BUSINESS PROFILE
Whether it’s Winnipeg’s or Manitoba’s still remains to be seen
CHUCK Davidson is the new leader of Winnipeg Economic Development & Tourism but he’s already talking as if his jurisdiction will include the entire province.
His appointment as president and CEO, after 13 years at the helm of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, comes as Winnipeg EDT has been tapped by the city and province to lead the creation of a province-wide economic development agency.
The idea is to bring provincial, municipal, regional, Indigenous and private-sector partners under one umbrella for both businesses and investors.
Over the next few months, Davidson and his team at Winnipeg EDT will talk to those organizations to flesh out opportunities where they can work together and better serve the Manitoba business community.
“No more fragmentation, one place to come, here’s where you go. It doesn’t matter if your issue is in Churchill, Thompson, Brandon or Winnipeg, you’ve got one organization you’re going to come to and you’re going to get the same level of support and resources. That’s the goal with this. It’s going to take some time to get there but that’s what the province and the City of Winnipeg have asked us to take on,” he says.
“If other levels of government want to fund us more, we’ll do more. It’s going to take some time for us to get there but hopefully we can have this completed within the next year. Do we want to keep more young people in our province? Absolutely. Do we want to see an attraction of business in Manitoba? Absolutely. Do we want to see businesses grow in every corner of this province? Of course. Those are the growth metrics we’re going to be looking at.”
Davidson replaces Ryan Kuffner, who led Winnipeg EDT for three years before announcing he was stepping down last spring.
Davidson’s appointment comes at a crucial time for economic development in all provinces as U.S. President Donald Trump has reignited a trade war with Canada. Davidson says Manitoba — which ships 80 per cent of its exports south of the 49th parallel — needs to reduce its reliance on the U.S.
“I think businesses in our province are getting that. They’re looking for different supply chains, they’re looking for how they can move their goods and services to other provinces and they’re looking for new markets,” he says.
Accessing those new markets, however, isn’t as simple as loading crates on a truck. The ports of Vancouver and Montreal are at full capacity but the Port of Churchill is being widely touted as the best transportation route for western Canada’s resources and commodities to reach international markets. Last April, the Prime Minister said plans to expand the Port of Churchill as part of a trade corridor were a top priority.
“The sooner we can get access to that and be able to move goods (the better),” Davidson says.
Winnipeg Economic Development & Tourism It’s critical, he adds that the Manitoba business community understands that the trading relationship with the U.S. is not going to revert to “normal.”
“We need to make sure that we’re helping businesses to diversity as quickly as possible,” he says.
Davidson is looking forward to the challenge. After more than two decades with both the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce and the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, his hard hat and steel-toed work boots have had plenty of use.
“I can go into any community and I understand the businesses. I’ve been touring companies for 20 years. I’m way more comfortable on shop floors than sitting around tables at the corner of Portage and Main. I want to get out there and understand what businesses are looking for,” he says.
