Since the Province of Manitoba released its recovery plan, Restoring Safe Services Together: Manitoba's Phased Approach, we now see some light for Winnipeg businesses darkened by the pandemic. We know it was the hard work of frontline workers, companies and Manitobans that have put us in this positive position. Now, we need to make sure we don’t lose our advantage.

We have been told that now is not the time to take a ‘victory lap’.  We know we are not free from COVID-19. Businesses need to follow the advice and guidelines of the province and health experts to make sure we don’t set back our recovery or further damage the economy.

Our team at Economic Development Winnipeg (EDW) has developed a strategy to support Winnipeg companies in their recovery process and highlight our city once again as a great place to live, work, invest and visit. 

We will be looking for companies to help us identify what challenges or gaps they're facing and how can we support them as they reopen and recover.

At the same time, we know it’s also important to continue our work in other areas that will be critical to helping our economy and companies grow again, including:

• Highlighting advantages of Winnipeg as a place for business, investment, tourism, immigration and migration, and determine how best to position those advantages.
• Identifying access to capital, incentives, resources and opportunities for companies.
• Helping companies address workforce demands and gaps.
• Working with stakeholders to plan to restart and grow the tourism economy.
• Working with companies to gather and share best practices for safe work environments and identify legislation or regulations needed for companies to succeed.

With the provincial announcement, we know some businesses in the tourism sector can now start to reopen, including restaurant patios, museums and galleries. Get in touch with our Tourism Winnipeg team so we can work with you and share what reopening is looking like for your business.

Our YES! Winnipeg team continues to work with all levels of government and the private sector to remove barriers for companies and amplify the great things they are doing. The team will be sharing best practices and protocols to support companies as they return to work. If you are facing challenges or see gaps that need to be addressed, reach out to our YW team through our web form.

Up to this point, our companies and Winnipeggers have shown tremendous resilience and determination with their innovative ideas and efforts to keep each other safe and to ensure our economy’s pilot light has stayed on.

We want to keep telling those stories. We also have an opportunity to write the story we want to see -one, where Winnipeg comes out stronger and stands out as a leader on the road to recovery on the national and global stage.