6.2 – Our Programs

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To advance its economic diversification objectives and the Government of Canada’s broader agenda, WD can deploy two wide-ranging program categories:

• Core programs are ongoing programs supporting economic diversification initiatives. WD receives annual funding authority for core programs.
• Time-limited programs that address a specific economic issue or opportunity. The department receives dedicated funding for time-limited programs that must be expended for a specific purpose within a specific timeline.

Core Programs

Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI)

The REGI program is a national program delivered by the Regional Development Agencies. REGI fuels economic growth through innovation and job creation. Tailored to meet the needs of each region of the country, REGI has two streams:

• Regional Innovation Ecosystems (RIE)^{Footnote 1}: This program stream is open to not-for-profit organizations seeking to create and nurture a business environment that supports western Canada’s entrepreneurs and businesses. Initiatives that provide access to the services, expertise, and resources needed to innovate, grow businesses, and create jobs are supported.
• Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP)^{Footnote 1}: This program stream targets businesses with high growth potential that plan to grow by commercializing innovative technologies, enhancing productivity, scaling-up production, and expanding their market domestically and globally. This program provides businesses with patient and interest-free repayable funding.

Community Economic Development and Diversification (CEDD)^{Footnote 1}

The CEDD Program aims to support economic development initiatives that contribute to the economic growth and diversification of communities across western Canada. Through this program, WD seeks to enable communities to leverage their capacity and strengths to:

• respond to economic development opportunities; and,
• adjust to changing and challenging economic circumstances (e.g. Churchill; inter-city bus transportation; and wild fires and floods).

Economic Development Initiative (EDI)

This program supports economic development initiatives that strengthen innovation, entrepreneurship, partnerships, and diversification of economic activities in official language minority communities across western Canada. EDI is part of the Government of Canada’s Action Plan for Official Languages 2018-2023: Investing in Our Future.

Through EDI, WD is allocated dedicated funding of $600,000 annually, which it invests in projects that specifically contribute to the economic development and growth of western Canada’s francophone businesses and communities.

Western Canada Business Service Network (WCBSN)

The WCBSN is an informal network of more than 100 points of service for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and communities, big and small, across western Canada. WD provides funding to deliver services such as: business information and advisory services, loans to SMEs, and community economic development planning and support. WD’s investments help current and prospective entrepreneurs to start, grow, or expand SMEs across western Canada. In 2018-19, WD provided approximately $40 million in funding to:

• Community Futures (CFs) WD provides annual funding of $28.2 million to 89 CF organizations (CFs) across western Canada to support job creation outside major urban centres. CFs provide business advisory services, loans, and community economic development and planning.
• Women’s Enterprise Initiative (WEIs) WD provides annual funding of $3.9 million to four WEI organizations, one in each of the four western provinces. The WEIs provide loans, business counseling and skills training specifically for women entrepreneurs.
• Canada Business Network (CBN) WD provides annual funding of $3.3 million to four CBN organizations, one in each of the four western provinces. WD is one of several core funders, including provincial governments in some cases. CBNs help western Canadians successfully start and grow their businesses by meeting the demands of entrepreneurs, start-ups, and small businesses for integrated information on government services, programs, and regulations. The CBNs also provide services such as market research data and access to experts’ advice and services.
• Francophone Economic Development Organizations (FEDOs) WD provides annual funding of $2.2 million to four FEDO organizations, one in each of the four western provinces. FEDOs provide business services including training, business and community economic development, access to capital, information services, marketing advice, networking, and mentoring to official language minority communities in western Canada.
• Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Program (EDP) WD provides annual funding of $1.6 million to nine EDP organizations serving urban and rural communities across the West. Out of the nine organizations delivering EDP, four are the provincial CF associations that are responsible for delivering the rural component of the program. EDP organizations provide business information, training and development, mentoring, and one-on-one counseling services to western Canadian entrepreneurs living with a disability.
• Indigenous Business Development Services (IBDS) WD provides annual funding of $673,000 to be divided evenly between four IBDS organizations, one in each western province. IBDS is delivered by CF organizations in BC, SK, and MB, and by the regional CBN in Alberta. The program provides early entrepreneurship support for new and existing Indigenous entrepreneurs and businesses across western Canada.

Time-Limited Program Delivery

Canada Coal Transition Initiative (CCTI) (Expires March, 31, 2023)

WD received $25 million in Budget 2018 to establish the CCTI, which helps impacted communities in Alberta and Saskatchewan transition their economies away from coal-fired electricity generation. This is a key commitment made under the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. Through this program, WD’s investments support capacity-building, entrepreneurship support, business start-up and expansion, and supply chain development. Budget 2019 announced a further $105 million for WD to help address infrastructure needs in coal-affected communities.

Tourism: Canadian Experiences Fund (Expires March 31, 2021)

Budget 2019 committed $13.6 million over the next two years for WD to support western Canadian businesses and not-for-profit organizations in creating, improving, or expanding tourism-related infrastructure as part of the Federal Strategy on Tourism and Jobs. This program focuses on five categories:

• tourism in rural and remote communities;
• Indigenous tourism;
• winter tourism;
• culinary tourism; and,
• inclusiveness, specifically for the LGBTQ2+ community.

In 2019-20, 69 projects representing $12.8 million in funding were approved.

Steel and Aluminum Initiative (Expires March 31, 2020)

This initiative supports SME manufacturers operating within Canadian steel and aluminum supply chains affected by recent global market dynamics (i.e. tariffs). Budget 2019 made $25 million available to WD in non-repayable funding to invest in innovative projects that are expected to maintain and create jobs as well as promote economic growth through the adoption of innovative technologies and processes in western Canada.

In 2019-20, 42 projects totalling $24.9 million were approved under the Steel and Aluminum Initiative.

Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) (Expires March 31, 2023)

Budget 2018 allocated approximately $33 million to WD to help western women entrepreneurs grow their businesses through access to financing, talent, networks, and expertise. Key action areas of this funding include:

• mentoring, skills development, and networking;
• increasing access to capital;
• improving access to federal business innovation programming; and,
• enhancing data and knowledge.

In 2019-20 a total of 54 projects totalling $26.5 million in WD funding were approved.

One-Time Funding Delivery

WD sometimes receives one-time funding from the Government of Canada to address particular emerging economic and environmental challenges facing western Canada’s communities such as the recent wildfires in Alberta and British Columbia. Given its flexible programs and business model, WD is called upon to deliver key federal responses, such as:

• When Greyhound announced it would end all of its transport services west of Sudbury, Ontario, effective November 1, 2018, WD was asked to step in. The department is providing funds for cost-sharing agreements with interested western provinces to fund service on routes where no other service provider has emerged.
• Providing funding for the replacement of the Haisla bridge in Kitimat, BC. The bridge is an important piece of the town’s infrastructure that will help the community deal with the increased activity associated with Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) development in the area.
• Responding to the recent disruption of rail service to Churchill, Manitoba, by funding the Arctic Gateway Group to restore rail access, support the environmental remediation of the Churchill marine tank farm, and to support operations of the Hudson Bay Railway line, and Port of Churchill.

A Client-Centric Approach

WD continues to enhance its business processes, tools, and practices to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its program delivery and services to Canadians. Through an examination of key policy issues, and recommendations from WD’s Grants and Contributions Modernization Review, informed by clients’ feedback, WD revised its application and assessment processes. These changes led to better access to information online 24/7, clearly stated service standards, reduced submission requirements, and greater engagement with applicants.

In an effort to ensure a client-centric approach, WD, along with other Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and departments, provides Canadian entrepreneurs with pathfinding opportunities to facilitate access to appropriate programs and services unavailable through WD. Examples of pathfinding mechanisms include the Accelerated Growth Services, Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB), and Economic Pathway Partnerships.

Moving forward, WD will continue collaborating with other RDAs in the design and implementation of a common grants and contributions system. This new, user-friendly system will provide improved services to the public through streamlined tools. Features will include online access to services, greater transparency through a web portal, and more timely responses to client queries.

Figure 1 – WD’s Program Allocation for the 2019-20 Fiscal Year

Text version: WD’s Program Allocation for the 2019-20 Fiscal Year

• Regional Innovation Ecosystem (RIE) program stream, $69,819,229 - 25%
• Steel and Aluminum (SAP) Initiative, $24,849,000 - 9%
• Western Canada Business Services Network, $39,920,712 - 14%
• Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, $16,181,076 - 6%
• Business Scale Up and Productivity (BSP) program stream, $60,887,808 - 21%
• Canada Coal Transition Initiative, $2,641,178 - 1%
• Canadian Experiences Fund, $4,659,018 - 1%
• One-Time Program Delivery,* $38,808,500 - 14%
• Community Economic Development & Diversification, $24,499,408 - 9%
• Economic Development initiative, $600,000 - 0%

*One-Time Program Delivery includes funding for:

• AB and BC Wildfires;
• Haisla bridge replacement;
• Cessation of Greyhound bus service; and,
• Restoring rail service to Churchill, MB.

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