August 30, 2021
The City of Spruce Grove
ECONOMIC & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT NEWS
Keeping you informed!
Our Economic & Business Development Department's newsletter keeps you informed about new development, new business, and other interesting happenings in the business community. We make every effort to update our COVID-19 Resource for businesses page to ensure that the information is current and relevant.
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πŸ”¨ NEW DEVELOPMENTS πŸ› 
New developments in Spruce Grove will be showcased in each newsletter.

FIBRE OPTIC NETWORK ANNOUNCED FOR SPRUCE GROVE
TELUS and the City of Spruce Grove are investing $54 million to build out a fibre optic network throughout the community. This project is the largest infrastructure investment in the history of Spruce Grove. Through this collaboration, the City is contributing $4.25M specifically to the industrial areas, and TELUS is investing a further $50M to connect over 90% of homes and businesses within the City boundary.

Work on the fibre optic network in Spruce Grove is starting this month, and TELUS anticipates this will be completed by 2023, with the industrial and commercial areas to be completed first.

β€œTELUS is very proud to be making this generational investment in Spruce Grove, providing the technology to bridge geographic and socio-economic divides and connect citizens to the people, resources and information that make their lives better, particularly as we continue to navigate the global pandemic,”
- Darren Entwistle, President and CEO of TELUS

The gigabit-enabled TELUS PureFibre network is the largest 100 per cent pure fibre-to-the-premise (FTTP) network in Western Canada, giving residents and businesses dramatically fast upload and download Internet speeds, which provides significant benefits for applications like video conferencing, working or learning remotely, gaming, and smart home security.

β€œReliable, high-speed internet connection is an essential amenity for residents and businesses. Investing in a fibre optic network in our industrial and commercial districts is critical to economic sustainability. This network will enhance Spruce Grove’s market competitiveness by helping attract and retain talent, as well as drive new investments and business development,”
- Stuart Houston, Mayor of Spruce Grove
🌟 UNDER CONSTRUCTION 🌟
Construction has started on a 47-unit Active Adult (55 plus) apartment development at 50 Heatherglen Drive. This is part of the gated Heritage Creek community. Completion planned for June 2022 and includes a Pickle Ball Court, an amenity area in the building, and private clubhouse for the entire community.
Tri-Municipal Veterinary Clinic
The Tri-Municipal Veterinary Clinic is expected to open at 150 Century Crossing later this year or early 2022. This veterinary clinic will provide compassionate and progressive veterinary care to small and large animals throughout the region.
Mr. Lube
A new Mr. Lube in Century Crossing is expected to open in the fall on 700 McLeod Avenue, offering fast, warranty-approved maintenance to help extend the life of your vehicle.
This 10,200 SF building on 115 First Ave is under construction and is a prime location for professional and medical services, retail use, wine/tapas bar, and food outlet.
⭐ UPCOMING EVENTS ⭐
On September 19, the City Centre Business Association is hosting the Fall Public Market at the Spruce Grove Pioneer Centre on 301 Jespersen Avenue. Visit their website to access information on vendors and volunteering opportunities.
πŸ›’ SUPPORT LOCAL πŸ’™
The City of Spruce Grove's Support Local campaign encourages individuals to help businesses during this time of recovery.
Welcome, new Spruce Grove businesses!
Too Hot Peppers Salsa Company on King Street offers fresh home-made salsas, dips, and sauces. Their products are crafted without the use of any additives or preservatives! 🌢
Sport Clips Creekside Centre on Jennifer Heil Way is home of the MVP Haircut Experience, while offering fresh cuts, free neck trims, & new styles as customers get to watch sports playing on their TVs! βœ‚
Thank you to our existing businesses!
SandyView Farms on South Avenue is a home-style deli, butcher shop, restaurant, and catering service with a unique line of locally sourced meats, in-store made products, & healthy food choices! πŸ₯©
Spruce Grove Feeds on Railway Avenue carries a wide range of products, such as livestock feed, forage and grass seed, wild bird seed, pet food, horse feed, tack and quality minerals for all livestock! 🐴
Spruce Grove Recovers
Over the past year, we saw incredible examples of resiliency and recovery within our community. We are proud to share some of these stories through a video series called β€œSpruce Grove Recovers”.
Wilhauk Beef Jerky found innovative ways to change its business model and support local businesses. πŸ₯©
Talking Dog Brewing pivoted from its initial plan, and provided takeaway services for its locally-brewed beer. 🍺
Porta Romana Restaurant reinvented itself to switch to a purely takeout model, where they were able to keep the community fed and happy. 🍝
Ward School of Dance kept the spirit to dance alive through virtual lessons and recitals, keeping kids moving and dancing. 🩰
Gifts and Gadgets doubled down on its commitment to customer service sending customers pictures and videos of items for both curbside pickup and delivery. 🎁
Community Church and volunteers stepped up to provide meals to families in need, bringing the community closer together. β›ͺ
🍁 COVID-19 SUPPORT PROGRAMS πŸ’²
Federal Budget extends several key COVID-19 support programs to Fall 2021.
Grow Your Business Online is the first stream and non-profits can apply for microgrants to help support their digital transformation to fuel economic recovery.
Private and not-for-profit businesses can apply for funding to offset the cost of hiring and training unemployed or underemployed Albertans.
This program provides commercial rent and mortgage support to organizations. Applications will remain open until October 23, 2021.
Provides up to a 20% tax credit towards R&D. The grant will be phased out for firms with $10M to $50M in taxable capital and will provide benefits up to $4M in annual R&D spending. Delivered through the corporate tax system.
Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program provides businesses access to low-interest loans of $25,000 to $1,000,000 to cover cash flow needs. Applications will remain open until December 30, 2021.
An employer who has seen a drop in revenue may apply for a subsidy to cover part of employee wages. Changes allow a top-up of 35% and a subsidy amount of $595 for employees on leave with pay. Apply before October 23, 2021.
CERB transitioned to EI. The number of weeks of EI benefits is increased to a maximum of 50 weeks for claims made between September 27, 2020 and September 25, 2021.
Those not eligible for EI can apply through CRB. This allows recipients to apply for a total of 27 periods (54 weeks) between September 27, 2020 and October 23, 2021.
CAJG offers funding for training opportunities. The Work Sharing Program provides EI benefits for employees who share work while their employer recovers.
πŸ“° OTHER NEWS ❕
The Edmonton region is about to become the world's largest net-zero hydrogen network! Air Products $1.3B investment will radically transform Alberta's economy and dramatically decarbonize Western Canada.
The Global Growth Program (GGP) will help various businesses within the Edmonton Metropolitan Region accelerate their entry into international markets through the export of their products and services.
As hydrogen is a vital component of our clean energy system, Canada launched the Edmonton Region Hydrogen HUB, an initiative to build Canada's very first low-carbon hydrogen economy in our region.
Spruce Grove released its permit activity reports for July 2021. These indicate building and development permit values, population growth, trends, the cost for providing infrastructure, and more.
This program helps small to medium-sized enterprises reach their global potential by providing them with access to industry experts to develop and execute a personalized market-entry export plan.
This program provides up to $55M in funding for Alberta businesses to improve efficiency, reduce emissions, and decrease costs, while creating skilled jobs and boosting economic recovery.
To learn more about economic and business development in Spruce Grove, visit InvestSpruceGrove.ca. If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected].

Thank you for your engagement.
Together, we play an important role in keeping our community healthy and safe.

From our team to yours,
Dave, Karla, Jamielinn, & Anika
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