Remarks by
The Honourable John Harvard, P.C., O.M.
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
Smart Awards
Fairmont Hotel
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 - 6:30 p.m.
Smart Partners of Manitoba, builders of a better province, believers
in brain power: it's a real pleasure to be here for the 2005 Smart Awards.
Tonight's awards banquet brings together leaders in business, the public sector, research and
education in a way that illustrates very well what it means to build a smart community.
A smart community is powered by the human imagination. And the imagination, like the brain itself,
works by making connections.
The honourees tonight come from many different sectors of society and they all excel in their own area. They also
bring together education – both on the job and in the classroom – and health; pure scientific research
and applied innovation; entrepreneurship and community partnerships; recreation and technology; brand-new
start-up businesses and some of the biggest companies in this province.
Together, they show us that building a smart community is a matter of
connecting these many areas of endeavour.
Smart Partners of Manitoba realizes that. That's why this organization defines a smart community as
one that has both obvious characteristics – a highly skilled workforce, a large research university and
a cluster of high-technology companies – and quality-of-life characteristics such as arts, entertainment
and recreation opportunities, good transportation links, and affordable costs of living and doing business.
In short, the smart people at Smart Partners see the importance of connections. Pursuing and strengthening
these kinds of connections will make Manitoba a more prosperous, healthy, happy and equitable province.
That's the idea behind these awards and the other programs of Smart Partners.
As Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, I am profoundly encouraged by the dedication and achievements of
Manitobans like those gathered here tonight.
You are all working to make your community a better place, which, come to think of it, is a pretty smart thing to do.
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