Pallister wants to get better bang for economic development buck

The province is going to try and change how economic development programs work in Manitoba.

Premier Brian Pallister said for too long, money has been spent inefficiently without a lot of results.

Using findings from a Deloitte report to guide them, Pallister has established a team to come up with a new strategy, led by former Chamber of Commerce CEO Dave Angus and PayWorks founder Barb Gamey.

“We’ve got to be able to adjust and respond,” Pallister said. “We can’t just run the same programs we’ve been running, that were handed to us two years ago when we became government, and expect different results. We know what that’s the definition of.”

The report pointed to overlapping mandates from economic development agencies, and a lack of coordination between levels of government.

“Our role is, at least in part, to create an environment where people are willing to put capital at risk in our province,” Pallister explained.

“The best tax incentive that we can offer is more money on the kitchen tables of Manitoba families so they have money to spend and invest.”

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To address the overlap noted by the report, Angus insisted that existing agencies shouldn’t be worried about their future.

“There is excitement in all of those organizations about the potential of having an economic strategy that aligns everybody, that facilitates collaboration. There’s a lot of great assets within those organizations that need to be assessed through this process but they’re part of the benefactors of this.”

Angus also pointed to existing gaps that could be addressed by reallocating the resources diverted to get rid of overlap. He gave examples such as drawing in capital and creating skill-based post-secondary programs that are aligned with the economy.