Getting More for Every Taxpayer Dollar

A new regional development corporation, JohnQ Public Impact Incorporated, was launched today by the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region (WMR) at their Annual General Meeting in Winnipeg. JohnQ was built by Metro Region leaders, is led by a Board of Directors from the founding municipalities and informed by an expert business advisory council.

“Our research into current practice and other jurisdictions clearly pointed to the need to refresh our approach and take advantage of opportunities,”

said Reeve Brad Erb, Chair, JohnQ.

“By working together we can utilize economies of scale, save money, pool resources, build our capacity in service delivery, getting more value for taxpayers dollars and achieving our shared objectives.”

JohnQ is owned by its shareholders, the participating members of the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region and accountable to the taxpayers through these elected officials. It operates as a coordinated service provider to the municipalities, beginning with professional procurement services.

“Sound fiscal management and delivering value for taxpayers is important for the province and it is equally important for municipalities,”

said the Honourable Jeff Wharton, Minister of Municipal Relations.

“This initiative aligns with our government’s recent announcements on public service innovation and reducing red tape. These municipal leaders have shown vision and initiative by exploring better ways to work collaboratively on shared priorities in their communities.”

“Viewing business and industry as partners in increasing our competitiveness, building our economy and improving the quality of life for our communities is a key tenant of JohnQ”

said Colleen Sklar, Executive Director, WMR.

“Professional coordinated purchasing will save time and money for municipalities. It will maximize buying power, ensure we are comparing apples to apples and undertaking rigorous due diligence to reduce risk. This is exactly what the public expects from elected officials.”

With the help of an expert business advisory council, led by Mark Dufresne, WMR plans to expand JohnQ services based on the success of its own performance, as they can afford to so.

“There are solid business opportunities to be achieved here,”

said Dufresne.

“The key is involvement and solid support from its members. Although JohnQ is starting small it has the potential to evolve to meet the needs of the all stakeholders including local government, business and industry and the public. ”