Manitoba, Canada - Gateway to Business in North America


Post-Event Resources

Discover the value of doing business in Manitoba, learn the unique advantages of relocating or expanding here, and utilize resources and supports available to newcomers and business owners.

TThank you for attending "Manitoba, Canada - Gateway to Business in North America" on October 28, 2021. Below you will find post-event resources from each of the participating organizations. Please don't hesitate to reach out to them if you have more questions. This page will remain live for approximately 2 weeks.

Resources

Certificate of Attendance

Please download and print out this certificate of attendance (PDF).

Event Recording

This video is presented for informational purposes only. The content does not constitute legal advice or solicitation and does not create a solicitor-client relationship. The views expressed are solely the authors' and should not be attributed to any other party, including Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP (TDS), CentrePort Canada, Economic Development Winnipeg, World Trade Centre Winnipeg, or their clients. The authors make no guarantees regarding the accuracy or adequacy of the information contained herein or linked to via this video.

CentrePort Canada Inc. Resources

Presenter: Diane Gray, President and CEO
Phone: (204) 784-1300

Cushman & Wakefield | Stevenson Resources

Cushman & Wakefield | Stevenson provides full-service real estate solutions in brokerage, property management and valuation & advisory services in Manitoba. We pride ourselves on doing real estate differently, and believe in giving back to the community through a number of community initiatives throughout the year. Learn more at http://cwstevenson.ca or reach out to us at info@cwstevenson.ca.

MMI Asset Management provides access to investment opportunities with real results through our institutional approach to asset management and development. We offer qualified private investors and institutions a well-managed portfolio of diverse real estate assets that mitigate risk. When you partner with MMI, you'll discover that our entrepreneurial approach means careful and strategic investment decisions, designed to lead to real results. Learn more at mmiam.ca or email us at info@mmiam.ca

Moderator: Martin McGarry

Economic Development Winnipeg Resources

Presenter: Alberto Velasco-Acosta, Director of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
email: alberto@yeswinnipeg.com
phone: (204) 954-1972

World Trade Centre Winnipeg Resources

Presenter: Derek Earl, Vice-President
email: dearl@wtcwinnipeg.com
phone: (204) 289-4086

Thompson Dorfman Sweatman Resources

Presenters:

Silvia de Sousa, Lawyer, IP Protection & Privacy Law
email: svd@tdslaw.com
phone: (204) 934-0592

Dell Dyck, Lawyer, IP Protection & Privacy Law
email: knd@tdslaw.com
phone: (204) 934-0571

Jennifer McRae, Lawyer, Immigration and Employment Law
email: jem@tdslaw.com
phone: (204) 934-2374

Speaker Biographies

Moderator: Martin McGarry
CEO, Cushman & Wakefield | Stevenson

Martin McGarry began his commercial real estate career nearly 30 years ago and has been a top producer for the last 2 decades. If you were to ask anyone who has anything to do with commercial real estate, they will tell you Martin is a person you can depend on and trust to do the best thing for his client.

Martin is responsible for the execution, vision and strategy as the CEO of Cushman & Wakefield | Stevenson as well as the President and CEO of MMI Asset Management. He manages strategic relationships with key investment partners and is continually in pursuit of client-service excellence.

Martin serves on the Board of Directors for World Trade Centre Winnipeg. He was also appointed to the Manitoba Provincial Working Group for development of a capital region growth plan that will aim to deliver better infrastructure at lower cost and improve planning, permitting and zoning.

Martin graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Arts and has been a licensed salesperson with the Manitoba Securities Commission since 1992.

Derek Earl
Vice-President, World Trade Centre Winnipeg

Derek supports international trade and export growth. A senior executive with nearly 20 years of experience in business and international affairs, Derek has advised and assisted hundreds of companies with their growth strategies and international business development.

Derek leads WTC Winnipeg's ESG strategy (Environmental, Social, Governance). Deeply committed to social purpose, he is particularly focused on business strategies to navigate climate change and on advancing Truth & Reconciliation. He has been instrumental in numerous key projects for the WTC Winnipeg such as: launching the organization in 2013, delivering four editions of the global business forum called Centrallia, and establishing Canada's Trade Accelerator program (TAP) in Manitoba.

Prior to joining the WTC Winnipeg, Derek worked with the Canadian Embassy in Paris, France, where he worked to establish the Province of Ontario's trade development and investment attraction office.

Diane Gray
CentrePort Canada Inc.

Ms. Diane Gray is the founding President and CEO of CentrePort Canada Inc. CentrePort is a 20,000 acre tri-modal inland port and Foreign Trade Zone in Winnipeg's capital region.

Ms. Gray previously worked for the Province of Manitoba from 1995 to 2009 and simultaneously served as Deputy Minister of Finance, Deputy Minister of Federal-Provincial and International Relations, and Deputy Minister of Trade. She has received the Lieutenant Governor's Medal for Excellence in Public Administration, the Women of Distinction Award for Management and Leadership, and was recognized by the Supply Chain Management Association as one of the 100 Influential Women in Canadian Supply Chain.

Ms. Gray currently serves as Chair of Mitacs and the Manitoba Technology Accelerator, and is co-Chair of World Trade Centre Winnipeg. In addition, Ms. Gray serves on the boards of UM Properties; the Public Policy Forum of Canada; the Canada West Foundation; and the Associates of the Asper School of Business.

Ms. Gray is a graduate of the University of Manitoba's and University of Winnipeg's Joint Masters of Public Administration Program and has an undergraduate degree in political studies.

Alberto Velasco-Acosta
Director of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Economic Development Winnipeg

Alberto has over 15 years experience in actively promoting Winnipeg as a world-class business centre. He joined Economic Development Winnipeg (EDW) in 2018 as Director of Foreign Direct Investment, where he proactively identifies new prospects to attract to Winnipeg to inform them of and promote Winnipeg's strong value proposition. He also represents YES! Winnipeg on international business missions and welcomes incoming international delegations.

Prior to joining EDW, Alberto was Director Trade Services with World Trade Centre Winnipeg from 2014-2018, where he coordinated partnerships in Latin America, China and India, and promoted Centrallia 2016, bringing 700 business leaders from all over Canada and 30 other countries to Winnipeg. He was Executive Director International Business Development with CentrePort Canada from 2009-2013, promoting Winnipeg business and investment opportunities around the world.

Alberto volunteers his time in community, currently as Chair, Business Development Committee for Consider Canada City Alliance, promoting Canada as the preferred location for foreign investment and trade. He is also President of Mex Y Can Association of Manitoba, promoting Mexican culture in Manitoba.

Silvia de Sousa
Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP

Silvia de Sousa is an accomplished partner at TDS with over 27 years of leadership in the IP and tech space. The focus of her work is in the area of business law with an emphasis on intellectual property law and technology law, including intellectual property transactions, cannabis advertising and marketing, intellectual property protection, trademarks, copyrights, patents, and licensing matters. Silvia is also a trademark agent.

Silvia joined TDS in 1994 and has spoken on many occasions to professional organizations and industry groups on intellectual property and technology law matters. She teaches intellectual property law at the Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba, and has also taught solicitor transaction matters, licensing, and international law as a sessional lecturer at the University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law, and the Asper School of Business. Silvia served as past Chair of the National Intellectual Property Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association and is a former Chair and current member of the Technology and Intellectual Property Law Section of the Manitoba Bar Association. She is active in the community and has volunteered her time with numerous community organizations, including, the Associates, the Legal Help Centre, the Health Sciences Foundation, the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, Branch Council of the Manitoba Bar Association, and the American Bar Association IP Section.

Kendall (Dell) Dyck
Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP

Kendall (Dell) Dyck is a rising star of the TDS Privacy and Data Protection Practice Group, advising clients from both the for profit and not-for-profit sectors with respect to access to information requests, anti-spam compliance, and privacy and data protection matters. In addition, Dell has experience in Wills and Estate Planning and Administration, and Aboriginal law.

Dell accepted an associate position with TDS in 2020, after enjoying two summer stints as a student and articling at the firm. She has earned a certificate in Privacy and Cybersecurity Law from Osgoode Hall Law School, is a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), and has contributed to several sources, including Lexology and Mondaq.

Jennifer McRae
Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP

With more than 15 years of experience as a lawyer with TDS, partner Jennifer McRae's practice focuses primarily on Canadian immigration law. Her immigration practice includes assisting Canadian companies and foreign nationals with a variety of immigration matters including, labour market impact assessments, work permits, immigration employer compliance audits and inspections, visitor visas, study permits, permanent resident status, and citizenship.