winnipeg; Nordik Spa-Nature, a Quebec company that is opening a new spa on the former Crescent Drive Golf Course; and Whiteshell Dairy Foods Ltd, a new commercial cheese plant South American immigrant Pedro Campayo has opened in the city's North End.

Morrissey said Yes! Winnipeg's 11-member team has another 36 "active possibilities" it will be pursuing in 2013.

They include ongoing efforts to attract a new Centre of Excellence for Grains Research and Commercialization to Winnipeg; and ongoing efforts by the Winnipeg-based International Institute for Sustainable Development to establish a new joint venture which would harvest phosphorus-rich cattails and bulrushes from marshes that drain into Lake Winnipeg and convert them into ethanol, biomass fuels and organic fertilizers.

IISD official Hank Venema said the initiative, which would also reduce phosphorus levels in the lake, completed a large harvest experiment in the Netley-Libau March this year. Now it needs to raise enough money to conduct a full-blown commercial feasibility/resource-assessment study.

Venema said they're hoping to begin the study in 2013.

-- Murray McNeill

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 30, 2012 B6

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Latest News

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.