We’ve worked hard for this recognition

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This article was published 04/03/2022 (1331 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LAST October, Winnipeg was named the 2021 Intelligent Community of the Year by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), a global think-tank. The accolade was officially bestowed months ago, but Winnipeg will retain the title for a year.

It is a big deal — something the team at Economic Development Winnipeg and staff at the City of Winnipeg worked hard on and evolved since our first submission in 2011. On Feb. 24, Winnipeg was once again on the world stage, co-hosting the ICF’s virtual conference, titled “How cities and regions can restore a culture of human connection” and unveiling the announcement of the Smart21 Communities for 2022.

The ICF is backed by a roster of thought leaders that includes Michael Bloomberg, Canada’s Jim Ballsillie, former Cisco and IBM exec Nicola Villa and a global network of cities and regions. Its mission is to recognize communities that find a new path to economic growth in a digital age — one that creates inclusivity and prosperity, tackles social challenges and enriches the quality of life for everyone in the community.

It’s not just technology that makes a community “intelligent”; it’s how a community works collaboratively, to work smarter and move the needle forward on a number of things: connectivity, engagement, inclusive education and career opportunities, innovation and efforts to make that city more sustainable.

In 2021, Winnipeg checked every box.

While a considerable number of companies, economic and business organizations and educational institutions that took part in our submission were incredibly proud of this achievement, there were some in this city who scoffed at the recognition.

This is unfortunate, because in the few moments it took to be dismissive, they callously minimized all the years of hard work that earned us this title. We need to do a better job of helping Winnipeggers understand that world-renowned work is being done right now in the heart of the Prairies. This is not an award that a city can “buy” — you have to earn it by emulating the best of the above-stated criteria.

For those who would mock or question how Winnipeg could be named the world’s Most Intelligent Community, please consider some of the reasons why we were chosen:

Some of the companies we highlighted, including Bold Commerce, Cypher Environmental, SkipTheDishes, Farmers Edge, Ubisoft, RBC, Bell MTS and PayWorks, are attracted to this city and invest here because of the strong talent and ecosystem we offer in Winnipeg and Manitoba.

Our nimble post-secondary institutions (University of Manitoba, University of Winnipeg, Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology, RRC Polytechnic, University of Brandon) and organizations such as North Forge Technology Exchange, Tech Manitoba and New Media Manitoba work tirelessly to make sure we’re highly educated, skilled and at the forefront in so many sectors.

Winnipeg has always had intelligent and collaborative ideas. Winnipeggers don’t shy away from a problem, and from grassroots to boardrooms they come together and tackle root problems of disparity in order to create new opportunities for marginalized groups in our community.

The Sisler High School’s CREATE program in Winnipeg’s North End has been mentioned in several of our submissions, because it keeps adapting and getting more world-renowned every year. Students are exposed to everything from film and animation to game design and graphic design; some of its former students have worked on award-winning movies or secured work at film and animation studios such as Amblin or Atomic.

Last year, Winnipeggers and United Way Winnipeg gave $25.4 million in direct investments to 100 community organizations, including the Winnipeg Boldness Project. It uses social innovation tools to research and develop new ideas to improve outcomes for young children in the Point Douglas community. It was featured in our submission.

When we hosted ICF judges virtually, we also highlighted the U of W’s Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre, which connects youth and residents in the Spence neighborhood to technology, opportunities and a powerful sense of community.

The truth is we couldn’t showcase every incredible project going on in our city; there are just too many. What a great problem to have. And that’s my point — there are so many truly amazing things going on and equally impressive people behind them. Learn about them. Celebrate them.

In this era of high connectivity, an accolade such as this matters for attracting new businesses and opportunities.

This acknowledgement comes on the heels of Winnipeg grabbing international and national attention for being named one of The World’s Greatest Places of 2021 by Time magazine and one of the Top 20 Best Locations to Invest by Site Selection magazine.

The world is taking notice. We need to start acknowledging that we worked hard to get this attention, and we deserve it.

Dayna Spiring is president and CEO of Economic Development Winnipeg.