Who Is SSEP?
Southeast Sask Economic Partnership
Value added Agricultural Processing
Logistics & Distribution Hub
Water for Economic Development
Destination Tourism
Resource Innovation
Municipal Infrastructure for Economic Development
SSEP is a partnership of two Rural Municipalities and one Town in southeastern Saskatchewan. Each member offers diverse investment opportunities to start, grow or expand your business. As a region, we offer the strength of combined knowledge, land, transportation logistics, low business costs, a skilled workforce and abundant natural resources.
Explore what each community has to offer. We are here to assist you every step of the way of your decision making.
Why?
As part of a global shift in thinking about how we utilize our natural resources and the effect that has on our planet, the Government of Canada recently announced The Canada Coal Transition Initiative.
This initiative identifies two coal-fired electricity generation plants in the region, both of which are significant employers in the area. When the announcement was made, the residents of southeast Saskatchewan realized this decision was going to have an enormous impact. The lost jobs and subsequent ripple-effect of further job losses will have a dramatic influence on the socio-economic health of the region.
To avoid that outcome, or at least mitigate the damage, the RM of Coalfields No. 4, the RM of Estevan No. 5 and the Town of Bienfait established a collaborative partnership: the Southeast SaskEconomic Partnership (SSEP). This partnership is strategically planning for a vibrant and sustainable future.
The process began with an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the region. While there are challenges, such as imposed and tight timeline for the coal transition, there are abundant advantages in the region that can be explored and utilized in new ways. For example, a rich local history that lends itself to tourism; sustainable and renewable energy possibilities in a region known for endless sunny days; new uses for abundant resources such as lignite;
clean water resources at Boundary and Rafferty Dams that open the door to irrigation and manufacturing opportunities; a young, educated and motivated workforce; land available for development; and developed land ready for new business.
Through this exploration, six pillars were identified as strong options for development:
- Value-added Agricultural Processing
- Logistics & Distribution Hub
- Water for Economic Development
- Destination Tourism
- Resource Innovation
- Municipal Infrastructure for Economic Development
These pillars have the potential to dramatically impact the future of this region.
Further, economic development strategies have the capacity to impact more than one pillar. For example, developing an irrigation system as part of the Water for Economic Development pillar, could influence the choice of crops grown and support Value-added Agricultural Processing.
SSEP will chart a Next-Gen Rural path by developing strategies that build on each of the six pillars defined in the Economic Development Plan. Throughout this process, they will remember lessons from the past, recognise opportunity in the present and build for the future.
our three
founding
members
RM of Coalfields
The RM of Coalfields is located in the southeast corner of Saskatchewan, just east of the RM of Estevan. Included within its borders are the Town of Bienfait; Villages of Frobisher, North Portal and Roche Percée ; and the communities of Coalfields, Deborah, Hirsch, Pinto and Taylorton . Incorporated as a rural municipality on January 1, 1913, RM of Coalfields No. 4 has a long history of coal mining, oil & gas extraction and agriculture. It has a land area of 819.52 km, with a total population of 368 and population density of 0.4/km.
SSEP Committee Reps from the RM of Coalfields
Richard Tessier
Heather Brokenshire
Monica KovachRM of Estevan
The RM of Estevan is in the southeast corner of Saskatchewan and surrounds the City of Estevan. The other municipality within the RM is the Hamlet of Hitchcock which lies 14 km west of Estevan. Other noteworthy features of the RM are Woodlawn Regional Park and the Boundary Dam Reservoir to the south of Estevan and the Rafferty Dam Reservoir to the west of the city. While incorporated as a rural municipality on December 12, 1910, the RM of Estevan No. 5’s first local government was formed between 1898-1904 and has a long history of agriculture and grain milling. It has a land area of 773.38 km, with a total population of 1370 and population density of 1.8/km2.
SSEP Committee Reps from the RM of Estevan
James Trobert
Steve Smith
Michelle DickieTown of Bienfait
The Town of Bienfait is the largest municipality in the R.M. of Coalfields No. 4. and is 14 km east of the City of Estevan. Highway 18 runs through the heart of town and is a well-travelled east east-west corridor that connects the region to Manitoba. Highway 39, just west of town, runs north north-south and connects to the Canada/U.S. border which is only 30 km away. Incorporated as a Village in 1912 and as a Town on March 1, 1957, Bienfait was named by the Canada Pacific Railway after Antoine Charles Bienfait. It has a rich history, including Canada’s illegal liquor trade and the 1931 Estevan Coal Miners’ Strike. It has a total land area of 3.09 km , a population of 780 and a population density of 252.4/km.
SSEP Committee Reps from the Town of Bienfait
Ken Bonokoski
Jessica Franklin
Paul Carroll