Rural Economic Development Action Plan.

The Rural Economic Development Action Plan (The Plan) 2014 outlines the steps that governments, industries, businesses and communities can take to increase economic development capacity, improve on the current suite of initiatives and orchestrate new opportunities to enable rural Alberta’s continued success. The action plan is intended to: identify key opportunities to improve the Government of Alberta’s current programs and services in response to evolving rural and Aboriginal communities; outline how provincial ministries can better work together to reduce duplication and improve the quality of service for stakeholders; and identify new and innovative ways to address common challenges, including regional approaches and partnerships.
The Plan focuses on areas outside of Calgary and Edmonton, and the specific actions detailed in the Plan focus on how to grow and develop rural regions and communities. The Plan sets out five Areas of Focus to further advance the health of economies and the sustainability of communities in rural Alberta: 1) Industry and Business Development by enhancing the capacity in rural Alberta to establish and grow innovative, next-generation and value-added industries, by assisting rural businesses with capitalizing on opportunities in new local, domestic and international markets and increase tourism and culture-based business opportunities in rural communities. 2) Financial and Capital Access that includes improve access to capital for rural entrepreneurs and businesses 3) Attraction, Retention and Entrepreneurial Development by implementation of policies and programs that attract and retain families, skilled workers, new graduates, immigrants and Aboriginal people to rural Alberta; and expansion of business coaching services that help connect emerging and established entrepreneurs and business leaders through mentorship, leadership and skill development programs. 4) Rural Business Infrastructure Capacity: increase the capacity of industry to efficiently capitalize on value-added processing and manufacturing opportunities; enhance innovation and technology infrastructure to ensure rural businesses are positioned to be effective, efficient and competitive; create alignment with the Water for Life Action Plan for a sustainable water supply to support economic activity. 5) Regional and Cross-Regional Collaboration: enable collaboration within and between regions in Alberta to better focus planning, service delivery and project development.