‘Ready to respond’: Winnipeg Forward progress in spotlight

Winnipeg Economic Development & Tourism is working to enhance the Manitoba capital’s competitiveness and readiness to attract investment as it pursues its five-year strategy for economic and tourism growth. Amanda Macdonald, chief operating officer, emphasized that the city should be on investors’ shortlists and prepared to act swiftly when opportunities arise.

To achieve this, WEDT has been collaborating with local developers, real estate firms, and other partners to create an investment readiness program. This includes establishing benchmarks aligned with global best practices, developing an online catalogue of investment-ready properties, and implementing a single-window process for managing investment opportunities.

Additionally, WEDT recently convened an international site selector who noted that Winnipeg and Manitoba are often disqualified early in the process, indicating the need for improvement in this area. The five-year strategy, launched a year ago, aims to boost Winnipeg’s competitiveness, elevate its global profile, and drive citywide prosperity by creating 11,000 jobs and adding $3.4 billion to the city’s economy by 2030.

WEDT has already connected with companies from Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Poland that are considering expansion into North America, and supported over 365 businesses with various tasks. The agency also facilitated the approval of more than 160 bids for national and international events, successfully attracting 67 of them, including the recent World Indigenous Business Forum.

Moving forward, WEDT plans to launch a refreshed website and marketing campaign, conduct surveys to inform its destination development strategy, and develop a brand framework to better communicate Winnipeg’s unique attributes.