Congratulations to the towns of Nipawin and Watrous, which have now been accepted to the Accredited level and also to t he City of Yorkton and the towns of Wadena and Unity, which have been accepted at the Affiliate level of the Main Street Saskatchewan Program. 

The provincial program aims to revitalize historic commercial downtowns by supporting downtown development, heritage conservation, and economic growth. Communities may enter the program in one of two tiers. 

The competitive Accredited tier requires communities to commit to meeting the highest performance standards in order to receive the full package of program services and benefits. The Affiliate tier is open to those communities who are interested in the Main Street approach but are not ready to commit to all the Accredited standards. This tier receives a reduced level of service. 

In addition to providing training and technical support, Main Street Saskatchewan distributes more than $300,000 per year in matching grant funds to participating communities. Since being introduced in 2011, 21 communities have participated in the Main Street Saskatchewan program.  

Since then, the program has generated 158 new jobs, 56 business openings, $6 million in spending on building rehabilitation and streetscape improvements, $7.6 million in private investment in property acquisitions in Main Street program areas, 330 Main Street events, and more than 41,000 hours of volunteer time contributed to Main Street activities in the Accredited communities. For more information about the Main Street Program, check out the  website.