Creating a Better Future For Your Business
A business-friendly approach by the RM of Edenwold has become the place to open up a business.
EMMANUEL VILLA
The RM of Edenwold is a vibrant community bringing old and young together. The RM is proud of a significant resource, a long-term care home, Emmanuel Villa Personal Care Home.
This personal care home in Emerald Park offers a full scope of care from levels 1-4, including palliative and end-of-life care. Care is provided by nurses and other caregivers 24 hours a day. Emmanuel Villa has a reputation for its sincere and genuine loving care, whether serving those who are ailing or those enjoying good health.
“Emmanuel Villa was built for one thing: to give dignity and respect to our seniors. It’s about the way we care for them. The way we talk to them. The way we respond to their needs. We are sensitive and focus on the resident’s preferences,” said Bunmi Onasanya, a registered nurse and the CEO of Emmanuel Villa. “For me, it’s not a business; it is a sincere passion that goes beyond. We are here to care.”
The home offers an incredible view, as it backs a lush green nine-hole golf course that was designed with four wings of 20 rooms each. This design allows for this sizeable facility to ensure each wing operates as a unit, nurturing a more personal feeling to the care. There is plenty of room to walk and move inside and out. The screened-in balcony offers a gentle breeze and a quiet place to relax.
“Our quality of service shows the moment you walk through the doors. From the staff to the residents, there are smiles and happy faces, and it gives me great fulfillment,” said Onasanya. “To make a difference in someone’s life and for our residents to know they are well cared for is my reward. The care providers and nurse leaders we have hired provide a vision and direction to support quality, safe care, " notes Onasanya.
Emmanuel Villa desires to support health care and the people of Saskatchewan by opening long-term beds, which are very much needed in the Regina region of the province. The RM of Edenwold and the Onasanya family are pleased to support the needs of the Saskatchewan people!
“We decided to build and open Emmanuel Villa in Emerald Park because it’s serene and quiet and a beautiful community. I wouldn’t want to work with any other RM,” added Onasanya. “The support, the attention, the RM of Edenwold went far and beyond. They supported our endeavor and took us in – we feel like family. The growing community is very close to Regina, yet it offers wide open spaces that make our residents feel connected with their province, which warms our hearts.”
Bunmi Onasanya (second from the left) with staff members.
ASPEN LINKS
The RM of Edenwold has had a golf course in the municipality for decades and now that golf course has a fresh start with a new clubhouse.
A fire consumed and destroyed the original clubhouse that was in use since Aspen Links first opened in the RM of Edenwold in 1987. Since that fire in 2011, the golf course relied on temporary solutions to locate its club and food services.
Now, a new building is in operation as of September 2021. The golf course and its clubhouse have been embraced by the RM of Edenwold as part of the community, contributing to residents’ quality of life. The new clubhouse is of interest to more than golfers. In addition to offices and a restaurant, there is also space for a daycare.
The RM of Edenwold’s support of the golf course also helps draw visitors from outside the RM to visit it as well as other businesses.
Operating a business that requires a significant amount of land in the middle of a municipality could present challenges, but that has not been the case for Aspen Links in the RM of Edenwold. The golf course has a good working relationship with those who border it.
“The RM and the surrounding communities and other businesses have been very welcoming to us and very supportive, so it's been really great that way,” said Amanda O’Donnell, the events coordinator for Aspen Links.
JONY RAHAMAN
OWNER, FANCY FORK CAFÉ & BISTRO
After opening businesses in numerous Canadian cities, Jony Rahaman feels at home in the RM of Edenwold with his newest business, Fancy Fork Café & Bistro.
The welcome he received from the municipality is a significant reason why he feels so at home. The ease of working with those at the RM of Edenwold’s office was unlike any experience he has had during his 12 years living in Canada after moving from Bangladesh.
He chose to locate his business in the municipality because he saw an opportunity to open a local restaurant that offers meals that satisfy those looking for international flavours as well as Canadian classics. He, along with chefs Mamun Khosur and Abdullah Mahmud, went into business together to open their new restaurant in April 2022.
“When I applied for the business registration, I submitted the application in the morning and received the registration that evening,” said Rahaman, who appreciates the communication the RM of Edenwold maintains with people needing its services.
“They caused me no stress when I was already dealing with contractors and vendors in getting the business ready to open.”
But it got better from there. After the business opened, the RM of Edenwold helped to promote it.
“As a business owner, I could not expect more than that.”
He appreciates that the RM of Edenwold wants its local business owners to succeed and makes it effortless for business owners to get started. He finds the RM to be very well organized and prepared to explain all that a business owner needs to know to operate in the municipality.
That is not the experience he has had in other municipalities in Canada or even Saskatchewan.
“I would highly recommend the RM of Edenwold to any immigrant wanting to start their own business.”
MATT KUZMICZ
Working together rather than against each other makes a lot of sense to Matt Kuzmicz these days.
He has been in business quite a while in the RM of Edenwold with his hand in a number of businesses, including the Ramada by Wyndham Emerald Park/Regina East, Great Plains Auctioneers, and Paladyne Management Ltd. He’s also part of Kuzmicz Farms.
He’s proud that he could rely on people from the RM of Edenwold area for so many aspects of the construction of the 70,000 ft² hotel.
His appreciation for coming together goes beyond the hotel to the wider business community in the area, which he thinks is demonstrating why it is important for these municipalities to collaborate.
As a resident of White City who works in the RM of Edenwold, he has a foot in both municipalities and wants to see more cooperation between the two. When he looks at what the RM of Edenwold has done for the town of White City and then considers what has been said about the RM of Edenwold by some in White City’s government, it doesn’t add up for him.
Being part of the White City-Emerald Park Business Association, he sees the municipalities having a relationship, but being independent of one another as advantageous. Having two municipalities side-by-side competing to attract business means those looking to start a business in the area can compare when choosing where to locate their operations. That healthy competition provides checks and balances that benefits those living and running businesses in the area.
“It boggles my mind why people are pushing to have one government body that tells you what to do,” said Kuzmicz
“We have a great, unique situation here. Let’s champion it, not tear it apart or have one absorb the other.”
“It’s a fact of life you teach your kids. You don’t bully and try to take over another person. We’re grown-ups. Let’s act like it.”
ROBB HERTZOG
OWNER, PRAIRIE HARLEY DAVIDSON
In a span of four hours, Robb Hertzog and his wife were able to map out his dream for his business to be built in the RM of Edenwold.
Getting the facility he desired constructed on that piece of property was as much of a dream situation for him.
Hertzog is the owner of Prairie Harley Davidson, which has its roots in Regina that go back to 1936. He dreamed of expanding his business, waiting for an opportune time to develop.
That time came after improvements were made to Highway 1 east of Regina as part of the Regina Bypass Project. These improvements created new overpasses for Pilot Butte, White City and Balgonie to improve safety.
Access to and from Highway 1 was an important consideration for Hertzog in choosing the property for his business. He also appreciated how visible his business would be to those travelling on Highway 1.
He and his wife had purchased the property about five years before they were ready to build. One day, they went out in their vehicle, walking the property and envisioning what exactly could be built on it, down to details such as how to orient the building on the lot.
When the time came to prepare for construction, Hertzog found the staff working for the RM to be very eager to help him with the paperwork.
“It was actually really easy. The permits were done right away, quick and easy. Everybody was great and really wanted to help out and see this happen,” said Hertzog.
The paperwork was done in August 2018. Construction started December of that year. Ten months later, the building was ready to be occupied.
The location he is at contributes to the experience Hertzog is looking to create for his customers. Now that he has the building and the space that created, he is interested in growing his team. He is looking for people who understand and appreciate the experience he creates for his customers to become employees.
He is also looking forward to further business development around him to draw more people to the area. Tax incentives would be a strong draw and a benefit to the RM of Edenwold.
Those looking to build a business would appreciate the break on taxes in their early years of their long-term commitment to the municipality.
“Tax incentives should be a huge selling feature for the RM,” said Hertzog.
NATHAN SEON
PARTNER, PRAIRIE CRAFT CANOPY
Since he was a kid, Nathan Seon has lived in the RM of Edenwold and he plans to build a bright future for himself and his family there.
“The municipality has been creating opportunities for entrepreneurs like myself to work and live and play all within the same area.”
The municipality is a place of safety and security for him to raise his children and operate his business. Seon is a partner in Prairie Craft Canopy.
“We are a cannabis cultivation and production facility,” said Seon.
“We grow cannabis for not only the recreational market but also the medical market as well.”
Prairie Craft Canopy is a wholesaler that works with larger licensed producers to get their products on the shelf.
“I think we've always looked at it as an agricultural business. At the end of the day, I'm just an indoor farmer.”
Locating his business in the RM of Edenwold was a prudent choice for him.
“I don't know a lot of other people that own a cannabis business in other places in Saskatchewan,” said Seon.
“We found the RM was amicable to that idea because they understand that it's just another agricultural business.”
He appreciates how approachable council has been to discuss his project and the resulting business.
“I mean there's lots of municipalities that chose not to include cannabis in their development plans,”
said Seon.
“When it comes to discussing the viability of the business, you know, it's a federally legislated business.
“But municipalities can pick and choose items that they want to include. At the end of the day, the RM has been very good about discussing how to develop it out properly.”
He appreciates the relationship he has with the RM of Edenwold’s planning department.
“The RM has been instrumental in helping us develop this in a way that is sustainable and will be good throughout time,” said Seon.
“We’ve worked together to develop out a proper project so as to allow ourselves to develop it in a way that the public is also safe. It needed to fit in with the area and we have a great location where it doesn't necessarily impede or encroach on anyone else's privacy.”
The business is located next to a research farm, which ties the two businesses together through the research and development that both do in agriculture.
“There's not a lot of differences between us except they grow outside and we grow inside,” said Seon.
He knows his business elicits opinions, but he also points out to how those who understand and respect what he is building will benefit from the growth he is pursuing.
“It still has that stigma surrounding it and we're hoping to break that and be a very viable, interesting business in the RM where people can educate and learn about cannabis as well.
“We hope to break ground on a Canadian level, not just a municipality level. We grow extremely good, high-quality cannabis so we will be on the map in Canada as a business, not only within the RM.
“The RM having such a strong background in farming and such a strong hold on the farming industry in Canada, I mean it was good that they understood that.”
Being a commercial enterprise in a sparsely developed area, Seon knows that impacts the level of service from the municipality that he receives to his business. He hopes to discuss what tax breaks could be made to benefit businesses who create jobs and bring other opportunities to the municipality.
“The RM has always been there to discuss these things and talk about these things,” said Seon.
Communication with the RM has always been open, clear and collaborative for Seon. As much as he has learned from the council and planning department, they are also open to learning from him.
“I can provide them with the federal rules surrounding the business that maybe people who don't really understand were complaining about,” said Seon.
“They’ve done a really good job at fielding municipal issues and handling them quite well. So, that's been good and has been a benefit for the business.”
Not only does Seon operate his business in the RM of Edenwold, but he lives there, too.
A benefit to living in the RM is the direct contact he can have with those who provide the services he does receive, such as maintaining grid roads. He sees how the RM of Edenwold employees value providing good service and are open to communicating with residents.
“The municipality is spending the money in the right places and doing things to encourage growth.”
“We showcase all Saskatchewan-made foods, giftware, home décor and other Saskatchewan-made goods.”
The idea for the business came from Hill’s post-secondary education. Her final research project was on the local food movement.
“I worked with local meat producers and helped them understand how they could better market their food around the province,” said Hill.
Then, when the pandemic started, she recognized an opportunity to connect Saskatchewan producers with local consumers.
“Being that there are such supply chain issues in groceries around the world right now and the drastic increase in prices, it gave us truly an opportunity to be able to bridge that gap between the consumer and the producer in a way where the consumers going to pay less for the product.”
The location of her business in the RM of Edenwold has made it easy and enticing for local consumers to stop in.
“We’re located very close to the entrance and exit corridors in the community across from the local town rink and even adjacent to a lot of local businesses,” said Hill.
“We have our regulars who come in for their coffee in the morning or their hot soup at lunchtime. We have a lot of hockey parents who come over for even a quiet breath.”
But it goes further than location and infrastructure that makes operating her business in the RM of Edenwold the right choice for Hill. She and her husband have lived in the area for almost 18 years. She has seen first-hand the amount of support there is from local people for local initiatives – whether it is for sports teams, local events or supporting one another’s business.
“Everybody's there to really support each other and I think that's important. I don't think you would find in a big city,” said Hill.
“I really appreciate all of the businesses and all the levels of support that they’ve shown us along the way.”
She believes the future is bright for business owners in the RM of Edenwold.
“There's an opportunity where we're going to see some growth coming up in the next few years and it's exciting to be a part of that growth and maybe even, you know be able to support some of that growth.”
AUDRA HILL
OWNER, FARMER JOHN'S LOCAL MARKET & KITCHEN
Supporting local has been important to Audra Hill since she was a child.
“I was born and raised in Saskatchewan in agriculture,” said Hill, who saw others in her community as being on her side.
“Your neighbor was always your partner. They were never your competition.”
“It was always important to work with your community and to help each other out.”
That perspective has carried through for Hill into the business she owns today in the RM of Edenwold.
“Farmer John's Local Market and Kitchen opened its doors March 1, 2022,” said Hill.
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