If you want to understand the future of northern Manitoba, you have to understand the role University College of the North plays in shaping it.
Following UCN’s convocation in Thompson, I sat down with UCN President Doug Lauvstad for a substantive conversation about how the institution can lead the next phase of development across the North.
Our discussion covered several key themes: how UCN can expand programming in the skilled trades to meet the demand created by federal infrastructure investments like the Build Communities Strong Fund, how the institution can deepen its partnerships with First Nations communities across the riding to support Indigenous-led economic development, and how UCN’s research and training capacity could be leveraged to support emerging sectors — from critical minerals to clean energy to northern healthcare delivery.
I want to be direct about why this conversation matters. Every federal dollar flowing into this riding — for housing, infrastructure, broadband, economic development — ultimately needs a skilled local workforce to turn that funding into results. UCN is that workforce pipeline. Strengthening UCN’s capacity is not a side conversation to northern development. It is central to it.
President Lauvstad shared an ambitious and grounded vision for UCN’s future — one rooted in genuine partnership with northern and Indigenous communities, not a one-size-fits-all approach imported from southern institutions.
This was the beginning of an ongoing conversation, not the end of one. My office will continue working with UCN to ensure the institution has the federal support it needs to lead northern Manitoba’s next chapter.