The City of Steinbach has joined forces with 10 neighbouring municipalities in Southeast Manitoba as part of a new regional lobbying effort aimed at improving infrastructure, healthcare and government services in the Eastman region.
City Council recently approved a resolution to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Eastman Regional Municipal Committee – Southern Sub-Committee, a group created to identify and address shared challenges across southeastern communities.
Joint advocacy for shared priorities
The MOU sets the groundwork for collaboration between the RM of Tache, RM of Ste. Anne, Town of Ste. Anne, RM of La Broquerie, RM of Hanover, RM of De Salaberry, RM of Stuartburn, RM of Piney, Village of St. Pierre-Jolys, RM of Montcalm, and the City of Steinbach.
“This is a collaboration, but it’s also a lobby group,” said Steinbach Councillor Jac Siemens, the city’s appointed representative on the committee. “We’ve set the priorities after eight meetings, and we’re now starting to invite provincial ministers to sit down with us.”
Key areas of focus in the agreement include highway improvements, rural healthcare access, enhanced public services and sustainable development across the region. Though each municipality maintains its individual priorities, the MOU emphasizes the importance of a united voice in lobbying higher levels of government.
Strength in numbers
Mayor Earl Funk said the new committee complements other lobbying efforts, such as the Cities Caucus and the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, but brings a specific focus to regional issues.
“This is more for Eastman-specific challenges where they can be the Eastman voice to get in front of ministers,” said Funk. “It’s just another opportunity for us to get the phone call and potentially have the ear of a minister.”
The group has already met with Brandon Burley, the Premier’s appointed liaison to municipalities, and plans are underway to meet with the Minister of Highways and the Minister of Health.
“I was very enthused,” said Siemens, following the most recent meeting. “I heard the right things. My comment to Mr. Burley was, there were a lot of positive words today, but now we need the action behind those words.”
Ideas with regional impact
Deputy Mayor Michael Zwaagstra said Steinbach’s ideas are already influencing the group’s lobbying agenda, noting that a proposal to designate medical school seats at the University of Manitoba for rural students is now being championed by the broader Eastman committee.
“That is an idea that comes from the City of Steinbach, and the other members of the committee see the benefit,” said Zwaagstra. “When you lobby together and are all asking for the same thing, it means that the province is more likely to listen.”
Zwaagstra credited Siemens for his work on the file and said the city is committed to continuing the partnership through to the end of 2025, when the MOU is set to be reviewed.
The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for June 7 in Steinbach.