Creative Resolutions In Action Colleen Sklar - Creative Resolutions

If you are interested in what makes a Livable City, you are probably familiar to the work of Lisa Prime.







She is known throughout this industry for her ability to bring this diverse array of stakeholders together. This includes identifying opportunities that benefit from the convergence of environmental, business and social considerations.  Lisa believes, that we need well-constructed policies to guide the planning for major development projects including infrastructure revitalization featured in regional economic plans.







Why you should care?







When the Winnipeg METRO Region was charged with helping the Province develop its Regional Growth Management and Servicing Plan, Lisa Prime was one on the first persons we reach out to.  After all, she is an expert at developing policy, master plan and strategy as well as implementation collaborations for real estate development, including low carbon technologies. Lisa also brings an expertise in partnerships, funding, procurement and government relations with in the public sector, development and corporate clients.







Lisa has been involved with several bell weather projects like Mattamy Homes, City of Markham and Enwave; and a leadership policy for the 2041 Metrolinx Regional Transportation Plan.







On Today’s Podcast







On today’s podcast we talk with Lisa Prime from PRIME Strategy & Planning as she works with the Winnipeg METRO Region to develop a Regional Growth Management and Servicing Plan. From her work on Toronto Waterfront and the Don River restoration project Lisa discusses similarities that she might draw on from her experience when looking to sustainably plan a growing METRO Region such as the one in Manitoba.







Lisa also shares the importance of working with partners in business and industry and the opportunity to bring folks together on a shared benefit and find ways to improve processes but also improve performance with a made-at-home approach.







Highlighted Quotes







I think the opportunity to bring folks together on a shared benefit and find ways to improve processes but also improve performance and the objectives you are trying to do in this world of climate change based city planning approach is super important.







You do a better job of working together and finding those right tools and levers to support the development community than working against them. 







I think the opportunity to apply a regional lens to a project area with several communities and find a collaboration approach that can really benefit the whole.







When do city building nowadays, city/region building and deal with growth issues we have to factor in climate change. 

Paul Thomas is a scholar, teacher, researcher, and mentor in the field of public administration and has been for over 40 years. Over his long and distinguished career, he has encouraged an ethical standard for public service in Manitoba. Paul is currently the Professor Emeritus for the Faculty of Political Studies at the University of Manitoba and is still very active in the METRO Region community. 







Why you should care?







Do you ever think that the challenges of Manitoba would raise to the level of complexity of a world hotspot like the Middle East? Former Premier Garry Doer once compared our provincial challenges and the skills of our guest today as both raising to that level.   He said that if Paul Thomas could solve the intransigency our systemic challenges, he would qualify to solve world peace or at least the challenges of the Middle East.   How could you not want to hear what he has to say about Manitoba today.  







Paul brings the perspective of a distinguished professor, researcher and expert in public administration.  In some cultures, we would revere this lifetime of perspective and call him an elder.   So listen up and pay attention to this installment.







On Today’s Podcast







On today’s podcast we talk with Paul Thomas a scholar, teacher, researcher, and mentor in the field of public administration for over 40 years. Over his long career he has encouraged an ethical standard for public service in Manitoba and raised the bar for public servants and elected officials alike. 







Since 2003 when Thomas and his team wrote and released A Partnership for the Future: Putting the Pieces Together, he had been thinking about the necessary elements to get the Region moving and one of them was exploring what makes a Metro Region Model work. 







In this episode, we have the chance to talk with Thomas and get his sage advice about what will get leaders to the table and keep them there. Upon reflection of his twenty plus years of seeing the regional issue tossed around in report after report, Thomas still believes that building a long-term plan is long over due and still a very worthy cause. 







Highlighted Quotes:







There’s no silver bullet here, there’s nothing here that makes it easy, it’s just hard grinding work. It takes commitment, it takes patience and it takes perseverance.







­­­­­You've got to do something to force action by governments – and I tried it on two other occasions. 







we’ve got to speed it up, we’ve got to make greater headway 







other city regions are moving faster than us and their getting the advantage 







We live in a global world now where economic activity people capital jobs moves all over the globe. We won’t get into the game unless we organize ourselves effectively. 







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If you could,

When you think about the future of Manitoba, most people think of Jobs, Technology and jobs again. Mike Moore is one the people who knows that the backbone of being ready to join the global economy start with, (Drum Roll Please!) LAND USE. How we build the plan for how we will use our most valuable if resources, our land, is where it all begins.