Business View Civil and Municipal | May 2021

148 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL MAY 2021 retailers have done extremely well right through the pandemic.” Now, the City and RM are making plans to accommodate the rapid growth related to its expansion – including more than 200 added jobs coming to the region. When Simplot first located to the area, Portage la Prairie didn’t see any population increase, and Ferris believes that’s because they didn’t have enough housing available. But this time they are taking steps to ensure they are more proactive. He notes, “We did some tax incentives, we serviced some land and we’ve seen a tremendous amount of development in residential housing in the last two years in the City of Portage la Prairie. We are seeing single family and also a lot of apartment complexes. People from all over the province will be working at these plants and if they start commuting and there is nothing available to www.southport.ca An Influential Economic Driver in Central Manitoba, Canada @southportairport