Manitoba/North Dakota Partnership

[GeauxSioux]

Summit to build manitoba-North Dakota partnerships

"The fact is we have been trying to strengthen relations between Grand Forks and Canada for some time," he said.

Just by virtue of the size of the small North Dakota city relative to Winnipeg -- about 50,000 compared to about 650,000 in Winnipeg -- the people in Grand Forks might have more reasons to want to deal with Winnipeg than the other way around.

But in addition to direct collaborations, Thiessen points out that Grand Forks can be a powerful gateway opportunity into the United States.

"People in Manitoba don't realize the networks -- business, academic, research -- that Grand Forks is connected up with," Thiessen said.

The idea behind the Oct. 6-7 conference, called Connect -- U.S./Canada Economic Summit (that features a stylized "maplestar" logo) -- is to focus on issues that characterize a regional economy.

"We have had a longstanding relationship with UND and this is an opportunity to strengthen it," Alho said.

Among other things, the conference will afford the opportunity for the newly installed presidents of both institutions -- David Barnard of the U of M and Robert Kelley at UND -- to meet face to face.

UND has long been interested in the U of M's public health work at the faculty of medicine and one of UND's claims to fame is that it is one of the largest pilot training and air traffic controller training centres in the United States.

"UND has such a strong aerospace program and Winnipeg is becoming a centre for composites manufacturing and research," Alho noted.

The fact that Barnard will be in Grand Forks -- one of his first opportunities to represent the university outside the city -- is a good sign that the summit will have some weight.

[MarginWalker]

You can find out more about the USA/Canada Summit in Grand Forks at this page: www.newgeography.com/maplestar

[GeauxSioux]

Thanks for the link MarginWalker. That site is filled with information for someone who is a "warehouse of useless information" (according to my wife).