How Matthewson & Co.’s CED-Based Model Works in the Turtle Mountain Region

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Holistic Development: The Region Plans as a System, Not as Individual Towns.

In the Turtle Mountains, every community is a small population community and every issue is interconnected.

• Housing affects labour

• Labour affects business retention

• Business retention affects the tax base

• The tax base effects municipal services

• Municipal services affect quality of life

 

Working with Matthewson & Co. lets the region address these issues together instead of in isolation.

 

How it works regionally:

Matthewson & Co. acts as a hub who:

• Shares information and priorities across all communities.

• Develops regional strategies for housing, workforce, business supports, tourism and infrastructure.

• Develops specific business by business strategies

• Develops capacity building within the participating municipalities

 

Benefits

• No competing plans that undermine each other

• Partnered grant writing and project development

 

Community Empowerment: Local Voices Shape Regional Direction

The region decides the priorities, and Matthewson & Co. facilitates the process.

 

The Regional Partnership is Multi-Stakeholder.

The partnership includes:

• Municipal Councils

• Businesses in the Turtle Mountains

• Farmers and Producers

• Non-profits and Volunteer Groups

• Schools and Educators

• Healthcare Providers

• First Nations

• Industry Stakeholders

• Residents (Youth, seniors, families)

• Regional Organizations

 

Sustainable Local Economies: The Region Builds Long-Term Economic Stability

Turtle Mountain communities cannot rely on:

• Single industries

• Single employers

• Single funding streams

• Single municipal budgets

• Individual municipalities to carry the load

 

The Matthewson & Co. model focuses on economic sustainability. Short term projects are important too, and included in our goals within the Turtle Mountains to:

• Diversify local business activity

• Support and grow existing businesses

• Develop our local labour force

• Share marketing and regional identity

• Coordinate investment attraction

 

The end goal, of course is to strengthen the entire region’s economic base—not just one town.

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Support Long-Term Resilience: The Region Plans Beyond Election Cycles

A regional model led by Matthewson & Co., a neutral, independent hub, helps ensure continuity. We provide the work for the region to make sure:

• The plan survives election

• The region avoids “start-stop” development cycles

• Capacity amongst municipalities is supported

• Businesses looking to expand are supported

• Long term projects (housing, workforce, business investment) stay on track.

 

So Who Actually Participates?

We are a true regional CED hub. We invite:

• Local business owners

• Farmers and Producers

• Entrepreneurs

• Non-profits and volunteer groups

• Schools and educators

• Healthcare providers

• Regional organizations (chambers, tourism groups, heritage groups

• Municipal partners

• First Nations partners

• Industry stakeholders (transportation, construction, energy, etc.)

• Financial Institutions and lenders

 

These are the groups who shape our priorities.

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Matthewson & Co. Builds the Regional Table

Traditional regional initiatives look to the municipalities to lead. However, municipalities do not have the capacity, staff, or neutral positioning to convene a regional table. Municipalities have an obligation to their own jurisdiction as elected officials.

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Matthewson & Co. does.

 

We create the structure where everyone has a seat and everyone has a voice.

 

Our Role:

We design the regional table. We recruit the partners, facilitate meetings, manage communication, gather information, synthesize priorities.

 

The Regional Partnership Sets Priorities Collectively

This is the heart of the participatory CED model. Priorities come from all stakeholders. For example:

• Businesses identify workforce and investment barriers

• Residents identify quality of life issues

• Municipalities identify their priorities

• Industry identifies their needs

 

Matthewson & Co. synthesizes all of this into regional priorities.

 

Each partner gets an opportunity to vote on what happens in the Turtle Mountain Region.

No single stakeholder group dominates the process.

 

The Regional Partnership Sets the Priorities.

 

This is the core of the participatory CED model.

 

​The priorities come from:

• Business owners

• Residents

• Employers

• First Nations

• Community Organizations

• Municipalities

 

In this model, no one group decides the regional priorities.

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Municipal Councils do not decide the priorities for the entire region. They adopt them.

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This prevents:

• Political bias

• Municipal turf ward

• We weren’t consulted backlash

• Siloed planning

• Uneven development

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Matthewson & Co. Turns Priorities into Action

Once the regional partnership sets the priorities, Matthewson & Co. becomes the regional backbone organization. We:

• Coordinate projects

• Manage Timelines

• Support Municipalities

• Support businesses

• Align partners

• Secure Funding

• Maintain continuity

• Track Progress

• Report Back

 

We solve the capacity gap.

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What Does it Cost Per Year?

$600.00 per year.

 

What does it get me?

If you are a municipality we provide:

1. Individual quality of life survey for your municipality and report

2. 25% off of all of Matthewson & Co. services and products

3.Regional newsletters and updates

4. A connection to your municipal website on the regional site.  

5. Inclusion in our Investment Attraction Portfolio, which we are then promoting to businesses to expand or relocate to the Turtle Mountain region

6. Housing development support.

7. Grant support.

8. Access to Regional Data

9. Equal voice in regional decisions

 

If you are a Business we provide:

1.One to one supports for business expansion or succession

2. Employee recruitment and retention supports

3. Updated business plans

4. Inexpensive website development and support

5. Regional marketing campaigns

6. Regional business directory and spotlights

7. Alignment with Tourism opportunities

8. Workforce support.

9. Equal voice in regional decisions