The Minister of Northern Affairs and Minister announced this morning (weds) $310,000 to the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce for intelligence gathering software to be jointly shared with the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce.

Daniel Vandal says skills and talent matter most as the country moves to the next stage of economic recovery.

Vandal says we need to keep our talent at home and provide opportunities for growth..

“It will enable Chambers to make evidence based decisions in real time to create targeted programs that will address skills shortages, barriers to recruitment, retention challenges and other issues facing Saskatchewan and Manitoba businesses.”

The Saskatchewan Chamber says through InputSask in Saskatchewan and MBPulse in Manitoba, chamber members now have access to an all-in-1 survey platform and community hub. The platform has the combined features of SurveyMonkey and a Facebook group page with the capacity for discussion and focus groups, and communication within the hub.

Members provide their input on subjects like economic landscape, government policy and regulations, and many other concerns or opportunities facing business in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Data gathered is shared with government and back to participating Insight Community users. This data also informs the chambers’ advocacy efforts and policy processes.