At the Heart of Francophone Economic Development for Over 65 Years!
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Au cœur du développement économique francophone depuis plus de 65 ans! At the heart of francophone economic development for over 65 years! Annual Report 2013-2014 205 - 1440 9th Avenue N. Regina, SK S4R 8B1 1-800-670-0879 www.ccs-sk.ca Conseil de la Coopération de la Saskatchewan 1440 9th Avenue North, suite 205 Regina, SK S4R 8B1 Telephone: 306-566-6000/1-800-670-0879 [email protected] www.ccs-sk.ca Coordination: Catheline d’Auteuil Writing and editing: Catheline d’Auteuil Translation: Joanne Bonneville Page 2 Graphic Design: InfoGraphiques – Nathalie Franck Table of Contents Vision, Mission, Mandate . 4 Board Members . 4 Personnel . 5 President’s Message . 6 Director’s Message . 7 Business Sector . 8 • Business Services . 8 • BRAVO Business Awards . 9 • “Bienvenue” Decals. 10 • Êtes-vous business? . 11 • Business Opportunities with the Federal Government . 12 • Workshop – Starting a Family Child Care Home . 13 • Job Fairs . 14 • Young Canada Works (YCW) . 16 Community Sector . 17 • Community Self-Assessment Meetings . 17 • Tourist Guide, La Saskatchewan et ses attraits . 18 • Economuseun and Geocaching Projects . 19 • Hunting, Fishing and Camping Show . 21 Capacity Building Sector . 22 • Meeting in Regina of RDÉE Communications Offi cers . 22 • Memorandum of Understanding between the CCS and the ACF . 23 Funding Agencies, Members, Partners / Collaborators . 24 Page 3 Vision The Fransaskois community plays a vital role in the economic growth of the province. Mission The CCS contributes to the viable, sustainable and innovative economic development of the Fransaskois community through tools, expertise and knowledge. Mandate As a leader in economic development, the CCS is committed to offering programs and services that: a) Help the Fransaskois community implement diversifi ed economic development strategies and initiatives b) Provide support for community economic development c) Support the creation and expansion of Francophone cooperatives and businesses d) Facilitate networking and the promotion of Fransaskois economic stakeholders Board Members Amadou Djigo – President Jean Fouillard – Vice-president Monique Lafrenière – Secretary Annette Labelle – Treasurer Raymond D. Lepage – Administrator Ron Wassill – Administrator Jean Marc Lepage – Administrator Robert Lalonde – Administrator Gaston de la Sablonnière – Administrator Page 4 Personnel Administration Robert Therrien – Excutive Director Kouamé N’Goandi – Manager - Accountability Manon Guy – Administrative Assistant - Accountant Catheline d’Auteuil – Communications Coordinator Mélissa Bouffard – Projects and Communications Analyst* Economic Development Advisors Ildephonse Bigirimana Robert Carignan Gérald Gareau Cécile LeBlanc-Turner Sylvain Lejeune Jean de Dieu Ndayahundwa Stéphane Rémillard Anne Yvette Sibomana* Young Canada Works Papi Tshiswaka – Prinicipal Coordinator Alexandra Komoé – Regional Coordinator Célia Michaud – Regional Coordinator* Projects Félicité Nibogora – Coordinator - Economic Integration of Francophone Immigrants Page 5 President’s Message I eagerly accepted the position of President of the Board of the Conseil de la Coopération de la Saskatchewan for 2013-2014. As President, I would describe the past year as one of action. I would note that, in carrying out their daily work, the eight businesses who received 2013 BRAVO Business Awards in Regina in 2013 are contributing to the current economic growth of our province. As a leader in economic development in Saskatchewan, the CCS has always been committed to providing programs and services to support our communities and to assist and support business people in their work on projects related to the economy. We will continue to take the lead on important fi les and to play a major role in the economic development of our Francophone minority communities. It is clear that demographic changes in recent years have led to ever increasing demand and greater challenges, which the CCS has been able to meet. A concrete example of this is the “Êtes-vous business?” project, which has been a success since its inception. In the interest of contributing to the development of tourism, we are working on a geocaching and an economuseum project. More than mere words, the memorandum of agreement signed by the CCS and the ACF is the result of our common desire to work together on the global development of the Fransaskois community, to share a common vision, and to attain meaningful results, while supporting each other in our respective roles. While we are continuing to successfully meet the challenges associated with important issues, new projects are in development for next year. All of this is made possible by our funding agencies, such as Western Economic Diversifi cation Canada (WD), Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), formerly Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Canadian Heritage (PCH), and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). We thank them for their support. Thank you for the confi dence that you have shown me in my term as President of the Conseil de la Coopération de la Saskatchewan. I would like to thank the members of the board for their support and their unfailing commitment to the matters for which we are responsible. I would be remiss if I did not thank our Executive Director, Robert Therrien, and all the staff of the Conseil de la Coopération de la Saskatchewan, without whom the challenges could not have been met. Amadou Djigo Page 6 Director’s Message Continuity and preparation for the coming years marked the 2013-2014 year for the CCS. We have always offered a range of services and programs to the Fransaskois community. Our areas of intervention continue to be support for the development of entrepreneurship, advisory services to businesses, community economic development, and support for labour market development. In preparation for the coming years, the CCS carried out three studies last year: one on the potential for developing an economuseum network in the province; one on the development of a geocaching project in the province; and another on strategies for attracting Francophone immigrant investors. Among other things, these studies provided us with directions for follow-up in various areas, which you will fi nd in our annual programming. In 2012-2013, the CCS worked with the ACF and the Institut français to conduct a community consultation process. In spite of our efforts, very little was clearly identifi ed during these consultations with respect to economic development in our communities. To learn more, the CCS held three sessions on self-assessment of community capacity for economic development in the communities of Ponteix, Regina, and Zenon Park. These assessments allowed people in these regions to thoroughly analyze their current situation and to look ahead to the coming years. The CCS intends to follow up with these communities in the months and years ahead. It is clear that immigration is becoming increasingly important in Saskatchewan. In the Francophone community, several members of the Réseau d’immigration francophone (RIF) (Francophone Immigration Network) in Saskatchewan provide programs and services. For the last three years, the CCS has been offering a variety of programs and services to facilitate the economic integration of newcomers. Our job fair format was so popular that our Anglophone counterparts in immigration services decided to offer the same kind of program. This means that we, the CCS, will have to be creative in order to increase the services we offer to these clients. There is growing recognition that we must constantly modify what we are doing to be as effective as possible in delivering services to our community. One of the fi rst things we need is to be more aware of the trends and the opportunities before us. For this reason, we have begun to do research and to publish data on the provincial economy and on sectors that hold promise for the future. Our community must put itself in a position to provide (Francophone) added value to the majority community. The CCS was able to meet the various challenges it faced during the year and to achieve positive results. We acknowledge with gratitude the funding provided by our principal funding agencies (WD,ESDC, CIC, and PCH). I would also acknowledge the contribution and continuing dedication of the members of our board and all the staff of the CCS. May the economic prosperity of our community continue for many years to come! Thank you to everyone. Enjoy reading the report! Robert Therrien Page 7 Business Sector “The Debden Heritage Manor development committee has had the pleasure of working with Gérald Gareau, economic Business Services development offi cer for the Conseil de la Coopération de The aim of business services provided by the CCS is to stimulate the creation, development, la Saskatchewan (CCS), for and growth of Francophone businesses in Saskatchewan. To see that these activities that make twelve years, doing research, planning, creating a business Francophone economic development in the province possible are carried out, seven economic plan, doing projections and development advisors (EDA) have the task of providing services and support to businesses. For marketing, in an effort to 2013-2014, these offi cers were: Ildephonse Bigirimana, Robert Carignan, Gérald Gareau, Cécile build and open our retirement LeBlanc-Turner, Sylvain Lejeune, Jean de Dieu Ndayahundwa and Anne Yvette Sibomana. home for senior citizens. We really hope to be able to continue working with During 2013-2014, there were 146