Neepawa Council Debrief: Business is Booming

The second half of this month’s Neepawa Town Council meeting was dominated by a presentation from Economic Development Officer (EDO) Marilyn Crewe, who shared results from the Business Retention and Expansion survey conducted in June.

Neepawa Business Sector Health

Back in May, we spoke with Crewe about how the survey would be rolled out to local businesses. This week, the results were presented to Council. Crewe explained that the survey received enough responses to form a highly accurate representative sample. While she has access to individual responses to follow up with businesses directly, the data presented to Council reflected the collective results.

Across nearly every metric measured, Neepawa businesses reported strong results—including a survey response rate more than four times higher than the industry average. Overall, the health of Neepawa’s business sector ranked well above the national average, with a 94% satisfaction rate.

That doesn’t mean there are no challenges. The survey highlighted three areas with satisfaction rates below 50%: housing availability, child care availability, and access to post-secondary education aligned with market needs. Council noted that all three are already on its agenda, with active projects underway.

Public Works

Manager of Operations Denis Saquet reported on tenders for the next road project near the new hospital. Known as Road 2, this north-south road off the Hamilton Street extension will be completed to the gravel stage only, with paving expected in 2026 or 2027. Of the five companies invited to bid, four submitted tenders, with the low bid recommended and approved by Council.

Municipal Remuneration Updates

Council also discussed remuneration for union and non-union employees. A new collective agreement was finalized for part of the municipal staff. Under existing policy, rates negotiated for union staff also set the standard for non-union employees for the life of the contract. Both CAO Luc Synchyshyn and Councillor Darin Gerrard reported that negotiations went smoothly, with all parties satisfied.

Other Business

Also on the agenda were committee appointments for new Councillor Clark and the renewal of leases at the Neepawa Municipal Airport.

Rrain Prior – Local Journalism Initiative