The Rural Municipality of Estevan No.5, Rural Municipality of Coalfields No. 4, and the Town of Bienfait have announced the formation of the Southeast Sask. Economic Partnership (SSEP).
The goal of the new partnership is to support and facilitate the development of a sustainable economy for the region.
“Our region has been given a unique opportunity to access funds from Western Economic Diversification (WD) Canada to engage the expertise and guidance of highly qualified consultants without utilizing any municipal funds of the ratepayer,” said RM of Estevan Councillor James Trobert.
“SSEP was formed not only to attract new economic development and investment in southeast Saskatchewan, but to identify the needs of our existing business community and, where possible, facilitate the necessary climate to assist in growth and expansion of these current businesses.”
“This partnership will help to revitalize our community, through the use of a greater voice when dealing with other governments and in future negotiations with the attraction of new industry,” said former Bienfait mayor Paul Carroll. “As a group we have an opportunity to compliment the efforts of the economic development committee headed up by our neighbouring community of Estevan.
“Going forward our community will be applying for available funding to refurbish some historic projects and get assistance in infrastructure projects.”
The partnership is working closely with the City of Estevan to explore economic opportunities and priorities for the region. Together, SSEP and the city are working with the federal and provincial governments, industry and community partners to remove barriers and identify the competitive advantages of investing in southeast Saskatchewan.
RM of Coalfields Reeve Richard Tessier suggests that economic development is really about family and maintaining a valued lifestyle.
“We need to build a sustainable future so our children and our grandchildren will continue to have the ability and opportunity to build lives in this community.”
The next steps will be for SSEP to reach out to businesses within the region and invite them to participate in a business needs assessment survey. The purpose of the survey is to identify business needs within the community and the ways SSEP may assist business owners in removing barriers and provide support as they continue to grow their businesses.
Moving ahead, SSEP looks forward to expanding the partnership and collaborating with municipalities in the region as they work together for regional economic development.
If you would like more information about SSEP or regional economic development services, please visit their website www.ssep.ca or contact the SSEP regional economic development director at info@ssep.ca.
