Harper Government helps Manitoba attract international investment to secure jobs, growth and prosperity in the region

October 24, 2011

Foreign direct investment to communities is a key driver of job creation

Brandon, October 24 - Merv Tweed,  the Member of Parliament for Brandon-Souris, on behalf of the Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia Pacific Gateway, today announced that five organizations in Manitoba  will receive Government of Canada funding  to attract, retain and expand foreign direct investment.

“These organizations all play important roles in identifying and attracting job-creating foreign direct investment,” said MP Tweed. “The funding announced today will help ensure that investors from around the world look to Manitoban communities as destinations of choice for new investment opportunities. This will help create jobs and prosperity for hardworking Manitobans.”

The funding is provided under Invest Canada – Community Initiatives (ICCI) program which helps communities attract, retain and expand foreign direct investment. Across Canada, ICCI is providing funding to 99 organizations to support their efforts to attract foreign direct investment.

“It is a competitive world out there for investment attraction,” said Marina James, President and CEO, Economic development Winnipeg Inc. “ICCI helps us understand our investment advantages and get that message out to potential investors.”

Foreign investment directly benefits Canadian citizens by creating jobs, raising incomes and strengthening Canada’s competitive position. This federal support will help Canadian communities successfully attract, retain and expand foreign direct investment.

“In these globally challenging times, Canadians remain concerned about their jobs and their children’s future,” concluded Minister Fast.  “Our government has an economic plan to meet these challenges – a plan with deeper trade and low taxes as its centerpiece.  “Thanks to our government’s support for local communities, our low tax policies, our strong economic fundamentals, and our skilled, innovative workforce, Canada remains an excellent destination for new investment.”

 

In Manitoba, the community investment program will help the following initiatives:

• Central Plains Inc.’s project to profile the community on a website;

• City of Brandon’s update of its community profile and investment training;

• Economic Development Winnipeg Inc.’s market research and profiling, long-term investment strategy, promotional materials and analysis of economic data for investment profile;

• Parkland Agricultural Resource Co-op Ltd.’s development of a trade corridor; and

• Thompson Unlimited’s research and studies to build business cases, investment training and translation.

The Invest Canada - Community Initiatives program—one of the components of the Government of Canada’s Global Commerce Support Program—funds up to 50 percent of community-based activities aimed at developing and executing local investment attraction strategies. Applications are evaluated based on criteria that include the proposed strategy, project components, performance measures, work plan and the level of public-private sector partnership. Funding amounts for this year range from $3,780 to $252,500.

 

Eligible communities can apply for funding once a year following the guidelines found at Invest Canada - Community Initiatives (ICCI)