AMessagefrom YourPresident

February sure went by quick for me, and maybe for all of you as well, which I am A-OK with as that means spring, and summer are closer

A topic that has come up recently at our board table is community partnerships, and how vital they are to the health and workability of a community. While researching what good looks like in terms of community partnerships, I stumbled onto this set of parameters that I align with. Below is an excerpt from the Community Partnerships Resource Guide published by the Province of Ontario. (Source: https://rb.gy/40qndt)

It is hard to come up with a universal definition of what makes a community partnership, since their very nature is determined by the partners who participate in them. There is a broad spectrum of collaboration, ranging from loose associations to formal unions, which qualify as community partnerships This view of partnerships is based on some assumptions, that apply to any type of community partnership

These include:

• Partnerships take time, skill, and effort – on all sides

• Power‐sharing is necessary in partnerships –with some loss of autonomy.

• No partnership will work if it comes together only for funding purposes.

• Partnerships are beneficial to all partners involved.

As a Chamber, we create and foster many partnerships. Some of those include postsecondary institutions, municipal, provincial, and federal governments, media organizations, other not-for-profit organizations like the Construction Association of Rural Manitoba, Brandon Downtown Development Corporation, and Community Futures Westman. With each partnership we are looking to create knowledge and advantage for our members Our question, as an executive, and a board, and a chamber, is always what or how will this help our members?

I have mentioned a few times at our luncheons that we are working on establishing an Economic Development team for Brandon, and area This is an endeavour that has been discussed over the course of many years, but for various reasons, nothing has come to fruition. We are hopeful now is our time. The economic development of Brandon, and area, must have community partners to succeed.

Our Economic Development focus will be seeking to improve the economic well-being and quality of life for Brandon. We have our own challenges, and priorities, and the team that is comprised will be tasked with identifying those very things. Examples of strategies for economic development are creating more jobs, and job variety, keeping businesses here and getting new ones, improving everyone ’ s quality of life, increasing our tax base (individual and business), ensuring we are using our property productively, promoting our community assets, making, and selling more local products, and getting more skilled workers living in our community

We look forward to bringing you more information on the development of our Economic Development strategies, and we encourage you to have a voice in this endeavour by sharing your thoughts and ideas with our team at the Chamber office, or myself. You can email me at president@brandonchamber.ca. Have a great March!

Tanya LaBuick, Brandon Chamber President