Question Period Note: PrairiesCan Accomplishments

PrairiesCan Accomplishments

•PrairiesCan is building a strong, competitive Canadian economy by supporting business, innovation, and community economic development unique to Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
•Significant opportunities exist across the Prairies in areas such as the energy, critical minerals, agriculture, manufacturing, and clean technology sectors.
•The department is also advancing community economic development through eleven (11) service locations across the Prairies.
•Most recently, the Framework for Building a Green Prairie Economy was tabled in both Houses, as a long-term commitment by the federal government to doing things differently to achieve a prosperous and sustainable Prairie economy that leaves no one behind.

PrairiesCan Investments
•Since 2015, PrairiesCan has invested $1.95B in over 6,300 businesses, and organizations. This investment contributed to creating and maintaining 150,000 jobs.
•Specifically, since 2019, Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI) has created over 30,000 jobs, assisted over 36,000 SMEs, and has driven over $3.9B in business revenue growth and $1.2B in exports across the Prairies.

Manitoba Examples
•Recent examples of projects funded by PrairiesCan in Manitoba include:
o$3.3 million towards Elmer's Manufacturing, an agricultural machinery manufacturer, to invest in advanced manufacturing technologies, personnel, and training. This investment will allow Elmer’s to expand manufacturing capacity, increase production efficiency, and bring previously out-sourced processes in-house.
o$3.5 million towards RocketRez Inc., a ticketing and operations software provider, to expand their platform to provide a new guest experience technology for the tourism industry, and to undertake US market development activities. This investment will allow RocketRez to increase revenues, export sales, and employment in the Prairies.
o$10 million towards NFI Group, North America’s leading manufacturer of motorcoach and transit busses, to modernize and increase zero-emission motorcoach production capacity at its Winnipeg facility. This investment will allow NFI to fulfill growing global demand for zero-emission models through upgrades to their facility, manufacturing process improvements, and purchases of equipment.

Saskatchewan Examples
•Recent examples of projects funded by PrairiesCan in Saskatchewan include:
o$3.6 million for Superior Millwork Ltd., cabinet makers, to increase efficiency and purchase equipment, resulting in expanded kitchen cabinet production capacity. This project will generate 160 jobs in Saskatoon.
o$1.2 million for Algarithm Ingredient Inc. to purchase equipment and improve business systems, enabling expansion into the infant formula market. This investment will promote the company's global competitiveness, allowing a potential capture of more than 25% of the global algal oil formula market.

Alberta Example
•Example of projects funded by PrairiesCan in Alberta include:
o$3.5 million for PurposeMed Inc. to scale its operation and recruit new personnel, enabling the delivery of telehealth solutions to at-risk and underserved Canadian communities. Since the project began, PurposeMed has created 110 new roles, predominantly based in the Prairies.
o$2.5 million for Excir, to design and operate a pilot for a catalytic converter and electronic waste recycling plant in Calgary. The project will create a new industry for Alberta, with strong international market potential.