Nine communities. One regional economic opportunity.
CORE (Collaborative Opportunity for Regional Expansion) is a regional economic development initiative led by Community Futures Yellowhead East (CFYE) in partnership with nine Alberta municipalities. Together, CFYE and the participating municipalities are working to strengthen business growth, investment readiness and regional economic opportunity by combining local knowledge with a coordinated regional approach.
9 Municipalities
Working together on investment readiness, business support and long-term growth.
Our focus
What CORE focuses on
Regional Investment Attraction
Promoting the region's collective strengths, industries, assets and investment potential.
Business Retention & Expansion
Better understanding the needs, challenges and growth opportunities of existing businesses.
Regional Data & Intelligence
Providing access to current economic, workforce, demographic and market information to support business and investment decisions.
Investment Readiness
Helping communities strengthen the information, tools and resources needed to respond to investment opportunities.
Business Support
Connecting businesses with Community Futures Yellowhead East and other relevant programs, resources and services.
Regional Marketing
Building greater awareness of the region, its communities and its economic opportunities.
Working together
Why a regional approach
More Visibility
A shared regional gateway puts every partner community in front of investors, residents and visitors who would otherwise never find them.
Better Data
Consistent, current data on demographics, workforce, housing and the regional economy, ready when investors and decision-makers ask.
A Stronger Voice
Speaking with one coordinated regional voice gives CORE more weight with funders, provincial partners and prospective investors.
Less Duplication
Shared tools, calendars and resources mean smaller administrations get more done, without rebuilding what someone else already runs.
Regional + Local Support
Communities keep their distinct identity and local relationships, while gaining the scale, marketing and concierge support of a regional team.
The Partnership
Ten partners. One connected region.
CORE brings together Community Futures Yellowhead East and nine municipal partners, recognizing that businesses, workers, supply chains and investment opportunities do not stop at municipal boundaries. The regional approach allows CORE to promote the collective strengths of the region while maintaining the important role of each municipality in local economic development.
CORE partners with nine municipalities across the region to strengthen economic development capacity, improve investment readiness, and support local entrepreneurs, small businesses and non-profit organizations.
A Regional Investment Marketing Strategist has been hired to provide direct, hands-on municipal and small business support and to advance a coordinated regional approach to investment attraction.
"This funding will allow us to take a collaborative, region-wide approach to economic development. By investing in shared capacity, we're helping municipalities strengthen investment readiness, better support local businesses and organizations, and position the region for long-term growth."
What we're doing
Work completed to date includes municipal engagement and community investment readiness assessments, with each municipality receiving an internal report and customized action plan outlining next steps and available CORE support.
Foundational work has also begun on a regional investment website featuring local data, along with research into business retention and expansion (BR&E) approaches to better support existing businesses.
"This project is about meeting communities where they're at and helping them move forward in ways that align with their capacity and priorities. By combining local knowledge with regional collaboration, we're building stronger foundations for investment, entrepreneurship, community and economic resilience."
We respectfully acknowledge that we work and live on Treaty 8 territory, the traditional lands of the Mountain Métis and Rocky Mountain Cree, as well as Treaty 6 territory, home of the Alexis Nakota Sioux people.