The inaugural Rural Leadership North Dakota (RLND) International Canada Seminar began the morning of April 29^th. We traveled by bus from Bismarck, to Fargo, to Grand Forks to pick up RLND participants and alumni. RLND alumni were invited to participate in this international seminar. We were excited to have Dr. D. C. Coston, Vice President for Agriculture and University Extension, joining us on this inaugural international seminar. Dr. Coston's vision and network of people made this seminar possible.

Our first visit on Wednesday afternoon was to the community of Sainte-Agathe, Manitoba.  We were greeted by Terry Dorge, Community Development Officer, and 17 community members. They shared information about how the community rebuilt itself after it was flooded by the Red River in 1997. We meet in the Red River Valley Floods Interpretive Centre and read about how the community members rebuilt their community.

Richard Ulrich, Consulate General of Canada located in Minneapolis, joined us Thursday morning and talked about his position as we traveled to visit Mary Spears, U.S. Consulate in Winnipeg.  Mary shared information about the role of a U.S. Consulate and outlined the areas she focuses on, working to assist U.S. citizens and improve the relationship between the U.S. and Canada. Rick and Mary were instrumental in helping make arrangements for this international seminar.

Our next stop was Gimli, Manitoba, a community on the south shore of Lake Winnipeg. Ian Goodall-George, Community Development Coordinator for Community Futures East Interlake, Inc., was our host for the day. We heard from several speakers including Dr. Al Kristofferson, Managing Director of the Lake Winnipeg Research Consortium Inc., and Tammy Axelsson, Mayor of Gimli. Dr. Kristofferson shared facts and pictures of the effects of pollution in the lake the past several years. Tammy Axelsson visited with us about the community of Gimli and the Icelandic heritage of the community. Our meeting took place in the New Iceland Heritage Museum. Traveling back to Winnipeg we stopped at Inwood to visit community members who took the lead on saving the community's empty school and turning it into usable space for the community.

Friday was our day to spend in Winnipeg. We started the day off at the University of Manitoba, College of Agriculture where we met with Dr. Ed Tyrchniewicz, Senior  Scholar in the Department of Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics; Ted Eastley, Executive Director of the Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council, and Dr. Brian T. Olsen, Professor and Agribusiness Chair at the College. Dr. Tyrchniewicz shared information about agriculture policy and economics. Dr. Olsen shared information about the Canadian Wheat Board and how it operates.

We left the University and traveled to MacDon Industries. We visited with Gary MacDonald, Executive Vice President of MacDon, learning about international trade issues and the implications it has for his business. It was evident to us that Canada and the U.S., especially Manitoba and North Dakota, have very similar issues in the areas of agriculture and trade.

We spent time hearing about the issues facing the Manitoba Pork Council Friday afternoon. We visited with Andrew Dickson, General Manager, and Mike Teillet, Director of Sustainable Programs. Issues we discussed included country of origin labeling, environmental issues facing confinement agriculture and the swine flu. We ended our afternoon visiting with Brian Lemon, Regional Director of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Our first RLND International Seminar was a huge success! RLND participants gained insight into issues facing Manitobans that are relevant to North Dakotans. This seminar allowed us to start building relationships across the border that will help us as we solve issues facing us in the future.

By Marie Hvidsten