‘Move to make Manitoba more competitive’

To drive investment into Manitoba, the provincial government is promising to open a new economic development agency.

Budget 2026 outlines a provincewide agency with “single-window access” to services and programs for potential investors.

“Having one organization that can spearhead that on behalf of … all regions of the province is a good move to make Manitoba more competitive,” Business Minister Jamie Moses said.

Area-specific economic development agencies dot the province. The landscape is fragmented, several private-sector leaders told the Free Press.

“There’s not one sort of co-ordinating body to pull (the agencies) together to make sure that if a business is coming into Manitoba, they know exactly where to go,” said Chuck Davidson, president of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce.

Manitoba’s private sector has pushed for an overarching agency for the past decade, Davidson said.

The new agency stems from recommendations made by the premier’s business and jobs council. It also follows a visit from 19 European Union ambassadors last spring, Moses said.

The diplomats inquired about a central economic development agency, similar to Invest Ontario, which touts itself as supporting companies from “idea to execution.”

Few details are available about the incoming agency. Moses’s department will likely work with groups advising the premier’s business and jobs council, including the Manitoba chambers, to build the agency’s framework.

The cost tied to the agency, its scope and a timeline for launch will come later, Moses said. The hub will include export development and trade promotion, Budget 2026 states.

The agency is one of the bright spots in a largely lacklustre budget for business, Davidson said.

“We understand where the government was going in regard to affordability for the average Manitoban,” he said Tuesday, noting the retail sales tax cut on groceries. “What we didn’t see was that businesses are also challenged with that affordability.”

Companies are grappling with inflation and uncertainty as trade ties shift across the globe. More than 70 per cent of Manitoba exports land in the United States, which has been viewed as an unstable trading partner over the past year.

The new agency is meant to place Manitoba on the radar of companies internationally, Moses said: “While we continue to strengthen our relationship with our largest trading partner, we also want to explore and expand into other jurisdictions.”

A patchwork of economic development resources means businesses often don’t get loans, land for development and other necessities fast enough, said Bram Strain, Business Council of Manitoba president.

“I think we may have lost a few opportunities,” he said of inbound investments. “When things are fragmented, it takes longer, regardless of how well-intentioned or well-organized folks are.

“The speed of business does not avail itself of that. It needs to move much quicker.”

It’s too soon to tell if current economic development agencies will be displaced, noted Strain, who’s part of the premier’s business and jobs council.

The goal seems to be to “make sure they’re properly aligned” in promoting Manitoba, he added.

Winnipeg Economic Development & Tourism, the capital city’s economic agency, gave its stamp of approval: “This is a positive step and a clear signal of the province’s focus on strengthening Manitoba’s economic competitiveness,” president Ryan Kuffner wrote in a statement.

Economic Development Brandon and Rural Manitoba Economic Development also expressed support.

A provincewide economic development hub would help smaller municipalities reach markets “that are otherwise beyond their reach,” Gerald Cathcart, City of Brandon director of economic development, wrote in an email.

Margot Cathcart, chief executive of Rural Manitoba Economic Development, said she doesn’t anticipate a negative impact to her organization. A provincial agency will supplement RMED’s work, she said.

Konrad Narth, the Tory economic development critic, showed skepticism Thursday: “If it’s another level of bureaucracy … it misses the mark.”

Budget 2026 includes $500,000 for the Manitoba chambers to work with its peers in Saskatchewan and Alberta on interprovincial trade paths.

Manitoba is also promising a trade and diversification plan this spring. It’ll focus on reducing reliance on the U.S.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com