Winnipeg named most intelligent community for 2021

Winnipeg -

Winnipeg has been named the most intelligent community for 2021 by an independent think tank, beating out contenders in Australia, Brazil, Russia, and Vietnam.

The title was bestowed on Winnipeg by the Intelligent Community Forum, marking the first time Winnipeg has been selected by the ICF. Winnipeg has placed in the top seven three other times in 2014, 2015, and 2016.

“This win has been in the making since 2014,” said Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman in a news release.

“Our city has done a lot of work in that time to make sure we are a more connected, inclusive, engaging, innovative, and sustainable city—one that is making every effort to ensure there are plenty of opportunities for success for anyone who chooses to live and build a life here.”

The ICF is headquartered in New York, with community members in 180 cities, metro regions, and countries around the world. It has a think tank that developed a method to identify prosperous, inclusive economies with rich cultures that are thriving amidst disruptions in the digital age.

Economic Development Winnipeg said it has been involved with ICF for over a decade, studying its method and learning how to make the city better.

Dayna Spiring, president and CEO of Economic Development Winnipeg, said the win will help to advance the city further.

“We’re going to use it as a tool to help businesses understand why they should set up their businesses here, to help talent understand why this is the place to make their careers and make their homes, to help people understand that if you’re going to invest capital in a city, why not do it in the most intelligent community in the world?” she said.

Spiring said Winnipeggers also have a role to play in lifting the city and recognizing its benefits.

“Winnipeggers are our own worst enemies. We do a great job of knocking our city down, but it’s our job, it’s all of our jobs to start raising this city up, and we can give you reason after reason to do that,” Spiring said.

“As Winnipeggers, we have got to stop talking about potholes or mosquitoes or the cold. We have got to talk about all the things that make this city great, and there are so many of them.”

This is the latest feather in Winnipeg’s proverbial cap. It was recently named one of TIME Magazine’s World’s Greatest Places of 2021 and one of Site Selection Magazine’s Top 20 Best Locations to Invest.