Business View Civil and Municipal | May 2021

144 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL MAY 2021 T he region of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba is booming. Over the past five years, the City of Portage la Prairie and the Rural Municipality (RM) of Portage la Prairie have come together to attract more than $1.2 billion in investment into the area. Simply put, “There’s a lot going on!” says The City of Portage la Prairie Mayor, Irvine Ferris. The Canadian region is an attractive place for investment, as it is conveniently located just 45 minutes west of Manitoba’s capital of Winnipeg, 75 minutes east of Brandon and an hour from the U.S. border. The regional population for both the City and the RM is just over 21,000. The agriculturally-driven region is the only site in Canada where the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railways converge. “We have a wide access to a very large and talented workforce,” says Kameron Blight, Reeve of the Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie. “And because of our central location with close proximity to two major centers, plus a lot of smaller rural communities that surround us, it’s been a real attractive benefit to industries locating in this area.” AT A GLANCE PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, MANITOBA WHAT: A City and Rural Municipality that have partnered to drive investment into their region WHERE: 45 minutes west of Winnipeg, Manitoba WEBSITE: www.investinportage.ca www.city.portage-la-prairie.mb.ca Manitoba ie, A true partnership