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Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives

Creating Opportunities

Public Consultation
Ashern - March 2, 2006

The following notes represent a consolidated record of all group discussions held in Ashern on March 2, 2006. The final Creating Opportunities report reflects the input received at this and other consultations held throughout Manitoba.

Opportunities | Supports | Entrepreneurship

OPPORTUNITIES

A number of value-added opportunities exist in Manitoba.

What opportunities exist for value-added business in this area?

  • Abundant land is available for forestry, agricultural production, and wetlands.
  • Year-round tourism, including cottaging, sport fishing, snowmobiling, agri-tourism, recreational parks, and tour packages that include visits to local attractions such as caves, snake dens and the commercial fishery.
  • Promotion of the local quality of life, including public safety, could attract new residents.
  • Rural residential development
  • Lafarge Canada offers potential for attracting tourists and a workforce from outside the community.
  • Agricultural diversification, including organic production and introduction of new crops and livestock.
  • Production of both farm and non-farm equipment, including specialized equipment to support new agricultural practices.
  • Increased local hog production, especially straw-based.
  • Promotion of alternative livestock, including elk and bison.
  • New processing and marketing initiatives for existing livestock, such as organic and natural meats, and processing of meat by-products.
  • Processing of other agricultural and non-agricultural products.
  • Branding of agricultural products
  • Pet food production
  • The Rancher’s Choice Beef Co-op, and smallscale beef processing plants, offer the prospect of developing the local cattle processing capacity.
  • Increased grass and forage seed production.
  • Harvesting of peat moss in the Riverton area.
  • Marketing of fresh fish
  • New markets for underutilized fish species and rough fish, such as “prairie salmon” (canned mullet), or for organic fertilizers and pesticides.
  • Enhancement of the sport fishery.
  • Sale of water
  • Quarrying of mineral resources
  • Alternative energy production, including bio-energy and wind power.
  • Aboriginal craft products, such as clothing.
  • Processing of recyclable products
  • Internet-based businesses
  • Cooperative education
  • There is a desire for opportunities to reduce income tax or increase tax credits.

What is preventing the area from taking advantage of these opportunities?

  • Government red tape
  • Labelling regulations for honey and dairy products.
  • Bureaucratic barriers and practical difficulties in developing cottage lots.
  • Some municipalities do not understand the process of community development toward long-term development goals.
  • Lack of vision
  • Lack of money for research and development, and feasibility studies.
  • Lack of support for economic development organizations, and limited funding for community development corporations, compared to regional agencies.
  • Difficulty obtaining loans from both private and public lending institutions, especially for younger persons.
  • Difficulty matching the development incentives that are being offered in other jurisdictions.
  • Lack of infrastructure (paved roads, railways, natural gas pipelines, cellular and highspeed internet services) need to support small local projects in rural areas.
  • Poor or decaying quality of existing infrastructure.
  • Lack of cluster development in some areas.
  • Lack of accommodations
  • High cost of freight
  • Fuel prices
  • The high cost of developing processing initiatives for underutilized fish species, and the resultant tight profit margins.
  • Lack of confidence or motivation required to start a new business.
  • Reluctance of some individuals to develop written business plans.
  • The need for training in business development skills.
  • Lack of skilled labour for trades, due in part to small number of apprenticeships and lack of secondary school preparation for trades.
  • The lack of a workforce in some areas.
  • Migration of existing workforce to Alberta.
  • Small population base
  • Unwillingness of some youth to participate in the workforce.
  • Limited capacity of volunteers, due in part to ageing population, lack of personal time and burnout of most active volunteers.
  • External shocks to local markets.
  • Crop insurance doesn’t cover some specialty seed production.
  • Shoreline subdivisions
  • Mining or peat moss leases that are held for years without any extraction activities, to prevent competitors moving in.

SUPPORTS

Communities, industry and government can support value-added development in a number of ways.

What can the community and industry do to promote and to support the development of value-added opportunities?

  • Welcome new business by cutting red tape, innovative taxation (providing flexible taxes, tax incentives or tax shelters), providing a youth loan program or showcasing success stories.
  • More community roundtable meetings and workshops.
  • Community financial investments
  • Community cataloguing and mapping for profiles, to provide information for prospective investors.
  • Maintenance of community services and amenities.
  • Involve young people in community activities.
  • Facilitate better communication within the community.
  • The various boards in the area can pull together and share ideas, using Internet group communication or chat rooms to maintain personal contact.
  • Resolve existing language and cultural issues to enable communities to move forward.
  • Promote the distinct culture of each community.
  • Encourage involvement from Aboriginals.
  • Encourage mentoring of young entrepreneurs.
  • Develop skilled workforce in community, with training in vocational and entrepreneurial skills.
  • Enable industries to assume more risk.
  • Explore the possibility of municipal amalgamation.
  • Create databases of local residents with special skills and experiences.
  • Continued operation of the Canada/Manitoba Business Service Centre.

Which government activities would be the most effective in supporting value-added development?

  • Providing more dollars for feasibility studies, technical training and market development.
  • A more attractive funding formula for infrastructure.
  • Allow expanded eligibility for grants
  • Remove penalties that apply if a project is started prior to funding approval.
  • Advise those who do not qualify for funding of other sources of support.
  • Eliminate the requirement that Community Development Corporations (CDCs) hire CPAs for audits, thus freeing more funds for delivery to the community.
  • Reconsider land use regulations.
  • Streamline government regulations, eliminating red tape.
  • Promote new home- and farmbased businesses.
  • Allow funding programs to accept “in kind” contributions.
  • Eliminate waiting lists for government programs.
  • Improve highway and road infrastructure.
  • Allow implementation of a payroll tax.
  • Developing youth retention programs that provide incentive for youth to come back to the community.
  • Encourage the participation of seniors, with government grants or a Green Team for seniors.
  • Apprenticeship and training programs
  • Make existing programs more available by increased promotion, via a publication listing program, and increased communication between all levels of government.
  • Entering into public/private partnerships.
  • Offering more community development workshops.
  • More services similar to the Food Development Centre (FDC), such as for promotion of manufacturing centres.
  • Development of business incubator centres.
  • Encourage people to come in when they have an idea, instead of requiring a complete business plan.
  • Create opportunities for networking of individuals with similar ideas and interests.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Entrepreneurship drives value-added development and innovation.

What specific efforts or programs are currently being pursued in this region to support entrepreneurial development?

  • Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) provide funding for disabled entrepreneurs and awards to promote entrepreneurship.
  • Fieldstone Ventures provides adult learning programs and is recognized as Manitoba best training program. Campus Manitoba offers postsecondary distance education opportunities.
  • The fish enhancement group is trying to improve sport fishing opportunities.
  • Co-op programs are available at the highschool level.
  • MAFRI provides 4-H, Junior Achievement and Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) programs aimed at local youth.
  • Recognition of local stores that buy 4-H calves and market them through their stores.
  • Financial institutions are a source of loans.
  • CDCs and regional development corporations provide assistance and programs to aid entrepreneurs.
  • Chambers of Commerce promote business interests.
  • Scholarships provided by local municipalities and the game and fish association provide support for youth pursuing postsecondary education.
  • Interlake Tourism Association awards recognize achievement in the tourism industry.
  • Providing saskatoons for a menu item at the Smithsonian Museum.
  • Ongoing activities of the Super Six and NEICOM CFDCs.
  • RMs are to develop the lakefront.
  • Strategic planning is taking place.
  • Ongoing activities at FDC.
  • New Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) lending programs.
  • Canadian Agricultural Skills Service (CASS) programs.

How can entrepreneurial development be better supported?

  • Cabinet road tours
  • A provincial SWAT team that can be reached quickly and achieve results to help with initiatives such as Rancher’s Choice, cottage development or elimination of red tape.
  • Continuation of Rural Forum
  • A rural career symposium, with the active participation of public institutions, private enterprise and local schools.
  • School courses that teach entrepreneurial skills.
  • More information sessions on marketing and bookkeeping.
  • 4-H programs, to instill self-confidence and self-esteem.
  • Strategic planning that follows through with resources, accountability and people.
  • Open for Business infrastructure needed to attract new business, and could benefit from support by municipal governments.
  • Communities could catalogue their assets.
  • Marketing initiatives focused on promoting the community.
  • Local government could offer tax incentives or shelters, and other business incentive grants to help attract entrepreneurs.
  • Small business incubators could be set up in each community.
  • Increased federal infrastructure support.
  • Provision of affordable housing units.
  • A public forum could be held to report the results of this consultation process back to the community.
  • Tax breaks or tax incentive programs.