Latest news with #JamieMoses
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Black Entrepreneurs and Small Business Program grants open
A new program that aims to assist Black businesspeople is now accepting applications. Manitobans who self-identify as part of the Black community are eligible to apply for the Manitoba Black Entrepreneurs and Small Business Program grants, offered by the provincial government. Applications are due on July 4. People can apply for one project grant annually, between $5,000 and $20,000, per a news release from the province. The goal of the program is to address the realities, barriers and opportunities specific to Black entrepreneurs and business owners, Jamie Moses, minister of business, mining, trade and job creation, said in the release. Grants will be awarded with focus on three main areas: training on capital acquisition; assistance with building connections to experienced professionals; and building capacity through skills development. A steering committee of representatives from the Black and business communities in partnership with the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce will administer the program. — Free Press staff
Winnipeg Free Press
08-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘We love our U.S. friends, but we need to diversify'
Suits appear to be the jersey of choice for players scouted for 'Team Manitoba.' Roughly 270 business executives gathered Thursday at Economic Development Winnipeg's annual investor breakfast. Politicians, panelists and the economic development agency shared a similar message: it's time to band together. 'Given the landscape in the (United) States and around the world and that uncertainty, it's even more important for us to be investing in ourselves,' Manitoba Economic Development, Investment and Trade Minister Jamie Moses told the crowd at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Economic Development Winnipeg hosted its annual investor breakfast at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights on Thursday, with a panel moderated by EDW vice-president Alberto Velas- co-Acosta (from left) and featuring Marty Maykut of Price Industries, Brad Elias of Winnipeg Airports Authority, Chris Reiter of Focus Equities and Katie Hall Hursh of Megill-Stephenson Co. Both he and Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham underscored their respective governments' promises to foster a business-friendly climate. It comes amid an investment chill felt within the private sector. Economic Development Winnipeg clocked a slowdown of investment in March. Repercussions from U.S. President Donald Trump's November election win hit Winnipeg before his tariffs were launched against Canada. In late 2024, a major foreign direct investor backed away from entering Manitoba after nearly inking a deal. The company would have brought 'significant' jobs with it, said Amanda Macdonald, Economic Development Winnipeg business development vice-president. She declined to share the company's name, adding it could plant roots in the future. The uncertainty Trump has unleashed worldwide is drawing new opportunities, said Economic Development Winnipeg's vice-president, international Alberto Velasco-Acosta. The agency made inroads with Sweden and Finland, when a delegation of European ambassadors visited last month, he added. 'We love our U.S. friends, but we need to diversify,' he said. 'We need to be proactive in other markets.' Attracting investment requires becoming speedier with permitting, approvals and project evaluations, Velasco-Acosta listed. Better information sharing and systems alignment between economic development-related entities would also help, Macdonald said. Organizations in Manitoba are already making headway, she added — instead of having 'too many cooks in the kitchen,' an investor may deal with one contact point who's sharing information on behalf of several groups, including real estate agencies and EDW. 'From a client perspective, you want just a few constant people,' Macdonald said. 'Like a concierge type of approach.' Macdonald presented Winnipeg as a 'blank slate' to event attendees. Last fall, Economic Development Winnipeg contacted roughly 60 American site selectors about the city's business perception. Executives knew more about Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal. 'Being neutral isn't necessarily negative,' Macdonald said in her speech. 'It simply means others are more top of mind. That's a challenge for us, but it's also an opportunity.' She highlighted Winnipeg's location, clean energy and low operating costs as competitive advantages to broadcast. '(We should) leave with a sense of optimism and not only share with each other, but with the rest of the world,' panelist Katie Hall Hursh, vice-president of the Megill-Stephenson Company Ltd., told the crowd. Arnaud Franco, BDC director of economic research, clocked 'a lot of optimism' in Winnipeg's business community when he visited Monday, one day before Prime Minister Mark Carney met with Trump at the White House. Franco provided an economic outlook to BDC clients. Currently, the business bank projects a one per cent increase in Manitoba's GDP this year. The number is similar to the 1.1 per cent growth seen in 2024. Economic conditions could improve if a deal with the U.S. materializes, Franco noted. He's booked 11 speaking engagements across Western Canada this week. 'A lot of people want input, because this feeling of uncertainty that they've been facing, it's paralyzing for small businesses,' Franco said. 'They don't know if they should hire. They don't know if they should invest.' BDC hasn't tracked an influx in Manitoba business closures or layoffs due to tariffs, he added. Nor has Indeed noticed a sharp decline in job postings. There's been an overall decrease since early 2023, following a post-pandemic hiring boom. Manitoba mirrors a national trend. 'I think employers are still holding off on totally changing their hiring plans until we've got some clarity on the situation,' said Brendon Bernard, a senior economist with a recruiting and jobs online platform. Still, Indeed has experienced a 'modest decline' in Canadian job postings, he continued. Posts dropped 4.3 per cent nationally between the start of February — when U.S. tariffs were first expected to arrive — and mid-April. Manufacturing job listings plunged 10 per cent during the same time. Robert Half, a human resource firm, is seeing companies hire staff. Paused investment likely comes on the project front, said Mike Shekhtman, a senior regional director. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. 'It's a challenge because companies are trying to weigh some of their short-term, but also look at the long-term, repercussions for not hiring,' he stated. Economic Development Winnipeg expects to launch a strategy guiding Winnipeg's five-year economic growth this fall. Its goal is to be in 'full alignment' with an economic development strategy the Manitoba government is creating, Macdonald said. The provincial document is anticipated for release this year. EDW facilitated $281 million in capital investment last year, resulting in 644 jobs and $234 million worth of GDP growth, per data it shared Thursday. It surpassed its goal of drawing $350 million in capital investment and generating $900 million in GDP growth between 2021 and 2025. By the end of 2024, those numbers hit $1.16 billion and $919 million, respectively. Gabrielle PichéReporter Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle. Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CBC
20-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Pehdzéh Kı̨ seeks confidentiality for traditional knowledge on proposed Mackenzie Valley Highway
Pehdzéh Kı̨ First Nation (PKFN) is asking the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board for confidentiality before it submits traditional knowledge in support of a route change for the proposed Mackenzie Valley Highway from Wrigley, N.W.T. to Norman Wells. Pehdzéh Kı̨ First Nation Chief Jamie Moses wrote in a March 17 letter to the board that his community has been put in the "difficult position of having to disclose private information to uphold our responsibility to protect our Ndeh [land]." The knowledge includes sensitive details, in some cases about sites of "intangible significance," and Moses said it would explain how the route interferes with PKFN's treaty rights for "traditional land use, harvesting, land management, cultural and spiritual uses and Dene education." "Disclosure without our authorization would cause irremediable harm to inter-governmental relationships," said Moses. PKFN has been pushing for the highway's proposed route to be changed . A map of the Mackenzie Valley Highway project proposed route (in yellow) and an existing pipeline route, represented by a smaller dotted grey line to the east. The chief of Pehdzéh Kı̨ First Nation says a route following the pipeline would address the community's concerns about sensitive habitat being disturbed. (GNWT) It's already signed a confidentiality agreement with the N.W.T. government this year seeking to relay confidential information as the project undergoes environmental assessment. The N.W.T.'s Department of Infrastructure said the territorial government and Pehdzéh Kı̨ First Nation have a non-disclosure agreement to exchange information specific to an Indigenous knowledge and a traditional land-use study completed by PKFN, wrote a spokesperson in an email. The territorial government said it awaits a review board ruling on whether additional information can be confidentially provided to the board. PKFN said it would withdraw its documents if the board ruled against its request. The First Nation is gathering information for the N.W.T.'s infrastructure department and the board to explain its "predictions that the [Mackenzie Valley Highway] as planned will cause significant adverse effects for us and that much more mitigation and accommodation is required," wrote Moses. In a separate letter , Moses told the review board that the current work plan timelines prevent meaningful consultation and accommodation for PKFN. Public hearings are slated for the end of June, and a decision reporting on the assessment is expected in mid-2025, according to a draft work plan. Confidentiality protects knowledge from 'misuse' Larry Innes, a partner at Olthuis, Kleer, Townshend LLP, a firm with expertise in Indigenous and environmental law, said publicizing knowledge of harvesting locations and sacred sites can entice "outsiders to access those resources or disturb those sites." Across Canada, Indigenous communities participating in public proceedings are expected to "provide information … in order to be heard, only to have that information misused," said Innes. Lawyer Larry Innes said confidentiality has become more common in board proceedings to protects Indigenous knowledge from misuse. (Jenna Dulewich/CBC ) "That is a fairly grievous abuse of both the process and the trust that Indigenous peoples will place in those decision-makers," he said. Innes said in one example, unauthorized cabins have been built in harvesting areas. Disclosure of cultural sites has also led to unwanted archeological tourism, exploitation of resources and important harvesting areas by tourism outfitters, he said. Efforts to bring confidentiality into the public process grew out of the Berger Inquiry, and during efforts to establish a Mackenzie Valley pipeline where communities made similar confidentiality requests, he said. He said statutory bodies have had a "much greater level of attention and care" since then. Review boards now consider confidentiality requests from communities like Pehdzéh Kı̨ First Nation about submitting valuable information, balancing the public process while being "responsible and attentive" to the protection of Indigenous knowledge, he said. Innes said a board considers parties' submissions on whether or not confidentiality should be granted. How the process works Innes said mechanisms to protect Indigenous knowledge are being "hard fought" with "stringent guidelines" under principles like OCAP. OCAP principles assert that First Nations have control over data collection, and that they own and control how that information is used. Confidentiality at public boards acknowledges that Indigenous knowledge protections do not "fit nicely into the Western ideas of ownership or intellectual property protections" typically applied to proprietary corporate knowledge, he said. "If there are parties that want that information to be disclosed and say that confidentiality should not apply here, then ultimately it's open to the community to say, well, we'd rather not share," said Innes. In his letter, Moses said the community concerns raised arise from experience, and that at least one spiritually significant location is now inaccessible due to existing bridge construction. "Our members cannot do what we are supposed to do in relation to that place. We still mourn this loss," he wrote.
CBC
17-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Mackenzie highway route 'should be our call', says Pedzéh Kı̨ First Nation
Social Sharing Pedzéh Kı̨ First Nation Chief Jamie Moses says the N.W.T. government is "sticking to its guns" with a proposed route for an all-weather road from Wrigley to Norman Wells, sidelining community concerns about unstable land and disturbance to moose habitat and archaeological sites. Highway 1 starts at the N.W.T.'s border with Alberta and spans nearly 700 kilometres to Wrigley. The proposed all-season road would extend it by about 300 kilometres from Wrigley to Norman Wells, linking the Sahtu to Canada's wider highway network. "To our friends and family in the Sahtu … we hear your concerns and we know the demand for this road. We support that, but we know we also have to protect our area," said Moses. Moses said his community does not oppose the highway, but takes issue with the proposed route. In a Jan. 30 letter from Pedzéh Kı̨ First Nation, he urged the N.W.T. government and the Mackenzie Valley Review Board to refocus its efforts on a high-altitude route hugging the mountains and following the current Enbridge pipeline route. The current proposed route runs over muskeg and unstable landslide-risk areas, he said. Bridges that were installed to extend the life of the existing winter road will become noisier with year-round traffic, which could scare off moose and waterfowl that congregate in those low lying areas, he said. Moses told CBC's The Trailbreaker his community never consented to the N.W.T. government's plans to repurpose those bridges as features for an all-weather highway. Moses said year-round access could also bring unwanted harvesters to their traditional hunting areas and create more risk that the community's sacred or cultural sites be disrespected. He also said the existing bridge crossings are too close to the Dehcho and could lead to fuel spills into nearby rivers and creeks — pointing to a 2013 example in which a fuel truck crashed at Vermillion Creek and which he said luckily only released 10 litres of petroleum. Moses said an alpine route offers better vistas for tourism and protects their hunting areas and archaeologically sensitive places from disturbances. "It's better ground to build on, we're closer to the mountains where there's better base material," said Moses. "Looking toward the future, we want this road to showcase the beauty of our land." Route still being discussed, says N.W.T. government The N.W.T.'s Department of Infrastructure turned down a request for an interview from CBC News. In an emailed statement, it said the proposed all-weather route is designed to minimize the overall impact of the project on the environment and to "maximize alignment" with the existing winter road infrastructure and the "already disturbed footprint" it has created. It said Bear River Bridge still needs to be built, but other bridges for the route are already done. The department also said it had provided the First Nation with money to do Indigenous knowledge studies and that the route design was not yet complete. The department said it has made recent adjustments after getting community feedback. For example, it changed the proposed alignment near Bear Rock and Big Smith Creek, after hearing from Tulita. Heed community knowledge, says former chief Former Pedzéh Kı̨ chief Tim Lennie told CBC News that ignoring his community's warnings about landslide risks between Wrigley and Norman Wells will be costly and potentially unsafe for travellers in the future. "You're talking with people that lived in this area and … that's been the resounding message over all these years," he said. According to a report written following a Mackenzie Valley Review Board engagement session in the community last fall, participants said even the winter route was built without full consultation of the community. Lennie said the N.W.T. government's focus on using the old winter road is a "real waste of resources and capacity" for the First Nation. He also said his community has yet to receive supports like community training programs for future construction and socio-economic benefits. He said it's already been decades since the Mackenzie Valley Highway was proposed and that the project has been lucrative for "engineers, lawyers, consultants all on the government side" with few economic benefits to the community. The infrastructure department said that it has compared the current proposed alignment and an inland alternative. It said it will spend several winters conducting geotechnical assessments of the proposed alignment and decide if any further changes to the route are required. Moses, meanwhile, said the N.W.T. government is providing a "whole litany of reasons" for not establishing a route higher up on the land.
