| Community Futures
Mid-Sask/REDA
Mid-Sask's WaterWolf Rebuilding Capacity in Rural
Communities
The "WaterWolf Project" is no ordinary
project. In fact, it encompasses five initiatives aimed at community
and economic development. "WaterWolf is working to fill in
some of the capacity gaps within local governments, and encouraging
renewal on many fronts," says project manager Russ McPherson.
WaterWolf is administered and funded through
the Mid-Sask REDA/CFDC office in Outlook.
Mid-Sask itself is uncommon in that the agencies
established by the provincial and federal governments to encourage
economic development in rural Saskatchewan – Regional Economic
Development Authorities and Community Futures Development Corporations,
respectively – operate under one board and as one organization.
The REDA and CFDC service areas are different in some areas, but
share a common core region south and west of Saskatoon, centred
on the South Saskatchewan River and Lake Diefenbaker.
"This region has been an agriculture-dependent
economy for decades, but the quarter-section family farm is gone,"
McPherson says. "While Mid-Sask has worked with a lot of
small start-ups, there was a need to look at long-term planning,
and how to benefit from Lake Diefenbaker and other long-term assets.
The basis of the project is laying out a plan for the future and
moving to evidence-based decision-making."
Each of the five WaterWolf initiatives involves
a mix of municipal governments, federal and provincial government
departments and agencies, organizations with various mandates,
First Nations, and individuals who are interested in the future
of the region. Land use planning, for example, involves seven
municipalities along the river valley from Beaver Creek to Danielson
Park. The goal is to develop a river management planning group
with a regional focus. This initiative is proving to be a good
fit with the watershed protection plan nearing completion by the
Saskatchewan Watershed Authority, McPherson adds.
Another initiative is a pilot project involving
tax and investment sharing, to develop an upscale residential
community at or near Danielson Park. In addition, several small
urban municipalities are considering a proposal to establish a
regional water technician, a position beyond their individual
means, but affordable if cost-shared. A Geographic Information
Systems initiative gathers land use data from several sources
including GIS-equipped rural road graders. This initiative has
already benefited emergency services, making it easier for them
to respond to calls in the participating rural municipalities.
Information added to the system will also be used as a planning
tool for water, sewer, electrical and other infrastructure services.
"We're lucky to have a "Rural Team"
of senior federal and provincial officials who meet regularly
to address rural issues, and they're very helpful in clearing
away red tape and helping us source funding for specific projects,"
McPherson says. "Because Community Futures is often the face
of the federal government in rural areas, and is funded by Western
Diversification, we have a high recognition factor when we go
looking for project dollars from the federal government. The respect
that Community Futures has developed over the past 20 years opens
doors," he says.
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