Economic Development Winnipeg’s business development team, YES! Winnipeg (YW) wants to get private sector companies asking themselves a few key questions in 2021: Where do I want the city to be five years from now and what kind of impact do I want to make on this city? YW is hoping potential investors will find the answers in its recently launched Real Impact campaign.
The campaign is looking to partner with the private sector to raise $1 million every year for the next five years to drive real change and a genuine impact on Winnipeg’s economy. Investment from the private sector is leveraged with federal and provincial funding to maximize opportunities for growth for Winnipeg companies and our economy.
The goals for the 2025 Real Impact campaign are ambitious and will support the creation of:
- 10,000 jobs
- $350M in capital investment
- $900M in GDP
“I think we are at a critical juncture for our city. Coming out of this pandemic, we will need the private sector, government and Winnipeggers to all come together to make sure our city isn't just ‘recovering’. Our goal is to unlock Winnipeg’s potential and to be the catalyst for the fastest and most resilient economic recovery in Canada. We want to bring together groups and people who can really make an impact on where we are going and who can help us achieve that goal,” says Dayna Spiring, President & CEO, Economic Development Winnipeg.
YW is driven by the private sector and has two strong leaders who not only believe in its ambitious goals but have signed on to help with the five-year initiative to create more jobs, retain and attract business and investment to our city. Co-Chairs Brad Peacock, President & Chief Investment Officer at Megill-Stephenson and Andrew Stibbard, Regional Managing Partner at MNP are motivated to make the campaign a success.
“We’re determined to raise the bar of what’s possible for Winnipeg. We have a vision to further drive the economy through a focus on strategic infrastructure, foreign investment, workforce and government policy development and the revitalization of downtown. The opportunity to build a better, stronger Winnipeg is within reach but cannot be possible without our investment,” says Peacock.
The last campaign which ran from 2016-2020, allowed YW to develop strategies and key actions around capital investment, talent and workforce development and to build up its business development teams. Private sector investment meant YW’s work could support the creation of 9,367 jobs, $308.85 million in capital investment, $368.87 million in annual payroll and $235.61 million in GDP that went back into Winnipeg’s economy.
Stibbard is proud of those results but says now is the time to be more aggressive on our goals to secure our city’s future growth.
“As fellow business leaders, we understand there are many competing demands for your resources but now is not the time to step back. Now is the time to step up. If you love this city as we do, please consider supporting YES! Winnipeg over the next five years. Winnipeg needs you now more than ever.”
If you’re a private sector business looking to create a real impact on Winnipeg’s economy, you can find out more on the campaign page or contact YW’s Investor Relations Manager, Ilona Niemczyk at [email protected].
