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Doug Lauvstad is president of University College of the North, which offers programming in 14 locations throughout Manitoba.
Northern Manitoba remains an enigma in the context of economic development. It is a region blessed with abundant natural endowments including a seaport, strong public-sector support systems, and an imperative on the part of all people and governments to create economic and community well-being.
It’s also a region separated by differing cultures and realities: larger, high-wage centres built around resource extraction versus small, often remote Indigenous communities with a traditional lifestyle removed from the economic mainstream.
Amid this dichotomy, northern Manitoba has the foundations for incredible wealth creation from industries such as mining, forestry, energy and tourism, which contribute and could continue to contribute billions of dollars to the Manitoba economy.
Last month, University College of the North, the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce and Look North hosted Linkages 2019. More than 400 people from across Manitoba attended and had the honour of listening to such notable speakers as Matthew Coon Come of the Quebec Cree and Sen. Pat Bovey.
The goal of the conference was to continue a conversation about northern Manitoba, its economic opportunities and how to align regional and provincial aspirations. This conversation is important and necessary not only to the north, but to Manitoba and Canada as well.
For the rest of this column: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/northern-manitoba-offers-rich-potential-565079912.html