Minister Vandal launches PrairiesCan service location in Grande Prairie and announces federal investments across northwest Alberta

Over $9.4 million in federal funding for Grande Prairie and area organizations and communities announced at newest PrairiesCan service location

GRANDE PRAIRIE, AB, June 27, 2023 /CNW/ - The economic strength of northwest Alberta is vital to the resilience of Alberta's and Canada's economies. The region is home to hardworking Canadians, innovative entrepreneurs, close-knit communities, and rich Indigenous history and culture. The federal government is partnering to support the distinctive industries, businesses, problem-solvers and communities within the region and the significant contributions they make to creating good jobs.

Today, the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister for PrairiesCan, officially unveiled a new PrairiesCan service location in Grande Prairie to enhance collaboration between Albertans and the federal government and to help capitalize on economic opportunities across northwest Alberta. The new office is located in Centre 2000, a collaborative hub that is already home to a number of economic and community-focused organizations serving northwest Alberta.

Communities throughout the Prairies have unique needs and priorities and the people who live there know how to best address them. That is why the Government of Canada is strengthening community economic development across the Prairies by opening seven new PrairiesCan regional offices, including in Grande Prairie.

As part of the launch, Minister Vandal announced more than $9.4 million in PrairiesCan investments for 23 projects to support tourism, community economic development, innovation, and economic growth across northwest Alberta.

Examples of projects that have received support include:

• The County of Grande Prairie received $750,000 to construct a new multi-use trail that is connecting existing City of Grande Prairie trails with County of Grande Prairie trails.
• The Town of High Level received $750,000 to enhance High Level Community Park with new baseball diamonds, soccer fields, pathways, washroom facilities and infrastructure that better support year-round recreation activities in the community.
• The Sagitawa Friendship Society received $500,651 to repurpose the Al-Adair Recreation Centre in downtown Peace River into a community centre and Indigenous Cultural Hub.
• The River of Death and Discovery Dinosaur Museum Society received $315,628 to launch interactive tourism experiences that increase awareness of and visitation to northwest Alberta and the Philip J. Currie Museum.

Projects announced today support more than 160 jobs while creating modern public gathering spaces that facilitate community-focused events and activities, enhance attractions that draw tourists to northern Alberta, and increase the production capacity for businesses manufacturing Alberta-made products.

"Northwest Alberta plays a large part in Alberta's prosperity, which is why our government is making strategic investments so the region can continue creating and attracting high quality jobs Canadian workers can depend on. Our new service location in Grande Prairie helps PrairiesCan to work more closely with the local community to sharpen our focus on further strengthening the area's economy. This is just one more example of how our government is working in partnership with communities on the Prairies to respond to local priorities and seize new opportunities for economic growth."
?The Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister for PrairiesCan

"These projects will be great news for families, communities and businesses in Alberta's northwest. Through collaboration with PrairiesCan, municipal governments and other community partners, Alberta's government will continue to find ways to assist rural Alberta."
?The Honourable Todd Loewen, Minister of Forestry and Parks, Government of Alberta

"The establishment of a PrairiesCan service location in Grande Prairie demonstrates that our region is an engine of economic development in the province and across Canada. Having local access to federal funding opportunities will be a significant benefit to organizations and entrepreneurs in the Grande Prairie region and across Northwest Alberta. Continued investment in our strong regional economy is a significant part of what makes the County of Grande Prairie a great place to live, work, and play."
?Bob Marshall, Reeve, County of Grande Prairie

"Northwestern Alberta continues to serve as an economic engine for the nation and we are pleased to see strong investment in the region through the creation of a PrairiesCan service location in Grande Prairie. This strategic investment recognizes our economic potential, advances local economic priorities, and will continue to bolster prosperity in our community and country for years to come. We remain proud of the great entrepreneurial drive that exists within Grande Prairie and look forward to ongoing collaboration with the province, federal government, and stakeholders across industries to drive our joint success."
?Mayor Jackie Clayton, City of Grande Prairie

"This funding from Prairies Can has been critical to the museum. This injection of funds to complete and enhance projects halted by the pandemic enables the museum to recover and achieve key tourism goals of the museum, region and province. The funding will help both the museum and other tourism initiatives in the region as we collectively develop the tourism economy."
?Linden Roberts, Executive Director, Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum

• In Budget 2021, the Government of Canada provided funding for Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) to transition into two new Regional Development Agencies ? Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) ? serving the Prairies, and Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan) ? serving British Columbia.
• In August 2021, the Government of Canada officially launched PrairiesCan and announced plans to open seven new service locations across the Prairies: Lethbridge, Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie in Alberta; Regina and Prince Albert in Saskatchewan; and Brandon and Thompson in Manitoba.
• These seven new service locations significantly extend our reach to better serve our clients. They operate in addition to the PrairiesCan headquarters in Edmonton and existing offices in Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Ottawa.
• PrairiesCan's enhanced community-based approach addresses the specific circumstances and needs of local communities and their surrounding regions, and increases collaboration with a range of local organizations from different sectors to strengthen economic development.
• The PrairiesCan service location unveiled today is located in Centre 2000, on the banks of Muskoseepi Park in Grande Prairie, Alberta.

The Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister for PrairiesCan, officially unveiled the new PrairiesCan service location in Grande Prairie to help capitalize on economic opportunities across northwest Alberta. As part of the launch, Minister Vandal also announced more than $9.4 million in recent PrairiesCan funding for 23 projects to support tourism, community economic development, innovation, and economic growth across northwest Alberta.

The $9,409,410 in federal funding announced today provides more opportunities for growth and economic prosperity across northwest Alberta. This investment is expected to support more than 160 jobs.

The federal investment is allocated through several PrairiesCan programs, including the Business Scale-up and Productivity program, the Canada Community Revitalization Fund, the Jobs and Growth Fund and the Tourism Relief Fund.

The BSP program supports high-growth businesses that are seeking to improve productivity, scale-up and commercialize technology. It offers interest-free, repayable funding to incorporated businesses that have been in operation for a minimum of two years. Today, PrairiesCan support for one BSP project was announced:

• Wolfe Honey Company Inc. ($667,507)

Renovate existing facilities in the Hamlet of Guy to increase capacity to produce organic honey as well as launch and market a new hot honey product.

As part of Canada's COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, the CCRF helps communities across Canada build and improve community infrastructure projects so they can continue to rebound from the pandemic. With a national investment of $500 million over two years, the CCRF is helping not-for-profit organizations, municipalities, community groups, and Indigenous communities build accessible community infrastructure and revitalize existing assets, bring people to public spaces, create jobs, and stimulate local economies. Today, PrairiesCan announced support for 10 CCRF projects:

• Cherry Canyon Agricultural Society ($30,060)
  Upgrade the outdoor community park in Bear Canyon with new playground and fitness equipment, bleachers, landscaping, and benches.

• County of Grande Prairie No. 1 ($750,000)
  Improve access to recreational trail infrastructure by constructing a new 1.6 km multi-use trail that connects existing City of Grande Prairie trails with the County of Grande Prairie trail network.

• Fourth Creek Community Association ($23,000)
  Enhance an established community recreation area by building a new public playground near the Fourth Creek Hall, ball diamond and campground.

• Hythe and District Agricultural Society ($192,327)
  Build the Mustang Spray Park, an accessible and family friendly outdoor spray park in Hythe.

•  La Crete Agricultural Society ($39,090)
  Establish a 7.5 acre community orchard at the La Crete Mennonite Heritage Village.

• Loon River First Nation ($20,000)
  Develop a new community garden in the Loon River First Nation to provide residents a place to gather and grow their own food.

• Marigold Enterprises Rehabilitation Services Society ($38,531)
  Repurpose a vacant space into a community gathering space and mini-golf course in downtown High Prairie.

• Sagitawa Friendship Society ($500,651)
  Renovate the Al-Adair Recreation Centre to create a community centre and Indigenous Cultural Hub in downtown Peace River.

• Town of High Level ($750,000)
  Enhance High Level Community Park with new baseball diamonds, soccer fields, pathways, washroom facilities and infrastructure to better support year-round recreation activities.

• Town of Swan Hills ($236,364) 
  Enhance downtown Swan Hills by expanding greenspace and adding accessible walkways, benches, and outdoor museum displays that attract residents and support community gatherings.

The JGF is a $700-million federal program to support regional job creation and position local economies for long-term growth. The Fund provides businesses and organizations with either interest-free loans or non-repayable funding to help job creators and the organizations that support them to prepare for growth, build resiliency, enhance competitiveness and create jobs. Today, PrairiesCan support for one JGF project was announced:

• Little Red River Group of Companies (Operating as Caribou Mountain Homes) ($4,480,500)
  Enable Caribou Mountain Homes to acquire equipment, supplies, and labour they need to increase the production of ready to move homes that can be delivered to markets throughout northern Canada.

Tourism Relief Fund (TRF) - $1,681,380
As part of Canada's COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, the TRF supports tourism businesses and organizations to adapt their operations to meet public health requirements while investing in products and services to facilitate their future growth. With a federal investment of $500 million over two years, this fund is positioning Canada as a destination of choice as domestic and international travel rebounds. Financial support is a mix of interest free-loans and non-repayable contributions depending on project activities. Today, support for 11 TRF funded projects was announced:

• Canadian Motorcycle Tourism Association ($72,222)
  Add equipment that extends the operating season of outdoor event spaces at the Veterans Memorial Gardens & Interpretive Centre in Grande Prairie and launch new marketing initiatives to attract visitors to northern Alberta.

• High Level Native Friendship Centre Society ($500,000)
  Establish an Indigenous cultural park with a historic walkway that shares Indigenous knowledge and outdoor gathering spaces designed to host authentic Indigenous experiences.

• La Crete Polar Cats Snowmobile Club ($87,838)
  Create new trails, install signage and accessible washroom facilities, and launch digital trail maps to enhance the snowmobile trail network in the La Crete area.

• Mackenzie Ski Hill Society (operating as Blue Ridge Mountain Resort) ($225,908) Enhance Blue Ridge Mountain Ski Resort with new ski runs, a terrain park, website updates, chalet expansion, and enhanced staff training to provide quality experiences that attract new guests.

• The Mighty Peace Tourist Association ($140,000)
  Gather detailed information on trails in Peace River Country and the Municipal District of Smoky River to guide future trail development and tourism planning.

• Monkman Ventures Ltd. (operating as Broken Tine Orchard) ($57,540)
  Enhance Broken Tine Orchard facilities to increase production capacity, support the launch of new products and enable the orchard to better attract and welcome visitors.

• Municipal District of Greenview No. 16 ($55,861)
  Create a destination development strategy and launch a virtual reality experience to increase awareness of and visitation to attractions and experiences in the Grande Cache area.

• Prairie Gallery Society (operating as the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie) ($26,385) Acquire assets that enable the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie to display captivating multimedia exhibitions and create an immersive digital collection that can be viewed online.

• River of Death and Discovery Dinosaur Museum Society (operating as Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum) ($315,628)
  Launch interactive tourism experiences - including guided river rafting tours, an escape room, digital fossil discovery experiences, and new museum exhibits - to increase awareness of and visitation to northwest Alberta and the Philip J. Currie Museum.

• Town of Fairview ($99,999)
  Acquire equipment and create a destination development plan to support the delivery of quality community events that attract visitors to Fairview.

• Zama Recreation Society ($99,999)
  Build two full service cabins in the community campground and upgrade the Zama Community Hall with a new kitchen to attract visitors and provide amenities that better support community events.

• Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) 
• Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP)
• Canada Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF)
• Jobs and Growth Fund (JGF) 
• Tourism Relief Fund (TRF)

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SOURCE Prairies Economic Development Canada