History

Community Futures Lloydminster and Region is one of 90 Community Futures offices in Western Canada. The organization operates as an independent, non-profit organization in partnership within Western Economic Diversification Canada.

The Lloydminster region was approved for assistance under the Community Futures program in 1987 with the Business Development Centre starting operations in April of 1988. The two offices amalgamated in April of 1995 to form the Lloydminster Region Community Futures Development Corp. The Community Futures program is a federal government initiative that assists rural communities to develop strategies for dealing with changing economic environments. This initiative recognizes that local people and communities are best able to solve their problems and shape their futures.

As Community Futures Lloydminster and Region continues into the future, it is proudly rooted in the principles upon which it was formed:

• Community Futures Lloydminster and Region continues to be a grass-roots organization which believes in proactive planning on future business and regional opportunities.
• The organization is staffed by professionals who believe in the need for an entrepreneurial spirit in the Lloydminster region.
• And, Community Futures Lloydminster and Region is cognizant of its need to maintain strong partnerships with the business community, the municipalities and other regional economic development organizations in order to effectively build a diversified regional economy. We cannot do it alone.

History of the Community Futures Program

The Community Futures (CF) program was authorized in 1985 as part of the Canada Jobs Strategy. Community Futures remains a national program with overall program aim to:

Support to local rural communities and small and medium-sized enterprises in meeting their economic needs;

Help to rural communities to develop and implement long-term community strategic plans leading to the sustainable development of their local economies; and

The provision of support for the building of community capacity as a means of helping rural adapt to and manage change.

The aim of the CF Program in Western Canada is to:

• Support Community Economic Development (CED);
• Diversify the economy;
• Support the creation and expansion of small and medium-sized enterprises;
• Maintain and create new employment; and
• Maintain Canada's capacity to deliver business services to tural communities in Western Canada.

In 1995, the responsibility for Community Futures was transferred to Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD). With core funding assistance provided by WD, CF program is delivered through a network of 90 non-profit Community Futures organizations (34 in B.C., 27 in Alberta, 13 in Saskatchewan, 16 in Manitoba). These are supported by four (4) provincial CF Associations (one per province) and WD administration of the program. in western Canada all 90 Community Futures organizations are actively engaged in activities designed to achieve the stated program aims.

Given the importance of small business to Canada's changing economy, one of the primary focuses of the CFs is to foster entrepreneurial development by providing both financial and technical support to new and existing small businesses. CFs utilize their loan investment funds to achieve the strategic objectives established by their Boards with inputs from the communities they serve.