In 2009, the Alberta government’s Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) marked a record year in serving Albertans, by providing increased access to capital and facilitating a total investment of $686 million in the province’s agriculture, value-added and rural economies.
Recognizing the unique needs of the agriculture industry, and the importance of access to capital to capture business opportunities in a very competitive domestic and global marketplace, the Alberta government increased AFSC lending limits in 2009. AFSC can now lend up to $5 million to individuals and companies.
Additional benefits include flexible repayment options, competitive fixed interest rates for a maximum period of 20 years, and the ability to repay loans in full, at anytime, without penalty.
More producers are taking advantage of the customized loan programs and flexible repayment options offered by AFSC. Last year, the corporation’s lending division lent over $372 million to over 1,700 producers and businesses in Alberta. In addition to a range of lending products, AFSC delivers income stabilization programs and provides insurance products.
Through loans, capital sourcing services and loan guarantees, AFSC continues to offer producers, agri-businesses and commercial enterprises a consistent, stable source of capital, which is helping the industry achieve long-term success.
AFSC’s lending products and services respond to the government’s commitment to providing Alberta’s agriculture industry with better access to capital, and support the Government of Alberta’s plan for a strong economic recovery. Ensuring that our province’s industries are competitive and continue to attract investment to provide jobs and prosperity is part of The Way Forward.
For more information on AFSC services call 1-877-899-AFSC (2372) or visit www.afsc.ca.
Streamlined municipal grant programs save time and money
Municipal grants were recently thoroughly evaluated to see what benefit they were offering Alberta’s communities. Following government’s review, 23 streamlined programs can now be accessed across 10 government departments through a single web portal.
Overall funding to municipal grant programs has not been affected as a result of this review and some grants with similar outcomes have been consolidated. Some new programs have been created to meet a need that was not being addressed. All grants are now aligned with the Government of Alberta’s business priorities to ensure the grant dollars are helping to build strong communities and provide Albertans with the best possible value.
A number of tools that were requested by stakeholders have also been developed:
• a Municipal Grants Web Portal, a single point of contact for information on all provincial grant programs supporting municipalities, to make researching programs more efficient;
• an online search function that will allow municipalities to search for grants by the type of project they are looking to support; and
• downloadable iCalendar entries that will set reminders for grant program application and compliance dates in electronic calendars.
To explore the new Municipal Grants Web Portal and see an overview of the new suite of programs, visit: http://municipalaffairs.alberta.ca/municipalgrants.cfm.
As the MLA for Drumheller-Stettler, I am always available to assist constituents. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Alberta government’s Agriculture Financial Services Corporation, Alberta’s municipal grant programs, or any other matter, please contact one of my constituency offices at Stettler 403-742-4284; Hanna 403-854-4333; Drumheller 4003-823-8181, or in Edmonton at 7780-427-2137. Also, please subscribe to my e-newsletter at http://Hayden.mypcmla.ca/