Community Economic Diversification
Initiative — Coulombe Report

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Designed by Canada Economic Development, the Community Economic Diversification Initiative — Coulombe Report (CEDI-CR) aims to foster and support projects which address economic issues affecting communities hardest hit by the reduction in coniferous supply resulting from the implementation by the Government of Quebec of the Coulombe Report’s recommendations.

The CEDI-CR targets the following regions:

Côte-Nord (Manicouagan MRC, La Haute-Côte-Nord MRC, Sept-Rivières MRC),

Abitibi-Témiscamingue (Vallée-de-l’Or MRC, Abitibi MRC),

Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean (Domaine-du-Roy MRC, Maria-Chapdelaine MRC),

Nord-du-Québec,

Mauricie (La Tuque MRC)

as well as the single-industry municipalities in the following regions: : Bas-Saint-Laurent (Lac-au-Saumon, Price, Biencourt, Dégelis, Saint-Joseph-de-Kamouraska), Mauricie (Saint-Roch-de-Mékinac, Saint-Séverin), Outaouais (Grand-Remous, Maniwaki), Abitibi-Témiscamingue (Taschereau, Béarn), Gaspésie (St-Elzéar, Saint-Alphonse, Nouvelle), Lanaudière (Saint-Michel), Laurentides (Ferme-Neuve), Chaudière-Appalaches (Sainte-Perpétue, Saint-Pamphile, Saint-Just-de-Bretenières).

This initiative enables these communities to strenghten their social structure and open up to new economic sectors withhigh-added value and attractive high-growth potential.  The CED-CR provides a comprehensive approach to creating social, cultural and economic conditions conducive to entrepreneurhip and mainstay projects generating sustainable jobs and a high quality of life.

COMPONENTS

Through this initiative, Canada Economic Development will focus on two components: increasing enterprises’ and communities’ competitiveness and increasing communities’ dynamism and vitality.  In so doing, the Agency intends to help communities accelerate and intensify their adjustment capacity and develop niches of excellence as identified by these regions.

Canada Economic Development favours projects contributing to one or more of the following five development directions:

• enhanced access to knowledge
• support for marketing efforts
• development of human capital and entrepreneurship
• reinforcement of social cohesion and community capabilities
• support for enterprises and organizations in preparing their business projects.

COMPONENT 1

INCREASING ENTERPRISES’ AND COMMUNITIES’ COMPETITIVENESS

      ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES

• consultants’ studies and projects concerning the development of strategies and action plans 
• capital business projects: startup, expansion or consolidation and the development or adaptation of products, processes and services
• establishment and expansion of transfer centres, monitoring activities and entrepreneurship support organizations
• incubation, guidance, monitoring and technical support activities for enterprises in the pre-startup or startup phases
• projects aimed at enhancing co-operation between knowledge institutions and enterprises
• development of niche products
• design, development, adjustment and demonstration of a new or improved product, process or service that constitutes a technological innovation in a particular sector
• pre-marketing and marketing of new products, processes or services.

     TARGET CLIENTELE

• SMEs
• enterprise support organizations
• SME groups and industry associations.

COMPONENT 2

INCREASING COMMUNITIES’ DYNAMISM AND VITALITY

      ELIGIBLE ACTIVITES

• strategic and timely projects aimed at providing a region or community with competitive advantages
• projects to reinforce local development capabilities
• projects promoting the growth and development of social economy enterprises.

      TARGET CLIENTELE

• organizations or institutions dedicated to promoting and disseminating knowledge
• non-profit organizations.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

ELIGIBLE COSTS

Contributions are generally non-repayable for projects of a non-commercial nature submitted by non-profit organizations, and generally repayable for projects of a commercial nature submitted by commercial enterprises or non-profit organizations.

TYPE OF ASSISTANCE

Contributions are generally non-repayable for projects of a non-commercial nature submitted by non-profit organizations, and generally repayable for projects of a commercial nature submitted by commercial enterprises or non-profit organizations.

MAXIMUM RATE OF ASSISTANCE

• for commercial enterprises, generally up to 50% of eligible and authorized costs
• for other eligible beneficiaries, generally up to 90% of eligible and authorized costs.

INFORMATION

Abitibi-Témiscamingue
(819) 825-5260 · 1 800 567-6451

Bas-Saint-Laurent
(418) 722-3282 · 1 800 463-9073

Côte-Nord
(418) 968-3426 · 1 800 463-1707

Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine
(418) 368-5870 · 1 866 268-0044

Laval—Laurentides—Lanaudière
(450) 973-6844 · 1 800 430-6844

Mauricie
(819) 371-5182 · 1 800 567-8637

Nord-du-Québec
(514) 283-8131 · 1 800 561-0633

Outaouais
(819) 994-7442 · 1 800 561-4353

Québec—Chaudière-Appalaches
(418) 648-4826 · 1 800 463-5204

Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean
(418) 668-3084 · 1 800 463-9808