June 23, 2021
Province Announces Service Delivery Modernization of Highway Regional Operations
– – –Improved Service Delivery for Stronger Regional Planning: Schuler
The Manitoba government has launched a new modernized service delivery model that will help municipalities and regional highway operations improve services and find efficiencies, without reducing services to Manitobans, Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler announced today.
“Our government is committed to improving services for Manitobans that best serve our growing province,” said Schuler. “Moving to a new three-region Highway Regional Operations model to improve service delivery and regional co-ordination will reduce red tape and better serve Manitobans, while ensuring there will be no office closures or reduction in staff.”
The Highway Regional Operations offices provide highway engineering design, contract administration, roadway maintenance and highway right-of-way stewardship for approximately 19,000 kilometres of provincial road infrastructure. The new three-region model consolidates regional management teams throughout the province while ensuring that staff continue to operate in all existing locations. The new model will bring engineering, technical and administrative resources together, combining staff and technical expertise. The model is designed to work directly with municipalities to identify shared opportunities at a regional level to support strong regional planning and long-term growth.
Regional offices located in Portage la Prairie and Thompson will continue to serve as local hubs for area staff to support ongoing maintenance and construction activities. The new boundaries represent three major Manitoba regions:
• Capital Region (Steinbach);
• Western Region (Brandon); and
• Northern Region (Dauphin).
A comprehensive recruitment strategy has also been shared with Manitoba Infrastructure to ensure that local needs are met in each region and will allow for employment opportunities in the province, noted Schuler.
The rollout of the new model will occur this summer and fall and will be finalized in the winter of 2021, the minister added.
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