Mr. Speaker, in my Member’s statement today I talked about the way in which the market disruption policy was interpreted when approving applications for business development funding. I’d like to ask the Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment what process his department uses to assess the potential for market disruptions when they’re receiving and reviewing funding applications.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.
With regard to the business programs we deliver, market disruption is one of the principles that is at the foundation of all of our programs. So for any applications we receive, we ensure that we do due diligence to ensure there’s no possibility of market disruption.
I think the Minister is aware of the situation I brought to his attention, where one business is producing something in a community and getting business development funds to bring that product into Hay River to compete directly and head-on with existing businesses in Hay River. Now, this may be a bit of an anomaly, but it has happened. What could the Minister tell me to assure me that that type of thing would not be accepted — that it would be part of the application for the applicant to tell where they’re planning to market their product?
As we develop programs — and programs have been in place for some time — we evolve with regard to our policies.
Under the current policy the example the Member outlined is perfectly within our policy, whereby there’s no market disruption because it’s limited to the community where the assistance has been requested and provided. I’d like to advise the Member that we are changing our policies. We are introducing our new SEED program — Support to Entrepreneurs and Economic Development — which will be rolling out sometime this month.
Mr. Speaker, since we’re on the verge of a new SEED fund and setting up policies to go with that, would the Minister commit to undertake to ensure that if someone is applying for that funding to operate a business, which they then plan to operate on a regional basis, you would ensure that regional activity would not be impacting on existing businesses competing with them, causing market disruption?
I guess we don’t want to be presumptuous; we want to make sure we follow all of our consultation requirements and provide early notification and so on. I think that probably within a month or so our new program will be out, which much more clearly identifies and defines market disruption to address exactly the situation the Member raised.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.
I’ll be happy to inform my constituents that they may be able to have some input into that consultation that will set those policies in place.
Mr. Speaker, under the current Business Development Fund process and in the upcoming SEED program, will it be possible for businesses to apply on a consecutive-years basis for those business development funds? Would it be possible for a business, for example, to apply every year and get those funds, or will there be something in the policy that will preclude that from happening?
This is an area we’ve been trying to address for some time. We haven’t been able to work it out, principally because for contribution funding, we have to come to the Legislative Assembly every year for our budgets to be approved. I guess until such time as we find a way to deal with that, only at that time will we be able to address the Member’s question. It’s certainly an area we would want to try to achieve.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
