CANORA GROUPS HELP CREATE JOBS

Released on August 11, 1999

Canora area businesses have created 80 jobs and maintained another 23 jobs,

with the help of two local small business loans co-operatives.



Education Minister Clay Serby was in Canora today to honour the Canora Economic

Development Co-operative and the Canora Economic Development Co-operative II

for their job creation records through the province's Small Business Loans

Association (SBLA) program.



"The job creation successes of these two organizations shows what can be done

when the government and communities work together," Serby said, speaking on

behalf of Economic and Co-operative Development Minister Janice MacKinnon.



During 1998, small businesses supported by the SBLA program created more than

360 jobs and maintained over 565 more, mostly in rural communities. This

brought the total number of jobs created and maintained since the program began

to almost 13,600.



Under the program, the government provides funding to local SBLA

organizations. In turn, SBLAs provide loans to businesses that have trouble

getting money from the bank.



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For more information contact:



Bob Ellis

Economic and Co-operative Development

Regina

Phone: (306) 787-1691