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But crop production makes up just five per cent of the Manitoba economy. Far more important are sectors Links of London manufacturing, with its focus on aerospace and buses, as well as financial services, transportation, and mining and petroleum production. "Manitoba is the most diverse of all the provinces," says Paul Ferley, assistant chief economist for the Royal Bank of Canada. "In booming times you don't see Manitoba at the top end, but in periods of economic weakness it usually doesn't show the extreme declines." But that doesn't tell the full story of how the province dodged the Great Recession bullet. Even before infrastructure became the buzzword of the global recovery, Manitoba had a number of highprofile projects on the go that helped shield it from the downturn, such as the million expansion Links of London Black friendship Valentine Bracelet the Red River floodway, a million project to expand Winnipeg's airport, and the construction of the storey Manitoba Hydro tower in downtown Winnipeg. While construction on those projects has largely wrapped up, work is under way on the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, and the province appears intent on building a new stadium for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, even though the price tag has soared per cent to million. There's an obvious theme to many of those projects they wouldn't be happening without massive spending by all levels of government. Critics argue that government Links of London Blue Friendship Bracelet is crowding out private investment and inflicting longterm damage to the economy. Manitoba has the highest net provincial debt as a share of its economy of any of the western provinces, at . per cent, though that's still far below the Canadian provincial average of . per cent. And, ironically, as a havenot economy Manitoba relies heavily on the generosity of Ontario taxpayers as well as Alberta through federalprovincial transfers. It's led Peter Holle, president of the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, to label Manitoba a "zombie economy." But those concerns have taken a back seat Links of London Bookworm Charm the job market and consumer confidence have heated up. Retail sales in the province climbed . per cent in August from the year before, while the country as a whole managed an increase of just . per cent. On a recent Saturday, a cold wind failed to keep car buyers away from Birchwood BMW on the western edge of Winnipeg.