A new member is now sitting on the board of Portage Regional Economic Development (PRED). Last night's Portage la Prairie City Council meeting voted to make Peggy May the new non-elected official and voting member on the board.

"Both the City and the RM have been in discussions for some time, as well as the PRED board, in terms of complexity of the board and the composition of the board," says Councillor Brent Budz. "Stakeholder meetings were held in such that we'd like to have some representation that were not some elected officials. Through the Chamber of Commerce, Peggy May, a valued contributor at Southport, was voted upon."

Budz says while PRED's moving in a tremendously good direction, Council felt there should be some influence from more than just elected officials. He adds May's the type of person who brings the kind of perspective that isn't always provided from the council's chair.

He notes last night's inclusion also saw the removal of ex-officio roles by administration roles in the City and RM. Budz says the CAO in both municipalities is no longer acting in the position. He adds it was a housekeeping issue where the position was held for some time without any recent active use. This brought about the need for changes in the clauses in the funding agreement to more accurately represent what was happening at PRED.

PRED Executive Director Vern May adds he's excited about the decision, noting May's done a fantastic job in Southport, which he says is quite a unique operation in itself. He says May comes with a Chamber hat on, and a representative for the rural region on the Travel Manitoba board. He notes this is another voice on the table with tourism in mind, and the direction PRED wants to go.