The federal Minister for PrairiesCan was in Saskatoon today (Thur) to announce over $7.6 million in funding for five Saskatchewan businesses to help them scale-up and bring their products and services to new markets and for two training programs at the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology.
Associate Vice-President of Operations and Advancement at SIIT, Dr. Vickie Drover, says funding for the Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Preparation Program will mean being able to expand the number of seats for students, because right now they are so in demand, they are hired before they graduate. It will also mean being able to add an avionics component to their programming. Funding is also allotted for the Indigenous Practical Nursing Program so students in rural areas can also take the training. The funding will provide the technology to offer the program. Dr. Drover says there is high demand for skilled workers from both of these programs.
SIIT President and CEO, Riel Bellegarde, believes the federal investments will contribute to the labour demand solutions needed in the healthcare and aerospace sectors, while driving economic reconciliation. Minister Vandal says the goal is to help Saskatchewan businesses, which will in turn help the Prairie economy with a highly skilled and trained workforce.
Businesses receiving federal funding:
-Superior Millwork Ltd. ($3,640,000)
Install new technologies at a second production facility in Saskatoon, which will result in additional manufacturing capacity and allow Superior to increase their market share in Canada and pursue new markets.
-Algarithm Ingredients Inc. ($1,298,635)
Purchase equipment and improve business systems to expand into the infant formula market. Algarithm uses their proprietary processes to produce plant-based, ocean-friendly Omega-3 ingredients derived from micro-algae.
-Cadence Final Document Services Ltd. ($580,000)
Increase market reach by hiring sales and customer experience staff to focus on customer relationship-building and onboarding new customers – primarily funeral homes, hospices and financial institutions. Cadence is a digital service company that uses an online platform and team of Certified Executor Advisors to provide personalized guidance in the estate management process.
-SalonScale Technology Inc. ($400,000)
Expand staff complement to grow digital marketing initiatives and sales of salon software. SalonScale’s proprietary platform technology provides hair salons supply management solutions to mitigate the effects of rising inflation and enhance profitability.
-Rivercity Innovations Ltd. ($322,160)
Expand markets and improve cold-chain monitoring system for food safety and compliance. Rivercity Innovations, a developer of cold-chain monitoring technologies, provides clients with hardware and software solutions. The company’s technology automates grocery cooler monitoring, reduces staff time required to collect data, reduces food spoilage and automates compliance.
