Business View Civil and Municipal | May 2021

149 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL MAY 2021 purchase or rent, they continue to commute and don’t get involved in your community. They don’t put their kids in school, pay taxes, all those kinds of things, therefore having that housing available is critical.” The City of Portage la Prairie is also investing around $200 million in its wastewater plant this year. “This will increase our capacity to treat wastewater and it will also improve the quality of the water that we are returning to the river,” says Ferris. “Certainly, it’s the right thing to do for the environment and I think it’s the right thing to do for the economy. So it’s a double win on that.” Over in the RM, they have been continuing to develop the Poplar Bluff Industrial Park with significant upgrades to their regional water reservoir. The $16 million project will address water pressure and supply demands for the industrial park. Blight emphasizes, “It will really assist in the growth of our industrial PORTAGE LA PRA I R I E , MANI TOBA park and also provide growth for residential and commercial development.” They have also made a $1 million investment in broadband connectivity, with the aim of bringing fiber connections to the municipality. “Manitoba currently has the second slowest broadband connectivity speeds across Canada and our municipality is contributing to that statistic,” says Blight. “So we are trying to run fiber to rural homes and to the farms across our municipality. We are trying to improve and enhance their connectivity and broadband speeds. We are hopeful improved connectivity will be a huge benefit to industry and residents, alike.”