Where Commerce and Community Meet
We know that rural communities thrive when small businesses do, and vice versa. In addition to working with entrepreneurs, we help build strong, vibrant and sustainable rural communities. We understand the importance of building local and regional economies, and supporting our municipalities by offering one-on-one support as they develop their communities.
- Lead – We provide leadership to communities and economic development stakeholders for the continued development of a vibrant and sustainable business environment for entrepreneurs.
- Build – We build capacity for business development, retention, expansion and attraction through the provision of training and planning opportunities for community leaders.
- Connect – We foster and support networks of community champions who are invested in the local wellbeing of their community and the region.
- Encourage – We encourage stakeholders to ask the necessary questions and think innovatively about solutions as they plan and develop their rural economy.
- Support – We provide support to municipalities, community and economic development professionals and economic development committees as they work towards achieving their local economy goals.
- Experience – We have 25 years of local experience and partnerships with respected rural businesses, non-profits and governments to support growth in the region.
Connect with our Regional Economic Development Coordinator today to learn more about our economic development supports.
Initiatives and Programs
Business Retention and Expansion
Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) is an action-oriented and community-based approach to business and economic development. It promotes job growth by helping communities to learn about the concerns of, as well as opportunities for, local businesses, and to set priorities for projects to address those needs.
For more information on business retention and expansion, contact our Regional Economic Development Coordinator.
Investment Attraction
Investment Attraction (IA) is a complex and challenging component of economic development. Communities engage in business attraction activities in order to create economic diversity, maintain and expand infrastructure and to increase their ability to meet the needs of residents and businesses. Our supports focus on increasing a community’s ability to meet the high expectations required to attract, retain and grow businesses including training on: investment readiness, investment strategies, digital marketing, investment attraction, and familiarization tours.
For more information on attracting new businesses to your community, contact our Regional Economic Development Coordinator.
Community Promotion
Marketing your community is key to attracting businesses, residents and visitors. A focused and targeted approach is needed to achieve your goals as it relates to your local economy and economic growth. Initially, you may wish to focus on generating interest at a community or regional level before expanding. It is also beneficial to collaborate with other communities to leverage regional strengths and jointly market regional benefits.
For more information on marketing your community, contact our Regional Economic Development Coordinator.
Regional Tourism Development
Many small communities recognize that tourism is important, but may not know how to harness it. The visitor economy has tremendous potential to transform communities facing economic difficulties, especially resource-dependent and single industry towns and cities. There are a number of economic and social benefits created from a visitor economy including: increased employment opportunities, wealth and income generation, tax revenue, improved standard of living, maintenance of traditional cultures, improved quality of life, and increased recreational opportunities to name a few.
For more information on the visitor economy and your community, contact our Regional Economic Development Coordinator.
What others are saying...
“Community Futures Sunrise has been a valuable partner in Moosomin’s ongoing Economic Development efforts. They offer a variety of relevant economic development training and courses – most at no cost, or a subsidized cost, and are a great resource for industry info such as Government incentives and loan programs. CF Sunrise also acts as the ‘connector’ for the individual economic development offices across the region, providing a forum for information sharing.”
- Greg Gillespie, Economic Development Officer (Town & RM of Moosomin)
“I would like to take a moment to express my gratitude to not only Community Futures Sunrise, but also Christina Birch. The great work they do supporting economic development in southeastern Saskatchewan is vital to not only growing new businesses, but also sustaining our existing communities. This tireless work and significant initiatives builds and strengthens our area. Christina’s willingness to not only engage community leaders, but also challenge and push economic development committees to do better and be better in the Southeast will pay dividends for years to come. This highly qualified staff adds value to the Southeast that is truly hard to measure.”
- Larry Heggs, Executive Director (Weyburn Regional Economic Development)
“As the new Community Development Officer with the Town of Oxbow, Christina Birch and CF Sunrise have been an amazing asset to me as I start the process of building on the sense of community. Christina is a breath of fresh air, she’s knowledgeable and very open to the questions or concerns I have, and is always willing to go the extra mile to help make my vision a reality.”
- Sherry Reiger, Community Development Officer (Town of Oxbow)
Regional Business Development Plan
Supporting local businesses has long been a pillar of CF Sunrise. With resources provided under the Canada Coal Transition Initiative, CF Sunrise performed a Regional Needs Assessment in Fall 2019 to find out what you think about the programs and services that should be available to further support business development in the southeast region.
CF Sunrise collected feedback and expertise from businesses, municipalities, economic development professionals, Chambers of Commerce, business leaders and other stakeholders in the region. This feedback helped form the Regional Business Development Plan.
For more information on our plan, contact our Regional Economic Development Coordinator.
Economic Resilience & Recovery
As we move forward in a post pandemic world and learn to do business differently, strategic planning has never been more important for communities and the region as a whole.
The SK Economic Development Alliance (SEDA) – has made available their toolkit for Economic Resilience & Recovery for communities as a guide. We urge local community leaders to review and use this fantastic tool to establish a response team and a plan to restart the local economy and retain your existing businesses, which will be key to rebuilding your local economy.
Check out their handy quick reference tip sheet!