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South Saskatchewan Ready (SSR), an economic alliance of nine rural communities in south-central Saskatchewan, has awarded $571,500 in first-round awards.
The second round of award applications begins Feb. 14 and ends May 16. The funding rewards businesses that can help relieve economic stress created by the federally-mandated transition from coal-fired power.
The federal government passed a mandate in Dec. 2018 that all coal-fired power generation must be phased out by 2030. The mandate is part of the commitment Canada has made as a founding member of the global Powering Past Coal Alliance.
SSR consists of the following communities and rural municipalities:
- Town of Bengough
- Town of Coronach
- Town of Rockglen
- Town of Willow Bunch
- RM of Bengough
- RM of Happy Valley
- RM of Hart Butte
- RM of Poplar Valley
- RM of Willow Bunch
Sean Wallace, managing director of SSR, said in a May 2021 press release that the SSR region “is shaped by, but not defined by, (its) coal history.” He went on to say that the communities of Coronach and Hart Butte stand to lose revenues of $400 million when the nearby Poplar River Power Station and its accompanying coal mine close.
“And that’s just on the plant,” Wallace told MooseJawToday.com. “That doesn’t include supply chains. So there could be anywhere between $50 to $100 million of extra GDP (lost) in there.”
Wallace said that a study of the area around Coronach gave them their numbers. The study also showed that the area will face a loss of 300 jobs – and over 60 per cent of its population. “So that directly affects not only businesses but, you know, it affects loss of services, such as health care, and education, and school.”
The area needs major economic development to survive, and SSR is focusing on projects in the areas of agriculture, natural resources, clean & green energy, and tourism.
A $2 million fund from the provincial government will be awarded in several rounds.
Don McMorris, Saskatchewan Government Relations Minister, said “Our province is pleased to support southern communities through our $2 million investment to lessen the economic impact created by the federal government’s coal transition. I congratulate South Saskatchewan Ready and the award recipients on their innovative approaches to revitalize their local economies and create additional prospects for future generations.”
The first recipients include the following businesses:
- $250,000 – Videre Energy in the RM of Hart Butte is a company focusing on conversion of carbon to value-added products for both the energy and agricultural sectors.
- $150,000 – T3 Agriculture in the town of Rockglen is a food traceability platform.
- $125,000 – Dosch Organics in the town of Willow Bunch for manufacturing value-added agriculture products locally.
- $35,000 – Clark Mechanical in the town of Coronach for mechanical services and shop modernization.
- $11,500 – K & S Variety in the town of Coronach to help modernize its retail sales platform.
To qualify for funding, projects must generate a return on investment in terms of either job creation, the expansion or maintenance of the property tax base, or addressing a priority need in the region.
SSR chair Sharon Adam said that “Attracting new investment and supporting local business will contribute greatly to the survival of our regional communities and local economies. We are grateful the Government of Saskatchewan has provided funding to help us mitigate the negative economic effects of coal transition and their support has been indispensable.”
Investor information, including how to apply for the next round of funding in the area, can be found at southsaskready.ca/invest/resources/.
