Organization: Community Futures Network of Alberta

Region: Alberta

Impact: Through the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund, Community Futures in Alberta supported over 1,700 businesses and over 9,500 jobs in Alberta during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Program: Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF)

Funding: $85 Million to over 1,700 rural businesses in Alberta

Sectors:  Business growth, Community economic development

Story Date:  2022-08-16

The COVID-19 pandemic brought on many challenges for communities, especially for the small and medium-sized businesses that consistently drive local growth and innovation.

When pandemic health measures changed how people accessed local goods and services, many small businesses struggled. Some of them could not access early federal business support programs. They had to keep searching for help with their financial pressures.

Brian Gallant
Crowsnest Pass

Brian Gallant, owner of Sinister Sports, successfully applied for a Business Improvement Loan with Crowsnest Pass Community Futures to renovate the front of his building in Bellevue. Originally, Coupland's Meats and Groceries, more recently, the building was used as a rental shop and the front had fallen into disrepair. The goal was to bring it back to somewhat of its original look while keeping with the current structure.

John & Erica Warlow
Crowsnest Pass

Black Rock Pizza opened for business on April 14 of 2011 after several months of preparation. Three months later, on July 9, Bamboo Bistro opened. They moved locations in 2013 to a much larger and more appropriately designed space which allowed them to increase seating capacity and bring handmade baking to the Crowsnest Pass.

After moving to the new space, two things happened: one was a significant increase in business and the other was improved efficiency of the space for the employees.

Randy Rinaldi
Crowsnest Pass

Rinaldi Welding opened in 1981 and moved to its current location in the Frank Industrial Park in the early 1990s. As their business grew, so did the size of their customer base and by 2010 they had outgrown their original building.

Community Futures Crowsnest Pass was ready to help when Rinaldi Welding built an addition which doubled the size of their operation. The expanded building allowed them to take on more work with bigger jobs and diversification into servicing the mining industry. With the extra space, they now build off-road service trucks, mechanic trucks and pump-floats.

Hayley Strandquist
Crowsnest Pass

The Rose Peddler offers a wide variety of fresh flowers from all over the world and clients can select beautiful arrangements, centrepieces, baskets, wreaths, corsages and boutonnieres. The business sells tropical and blooming dish gardens, planters and terrariums as well as Chalk Paint, an American Paint Company product that can be painted on any surface. Workshops and private lessons are also available.

Seizing an opportunity, Hayley purchased an existing flower shop in 2013 and relocated her store a year later to a bigger facility.