MANITOBA, SASKATCHEWAN MINISTERS TO DISCUSS TRANSPORTATION PRIORITIES

Improving ways to get Manitoba and Saskatchewan products to export markets will top the agenda at a joint ministers of transportation conference in Brandon today and tomorrow.

The conference, which is a follow up to the provinces' first joint cabinet meeting in February, will explore expansion of regional co-operation between the provinces.

"As two prairie provinces at the heart of the continent, Manitoba and Saskatchewan share many of the same advantages and challenges when it comes to getting our products to international markets," Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Steve Ashton said.

"By enhancing our trading relationships with the United States and Mexico through initiatives such as trucking and rail policy harmonization, producers, manufacturers and ultimately the residents of both Saskatchewan and Manitoba will benefit," Saskatchewan Highways and Infrastructure Minister Jim Reiter said.

During the meeting, the Ministers also hosted several stakeholder groups who provided recommendations and ideas about how the provinces can work together to provide a more seamless economic environment. Stakeholders included the Manitoba Trucking Association, Saskatchewan Trucking Association, Council of Saskatchewan Forest Industries, Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors, the Forestry Industry Association of Manitoba, Tundra Oil and Gas, Precision Well Servicing and Petroleum Services Association of Canada.

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For more information, contact:

Charles McDougall
Government of Manitoba
Phone: 204-945-1494

Rosann Semchuk
Saskatchewan Highways and Infrastructure
Phone: 306-526-9345