Business View Civil and Municipal | May 2021

153 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL MAY 2021 THE RURAL MUNI C I PAL I TY OF ST CLEMENTS , MANI TOBA So, administrations look to mitigate this with the support of the Economic Development Officer. Mayor of the RM of St. Clements, Debbie Fiebelkorn, and her Executive Team work closely with the wider Winnipeg Metro region when it comes to infrastructure and resources. The team is currently working on a 30-year plan for regional cooperation and work between the municipalities. In discussion of housing, quality of life, and infrastructure for residents of St Clements, Chief Administrative Officer Deepak Joshi reports, “There’s a good quantity of housing in the region, as well as a range of different housing options. We have everything from farmland and cottages, right through to estate homes, it’s a really diverse housing stock that’s available. There are people who have what we’d call hobby farms to large-scale industry farming spanning thousands of acres. The homes are a mixture of rental and owned too. We’re always expanding tourism. The landscape lends itself particularly well to outdoor recreational activities like fishing, skiing, snowmobiling, kayaking, canoeing, hiking, and trail walks, making it popular with tourists. There are also beaches and parks – such as Birds Hill and Grand Beach Provincial Parks– which come highly recommended, and not just by locals. To support this growth sector, the region is serviced by an Economic Development Officer who partners with industry representatives, industrial parks, and businesses to promote developments that can be brought into the community, whether that’s a commercial or industrial opportunity. The same Economic Development Officer is also responsible for managing development approvals, to ensure a smooth transition through the process for businesses. An unwieldy or lengthy development approval process can be off-putting for businesses looking to invest in a region, as it can significantly impact on timelines and budgets.