The following notes represent a consolidated record of all group discussions held in Teulon on February 9, 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?

• Serving Winnipeg’s large market

• Higher average incomes, willing to pay for a premium product such as organic food.

• Tourism opportunities from proximity to lakes, farmers' market on weekends, Oak Hammock Marsh, Narcisse snake pits, fishing, hunting (for deer, geese, moose, elk, bear), snowmobiling, antiques, trails.

• Cultural tourism is offered by Fisher River First Nation.

• Co-location of hotels with businesses and public facilities, like what was done at the CanadInn in Portage la Prairie.

• Respect from urban population for rural and farm population.

• Natural areas offer quiet.

• Can produce a variety of crops and livestock that you can add value to and sell direct.

• Ethnic market for vegetables, livestock.

• Expanding the backgrounding and finishing of cattle, using local advantages in feed, water, land base.

• Animals for medical research

• Northern Goods ships waste from geese for processing in other countries, taking away a local opportunity for processing.

• Accessing markets for bulk down from geese.

• Senior residences, healthcare, and assisted living.

• Lots of young families in the area, providing a market for products, daycare opportunities, and they would like to buy locally.

• Seniors housing and seniors’ day programs.

• Bio-diesel production units

• Bio-diesel and ethanol create byproducts that can be used as feedstock for cattle and hogs.

• Biomass energy production from manure and crop residue.

• Capitalize on waste oil from businesses for bio-energy.

• Wind power generation

• Oilseed processing

• U-pick farms

• Saskatoon berry processing and growing (SADICC is local growers group), development of new varieties and uses.

• Market gardening

• Development of moisture resistant products that would add value to farm produce.

• Interest in landscaping provides opportunities to sell plant materials.

• Development of new products and opportunities for fish in conjunction with Freshwater Fish Marketing Company, MAFRI, MICFF and other fishing communities.

• Other opportunities and uses for underutilized fish species, such as oils, nutraceuticals and bio-diesel.

• Pickerel fish skins for wallets, purses, hand bags.

• Aquaculture and caged culture.

• Quality water supply attracted Diageo to Gimli, creates opportunities for livestock and geothermal initiatives.

• Develop ground water purification products.

• Work with eco-industrial parks so that opportunities can be expanded, given proximity to Winnipeg.

• More flexibility to regulations for homebased businesses.

• Introduction of highspeed wireless service through WIMAX.

• Construction of buildings using passive solar designs.

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

•  “Red tape and hoops” to get a new venture going, not sure what is required.

• Regulations need to be enforced consistently.

• People bypassing government involvement and using their own initiative to expand ideas and markets.

• Commercial fishing industry deals with policy issues when working with Freshwater Fisheries and Natural Resources.

• Taxation is not always conducive to value-added processing.

• Manure management regulations administered by Department of Conservation, which uses heavyhanded legislation – an incentive-based approach should be used instead.

• Government promotes but gives little help.

• Finding out who to contact can be a major obstacle.

• Municipal zoning restrictions need to be reduced or eliminated, need to educate municipal staff on the importance of value-added in rural sector.

• Government has a poor understanding of rural and farm life (health, environment and safety).

• More networking is required to establish contacts between related industries.

• Need a forum, a “way,” a community volunteer to head up these new initiatives.

• Need to “think outside the box”.

• Insufficient capital and financing, need to know where to turn to when seeding funding.

• Insufficient insurance

• Insufficient skills

• Need more education and training, especially in management and trades, to keep employment here and enable more local people to work in area businesses.

• Having to pay for good labour takes extra funds; a government program to assist with labour costs for small businesses and farms would be of assistance.

• Need to look at home for labour, not overseas.

• Don’t know how or where to find partners for ventures who have both money and skills.

• Lack of time when all a producer’s energy is applied to primary production.

• Government regulations to sell and market products are numerous, differ between areas.

• Need to have more organized, formal outlets to market products.

• Marketing products is difficult, markets and market development are lacking.

• Conflicts between urban people who come to the rural area and the realities of country life, such as odour from livestock – need more education via urban 4-H clubs, exchanges with city schools, someone needs to take the initiative and teachers need to have direct exposure.

• Farmers and other rural residents are already overworked and don’t have extra time to do value-added ventures.

• Average age of farmers and time it takes to realize a profit with a new venture.

• Differences in rural municipalities’ zoning bylaws and development plans, municipalities’ hands are tied by the province in making amendments to Development Plan.

• Need more recreation programs, preferably self-sustaining, for communities and families.

• Not enough hotels and services for tourists.

• Proximity to Winnipeg limits success of hotels in the southern Interlake.

• Insurance for bed & breakfasts or farm tourism is very expensive.

• Media focuses on negatives, such as Oly West, pollution and groundwater, and influences consumer, non-farm and non-rural population.

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 support the development of value-added opportunities?

• Put Manitoba on a level playing field with other markets.

• Local stores don’t have the authority to buy local products, hands are tied by head offices.

• Larger stores require a large, consistent supply.

• Communities need to have the right attitude.

• Communities need to be organized and have volunteers.

• Communities can raise their own venture capital.

• Communities need to make opportunities for local businesses to be seen – municipal websites and other advertising puts a face to the product, Peak of the Market has very good branding.

• Promote unique local areas for tourism opportunities.

• Communities can offer tax breaks and incentives for local investment.

• Tax advantages should be comparable to the U.S.A., where principal payments are tax-deductible on investments.

• Communities can create networks with other successful communities.

• Co-ops can be province-wide, but there seems to be some resistance to forming these and any change needs to be grassroots-driven.

• Chamber of Commerce can advertise and promote business in the local media.

• Community economic development officers and agencies can assist in development and implementation of business plans, testing for soundness and monitoring for success.

• Provincial government can offer a start-up business loan or guarantee with flexible terms that meet the needs of the client and lenders.

• Municipalities can promote awareness, reduce red tape, ensure a streamlined process in order to match expectations of timeliness, and generally send the message that they are open for business.

• Communicate with legislators about barriers to doing business and work together with legislators.

• Need more government accountability

• Need to improve primary agricultural production before consideration can be given to value-added.

• More consultations should happen to discuss better ways of delivering information to producers.

• Initiatives need to be producer-driven.

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

• Develop policy with input from stakeholders.

• Flexibility of policy issues when working with Freshwater Fisheries and Natural Resources.

• Improved communications between primary producers and the different associations.

• Need ongoing production information from specialists, with MAFRI disseminating information for delivery to producers to avoid producers being overwhelmed with information overload when searching on their own.

• Education of the public regarding agriculture – the introduction of Environmental Farm Plans (EFPs) and seminars have portrayed a more positive impact and role through increased awareness and education.

• Increase public awareness of programs and institutions such as the Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI), the Canada/Manitoba Business Service Centre (CMBSC), the Women’s Business Centre, Canadian Agricultural Skills Service (CASS), Planning and Assessment for Value-Added Enterprise (PAVE), and help the public in finding the best one to suit their needs.

• Ensure that related parties, such as MAFRI, community economic development officers and NEICOM are all aware of the funding and research programs that are provided, and that this information is shared.

• Put more money into infrastructure (roads and drainage).

• National Research Council (NRC) can provide funding for research; MAFRI should be aware of these opportunities.

• MAFRI and provincial government support for on-farm alcohol production for fuel and protein for feed sources.

• Bio-diesel

• Matching program for saskatoons in terms of acres produced being matched by the government.

• A casino further from Winnipeg, tied into nature trails, camping and a whole tourist experience.

• Interpretive centre at Narcisse

• Lower Fort Garry, Hecla

• Off season (winter) tourism

• Tax breaks for new businesses.

• Feasibility studies

• Business plan, product and market development.

• Low interest, fixed rate and flexible loans, possibly supported by a loan guarantee.

• Interest-free loans for value-added opportunities to start up, as well as tax breaks.

• Additional incentives for the younger generation.

• Improved programs to assist in the transition of business from one generation to the next.

• Grants

• Cost sharing

• Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) could make money available for value-added ventures.

• Possibly regulating the price of products (price stabilization).

• Municipal newsletters and websites

• Government support for the information highway (highspeed Internet access).

• Expertise to move products forward for development.

• Partnership with larger stakeholders

• Provide support for land use planning issues and obstacles.

• “Hire a student” program, with wage sharing, to provide career starts.

• Increase awareness of rural benefits.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Entrepreneurship drives value-added development and innovation.

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

• MAFRI business development specialists help with access to global markets.

• MASC has Rural Entrepreneur Assistance (REA) program which provides loan guarantees to an enterprise (non- primary production) that adds value to the farm.

• Junior Achievement in some schools.

• Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council (MRAC) has money available for business plans and feasibility studies.

• Agri-Food Research & Development Initiative (ARDI) supports innovative research and development with matching dollars.

• REDI

• Food Development Centre (FDC)

• Export Development Corporation

• NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) has worked with local industries on new initiatives.

• Community Investment Support Program (CISP)

• Federal loan loss guarantee program

• Business Development Bank of Canada

• NEICOM Community Futures Development Corporation can co-ordinate contact between parties and individuals, and provides funding as well as technical assistance on projects.

• Super Six Community Futures Development Corporation

• Interlake Development Corporation (IDC)

• Community development corporations and specialists in individual municipalities.

• Local credit unions

• Networking of local producers

• Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP)

• Local advisory council to communicate with government.

• Participation in conferences such as Rural Forum.

• Marketing local successes and stories.

• Product and market development in niche markets.

• Realistic expectations; can’t rely on unrealistic expectations of cashflow.

• Ethanol (Eastman Biofuels Group)

• Saskatoons (SADICC)

• Planning and value-added enterprises

• Prairies East Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (PESAI) and Covering New Ground are involved with feasibility studies and other services.

• Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA) riparian project.

• Highschool apprenticeship program support.

• Infrastructure, including DSL and roads.

How can entrepreneurial development be better supported?

• Need better co-ordination between development corporations.

• Need to have one-stop shop for all the business development and funding groups.

• Healthy Living Department might be a source of money.

• Need to work interdepartmentally to pool funds and information.

• Market research for individual projects, plus making information available online.

• Research on foreign opportunities and regulations.

• FDC

• Co-op model could be improved by bringing people together with different skills.

• Find way for “old style” quarter section farm to be profitable by adding enterprrises, attracting people to live in small towns and attracting new farmers.

• More support for part time farmers.

• More support for small business entrepreneurs.

• Provide training on tasks and skills required for starting and growing a business.

• Provide training programs for older entrepreneurs, such as teaching computer skills.

• More education on how to market homebased businesses.

• Apprenticeship programs to expand local workforce.

• Increase awareness of common questions, provide factsheets for answers and support for plans.

• Develop options that set some certainty to the process so that everyone will know what is expected and when, in terms of product idea, capital and starting a business plan.

• Strike a time frame that balances what is achievable from a client perspective versus what industry expectation may be versus profitability.

• Tax incentives and favourable interest rates that do not force payments if production is below projection.

• Small business fairs to showcase local businesses.

• Internet marketing for homebased businesses.