Big plans in Minnedosa
- Details
- Published on Friday, May 25, 2018
By Eoin Devereux
Neepawa Banner & Press
Minnedosa is exploring a few new options when it comes to local development. On Thursday, May 10, the Minnedosa Area Community Development Corporation (CDC) held its annual general meeting at the Activity Centre. The AGM updated the attendees on the recent activities of the Minnedosa CDC, whose purpose is to create healthy economic opportunities in the community.
Economic Development Officer Chantelle Parrott made a presentation, which outlined the four main pillars of growth that the CDC is pursuing. Those pillars are business, tourism, marketing and community.
On the business end, Parrott stated that the area had seen 12 new businesses open in 2017 compared to the loss of two. Meanwhile, six other businesses have either transitioned to new ownership or have expanded. She added that 2018 is already at a solid pace with eight new or transitioning businesses in the area.
Another notable business item will see Minnedosa serve as the host for the 2018 edition of What’s the Big Idea, an event inspired by the Canadian show Dragons Den. In 2017, Minnedosa, Neepawa and Carberry joined together on the event. For this year, Carberry will partner with the Town of Glenboro to host their own version of the competition, while Neepawa and Minnedosa continue to work together on the original concept.
For local tourism, an array of projects were being examined, including pursuing the painting of a downtown mural. As well, new travel information packages have been dropped off at the Emerson border office and Travel Manitoba has confirmed that they will be shooting a new video for Minnedosa in June.
In marketing, the CDC expressed that it was pleased with the ongoing success of the local social media efforts. On top of that, the Discover Minnedosa brand has seen solid distribution via messaging in several national travel magazines and local radio spots in the Brandon market. Website improvements are also being looked into as is a potential partnership with Travel Manitoba to create a new tourism brand. A similar effort was recently completed in Neepawa and has also been quite successful for Clear Lake.
The fourth facet was focused on community. Part of that is ensuring that local service groups are communicating with one another in order to avoid duplication.
After Parrott’s update, Karly McRae, a representative with Clear Lake Country, made a presentation at the meeting. It focused on Clear Lake’s work with Travel Manitoba to create a successful tourism brand for the region.
After the AGM concluded, Parrott noted that there is a lot of positivity developing locally.
“I’ve had a lot of really positive feedback from people in the community who have said ‘It feels like things are on the upswing and that there is a buzz.’ I don’t know if that’s a long-term trend, but I definitely hope it is a trend for the future.” said Parrott.
