Yesterday, Growth Enterprise and Trade Minister Blaine Pedersen was in The Pas to announce the Manitoba Mineral Development fund.

The fund is worth 20 million dollars that will be put towards the mining industry and it will be managed by the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce who will decide how the money will be dispersed on an annual basis.

Pedersen said the old community mining reserve fund that would put money into communities where mining stopped was ineffective, but with this fund it’s more proactive where you can build business in communities in preparation for the mining industry to come.

The announcement was made at the Metis Hall where a Linkages forum was being held. Linkages, is a program that is jointly sponsored by UCN, Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, and Look North which focuses on how to develop businesses and entrepreneurship in the north.