This past year in Winkler was the culmination of a number of visionary projects, many years in the making.

After eight years in the works 2016 saw the opening of the long awaited Buhler Active Living Centre. After ten years of planning and advocating the city also saw the installation of a four lane intersection and traffic lights at the corner of PTH 32 and Pembina.

"A lot of things came together in 2016," Winkler Mayor Martin Harder says. "You look at all that and say, "did this really all happen in one year?""

Plans for a regional waste-water treatment plant made strides this year as well after receiving a grant to complete the engineering and design phase, "it was a very

2016 saw the opening of the Buhler Active Living Centre important step, obviously it needed to happen," Harder says.

The full reach of Winkler's manufacturing sector hit home for Harder in 2016, with a rapidly developing Clover Creek industrial park. Speaking with local business Harder discovered one manufacturer is building a new tundra buggy for Churchill, another business is creating equipment for oil fields in Texas.

"Sometimes we're a little afraid to brag about what's going on here, but here we touch the Arctic Ocean and we touch the Gulf of Mexico," Harder says. "We're sitting right in the middle and the opportunities in between are incredible."

The past year also added a number of advisory roles, both regionally and provincially, to Harder's plate.

Named Director of Central District at AMM, Harder was also appointed to the Affordable Housing Advisory Board for the province, as well as the Provincial Justice Advisory Committee.

Harder is also appointed to Province's Red Tape Task Force.

Another highlight was a trip to Austria on an immigration initiative.

"A trip like that does two things, you realize how many people would love to live in your country and community, and it makes you appreciate what you have," he says. "There are millions of people out there who'd love to have even a portion of what we have."

Looking ahead, Harder says planning continues on a new multi-use recreation complex in Winkler.