Southeast Saskatchewan businesses and organizations are invited to participate in a new certification program to better understand, measure, and showcase their impact on the local economy. 

New program benefits businesses, regional economy

The Saskatchewan Economic Development Alliance (SEDA) is partnering with the Shorefast Institute for Place-Based Economies to deliver one of the country’s first Economic Nutrition Certification programs, with support from Community Futures Sunrise. 

Chief Executive Officer with SEDA, Verona Thibault, says Shorefast reached out to them following a successful pilot year in 2025. 

“We felt that the southeast region would be ready to go. The program itself is really targeted. It’s very unique. It helps organizations, businesses, non-profits, even municipalities, show where their money goes and how their spending stays within the local and regional economy and supports other businesses and jobs and communities.” 

In the News:

What makes the program unique is that the data is showcased in a graphic modeled after a food nutrition label. Thibault says this format will make it easier for organizations to communicate their impact to their market. 

It also benefits the regions surrounding participating organizations, through identifying gaps in the supply chain and places to attract new investment. 

“This is sort of beyond ‘buy local’, but it does touch on the fact that there could be a shortfall in our procurement habits in the region or even provincially. So that’s the one side, and the other is in looking at the gaps. We’ll have all these different participants, they could be very diverse and it could provide a picture of if we have gaps in the supply chain here and as a region, the various communities that could be looking to try to fill those with business startups or attracting businesses.” 

Applications open until August 14

Organizations can apply for the certification program through the SEDA website. Applications are due on August 14, and the program runs from September 14 to December 4.  

Thibault says the majority of the program is virtual, but there are two in-person workshops. She says any organization, from a non-profit to a crown corporation, could benefit from the certification. 

“It’s really hard to exclude and to identify who would benefit the most. Why wouldn’t you want to illustrate your impact to your shareholders and to the public at large? I see a benefit for almost everyone,” she said. “I see a lot of wins here for the participants as well as for the region and consumers.”