Congratulations to all the winners and nominees of the 2021 Best of Crowsnest Awards. And thanks to the Crowsnest Pass Chamber of Commerce Association for this great opportunity to recognize our outstanding businesses and attractions. We are lucky to have such an amazing array of people contributing to our community.

Community Futures Crowsnest Pass is partnering witth other CF offices and outside vendors to offer a number of workshops and webinars to rural business owners who are looking at transitioning out of their respective businesses within the foreseeable future, either via a family transition or a sale to an unrelated party.

These sessions will:

• Raise awareness of an owner's need to plan an exit strategy
• Increase succession planning knowiedge in our rural entrepreneurs
• Provide new resources such as access to succession planning specialists, and a low-cost web-based platform to sell their business on
• Prevent small businesses in the community from shutting down
• Attract new entrepreneurs into the participaitng partner's regions.This project aims to raise awareness of the issue and educate business owners and their 'circle of influence' to provide access to additional resources. We endeavour to create tangible results, most notably by seeing transition to new owners and remaining part of our local economy.If you are planning to sell your business in the next few years, these sessions have what you need to know to get you on the right track to sell your business. Sign up today at:
  https://sxnm.typeform.com/to/IvrJPShttps://sxnm.typeform.com/to/IvrJPS

As Alberta continues reopening, this is a good source for industry specific Information and clarification Click on this link for businesses, including general guidance, guidance by sector, planning, and FAQs:

https://www.alberta.ca/biz-connect.asp

Here's a very good link for Resources for Business Leaders, updated daily. Helping understand the challenges and opportunities associated with running your business operations during the COVID-19 outbreak.

https://covidcontinuity.com/

Stay up to date by frequently checking provincial, national and international websites.

• Government of Alberta: COVID-19 information for Albertans (includes Info for Employers and Employees section)
• Government of Canada: COVID-19 Resources for Canadian Businesses
• Centre for Disease Control and Prevention: COVID-19 Resources
• World Health Organization: COVID-19 Updates

If you’re a western Canadian company looking to grow, the Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) program could be for you. BSP supports high-growth businesses that are scaling up and producing innovative goods, services or technologies. It offers interest-free repayable funding to incorporated western Canadian companies.

Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) is taking steps to streamline and improve the BSP program for western Canada’s businesses and entrepreneurs.  You will have multiple opportunities to apply for BSP funds should your expression of interest not be ready for submission. WD will be accepting expressions of interest throughout the year during the following dates:

Labour's Workforce Grants Portal

The Government of Alberta is pleased to announce the launch of an online portal for Canada-Alberta Job Grant (CAJG) program applications.

You can now submit and follow up on all the necessary forms and paperwork for the CAJG program through Labour’s Workforce Grants Portal. Additionally, you can view the status of all your applications in real time and can be alerted to any issues, such as missing information, as soon as the file is reviewed. Please be sure to review the Applicant Guide before applying for your CAJG grant.

Community Futures Crowsnest Pass has awarded the contract and is working with the consultant to prepare a comprehensive  strategy to leverage and support tourism activity in the Crowsnest Pass-Pincher Creek-Piikani-Castle Park Region.

The outcome of the project will be the creation of a sustainable destination management organization and help to support and provide guidance to the tourism industry,  governments, and communities in the area. It will address the needs for a consolidated and  collaborative  approach to tourism in southwest region of Alberta region between government  and business, analyze and guide  ways to leverage existing tourism assets more effectively,  engage tourism operators in activities  that will grow their business, and promote tourism  opportunities to visitors of the region.

Community consultations will be held in April and May.

Economic Developers Association of Alberta (EDA) Conference, Banff, Alberta

Community Futures Crowsnest Pass, in partnership with all southern Alberta Community Futures offices,  was recently recognized by EDA for their work on Alberta Youth Entrepreneur Camp (AYEC) in the category of Community Economic Development for Large community/region.  They also received the Alex Metcalfe Award recognizing the "best of the best" community projects in each category.