‘Sometimes, we’re invisible’: Manitoba’s bioscience sector flying under the radar

Ask yourself the question: What is Manitoba’s largest export?

Folks less well-versed in the workings of the province’s economic makeup may assume something agricultural, like pork, wheat or canola oil.

Melanie Hiebert, however, knows the answer because she works in the industry that produces Manitoba’s top export, an economic sector she says often flies under the radar.

“I feel like sometimes, we’re invisible,” said Hiebert, vice president and general manager for Emergent BioSolutions’ Winnipeg site.

“I think that a lot of people don’t know that medicaments are the number one export in Manitoba,” she said.

“Medicaments” is a catch-all term for generic medicines including vitamins, vaccines and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, among others.

In 2021, over $2.2 billion worth of medicaments were exported out of Manitoba, securing its spot as the province’s number one export, a title medicaments has held for about the last 10 years.

Medicaments are mainly produced by companies in Manitoba’s bioscience sector, which falls into three separate categories: Ag Biotech (e.g., plant science, digital agriculture), Health Biotech (e.g., medical technology, digital health) and Clean Biotech (using biological materials to create new products)

Manitoba's bioscience sector has a long history and is already quite robust but, Hiebert thinks that, with a bit more awareness, the sector can certainly grow.

“If more people realized we were here, the capabilities we have, it would definitely grow the bioscience industry across the province,” said Hiebert. “Getting our name out there will help in bringing in new business.”

Emergent BioSolutions' Winnipeg site employs 400 people and has been in operation since 1996.

IVC VitaHealth boasts a history even longer, going back all the way to the 1930s, when it was originally a mail-order business and vegetarian restaurant in Winnipeg.

Today, IVC VitaHealth is the largest manufacturer of private-label, over-the-counter drugs in Canada.

“It’s not very well known,” said Stephanie Haverstick, senior VP head of operations for IVC VitaHealth, on the general anonymity of Manitoba’s bioscience space. “I think that everybody operates under somebody else’s label or banner, but it’s actually quite robust.”

That’s certainly the case for IVC VitaHealth – which hasn’t been connected to the health food store chain since the company was sold in the 1980s – as it produces products for Life Brand, Kirkland Signature and, soon, Walmart.

Haverstick says new business partnerships will help IVC VitaHealth reach its growth targets ($200M in sales by 2025) and credits a team of tight-knit employees to the company’s long-term success.

“I actually just congratulated four different employees who have been with us for over forty years,” said Haverstick, “They've been here since their teens and I expect them to be here for some time to come.”

Leadership at the Bioscience Association of Manitoba – the province’s sector council - aims to make people more aware of the employment opportunities available from local companies, especially post-secondary students.

“What happens is, a lot of students don’t know and up leaving our province and going to other provinces for jobs,” said Kim Kline, the Bioscience Association of Manitoba’s president.

Besides Ontario, however, Manitoba is the largest province for pharmaceutical manufacturing in Canada and the province’s bioscience sector employs over 1,600 individuals.

Employment in the sector is steady, says Kline, thanks to large, well-established bioscience companies in Manitoba like Emergent BioSolutions and IVC VitaHealth.

More jobs could be created, Kline adds, if more support and exposure could be given to smaller, newer companies in the space.

“What we want to do is, number one, attract investment,” said Kline. “Number two, we want to support those companies and, number three, we want to keep and retain the talent for our workforce.”