What is our Dream for the East Escarpment?

 Let’s not refer to it not as a dream, but as a vision. A vision supported by what are now many other people’s hopes, aspirations and expectations. This region has rich unique history, agriculture, recreation and hospitality opportunities beckoning attention to what many refer to as the

“home-grown tourist”.

 A vision to a purpose of the east escarpment.

 A well-thought out, researched, past-proven vision with realistic goals and expectations to the opportunities and possibilities that the east escarpment does offer.

 We further envision residents proud of their communities and prepared to make commitment and trust in working together to offer what can be a flagship of recreation, education, and interpretation. In doing such can only further the social and economical health and integrity of these surrounding communities – and the province for that matter.

Isn’t that what this is really all about?

 31% of Canadians do not know about our National Parks. In Manitoba, because of the lack of exposure (and the fact we only have 1 NP easily accessible to our major centers) we imagine that percentage would be much higher.

 The same-old same-old isn’t cutting it…there is the need to increase activities with more options, more variety and engage (connect and reconnect) people in things that matter to them.

 Present urban dynamics are a challenge to captivate. We can find many experiences suggested for the east escarpment just outside the door of our urban centers – we need offer good reason in that for every hour of travel you better have at least 3 hours of good experiences to offer.

 People now have many options to involve themselves and their family members in. The east escarpment offers opportunity for a diverse mixture of what we refer to as a

“shared family experience”;  something for everyone – together.

 The primary driver need encompass the unique active outdoor lifestyle and experiences the east escarpment, again, does offer. Every community has a golf course, a swimming pool, etc… no other community has a mountain – a mountain that is a heralded ski resort with 40 years of shared experiences for tens of thousands of Manitobans. An area that can now envision offering a range of recreational and interpretative opportunities. We can only speak from personal experience the number of people that dream to reconnect and now seek those same life-long experiences for their children and grandchildren…

It is overwhelming.

 That is what makes our dream a vision – a mission with a place to purpose.

 This is a vision that requires and seeks partnerships, alliances and the experience of other communities, Parks Canada and it’s resources, with commercial operators guiding the process. “Commercial”; maybe a dirty word to some with condemnations of waste and greed – yet with a governing control (guiding hand and socially conscious mandate) it eventually will be these local communities that will become those commercial operators.

 To do so we need to offer a new, hipper, fresher perspective and method to tourism. Manitoban’s account for 81% of our tourism and that should be our first and foremost target market. We need cater and sell a product to ourselves before we can expect larger shares from the outside markets. It’s a very competitive world out there in tourism and we really need to be specific and realistic to what markets to seek.

 In saying the above; reinventing tourism is not the route. Reinventing the Agassiz Ski Area to it’s past glory will commence the required steps to what would reinvent tourism to the region.

 First and foremost in attracting tourism – you need know who your customer is and potentially, and realistically, who it can further be. Finally, you really need to know and have confidence in what you are offering in experiences and expectations. Here we could get into whether / how we can offer the tourism experiences that must be both viable and sustainable as an operator…there needs be a balance there but we’ll leave that for another time.

 In a nutshell we firstly need find, realize and enhance our unique assets. From there we will create a local market…and from those great experiences the other markets will follow.

 And we only mentioned “ski resort” once!

Opportunity = Adventure + Experience = Appreciation

Riley - our bestest McCreary buddy. Road to Agassiz in background.

"So close and yet so far".