The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Tim Cipullo fields a lot of questions in his job, but none more basic than why his position exists. As the United States Consul for Manitoba, Cipullo answers by pointing out the vital relationship, trade and otherwise, between the province and Uncle Sam. 'There's so much going on in this region that does affect the United States,' he told the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce last week. Cipullo gave the examples flooding preparedness, agricultural policy and Manitoba Hydro, which exports electricity to the U.S. Addressing 20-plus people at the Victoria Inn, Cipullo described his role as being 'America's eyes and ears in Manitoba.' He said the U.S. Consulate in Winnipeg, where he is based, offers a range of services, from emergency assistance for American citizens to commercial advocacy. Cipullo pointed out that about 18 per cent of Manitoba's GDP is derived from trade with the U.S. In other words, $18 of every $100 earned in this province is attributable to America. If Manitoba were a country, he said, it would be tied with Italy for the amount of U.S. goods it purchases. Cipullo spoke of a need to harmonize certain regulatory differences between Canada and U.S. in an effort to strengthen trade. He gave the example of a General Mills food plant in Minnesota that makes Cheerios. 'There's two production lines,' Cipullo said. 'They have one production line for the United States and then they have to stop it and start up another production line to send Cheerios to Canada because the regulations are different and they have to change the formulation.' Both sets of Cheerios end up looking and tasting the same, he said, calling this an 'example of a real cost imposed on a business.' Manitoba is among six Canadian provinces with a U.S. Consulate, and for good reason, in Cipullo's view. 'The issues going on in Manitoba are very different from what's going on in Prince Edward Island or in Vancouver or in Calgary,' he said. Originally from Pittsburgh, Cipullo became the U.S. Consul for Manitoba in August 2011. His three-year term expires in 2014.
