Supporting Canada’s 267 Community Futures organizations

Community Futures Network of Canada

About Community Futures. We operate 267 non-profit offices across Canada that provide small business services to people living in rural and remote communities. Each office delivers small business loans, tools, training and events for people wanting to start, expand, franchise or sell a business. Read some success stories or click on your province (above) to find the nearest office. About the Community Futures Network of Canada (CFNC). Our association actively supports Canada’s 267 member offices. We are guided by a Board of Directors made up of Community Futures representatives from across the country.

According to the CFNC Bylaws, the class of CFNC Members are divided into five groups of Members:

  • the “Atlantic Group” composed of Associations from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador;
  • the “Quebec Group” composed of the Association from Quebec;
  • the “Ontario Group” composed of the Association from Ontario;
  • the “Western Group” composed of Associations from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia; and
  • the “Territories Group” composed of Associations from Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut

The current CFNC Board of Directors is composed of:

  • Maxine Rennie (Atlantic)
  • Karen MacDonald (Atlantic)
  • Pascal Harvey (Quebec)
  • Vallier Daigle (Quebec)
  • Suzanne Viel (Ontario)
  • Allan Simm (Ontario)
  • Linda Martin (Territories)
  • Troy Dungate (Western)
  • Jason Denbow (Western)

Board of Directors Advisors (non-voting):

  • Colette Close, Project Manager, Community Futures Pan West
  • Diana Jedig, Executive Director, Community Futures Ontario
  • Basil Ryan, Chief Operating Officer, Atlantic Association of CBDCs

Funding for Community Futures offices and the CFNC Network is provided by the Government of Canada’s Regional Development Agencies.

Want to know more about our network? Get in touch. The CFNC is engaged in three main areas:

advocacyWe work with national decision makers to ensure the long-term sustainability of Community Futures. We initiate cost-saving programs and progressive policies to maximize the impact of our members’ efforts.

Through the direction of its Representation Committee, the Community Futures Network of Canada (CFNC) is focused on offering strong representation of the Community Futures Program to the Government of Canada and other targeted audiences. This mandate is accomplished by providing up-to-date information related to the National Community Futures Program – its impacts, successes, and best practices – to specific targeted groups. Also, with the assistance of a variety of ad-hoc committees, the CFNC continuously evaluates and explores ways and means that common CF/CBDC initiatives can be worked on collectively on a national basis so that local CF/CBDCs are able to gain some efficiencies and economies of scale.

 

toolsWe provide a wide range of member services including specialized professional development and training and group discounts.

With the assistance of its Best Practices Committee, a key focus of the Community Futures Network of Canada (CFNC) is to gather and share information online on a wide variety of new and improved CF initiatives, processes and practices that will provide benefit to both staff and volunteers of CF/CBDCs across Canada. 

 

collaborationWe actively work to gather and share information between Community Futures offices in the interest of building valuable links and networks that help us serve our clients better.

Communication and collaboration is the essence of the Community Futures Network of Canada (CFNC). Each year the CFNC produces an Annual Review that showcases some of the successes of the CF/CBDCs from across the country and documents the significant contribution that the Community Futures Program is making in starting and growing new businesses, as well as helping to revitalize Canada’s rural communities. Every three years the CFNC organizes a national conference that brings together hundreds of Community Futures volunteers and staff from each province and territory to meet, share information and learn from each other about the incredible work that is being accomplished through the efforts of their local community organizations that are the backbone of the Community Futures Program of Canada.

Community Futures Organizations’ Unwavering Support for Economic Recovery in Times of Disaster

History of the Community Futures Program

Rural & Resilient: A Message from our Clients Across Canada

Careers

Each Community Futures office employs a number of core staff positions, including a General Manager, Business Analyst, Community Economic Development Officer and Administrator. Brief descriptions for these positions are listed below. Community Futures core positions are supported by on-the-job and other forms of training that support career advancement locally and nationally. Check out the opportunities below or click on your province (above) for job openings.

Core Position

Skill Requirements / Job Components

General Manager or Executive Director

Proven leadership experience as a developmental lender and working with not-for-profit boards.

Business Analyst / Business Officer

Expertise conducive to providing lending advice to and coaching/training for start-up and expanding small and medium-sized enterprises within targeted industry clusters.

Community Economic Development Officer

Expertise conducive to supporting and promoting entrepreneurial communities especially in the areas of identified industry clusters. CED Officers work in collaboration with Regional Economic Development Alliance or REDA staff and municipal economic development officers.

Administrator

Expertise conducive to managing bookkeeping and accounts receivable/payable, providing project management assistance, supporting CF board and management.

News

News Release – May 2022

The Community Futures Network of Canada (CFNC) held its national conference in Ottawa on May 8-10, 2022 to highlight the contributions the Community Futures Program has made in helping Canada’s rural, remote and Indigenous communities become more sustainable. The three-day event brought together more than 500 decision makers and industry leaders from all 13 provinces and territories to network, share best practices, and learn new approaches to developing strong, economically sustainable communities.

One of the highlights of the event was a reception on Monday evening, May 9th, at the Westin Ottawa that was attended by more than 50 Members of Parliament from all parties. The Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development, delivered the opening remarks at the reception.

“Important programs like Community Futures remind us that for Canada to succeed, we need our rural and remote communities to thrive. The Government of Canada is committed to continuing to support the economic growth and resilience of rural Canada. Budget 2022 proposes a range of important programs and initiatives to support Canadians living and working in rural communities. We all need to double down, and support the economic diversification and sustainability of our villages, towns, hamlets and coves from coast-to-coast-coast,” said the Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development.

The conference also featured opening remarks from the Honourable Helena Jaczek, Minister Responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) on behalf of Canada’s regional development agencies, and a keynote address by Sébastien Sasseville whose presentation, “One Step at a Time: Thriving in Change to Win the Long Game,” set the tone for the whole conference.

“By utilizing their regional knowledge and ability to provide direct on-the-ground support to the unique rural communities they serve, Community Futures Development Corporations play a vital role in delivering support, building partnerships and providing mentorship to rural businesses and organizations,” said the Honourable Helena Jaczek, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).

Other speakers included change management specialist Mark DeVolder on leading organizations through change, scientist and astronaut Dr. Shawna Pandya on success, failure and resilience, and Kyle Larkin on grassroots advocacy.

Press Release – May 2020

On behalf of the Community Futures Network of Canada and the 268 Community Futures Organizations located in rural areas and territories across Canada, we welcome Minister Joly’s announcement on the new Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF) of which $287M dollars have been allocated to the Community Futures Network.

This funding will be targeted towards rural businesses that may require additional help to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and have been unable to access existing support measures.

The Community Futures Program has been serving rural communities for over 30 years. Each office operates as an individual non-profit corporation, with its own volunteer board of directors and its own portfolio of lending products and services. This means that the local board takes into consideration additional factors that a traditional bank may not, and it means the application turnaround can be much faster and efficient.

The Community Futures Network looks forward to working with the Regional Development Agencies to deliver the funding to rural businesses as quickly and efficiently as possible.

To learn more about the financing and business support services available through Community Futures organizations, please contact your local or provincial Community Futures organization for details. To access contact information for each provincial/regional Community Futures organization, please visit communityfuturescanada.ca and select your province.

Press Release – April 2020

On behalf of the Community Futures Network of Canada and the 267 Community Futures Organizations located in rural areas and territories across Canada, we applaud the Prime Minister’s announcement from Friday, April 17th where $287M dollars have been allocated to the Community Futures Network.

This funding will be allocated towards smaller employers and businesses located in rural parts of the country who do not qualify for the recently announced wage subsidy or loans or still need assistance in managing their operations through these challenging times.

As Canadians work together to limit the spread of COVID-19, the severe financial impacts of the pandemic and physical distancing measures have been particularly challenging for rural communities and the small businesses that they rely on to provide essential goods and services. The loss of one of these businesses in a small community, where there are no other local options, can be devastating. And we know that some of the greatest impacts, in seasonal industries like tourism, are yet to come.

That’s why we are so appreciative of the supports announced today by Prime Minister Trudeau.

The higher operating costs faced by rural small businesses and the smaller markets that they serve mean that the current loss of revenues is felt harder, and that their road to recovery will be longer and more challenging. The funds announced today will go a long way towards making that road easier to travel.

Initiatives

We are proud to introduce some small and exceptional businesses that, thanks to our help, contractors from rural regions were able to start and make them grow.

Pan Canada Success Stories Brochure, 2022

In partnership between the Community Futures Provincial Associations, a brochure was created to highlight significant clients from across the country, and the benefit the Community Futures Program has within our communities.

Contact us

Community Futures Network of Canada
300 South Edgeware Road
St. Thomas, ON N5P 4L1

For information contact: Diana Jedig
T: 1.888.633.2326, ext. 3
Email: admin@communityfuturescanada.ca

We look forward to helping you