Federal investment of $6.3M to support nine Saskatchewan projects and enhance regional economies

The Government of Canada, through Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan), is investing over $6.3 million in nine projects to help Saskatchewan businesses access the tools and resources needed to start up, scale-up, and bring innovative products and services to new markets.

The announcement was made by Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister for PrairiesCan. Investments announced today under the Community Economic Development and Diversification (CEDD) program and Regional Innovation Ecosystems (RIE) program are non-repayable, and will support regional economic ecosystems, including Indigenous communities. According to a PrairiesCan press statement, non-repayable investments in the ecosystems supporting new businesses in Saskatchewan will help start-ups, including Indigenous businesses, navigate the first steps in establishing and growing their business. Repayable investments in high-growth businesses will help them scale-up and expand with new services, products and market reach, aiding in their future success and creating more good jobs.

Examples of projects receiving support include:

• Andgo Systems is receiving over $2 million to scale up operations and sales of their workforce management software platform.
• Indigenous Manufacturing and Contracting Network Inc. is receiving $160,000 to provide training and mentorship opportunities for Indigenous companies in the manufacturing and contracting sectors.
• Saskarc is receiving over $1 million to purchase automated processing equipment to increase its structural stick steel fabrication capacity.

“Saskarc is appreciative of the funding support from PrairiesCan, which enabled Saskarc to invest in automated steel processing equipment at our manufacturing facility in Oxbow, Saskatchewan. This investment allowed Saskarc to quickly scale-up through increasing throughput and competitiveness and has helped Saskarc compete across Canada and the United States in the Infrastructure market,” said Danielle Armstrong, director of marketing and communications at Saskarc.