ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Under the Loi sur les compétences municipales, the MRC has jurisdiction over local and regional development. By being directly involved in the development of its territory, it contributes to supporting entrepreneurship as well as the realization of structuring projects to improve the living environment, particularly in the social, cultural, economic or environmental fields.
In collaboration with the regional ecosystem, the MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais intervenes on its territory in a structuring approach, in order to revitalize the environment. With its strong ties to municipal players and local organizations, the economic development team supports collective initiatives and entrepreneurial projects.
The economic development team benefits from a multidisciplinary expertise that allows it to provide personalized support to promoters, businesses and organizations on the territory. It will accompany you at every step of your project’s development and will be able to advise you in your endeavours by offering services adapted to your needs.
FONDS RÉGIONS ET RURALITÉ
The MRCs have full jurisdiction to promote local and regional development on their territory. The Fonds régions et ruralité (FRR) was created to support them in this role. With an envelope of nearly $1.3 billion for the duration of the Partnership 2020-2024: For even stronger municipalities and regions, it has been in effect since April 1, 2020.
The FRR has four components, three of which apply to the RCM:
- Component 1 – Support for regional outreach: This component aims to support projects with a regional vocation, whose benefits extend beyond the territory of a single MRC. Projects are selected according to the Outaouais’ regional priorities.
- Component 2 – Support for the local and regional development competence of the MRCs: this component aims to support the MRCs in their local and regional development mission. The MRC manages this component and has identified intervention priorities in order to implement its support policy for its community.
- Component 3 – “Signature innovation” projects of the MRCs: the objective of this component is to support the MRC within the framework of a development niche specific to its entire territory. It aims at the realization of a concrete and innovative project or a set of projects having a common thread in order to allow each MRC to acquire a strong territorial identity that is articulated around its development vision.
To learn more about the Fonds régions et ruralité, please contact Benoît Gauthier.
SUPPORT TO BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS
In order to support the development and economic vitality of its territory, the MRC offers various services to promoters, businesses and organizations. These services are based on the Politique de soutien aux entreprises.
To learn more about the economic development initiatives and services offered.
Support and consulting services
The MRC’s economic development team offers, through its advisors, support services to businesses and organizations. It has the expertise and skills to accompany and advise promoters during all stages of development of their project or business, from start-up to expansion, through diversification and consolidation. At the beginning of the accompaniment, an agreement detailing the framework of the accompaniment and the expectations of the advisor and the promoter will be signed between the parties.
The following is a non-exhaustive list of the coaching services offered to businesses and organizations:
- Consulting services at the various stages of development (compliance, start-up, growth, restructuring, growth and succession) and in the realization of their business projects;
- Connecting businesses with government authorities;
- Support in the development of business plans;
- Support for the production of financial forecasts;
- Support for the marketing and creation of the business model;
- Mentoring services for entrepreneurs;
- Referral to more specialized services;
- Referrals to more specialized services; Connecting with relevant partners;
- Networking between businesses.
Fonds local d’investissement (FLI) and the Fonds local de solidarité (FLS)
- The objective of the “Local Funds”, i.e. the Fonds local d’investissement (FLI) and the Fonds local de solidarité (FLS), is to financially support new and existing businesses on the territory of the MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais in order to contribute to economic development and create or maintain local jobs.
The Fonds local d’investissement (FLI) and the Fonds local de solidarité (FLS) are financial tools that can accelerate the realization of business projects on the territory and allow for a proactive intervention in the start-up and expansion of local businesses.
The “Local Funds” aim at developing entrepreneurship by financially supporting entrepreneurs in their business projects in order to :
- Create and support viable businesses;
- Financing the start-up, expansion or acquisition of businesses;
- Support the creation and maintenance of jobs;
- Contribute to the economic development of the MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais territory.
Promoters who apply to the “Local Funds” receive the support, advice and technical assistance appropriate to their project. In this regard, the MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais, as manager of the “Local Funds”, provides these support services to promoters.
Local Funds” are primarily involved in providing funds to businesses.
For more information on Local Funds, please contact deveconomique@mrcdescollines.com.
Events and Festivals Support Fund
The MRC wishes to support local, emerging and structuring events and festivals on the territory of the MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais that have a significant impact on the territory and the population.
With this policy, the MRC intends to standardize the content of the files presented to the Council of Mayors, to simplify the study of applications, and to manage the available funds in an efficient and transparent manner. It aims to encourage, through financial support, initiatives that are in line with the strategic priorities it has established and that promote its territory and the individuals and organizations that make it up.
POLITIQUE D’INVESTISSEMENT – FONDS DE SOUTIEN AUX ÉVÉNEMENTS ET FESTIVALS
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Financial support
The MRC’s financial support is a lever, often essential, for financing a project in order to obtain other sources of funding. To complete the service offer to businesses and entrepreneurs, the MRC manages various funds and measures to consolidate existing businesses, create and maintain jobs, stimulate entrepreneurship and encourage innovation on its territory.
In particular, the MRC :
- Contributes to the search for financing (private, public and venture capital) and partners;
- Manages assistance measures, funds and programs such as
- The Fonds local d’investissement (FLI) and the Fonds local de solidarité (FLS);
- The Soutien au travail autonome measure (STA) in collaboration with Services Québec.
Accès Entreprise Québec
The MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais is a gateway to the Accès entreprise Québec (AEQ) program.
About Accès entreprise Québec
The vision of Accès entreprise Québec is to enable more businesses and entrepreneurs to reach their full potential and participate in the prosperity and economic growth of all regions of Quebec. It is an initiative of the Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie. It aims, among other things, to provide the MRCs or its delegated economic development organization with additional resources (human and financial) to strategically support businesses and make relevant, dynamic and solution-oriented services available throughout the MRC, thereby promoting access to expertise and capital.
OBJECTIVES
– Support businesses and entrepreneurs
– Promote the proximity of services
– Collaborate with different resources and expertise
– Refer to existing resources, programs and services
SELF-EMPLOYEMENT SUPPORT
Do you want to start your own business or become self-employed?
The Soutien au travail autonome (STA) measure allows you to benefit from financial support and personalized coaching to start your business project in the best conditions!
WHAT IS THE STA ?
The Soutien au travail autonome (STA) measure aims to provide assistance to eligible individuals in the form of coaching and technical advice. The objective is to help these people achieve independence in the labour market, either by creating or developing a business or by becoming self-employed.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
To be eligible, you must be in one of the following situations:
- Be an EI participant;
- Be a recipient of last resort financial assistance;
- Be “without public income support”;
- Be a worker with precarious status.
Information document ‘Programme de soutien au travail autonome’
To learn more about our business support services or to make an appointment, please contact one of our consultants by filling out the following form.
MENTORING
The MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais and the Chambre de commerce de Gatineau, in partnership with the Réseau Mentorat, are offering a mentoring program for entrepreneurs who have been in business for at least one year. Mentoring consists of a process of accompaniment of a mentee by an experienced person (mentor), aimed at supporting the mentee in the development of his or her business.
The Réseau Mentorat mentor is a qualified and experienced entrepreneur who accompanies another entrepreneur on a regular basis, over a long-term period. The mentor’s role is to accompany, motivate and support the mentee in the development of his or her thinking, critical thinking and independence. In this sense, he or she intervenes mainly on the entrepreneur’s soft skills.
For more information on mentoring, please visit the Réseau Mentorat and the Chambre de commerce de Gatineau websites. You can also contact deveconomique@mrcdescollines.com.