Manitoba eyeing economic immigration strategy MANITOBA PROVINCIAL NOMINEE PROGRAMS Manitoba is looking for recent graduates, skilled workers and entrepreneurs who have the intention to settle and economically establish in this province. There are four streams to apply for: 1.Skilled Workers in Manitoba Via work experience Employment Direct Recruitment 2.Skilled Workers Overseas via Express Entry Human Capital 3.International Education Stream Career Employment Pathway Graduate Internship Pathway International Student Entrepreneur Pilot 4.Business Investor Stream Entrepreneur Pathway Farm Investor Pathway WHAT IS MANITOBA FAMOUS FOR? Manitoba has the largest Icelandic population outside of Iceland. It is one of the most affordable provinces in which to live, it has the lowest costs for housing and electricity. The majority of Manitobans identify themselves with Christianity (mostly Catholics), and there are also Jews, Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, Indigenous beliefs and pagans. L’Université de Saint-Boniface is the only French speaking university in Manitoba. The city of Churchill is called “The Jewell of Manitoba” because people can see belugas and northern lights, and “Polar Bear Capital” because polar bears go out and about the city and walk in its streets in the fall, just like any other resident. The province has been inhabited by Aboriginal people for thousands of years. The city of Steinbach, not far from Winnipeg, is a city founded by Russian Mennonites who moved there in the XIX century. It is now a Mennonite Heritage Village, and the locals are their direct descendants. It is a thriving city, very open to immigrants. Some 15,000 immigrants arrive in Manitoba each year. WHAT IS CONSIDERED LOW INCOME IN MANITOBA? The minimum wage in Manitoba is $11.65 per hour. Families have an average income of $174,000 a year. WHAT IS THE CAPITAL OF MANITOBA? The capital and most important city in Manitoba is Winnipeg. A city with a high spirit for sports, it is located where the rivers Red and Assiniboine meet. It is the largest city in Manitoba and one of the coldest in Canada. It has a multicultural vibe and many places to see and visit, and it holds many festivals along the year, like the Jazz Winnipeg Festival, the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival, among others. Downtown Winnipeg if the economic and financial core, and the Exchange District, built in the XIX century, is a National Historic Site of Canada. It has the highest percentage of Aboriginal people living in any big Canadian city. The highest rate of employment comes from the educational, manufacturing, trade, Health care and social assistance areas. Brandon is the second biggest and teeming city in Manitoba. Located at about 200 km from Winnipeg, its economy is based on trade, agriculture, education, food processing and health care. It has many museums and art galleries and other cultural sites, and it’s an important cultural center in the province. THE ECONOMY OF MANITOBA There are many key industries that contribute to the development of the province, and many of them are in the capital, Winnipeg. Advanced manufacturing (the biggest center for transportation manufacture in North America is there), Aerospace (also, the largest center in Western Canada is there); agribusiness (with strong research in agricultural and development of ecosystems, a growing and developing Information Technologies (IT) community of important companies with different sets of skills and expertise, high-tech start-ups and video games, and remarkable firms (like Microsoft, Bell MTS and so on) also have their hubs in Winnipeg. The culture sector is also a provider of employment because its animated and flourishing cultural environment is recognized and awarded around the world. Many architects, writers, performers, animators, actors, film agencies and others have a home in Canada’s “Cultural Cradle”. Tourism, energy and financial services are other important industries in the province as well. HOW MUCH IS GST AND PST IN MANITOBA? With record investments in health, education and families, a lower deficit, and the second consecutive reduction in the province's PST rate. BUDGET reduces pst to 7%, makes life more affordable. The 5% federal Goods and Services Tax ("GST") and Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), in applicable provinces, applies on most goods and services. Manitoba Government departments and entities are exempt from the federal Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) on direct purchases. Below is a list of entities that are exempt from GST/HST on such purchases of property or services. Please note that the list is subject to change. WEATHER IN THE PROVINCE OF MANITOBA With a daily temperature of 6° C, and particularly cold in the winter, Manitoba is one of the coldest regions in the country. The climate is continental, which means temperature varies significantly throughout the year. It also changes in the North and South. The weather can be humid and warm, with an important amount of rains in some cities, and subarctic. The landscape is mostly flat land, with some hills and small mountains southwest, and there are many rivers and lakes (like Lake Winnipeg, Lake Winnipegosis, etc.), which make fresh water be Manitoba’s most important resource. EMPLOYMENT There are many key industries that contribute to the development of the province, and many of them are in the capital, Winnipeg. Advanced manufacturing (the biggest center for transportation manufacture in North America is there), Aerospace (also, the largest center in Western Canada is there); agribusiness (with strong research in agricultural and development of ecosystems, a growing and developing Information Technologies (IT) community of important companies with different sets of skills and expertise, high-tech start-ups and video games, and remarkable firms (like Microsoft, Bell MTS and so on) also have their hubs in Winnipeg. The culture sector is also a provider of employment because its animated and flourishing cultural environment is recognized and awarded around the world. Many architects, writers, performers, animators, actors, film agencies and others have a home in Canada’s “Cultural Cradle”. Tourism, energy and financial services are other important industries in the province as well. THE EDUCATION IN MANITOBA In Manitoba, as in the rest of Canada, education is compulsory and responsibility of the provincial government. Both the Public Schools Act and the Education Administration Act are the most important rules for the sector in the province. There are funded independent schools, boarding schools (that follow Manitoban curriculum), and non-funded independent schools. Children must start their education since they’re six years old until they’re 18, and parents are responsible for sending them to school. The school year varies, always depending on the date the first Tuesday after Labor Day has. There are public schools regulated by school divisions (school districts). As for higher education institutions, there are five universities in Manitoba and four of them are in Winnipeg (like the University of Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg, etc.) HEALTH SYSTEM IN MANITOBA Canada has a universal and public healthcare system funded by the government. Manitoba citizens and residents do not pay premiums or personal costs for receiving basic healthcare services. With a healthcare card, you have access to endless health services. TOURISM The province has a plethora of sites and activities to do all along the territory. There are two national parks and fifty-four breathtaking provincial parks (like the Riding Mountain National Park, and Clearwater Lake Provincial Park, to name two). There are zoos, aquariums, museums of all kinds, and also festivals. As for activities, you can see a ballet in a theater, go to an art gallery, try some dog sleighing, see the Northern Lights or a frog jumping competition, and have a meal in a wonderful restaurant. Manitoba is so wonderful you can do all that, and more. This province also offers the visitors and residents the valuable opportunity to know more about the Aboriginal Peoples living in the province. There are some very interesting tours and expeditions around their territory you can join, and you can also taste some of the delicious traditional indigenous cuisine.