In his first full year in the position, economic development co-ordinator Dwight “Fitz” Bramble spent time doing foundational work. He helped to finalize the bylaw that established the economic development board, completed the strategic plan that guides where they want to go and how they want to move. He also put a lot of time into networking.
Through this time Bramble worked on updating the economic development part of the city’s website, and developed a number of incentives, aimed to support local businesses and to attract new investors. Tax exemption programs for new businesses building in Estevan and for existing ones, renovating their properties, were approved in August and now are open for entrepreneurs.
“We offer a 100 per cent tax exemption for any new business that builds the facility in Estevan (for three years).” Bramble said. “Another incentive has to do with the store-front improvement and parking lot paving. If business owner decides to improve the look of their property within certain criteria, then they would get $15,000 or 25 per cent tax exemption, whichever is the less of the two.”
Bramble hopes to see the business incubator, as well as a craft brewery and a craft distillery set up and operating in Estevan by the end of 2019.
According to the economic development data, 38 new businesses opened in Estevan in 2018.
“Twenty of them are home-based businesses. They are small businesses, but non the less, it is an indication that people still have confidence in the city and in the business environment. Thirty-eight businesses created a total of 51 part-time and full-time employees,” Bramble said.
Last year, the economic development board has identified five areas of priority that they want to focus on for investment and for business attraction. Those are agro value, geothermal energy, renewable energy, greenhouse technology and manufacturing and warehousing.
However, in a few months as Bramble will be undertaking a far and direct investment mission, he will narrow his focus down to just two areas: agro value and renewable energy.
“I’ll be going to Europe and the United States to have some direct business-to-business meetings with potential investors, who have already identified Canada as a place where they would want to come and set up business,” Bramble said.
Netherlands in Europe and the city of Denver in the U.S. are the main destinations so far.
“That’s the program that’s promoted by the federal government. It’s called ICCA – the Invest Canada Community Initiative. We applied to that program for funding and we got approved. The federal government granted us $30,000 towards undertaking this overseas mission,” Bramble said.
Besides, the economic development co-ordinator is planning on applying for another piece of federal money.
“The federal government just approved $25 million for what they call CCTI – Canada Coal Transition Initiative. These are the money that they’ve set aside to help communities in western Canada who are considered as coal communities,” Bramble said.
Being one of the biggest coal communities Estevan definitely falls within this category, so application for financing is to be made within 2019. Bramble promised to give the details as soon as they become available.
