By Curtis Galbraith

Local Business

City Hall welcoming PrairieCans announcement

Aug 6, 2021 | 5:30 AM

City Hall officials are welcoming the announcement of a Prairie Economic Development Canada office for Grande Prairie.

City economic development manager Rebecca Leigh calls the announcement “really exciting.”

“I’m excited to see the support and recognition from the federal government.”

“Western Economic Diversification has been a great partner for us in supporting our local businesses and so it is really exciting to see them reorganize and to really focus on supporting the prairies and, specifically, opening a Grande Prairie office and just recognizing the power of the Grande Prairie regional economy and the great things that our businesses are doing here.”

The federal government announced Wednesday that the former Western Economic Diversification Canada will turn into separate development agencies, one for BC, the other for the three prairie provinces.

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Leigh says this new office would support the whole business community.

“A number of the services that they offer will particularly support businesses who are looking either to start up or scale up and are looking to access new sources of funding.”

“Regional economic development agencies like our predecessor Western Economic Diversification or the new organization PraairieCans offer all sorts of different funding programs and other resources for businesses.”

Leigh says that could include grants and interest-free loans to help businesses to expand or find new markets.

She adds Western Economic Diversification has been a great resource but has been around since 1987 and has not been reorganized in a long time.

“By splitting its focus between the prairie provinces and the west coast in BC, they really were trying to work with multiple needs.”

“This new move and this new reorganization recognize the different challenges and opportunities that the prairies have in terms of economic growth and of growing our entrepreneurship and business space and how unique those needs are from the needs of British Columbia.”

It is not yet known when the Grande Prairie office will open.