Supplementary Information

May 18, 1995 (The Program started in 1986 and was previously delivered by Human Resources Development Canada).

Ongoing

Contribution

Annually through Estimates

2010-11

Communities are economically diversified in western Canada

Program: Business Services

The CF Program was designed to help rural communities develop and implement local solutions to local problems. The program provides financial support to CF organizations, which are incorporated, not-for-profit organizations. CFs provide support to small and medium-sized enterprises and undertake community economic development initiatives.

The following lists the expected results for the CF Program:

• Communities are economically diversified in western Canada.
• Western Canadian businesses have access to advisory services and capital.

2018-19

Continuation

2024-2025

CF Organizations and CF Associations

Eligible applicants for the CF Program are the CF Organizations. WD has a long-standing strategy of engaging with these organizations to build awareness of WD's programs among prospective proponents.

October 18, 2018

REGI - Ongoing

WEF - March 31, 2021

WES Ecosystem Fund - March 31, 2023

REGI - Grant and Contribution

WES - Contribution

Annually through Estimates

2019-20

Businesses are innovative and growing in western Canada.

Businesses invest in the development and commercialization of innovative technologies in western Canada.

Program: Innovation, Business Growth

The Regional Economic Growth Through Innovation (REGI) Initiative builds on the objectives of the Innovation and Skills Plan. The goal of REGI is to provide streamlined, nationally coordinated, regionally tailored support for business productivity and scale-up, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), women and Indigenous entrepreneurs, and other underrepresented groups. REGI will assist in the enhancement of regional industrial and technology clusters and regional innovation ecosystems.

The program will provide assistance through two program streams:

• Business Scale-up and Productivity Stream (BSP) – Invest in and support businesses at various stages of development, including high-growth firms to accelerate their growth, help them scale-up, and enhance their productivity and competitiveness in both domestic and global markets.
• Regional Innovation Ecosystems Stream (RIE) – Create, grow and nurture inclusive regional ecosystems that support business needs and foster an entrepreneurial environment conducive to innovation, growth and competitiveness.

The Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) provides nationally coordinated, regionally tailored investments to help women entrepreneurs and support regional innovation ecosystems through two program streams:

• WES Ecosystem Fund – A five-year program to help not-for-profit, third party organizations deliver support for women entrepreneurs and address gaps in the ecosystem.
• Pilot Contribution Program (Women Entrepreneurship Fund) – A two-year program completed in 2019-20 that invests directly in women-owned or women-led businesses to help them grow and reach new markets.

Contributions issued under REGI may be unconditionally or conditionally repayable, or non-repayable. Contributions issued under the WES are non-repayable only.

• Businesses are innovative and growing in western Canada.
• Businesses invest in the development and commercialization of innovative technologies in western Canada.
• Western Canadian businesses are innovative.
• Western Canadian businesses are competitive and export their products/ services.

Not applicable, new program

Not applicable, new program

2023-24 Program evaluation of Business Scale-up and Productivity

2023-24 Program evaluation of Regional Innovation Ecosystems

2023-24 Program Evaluation of Women Entrepreneurship Strategy

Incorporated for-profit companies, not-for-profit organizations, industry associations, post-secondary institutions, Indigenous organizations, business accelerators, incubators, women-led businesses, angel networks, social enterprises, a group of eligible recipients such as an industry association or consortium, a municipality and all other municipal-type organizations, and a federal or provincial crown corporation/organization or any other entity created by the provincial government or a provincial department.

Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) collaborates with its partners and engages key stakeholders in discussions regarding economic development and business growth to ensure that the department’s investments respond to the needs of SMEs. Key partners and stakeholders may include other levels of government, community leaders, financial institutions and private-sector organizations. Information on the REGI initiative and WES is shared with applicants and recipients through targeted outreach with stakeholders, media strategies and on WD’s website.

December 3, 1987

Ongoing

Contribution and grant

Annually through Estimates

2018-19 (Revised October 18, 2018 to exclude innovation-related activities.)

Communities are economically diversified in western Canada.

Programs: Business Services, Community Initiatives

The WDP contributes to the department's mandate to partner with westerners to develop the western Canadian economy and advance their economic interests in Ottawa. Contributions to not-for-profit organizations are generally non-repayable; contributions to western Canadian commercial projects or for-profit organizations are typically repayable. The program provides assistance through several program streams, such as:

• Community Economic Development and Diversification (CEDD)
  • Supports initiatives that contribute to economic growth and diversification of communities
• Economic Development Initiative (EDI)
  • Supports economic development and growth of Francophone businesses and communities with a focus on four themes (Trade and Investment, Immigration, Tourism, and Capacity building)
• Canada Coal Transition Initiative (CCTI)
  • Helps impacted communities in Alberta and Saskatchewan transition their economies away from coal-fired electricity generation.
• Canadian Experiences Fund (CEF)
  • Assists communities as they create, improve or enhance tourism products, facilities and experiences in five categories: tourism in rural and remote communities; Indigenous tourism; winter tourism; culinary tourism; and inclusiveness, specifically for the LGBTQ2+ community.

• Communities are economically diversified in western Canada.
• Western Canadian businesses have access to advisory services and capital.
• Western Canadian communities have necessary public infrastructure and adjustment support to promote economic growth.

The Summative Review of WDP funding to support spinal cord injury research, care programs and associated initiatives at the Rick Hansen Institute (2013-2018), now called the Praxis Spinal Cord Institute, completed in 2018-19.

The overall WDP program has not been evaluated since 2007. The Western Economic Partnership Agreements, which were created under the WDP, were evaluated in 2012. WD’s Innovation activity done through the WDP, was also evaluated in 2012. WD’s Business Productivity & Growth activity done through the WDP, was evaluated in 2016. The Economic Development Initiative, one of the four WDP program streams mentioned above, was also evaluated in 2016.

Continuation of funding for Praxis Spinal Cord Institute.

2021-22 Impact Evaluation of “Restoring Rail Service to Churchill, Manitoba initiative”

2022-23 Final review of the Praxis Spinal Cord Institute

(The WDP transfer payment program supports the above initiatives)

Contributions and grants may be made to not-for-profit organizations, post-secondary institutions, small and medium-sized commercial, incorporated, for-profit enterprises, hospitals and regional healthcare centers, individuals, co-operatives, Indigenous communities and groups, Federal Crown Corporations (Treasury Board Secretariat will be consulted prior to any funding decisions for Federal Crown Corporations); Provincial Government Departments, agencies and Crown Corporations; Municipal Governments and organizations created by them.

Funding requests for the WDP are through either a continuous intake or a call for proposal process. Engagement of potential applicants and stakeholders is through active outreach, media strategies, and information provided on WD’s public website.

1995

Ongoing

Contribution

Annually through Estimates

Business are innovative and growing in Western Canada.

Program: Business Services

Increase the availability of capital to women-owned enterprises; and

Provide services to help women entrepreneurs develop the experience, expertise, assets, and credit record that would enable them to increase both the number and strength of women-owned businesses in western Canada.

• Businesses are innovative and growing in Western Canada.
• Western Canadian businesses have access to advisory services and capital.

2013–14

Continuation

Not applicable

WEI organizations who assist women-owned and controlled businesses.

WD maintains ongoing dialogue with WEI organizations by monitoring progress and compliance of the contribution agreements between WD and the WEI organizations.

WD has designated an Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) to lead and monitor the department’s gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) activities. In this role, the ADM or GBA+ Champion, is responsible for the appropriate application of GBA+, and leads the department’s GBA+ Committee. This committee brings together representatives from across regional and functional groups within the department.

WD has identified a GBA+ Responsibility Centre, which ensures GBA+ is properly conducted for all policy proposals. In addition, WD has identified GBA+ Focal Points who attend interdepartmental committees to keep up-to-date on GBA+ developments. As a regional development agency (RDA), WD participates on an RDA committee with the goal of sharing best practices and coordinating approaches to GBA+.

The department has created a GBA+ portal on WD’s internal website, which collects a wide variety of resources in one easily-accessible location. The portal presents advice for all different functional specialists on how to integrate GBA+ into their work. WD has also created an internal guidance document for analysts, laying out how GBA+ is integrated into decision-making processes for programs, policy, and initiatives.

The GBA+ Committee has, and will continue to work with the Canada School of the Public Service to make more GBA+ training available to staff, particularly outside of the NCR. The Committee and ADM will continue working to ensure GBA+ is considered at all levels of decision-making within WD.

WD has created departmental GBA+ guidance to assist in the creation or renewal of programs, policies or initiatives. Analysts will continue to conduct GBA+ assessments as required, including, but not limited to, when drafting Memoranda to Cabinet and Treasury Board submissions.

To help implement the department’s overall GBA+ strategy, WD has identified four individuals as part of its GBA+ Responsibility Centre, one individual as GBA+ Focal Point, and there are another 14 GBA+ committee members. This voluntary committee is actively engaged in activities such as communicating GBA+ objectives and responsibilities to the department and arranging department-wide training.

WD’s GBA+ efforts will amount to approximately one (1) full-time equivalent (FTE) position in 2020-21.

WD is working on strategies for women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples in western Canada. These strategies are being conducted through a GBA+ lens.

WD developed the Western Canada Growth Strategy with a GBA+ lens, and will continue to incorporate GBA+ thinking into its initiatives in the future. Performance measures for the growth strategy are in the early stages of development.

WD collects GBA+ related data on its programs, as well as from its network partners.

WD has reviewed its application forms and websites for more LGBTQ2+ inclusivity and modified its content where necessary. WD will continue to apply this lens to its public information.

WD monitors the percentage of western Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) owned by women, Indigenous people, visible minorities, youth, and persons with disabilities. WD will continue to evaluate its programs impact on equity and economic participation for diverse groups of people.

As part of the new federal policy directive regarding GBA+ and the collection of data, WD is undertaking a review of its current data inventory in the context of GBA+. The discussion around what GBA+ data would be informative for program and policy review is ongoing.

Primrose Lake Economic Development Corporation (PLEDCo)

March 30, 2007

End date is dependent on the terms of the agreement.

Communities are economically diversified in western Canada

Program: Community Initiatives

To assist and promote economic development in the communities within the Primrose Lake Area, and to enhance the long-term economic viability and sustainability of those communities.

$15,000,000

$15,000,000

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

PLEDCo will use the interest earned from the trust fund to support economic development initiatives, infrastructure projects, scholarships, and operating costs.

PLEDCo continues to observe and perform the terms of the agreement required for this funding. This work includes an annual strategic plan, report and audited financial statement.

In 2020–21, PLEDCo will continue its work toward its objective of strengthening the local economy, including:

• Support economic development initiatives in affected communities;
• Identify additional regional partners to help improve local economies in communities;
• Participation in the Primary Producers Program administered by Beaver River Community Futures; and
• Focus on large projects, like the Île-à-la-Crosse fish processing facility, leading to longer term economic prosperity for the region.