Last fall, Joseph Bourassa faced a significant career and life transition. Downsized from their position in the oil fields, they soon discovered that they were expecting a child with his partner Destiny Rayko. This moment

My name is Chantal Gauthier-Vaillancourt. I have been a Registered Midwife since 2012 and established a Midwifery practice with Marianne King in November of 2015. At the time there was only 1 practicing midwife in the North zone and she was located in High Level. In our humble beginnings, we rented a small little office from the ACFA at the Philip Menard Cultural Centre. In fact, we ended up having our first unplanned, ‘out of hospital’ vaginal birth after caesarean happen spontaneously in that tiny office right next to our computer. This mama was travelling from Athabasca County to have her baby at the Lac La Biche Hospital with her midwives…at least that was the plan.

I have been involved in taking care of children for years, whether it’s others’ little ones or my very own. And at one point I realized there’s a need for really great childcare after school, especially a government subsidized program.

That is when I began the process of putting together the actual plan to open one in Lac La Biche. This process is not easy; find a building, finance the building, get the permits, pass the inspections – and all of this while working a full time job.

A friend referred me to Community Futures for some help and with their guidance we opened October 1, 2016. The knowledge of the Community Futures staff helped me access and use the Canada Small Business Financing program and worked with a local bank to help me mortgage the building while Community Futures gave me financial assistance for payroll and upgrades that were necessary to make sure the play place was up to code.

I am an immigrant to Canada from Nigeria. As you can imagine I faced not only a language and culture barrier, but I also have a physical disability from having suffered polio as a child in a poor country.

My transition from Nigeria to Canada was not an easy one but I can say that this country allows a great chance of success for anyone who is willing to work hard and determined to overcome obstacles. After working for Body Dynamics for only a few months I was approached by the previous owner about purchasing it, she saw the Entrepreneur in me. I had almost no hope that anyone would lend money to a new immigrant, one who is disabled, and with little to no roots in this community.

Gerry Webster received funding from Community Futures to set up his health supplement store, A1 Fitness and Wellness, in Lac La Biche. After a couple of years of growth received additional support to expand his business to include A1 Meal Solutions – a healthy alternative to purchasing meals.

Webster says it is important for entrepreneurs to ask themselves, “Am I mentally tough enough and willing to do whatever it takes to make my business a success?” He suggests that this question is a crucial part of knowing whether or not you are ready to start a business. “You will be put to work like nothing you have done before, and you need to be strong and resilient in order to push through difficult times.”

My name is Mike Hammons, one of the owners of Lac la Biche Equipment Rentals. We’ve been in business six years in Lac La Biche. I chose to open a Rental shop in Lac La Biche to offer some different types of equipment that just were not available. It was certainly a struggle for the first few years but after a lot of hard work and perseverance we have established ourselves in Lac La Biche and are growing very rapidly.

We currently employ 5 full time & 2 part time employees at our business and are continuing to grow every year. We have served over 4000 different customers in the area ranging from the oil & gas industry, the construction industry as well as the regular homeowner. We pride ourselves on offering quality service to back the quality equipment we provide, and Community Futures Lac La Biche is helping us get the equipment we need when we need it in a timely fashion.

Incorporated in 2004, D-Kats Contracting Ltd. is a local Aboriginal owned trucking company that employs up to 8 residents of the region. Owner Dan Quintal together with his wife are proud of their business and the reputation for safety and quality customer service they have worked very hard to establish and maintain over the years. Dan first heard about Lac La Biche Regional Community Development Corporation from newspaper advertising and by talking to fellow entrepreneurs about where to turn for assistance with starting a business. Lac La Biche RCDC initially helped with putting together a business plan and also financed a 2005 Kenworth truck. Today they have expanded to 5 pieces of equipment and counting.

I think we first went to RCDC when Kal Polturak came to see us. Or someone told us to try them, it’s been a long time.

Our experience has always been positive and satisfactory. Tried hard to work with us. I believe the most important thing a person needs to know is that it takes a lot of time and sacrifice. That you have to be willing to put in the time, especially in the beginning and not expect much return until your business is established which can sometimes take a few years.

Lina Yadlowsky moved her family to Lac La Biche in 1994 and wanted to start a small business doing renovations.

Yadlowsky says that they weren’t the right fit for regular bank loans, so they approached Community Futures and were successful in obtaining funding to purchase tools. Over the years they approached Community Futures a few more times whenever they needed help expanding the business.