Neepawa Centre of a Potential Economic Corridor

Translate video
To translate this video to French or another language:
  1. Start playing the video
  2. Click CC at bottom right
  3. Click the gear icon to its right
  4. Click Subtitles/CC
  5. Click Auto-translate
  6. Select language you want

Neepawa Centre of a Potential Economic Corridor

Deputy Mayor Hedley sits down with Don Walmsley for a deeper look into issues and happenings in the town of Neepawa over the past couple of months as well as some plans going into the future.

One of the main topics of conversation in Neepawa remains the restoration of Park Lake. It was on July 1, 2020 that heavy storms caused the water to break through and drain the lake, flooding southern portions of the town and washing out roads and bridges. We will be well past the two year anniversary by the time the area is restored to its previous condition. The next big project, which will be starting this month, is the replacement of the Park Lake bridge. Hedley indicates that the bridge will be installed in the same location as previously, and when it is completed will fully restore access to the park, which right now is served by a temporary access road intended primarily for residents of the area.

Walmsley and Hedley touch on some of the new infrastructure, including the near-completion of the new reservoir and waste management system as well as the bike park which is still fairly new and will require minimal maintenance after the snow melt to keep the trails and hills in riding shape.

One of the interesting areas they touched on was traffic on Highway 16, which bisects Neepawa. Twenty years ago there were no traffic lights on the highway, and now there are two sets, but there are still not a lot of safe crossing points and traffic has increased significantly over the span of time. The increase in population means both an increase in traffic and an increase in the population of young people who need to cross the highway to get to school. The last time a traffic study was done was in the late 1990s, which doesn’t reflect the current situation in the area.

That increase has not only affected Neepawa but its two neighbouring communities - Gladstone to one side and Minnedosa to the other. Both have seen increases in population directly related to growth in Neepawa and both are close enough that it makes an attractive corridor for drawing new business to the area, particularly in the food processing, manufacturing and agricultural industries. Hedley indicates these are conversations they are already beginning to have between the communities.

Finally they look at the future of the town, as we draw closer to the close of Hedley’s first term on Council. One thing he mentions is that they are trying to look even further into the future of the area, making plans not just five or ten years down the road but as much as 30 or 50, creating a more generational approach to planning. While a lot can change in that span of time, thinking about it now makes for smoother development in the future.

 

Comments

We encourage comments which further the dialogue about the stories we post. Comments will be moderated and posted if they follow these guidelines:

  • be respectful
  • substantiate your opinion
  • do not violate Canadian laws including but not limited to libel and slander, copyright
  • do not post hateful and abusive commentary or any comment which demeans or disrespects others.

The Community Media Portal reserves the right to reject any comments which do not adhere to these minimum standards.

Add new comment

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
Video Upload Date: March 28, 2022

As Neepawa and area’s local access television station, NACTV has been serving the community since 1977. The station is a community-owned not-for-profit organisation that broadcasts 24 hours a day and reaches homes throughout Manitoba and Canada on Bell ExpressVu 592, MTS Channel 30/1030, and WCG 117 as well as streaming online at nactv.tv.

NACTV’s content is primarily filmed and produced by local volunteers and focuses on issues, activities, achievements, sports, and news by, about, and of interest to our community.  

Neepawa is located in western Manitoba, about two hours west of Winnipeg and 45 minutes southeast of Riding Mountain National Park.

Prairies
-
Neepawa

Recent Media