Annual General Meeting of the Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM) Date: Thursday, October 6, 2011 Place: Île-des-Chênes Community Centre (1 Rivard St., Île-des-Chênes, Manitoba) Time: 4:30 p.m. Registration 5:00 pm Business Meeting 6:30 p.m. Dinner and networking PROPOSED A G E N D A 1. Welcoming Remarks - Mr. Marc Marion, Chairman AMBM 2. Greetings – Special Guests 3. Election of a Chairperson 4. Approval of Agenda 5. Approval of Annual General Meeting Minutes dated October 7, 2010 6. Chairman’s Report – AMBM (Mr. Marc Marion) 7. Executive Director’s Report – AMBM (Mr. Louis Tétrault) 8. Approval of 2010– 2011 Financial Report (AMBM) 9. Appointment of Auditors (AMBM) 10. Chairman’s Report – CDEM (Mr. Paul Grenier) 11. 2010– 2011 Activity Report – CDEM (Mr. Louis Allain) 12. C3A Presentation 13. 2010– 2011 Financial Report (CDEM) 14. Recognition of past Board members of AMBM and CDEM 15. Other business 16. Adjournment Note: Simultaneous translation will be available
Transcript
Annual General Meeting of the Association of Manitoba
Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM)
Date: Thursday, October 6, 2011 Place: Île-des-Chênes Community Centre (1 Rivard St., Île-des-Chênes, Manitoba) Time: 4:30 p.m. Registration 5:00 pm Business Meeting 6:30 p.m. Dinner and networking
PROPOSED A G E N D A
1. Welcoming Remarks - Mr. Marc Marion, Chairman AMBM
2. Greetings – Special Guests 3. Election of a Chairperson 4. Approval of Agenda
5. Approval of Annual General Meeting Minutes dated October 7, 2010
6. Chairman’s Report – AMBM (Mr. Marc Marion)
7. Executive Director’s Report – AMBM (Mr. Louis Tétrault) 8. Approval of 2010– 2011 Financial Report (AMBM) 9. Appointment of Auditors (AMBM)
14. Recognition of past Board members of AMBM and CDEM 15. Other business
16. Adjournment
Note: Simultaneous translation will be available
AMBM/CDEM Annual General Meeting– Thursday, October 7, 2010 Page 1 Page 1
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Association for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM) Thursday, October 7, 2010
6:00 p.m. Centre culturel franco-manitobain
340 Provencher Boulevard, St. Boniface, Manitoba
1. WELCOMING REMARKS
Emcee Alain Laurencelle launched the evening’s proceedings under the banner of Réseaux en action, or networks in action. He began by inviting AMBM secretary Réal Curé to say a few words in tribute to the late Philippe Fafard from the Village of St. Lazare, who served on the AMBM board of directors for eight years, starting in 2002. Mr. Fafard, who passed away on April 7, 2010, will be remembered as a passionate individual who was devoted to his community and a leader who skilfully handled the most sensitive issues. There was a short visual presentation in honour of his memory.
2. CALL TO ORDER AMBM secretary Réal Curé and CDEM president Paul Grenier welcomed everyone to the annual meeting.
3. GREETINGS – DISTINGUISHED GUESTS
CDEM president Paul Grenier invited the Honourable Ron Lemieux, Minister responsible for Local Government, to come forward and deliver his greetings on behalf of the Government of Manitoba. Mr. Lemieux said he was pleased to represent Premier Greg Selinger at the meeting. He told us that this year's theme was very appropriate and said that the government was doing its best to move issues forward in partnership with the AMBM and CDEM. He stressed that Premier Selinger is committed to Manitoba's bilingual municipalities. Mr. Lemieux acknowledged the leadership of the AMBM and CDEM boards and underscored the wonderful job done by their members. He paid tribute to Jean Beaumont and welcomed Louis Tétrault, indicating that the transition in leadership had been seamless. He congratulated both organizations for their
AMBM/CDEM Annual General Meeting– Thursday, October 7, 2010 Page 2 Page 2
visionary undertakings that include green projects, the cultural industry and business creation. The Homecoming event was a great success. He concluded by saying that Premier Selinger sent his greetings. Paul Grenier thanked the Honourable Ron Lemieux. The emcee read the greetings on behalf of the federal government from Shelly Glover, Member of Parliament for St. Boniface and Parliamentary Secretary for Indian Affairs and Northern Development Canada, who was unable to attend the annual meeting. In her greetings, Ms. Glover noted that CDEM and the AMBM are doing a remarkable job in the province’s bilingual municipalities. She also indicated that the two organizations had ensured the effective development of resources by promoting and raising the profile of entrepreneurship. She commended the efforts to promote the two official languages. The president of the Société franco-manitobaine, Ibrahima Diallo, was then invited to say a few words. Mr. Diallo said that he liked the AGM theme and noted that it is very inspiring. He reminded us that we can accomplish much more together than alone. He recognized the importance of networking in our community through communication, partnership, mutual assistance, support and so on. He concluded by offering his sincere congratulations to the AMBM, CDEM and their partners for their wonderful work in our bilingual municipalities. The emcee thanked Ibrahima Diallo and invited Réal Curé to come forward to introduce the president of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM), Doug Dobrowolski. Mr. Dobrowolski told the assembly that the Association of Manitoba Municipalities is a common voice that represents all of Manitoba's 198 municipalities. He noted that the AMBM and the AMM are effective joint lobbyists. He was pleased that four bilingual municipalities are taking part in the Community-Led Emissions Reduction Program (CLER). He concluded by wishing Jean Beaumont all the best and by welcoming Louis Tétrault.
Mr. Curé thanked Mr. Dobrowolski for his address. The emcee thanked the distinguished guests in attendance at the AGM: Blaine
Pederson, MLA for Carman; Cliff Graydon, MLA for Emerson; Raymond Poirier, Member of the Order of Canada; Gilles Croze, President and Roger Lavoie, Executive Director of RDÉE Canada; Joe Masi, Executive Director of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities; Marilyn Robinson and her team from the Manitoba Lotteries Corporation; Daniel Boucher, President and CEO of the Société franco-
AMBM/CDEM Annual General Meeting– Thursday, October 7, 2010 Page 3 Page 3
manitobaine; Mariette Mulaire, President and CEO of ANIM (who on September 29, 2010 was awarded the Ordre des francophones d’Amérique); Michel Boucher, Vice-President and Denis Ferré, Executive Director of the Division scolaire franco-manitobaine; Kim Jasper, Director of Marketing and Partnerships, Canadian Museum for Human Rights; all the elected officials and administrators of the 17 member municipalities of the AMBM as well as a number of provincial and federal civil servants who work regularly with the AMBM and CDEM.
Alain Laurencelle pointed out that the evening's theme was the strength of networks. He said that to illustrate the importance of networks, three videos on AMBM and CDEM projects would be presented to the assembly during the evening, and went on to present the first video on regionalization. At this point, Mr. Laurencelle reviewed the evening’s agenda: AGM of the AMBM, CDEM reports and the wine and cheese reception. He noted that the wine had been graciously provided by the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission and would be served by MLCC representative Arthur Arpin and his team. Catering services were provided by Le Paladin restaurant.
Alain Laurencelle invited the AMBM secretary Réal Curé to proceed with the official
part of the meeting, which he did after establishing that a quorum was present. 5. ELECTION OF A MEETING CHAIR
MOTION: Roger Vermette/Louis Roy
"THAT Alain Laurencelle act as the meeting chair."
CARRIED
6. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA
MOTION: Claude Moquin/Denis Fillion
"THAT the agenda be adopted as presented."
CARRIED
7. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF OCTOBER 8, 2009
8.
MOTION: Claude Lafond/Ghislain Dupuis
"THAT the minutes of the Annual General Meeting dated October 8, 2009 be approved as presented."
CARRIED 9. REPORT OF THE AMBM PRESIDENT – RÉAL CURÉ, SECRETARY
Mr. Laurencelle gave the floor to Réal Curé to present the report of the AMBM president.
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Mr. Curé informed us that Marc Marion was unable to attend the meeting and sent his regrets. He was pleased to see the government and bilingual community representatives in attendance. He highlighted the fact that the AMBM was celebrating its 15th anniversary of incorporation. He thanked Canadian Heritage for its continued support and the Province of Manitoba for funding special projects in our communities. He gratefully acknowledged the AMBM’s partners, namely the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). He also stressed the importance of the October 27 municipal elections and encouraged everyone to vote in their bilingual municipalities. He noted that after eight years in office, Jean Beaumont retired on April 1, 2010 as executive director at the AMBM. He recognized him as an exemplary Canadian role model and announced that a special celebration would be held in his honour later in the fall. He said that on behalf of the AMBM, it was a great privilege for him to introduce AMBM’s new executive director, Louis Tétrault, who is very familiar with the territory and the key players. He concluded by applauding the work done by CDEM’s board of directors and executive director Louis Allain. He noted that CDEM’s consistent results were tangible evidence of the extent to which it supports the economic development of our communities at a number of levels. MOTION: Réal Curé/Luc Nadeau
"THAT the AMBM President’s report be received as information."
CARRIED
The AMBM’s executive director Louis Tétrault then presented his report. Mr. Tétrault was thrilled to be speaking as the new executive director of the AMBM. He noted that the AMBM’s 15th anniversary celebration took him back to his roots as one of the organization’s founders in 1995. He was pleased to present his annual report in tabloid format, explaining that this new style was more effective at explaining AMBM’s role as the unifying voice of Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities to the general population. He clearly illustrated the scope of the network surrounding the AMBM. He also explained the economic impact of injecting $176,000 of new money into Manitoba's bilingual municipalities in 2009-2010. He noted that the new web portal (www.directionmanitoba.com) was launched at the CDEM booth during the Centrallia business to business forum on October 20, 2010. This site will give greater visibility to the bilingual municipalities in Manitoba. He announced that future projects included the AMBM’s strategic planning and setting up the CDC Network. These two projects will be formalized at the Forum for bilingual municipalities in Manitoba scheduled for March 2011. He concluded by thanking the members of the AMBM executive committee and board of directors. He also thanked the AGM organizers and contract workers for their excellent work as well as Louis Allain for his continued collaboration. He extended a special thank you to the elected municipal officials for their support and for raising the profile of their association.
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MOTION: Bernard Vermette/Claude Lafond
“THAT the AMBM Executive Director’s report be received as information.”
CARRIED
10. 2009 – 2010 FINANCIAL REPORT (AMBM)
André Couture presented the AMBM’s financial statements as at March 31, 2010.
MOTION: Rachelle Tessier/Claude Moquin
“THAT the ABMB audited financial report for the year ended March 31, 2010 be approved as presented.”
CARRIED
11. APPOINTMENT OF AUDITORS – (AMBM) MOTION: Rachelle Tessier/Diane Dubé
“THAT Chartered Accountant André Couture be appointed Auditor for the AMBM for the 2009-2010 year.”
CARRIED
That concluded the first part of the AMBM Annual Meeting. Before continuing with the CDEM presentation, we watched a second short video on a key project for CDEM’s Youth Co-op sector. The meeting chair reminded us that because of the proprietary relationship between the AMBM and CDEM, only AMBM board members had voting rights. Various motions regarding CDEM operations were passed at the CDEM AGM on September 20, 2010.
12. MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENTS – PAUL GRENIER (CDEM) AND RDÉE
CANADA (GILLES CROZE)
Paul Grenier acknowledged Louise Durand, CDEM’s representative at the RDÉE Canada table and thanked RDÉE Canada’s executive director Roger Lavoie and president Gilles Croze for being with us. He then asked Mr. Croze to address the assembly. Mr. Croze said he was pleased to be at the AGM and appreciated the invitation. He explained that RDÉE Canada plays a leadership role and that CDEM is an important member of the network. He thanked CDEM for its vital role in its nationwide success. CDEM is an essential resource for all of the communities. Mr. Croze congratulated Manitoba’s leadership in the climate protection program, one of RDÉE’s four priority sectors. Mr. Grenier thanked Mr. Croze for his encouraging words and for having honoured
AMBM/CDEM Annual General Meeting– Thursday, October 7, 2010 Page 6 Page 6
us by travelling to Manitoba to attend the annual meeting. He gave him a small token of appreciation. Mr. Laurencelle then asked Louis Allain to come forward and present the CDEM activity report for information purposes.
13. CDEM ACTIVITY REPORT – LOUIS ALLAIN
Executive director Louis Allain highlighted CDEM’s achievements in 2009-2010. He thanked Minister Ron Lemieux and wished the elected officials good luck in the upcoming municipal elections. Mr. Allain underlined the significance of the AGM theme and of networks, which are a key element of CDEM’s success in terms of the strong connections we establish with our partners. He stressed the importance of partners in all of CDEM’s projects. The following projects have partner involvement: the Youth Entrepreneurship project with the DSFM; green projects with the Community-Led Emissions Reduction Program (CLER), Green Manitoba, the Province of Manitoba and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities; the Tourism sector with Tourisme Riel; the Cooperative sector with the Manitoba Cooperative Association Inc. (MCAI); and Regionalization with Community Futures (CFDC), the Women’s Enterprise Centre, Chambers of Commerce and all the other local stakeholders. He pointed out that 2009-2010 was a banner year, posting the most robust leverage effect since CDEM’s inception. More than 200 clients were served and more than 94 businesses were created. The entrepreneur fund managed by Francofonds was launched in the summer of 2009 and the annual Pea Soup Golf Tournament / Omnium de golf des gens d’affaires is the main funding activity. This year, the fund reached the $30,000 mark and can therefore start to distribute funding. Throughout the year, staff members build relationships with partners and participate on a number of local, provincial and national committees. He concluded by noting that CDEM works with the 13 Community Development Corporations (CDC) to build prosperous communities in a healthy social environment.
14. 2009– 2010 FINANCIAL REPORT (CDEM)
Auditor André Couture presented CDEM’s financial statements as of March 31, 2010, for information purposes. The financial statements were approved at the CDEM’s AGM on September 20, 2010.
15. APPOINTMENT OF AUDITORS – (CDEM)
André Couture was appointed Auditor for CDEM’s 2010-2011 financial statements at CDEM’s AGM on September 20, 2010.
15. RECOGNITION OF OUTGOING CDEM BOARD MEMBERS Paul Grenier and Louis Allain thanked a few of CDEM’s board members who completed their term during the year: Ivan Tremblay, representative of the RM of St.
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Lazare/Ellice; Léo Leclair, provincial Caisse populaire representative; Michel Durand-Wood, CJP (Conseil jeunesse provincial) representative, Sylvie De Serres, Training and Human Resources representative, and Josée Adrian, Chamber of Commerce representative. A third video was screened on the new AMBM and Manitoba bilingual municipalities’ website. The www.directionmanitoba.com portal is now online. Take a tour of this website to find information about your association, the AMBM or your municipality. The official website launch is scheduled for December 2, 2010 with members of the community and media at a special press conference.
16. OTHER BUSINESS
There was no other business.
17. ADJOURNMENT
Adjournment was proposed by Diane Bazin.
Chair Secretary
The emcee then invited those in attendance to continue informal discussion over a glass of wine.
OUR GREEN PROMISE To fulfill its duty of care to present and future generations, the Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM) is officially moving to a paperless management system to maximize environmental sustainability. This annual report is available exclusively in electronic format in order to reduce our ecological footprint. Additional efforts will be made in the coming months and years to support our member municipalities and all community players in the bilingual municipalities in lessening their ecological footprint, promoting ecological activities and offering more environmentally friendly products and services. NOTE The organization’s full financial statements are available on the AMBM website at www.ambm.ca. Copies can also be ordered at [email protected] or by calling 204-289-4077.
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‘BIG D’ DEVELOPMENT IN THE MUNICIPALITIES
One of the basic principles of marketing is to stand out and be different. Of Manitoba’s 197 municipalities, 17 have chosen to stand apart on the basis of bilingualism. Being bilingual provides direct access to twice as many networks and opportunities. In the area of environmental protection, 13 of the 22 Manitoba municipalities participating in the national Partners for Climate Protection (CPC) program are members of the AMBM. Taking effective action for environmental protection is a key part of enhancing quality of life, job creation and sustainable development in the municipalities. AMBM members are increasingly being recognized for their bilingual heritage and environmental effectiveness, thereby contributing to strengthening Manitoba’s international position and to the province’s overall economic and social performance. The 2010-2011municipal elections brought changes to all of our municipalities. The AMBM and its members used the opportunity to engage in some strategic thinking about their future. Three main priorities consistently emerged from this consultation process:
(1) Fostering members’ commitment to promote the strength of bilingualism as a cultural and economic asset.
(2) Focusing on green projects to support economic growth. (3) Preparing the community development corporations (CDCs) and Manitoba’s new
CDC Network to boost local development. The AMBM has received a clear mandate. Everything is in place to shift to a “big D” development strategy. With our members’ commitment, the bilingual municipalities will, more than ever, be great places in which to live and invest, in both of Canada’s official languages. Marc Marion Louis Tétrault President of the Board of Directors Executive Director
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MANDATE OF THE AMBM
Created in 1995, the AMBM is the voice of the Manitoba municipalities that have adopted a policy of actively offering bilingual services to their residents. The AMBM’s municipalities therefore include official language minority communities where the use of the French language is recognized as a value-added, economically as well as culturally. A passionate defender of the interests of its members at the provincial and national levels, the AMBM includes three areas of the City of Winnipeg as well as Manitoba’s 16 rural bilingual municipalities, most of which are located within a 100-kilometre radius of the provincial capital. The AMBM has a mandate to:
• Bring Manitoba’s bilingual communities together • Help the municipalities adopt policies that are favourable to bilingualism • Help the municipalities offer municipal services in French • Develop resources and services that facilitate the offering of municipal services in
French • Promote and develop the bilingual municipalities • Facilitate access to the resources required to ensure that bilingual municipal
services are in place.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS The AMBM’s board of directors consists of 17 members, one representative appointed by each of the member municipal bodies, as well as one representative for the municipal administrators. The eligible representative can be either an elected municipal official or a municipal administrator, as chosen by the member municipality. The governance of the AMBM is exercised in democratic fashion at each of the board of directors’ quarterly meetings. It is during these gatherings that the directors deal with important issues and then determine and implement strategic policies that lead to the economic development of the communities they represent.
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Members of the current AMBM Board of Directors
Bilingual member municipality of the AMBM
Designated representative on the AMBM Board of Directors
Lorette Local Urban District (part of the R.M. of Taché)
Ross Deschambault
Town of St. Léon (part of the R.M. of Lorne)
Richard Grenier
Rural Municipality of De Salaberry Marc Marion, President Rural Municipality of Ellice and Town of St. Lazare
Guy Huberdeau
Rural Municipality of La Broquerie Claude Lussier Rural Municipality of Montcalm Roger Vermette Rural Municipality of Ritchot Ernest Dumaine Rural Municipality of St. Laurent Vacancy Riel District of the City of Winnipeg (St. Boniface, St. Vital and St. Norbert)
Daniel Vandal
Rural Municipality of Alexander Vacancy Town of Powerview-Pine Falls Tim Chartier Town of Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes Conrad Durand Town of St. Pierre-Jolys Denis Fillion Town of Somerset Denis Savard Town of St. Anne Bernard Vermette Town of St. Claude Denis Danais Representative of the municipal administrators Rachelle Tessier, Treasurer Note: All of the Board members have been elected, except for Rachelle Tessier, who was appointed by the municipal administrators to represent them.
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CDEM, THE AMBM’S DRIVING FORCE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (CDEM) was created in 1996 by the AMBM to foster, encourage, support and coordinate the economic development of its members in five main sectors: rural development, tourism, the knowledge-based economy, youth and business services.
CDEM’s board of directors is appointed by the AMBM and consists of non-elected representatives (with a focus on business people) from the bilingual municipalities as well as representatives from CDEM’s various policy sectors.
Following the creation of CDEM, the AMBM and its municipalities went on to establish 14 community development corporations (CDCs) that are active at the local and regional levels and are funded by the bilingual municipal bodies they serve. The CDCs are tasked with supporting community-based economic development projects, working closely with the experts at CDEM.
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2010 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS For the municipal elections of October 27, 2010, Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities successfully combined stability with the inclusion of several newcomers. The AMBM extends its sincere congratulations to all of the elected officials of the 17 member municipalities. The AMBM would also like to congratulate the citizens who stood as candidates in this municipal election. Across-the-board participation is what makes these elections a healthy democratic exercise and the ideas brought forward have enriched the discussion on the development of our municipalities.
The AMBM played a key role in the bilingual component of these provincial elections by ensuring that any documents related to the election process were available to voters in both official languages and by translating them, as required.
Mayors and Reeves of the Bilingual Municipalities in Manitoba
The following is a summary of the mayors and reeves – elected and re-elected – of the bilingual municipalities in Manitoba. A complete list of elected officials is provided in the Appendix of this Annual Report.
-‐ R.M. of Alexander: Ed Arnold - elected reeve -‐ R.M. of De Salaberry: Ron Musick - re-elected reeve -‐ R.M. of Ellice: Guy Huberdeau - re-elected reeve (by acclamation) -‐ R.M. of La Broquerie: Claude Lussier - elected reeve -‐ R.M. of Montcalm: Roger Vermette re-elected reeve (by acclamation) -‐ R.M. of Ritchot: Robert Stefaniuk re-elected mayor (by acclamation) -‐ R.M. of St. Laurent: Earl Zotter - re-elected reeve -‐ R.M. of Taché: William Danylchuk - re-elected mayor -‐ Town of Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes: Denis Bibault - re-elected mayor (by acclamation) -‐ Town of Somerset: Gilbert Mabon - elected mayor (by acclamation) -‐ Town of Saint-Claude: Norman Carter – elected mayor -‐ Town of Saint-Lazare: Martin Dupont - re-elected mayor (by acclamation) -‐ Town of St. Pierre-Jolys: Denis Fillion - elected mayor (by acclamation) -‐ Town of St. Anne: Bernard Vermette - re-elected mayor (by acclamation) -‐ City of Winnipeg: Sam Katz re-elected mayor
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Supporting and Consulting the Elected Officials
In the wake of the elections, a number of interesting challenges awaited these community leaders who were now the elected representatives of their communities. They set right to the task of working together on the development of our bilingual communities.
As part of its role, the AMBM sought to work closely with each representative to develop their respective municipalities, their region and the bilingual municipalities as a whole. This electoral redistribution prompted Louis Tétrault, Executive Director of the AMBM, to tour all of the bilingual municipalities in Manitoba. This gave him the opportunity to talk face-to-face with the representatives about local, regional and provincial issues of concern and to together identify the avenues that can be addressed by the AMBM over the next four years.
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FORUM AND LAUNCH OF THE NEW MANITOBA CDC NETWORK
On April 9, 2011, the AMBM will host several dozen municipal elected officials and representatives from the community development corporations (CDCs) at the provincial economic development forum, the theme of which is “Ensemble - Together toward a prosperous future.” The primary goal of the forum is to support the elected municipal officials and economic stakeholders in meeting their objectives through the strategic regional and provincial sharing of resources. Those attending this event will have the opportunity to discuss current economic issues and forge the fundamentals of a three- to five-year strategic development plan for the AMBM and the CDCs. The Manitoba CDC Network The Regionalization pilot project in effect in Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities for more than three years has helped coordinate all of the community economic development efforts throughout the territory, under the leadership of CDEM. Initially introduced in the bilingual municipalities of southeast Manitoba, the Regionalization project led to the hiring and sharing of qualified resources for the community development corporations (CDC) in a given region. The community initiatives were subsequently taken to all of Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities, which adopted this new way of stimulating the local economy...Ensemble - Together. Seeking to maximize the strength of association, the AMBM’s members tasked their Association with structuring the grouping of the regional driving forces in economic development for an optimum sharing of resources. That promise will be delivered, and the Manitoba CDC Network will be officially launched at the same economic development forum. The mandate of the new CDC Network is to create a synergy among the 14 CDCs, develop leading-edge expertise, increase the number of major projects, and promote the sharing of services within each of the corporations. This flexible structure will better prepare the CDCs to realize the shared vision of the municipal elected officials, built on maximizing French language services, quality of life and the socio-economic growth of each community. Regionalization: Continuing and Gathering Momentum Concomitantly with the establishment of the Manitoba CDC Network, the AMBM’s project for the Regionalization of Community Development Efforts continues to make progress and become part of the good practices of Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities. The AMBM and its members continue to work with the following partners to advance a number of regional initiatives: Manitoba Competitiveness, Training and Trade, Regional Employment Centre, Eastman Regional Development Corporation, Eastman Tourism Association, CDEM, and the Réseau communautaire de la Société franco-manitobaine. Faced with the difficulty
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of hiring local qualified staff for part-time positions, the coming together of several partners enables the creation of quality full-time job positions over a wider area.
WWW.DIRECTIONMANITOBA.CA YOUR NEW PORTAL
On October 7, 2010, at its Annual General Meeting, the AMBM launched the brand new web portal for Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities. Implemented by CDEM, the AMBM’s engine of economic development, this project represents an investment of more than $247,000 over three years from all stakeholders, including two levels of government and the private sector. The project also includes the 3D Communities component as well as promotional videos on the municipalities that will eventually be available on the portal.
A true economic development tool, the portal supports the bilingual municipalities by presenting details on their activities, demography and economy with a view to drawing prospective residents or investors to settle in one of the 17 bilingual municipalities in Manitoba.
The portal has been divided into four separate subsections and provides a wealth of information on the many opportunities offered by Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities. These sections include:
• Community profiles: General information on each of Manitoba’s 17 bilingual municipalities, including the history, geography and weather of the various regions.
• Local and regional services: Services available in the communities, community life and activities, education, healthcare, and more.
• Opportunities: Business and investment opportunities, information on immigrating to Manitoba, taxes, employment opportunities, etc.
• Tourism and recreation: The bilingual municipalities have a rich heritage and many historical sites as well as recreational activities and festivals that attract thousands of visitors each year.
Since its official launch on December 2, 2010 the www.directionmanitoba.ca site has had 498 visitors, for a total of 1,169 hits from 14 different countries including the Americas, Europe, Africa, Russia and India.
This project is part of a broad strategy to promote the bilingual municipalities as great places to live, invest and work.
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The Bilingual Municipalities on the Web
Be a regular visitor to the new portal for Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities:
www.directionmanitoba.ca
Become a “friend” of AMBM on its Facebook page under Direction Manitoba, and follow us on Twitter at @ambm_dg.
By staying tuned to our Facebook page and Twitter feed, you’ll receive real-time updates and read about the latest developments and success stories of the AMBM and its
members. Spread the word!
PROUD PARTNERS FOR CLIMATE PROTECTION Launched in 2008 by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program brings together municipalities from across Canada that are working to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The FCM’s goal is to reduce emissions from municipal operations by 20% and those from the community by 6% within the next decade. More than 200 Canadian municipalities have taken part in the PCP program. In Manitoba, among the 22 participating municipalities, 11 are members of the AMBM and two new municipalities will join in 2011-2012, for a total of 13 bilingual municipalities. The AMBM members taking part in the project have access to help from CDEM to implement their action plan for reducing GHGs. CDEM, AMBM’s driving force for economic development, supports their efforts throughout the process, especially with regard to gathering baseline data. Among AMBM’s members, 12 out of 16 rural municipalities have expressed an interest in the PCP program. Of these, five have completed the preliminary funding application, while three others (St. Pierre-Jolys, De Salaberry and St. Claude) have started the funding application process.
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TRANSLATION SERVICES: ANOTHER VALUE-ADDED OF THE AMBM On August 30, 2010, Greg Selinger, Premier of Manitoba and Minister responsible for Francophone Affairs, and Shelly Glover, M.P. for St. Boniface and Parliamentary Secretary for Indian Affairs and Northern Development, signed two agreements, one of which was aimed at enhancing francophone services. The agreement to improve the province’s French language services will benefit the AMBM and its members via a project to strengthen regional francophone development in the bilingual municipalities. This funding will help support the establishment, delivery and development of quality French language government services for Manitoba’s francophone community and sustain growth-generating initiatives to increase its vitality. This financial assistance enables the AMBM to continue its work focusing on municipal and community translation services. In 2010-2011, 13 bilingual municipalities, 10 CDCs and three community organizations used the AMBM’s translation services, for a total of 160 translation projects targeting Francophones in the communities served.
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PREPARING A NEW GENERATION OF BILINGUAL MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES In 2010-2011, the AMBM endeavoured to raise member awareness of the importance of preparing a new generation of qualified bilingual municipal employees, both in terms of municipal officials and administrative staff. Since that time, the number of bilingual job openings advertised in the newspapers has increased substantially, reflecting the importance being given to the active offer of French language services in municipal offices. In 2010-2011, a provincial committee was struck to support the hiring of bilingual employees and an action plan was drawn up. A resource manual is now available to the municipal councils and has already been used by the Towns of St. Anne and Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes as well as the Rural Municipalities of La Broquerie, St. Laurent and Ritchot to hire bilingual personnel. In addition, CDEM is organizing a career symposium (Salon des carrières) together with the Franco-Manitoban School Division (DSFM), to be held on November 22, 2011. On behalf of its members, the AMBM supports this initiative, which underpins its broad strategy to create and maintain bilingual jobs in its territory. This Fair is also one of the priorities of Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities with respect to the next generation of local professionals and youth development. The Prix Ronald Duhamel Award: Congratulations to the CPEF Coordinators The AMBM congratulates the winners of the Prix Ronald Duhamel Award who were honoured on March 15, 2011 at the Rendez-vous de la Francophonie. This year’s recipients were the francophone family resource centres (Centres de la petite enfance et de la famille, or CPEF) who work in 11 francophone communities in Manitoba. The CPEF coordinators make up a creative, dynamic team that is responsive to its clientele and plays a key role in helping parents transmit the French language and culture to their children. By giving parents the tools they need to promote the French language and pass on their culture to their children, the coordinators help build a promising future for Manitoba’s francophone community. On behalf of its members, the AMBM makes a financial contribution to organizing and promoting the Award and the award ceremony, and is also part of the Prix Ronald Duhamel Award committee. This initiative is in line with the AMBM’s philosophy of promoting bilingual career choices.
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A GROWING NUMBER OF FRENCH LANGUAGE SERVICES The AMBM regularly sits on the steering committee of the Bilingual Service Centres and the RCMP roundtable. It provides support for the hiring of Francophones in provincial and federal government departments, enabling them to provide bilingual services in all the sectors used by the member municipalities. The AMBM also engages in language rights advocacy with the federal and provincial authorities by representing the bilingual municipalities and their residents to ensure the active delivery of services to Francophones.
Improved access to francophone cultural products
As in previous years, the AMBM continued to provide financial support ($7,500) to the Fédération des bibliothèques des municipalités bilingues (FBMB) of Manitoba. This funding helps the FBMB purchase new books, videos and CDs in French as well as finance its operations. The FBMB has the mandate of ensuring that the libraries in Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities become information hubs and the cornerstones of intellectual and cultural life in their respective communities. It also promotes books in the libraries of the AMBM member bilingual municipalities that increase public cultural heritage knowledge and preserve the heritage of library visitors via reading and the dissemination of information. The FBMB’s services are available in all of the AMBM member municipalities.
Having fun...in French! To encourage active participation in sports and recreational activities in French in Manitoba’s 17 bilingual municipalities, the AMBM transferred $20,000 to the sports and recreation districts of Rat River and Lorne in 2009-2010. These funds enable both organizations to plan, coordinate and actively offer French language sports and recreation products and services to the communities of these two large regions. As a result of this AMBM support, hundreds of francophone and bilingual community residents have access to a wide range of activities in French.
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BUILDING SOLID AND LASTING PARTNERSHIPS Over the past several years, the AMBM has created and steadily built a number of partnerships that facilitate and broaden its political action on the provincial and national levels. Provincial Partnerships At the provincial level, the AMBM has very close ties with the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM). The AMBM has sat on the AMM’s board of directors for the past six years, and both associations are working on a number of issues of mutual interest, including recruiting and training municipal administrators. Every fall, the AMBM publishes a bilingual article in the AMM’s Municipal Leader magazine. The November 2010 issue highlighted the bilingual municipalities’ leadership on the issue of climate protection. The magazine was published concomitantly with the annual edition of the AMM Forum and, for the second consecutive year, the AMBM organized a VIP reception that brought together elected municipal officials from around Manitoba as well as members of Manitoba’s legislative assembly, including Ron Lemieux, the Minister of Local Government. The AMBM plans to repeat the experience at the AMM’s fall 2011 forum. National Partnerships At the national level, the relationship between the AMBM and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) gives Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities a say in program and policy development matters as well as government decision-making. For the past few years, including last November, a number of elected officials and AMBM representatives have traveled to Ottawa to take part in its Lobby Days, an opportunity for participants to raise important issues and present keystone projects for their communities to federal officials. At this event, AMBM’s representatives can meet with the provincial caucus members of each federal party and members of Canada’s Cabinet. Furthermore, AMBM President Marc Marion sits on three of the FCM’s standing committees: the Rural Forum, the Standing Committee on Municipal Infrastructure and Transportation Policy, and the Standing Committee on Finance and Intergovernmental Arrangements. He is also vice-president of the Réseau national des municipalités francophones. As a result of its close ties with the FCM, AMBM is involved in the training and economic development project with Mali and Burkina Faso. AMBM and seven municipal partners have also been selected to participate in the Municipal Partners for Economic Development (MPED) project.
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THE BILINGUAL MUNICIPALITIES SHARE THEIR EXPERTISE ABROAD
The AMBM is preparing an upcoming collaboration with Mali and Burkina Faso to establish economic development councils and a local development force. The project’s aim is to transfer AMBM’s francophone and bilingual expertise, especially with regard to the economic development structure the Association has created, including CDEM and the CDCs, to these developing countries.
The AMBM and CDEM will host a first delegation in June, following which representatives will travel to Mali in August 2011 for training delivery purposes. Another rural Manitoba development delegation will then go to Mali to create models that mirror Manitoba’s CDCs.
This international development project gives Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities increased visibility and credibility with regard to home-grown francophone and bilingual expertise. Furthermore, it is the first international francophone project carried out by a municipal association outside Quebec. The AMBM is also working with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) to promote the Municipal Partnership Program (MPP). Funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the MPP is aimed at strengthening the capabilities of the local government sector in developing countries.
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A POWERFUL FINANCIAL LEVERAGE In 2010-2011, the AMBM is proud to have transferred $156,000 to Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities under the Canada-Manitoba Agreement. Using this financial leverage, the 17 AMBM member municipalities in turn invested $377,000 to hire resources and develop projects that contribute to the quality of life of their communities. The outcome is that a total budget of $533,000 was invested in the economic and community development of the bilingual municipalities in 2010-2011. The organization’s full financial statements are available on the AMBM website at www.ambm.ca. Copies can also be ordered at [email protected] or by calling 204-289-4077.
29%
71%
Investment in Economic and Community Development in
