FAQ

How do I apply for a building permit and/or licence?
Visit the Online Business Permits and Licences Service at www.saskatoon.ca/svc/appBizPal.

Do you have information on business start-up and financing?
We do not offer any direct financing, just information resources. Take a look at our Business Start-up Info section for more information.

Why are current economic development projects kept confidential from the public?
Companies do not want to go public for competitive reasons and to keep rumours among their employees at a minimum. Additionally, the typical project will take from a few months to more than a year to complete, sometimes several years. Projects are a stop-and-start process even after the site decision is made. Reporting information before the deal is done and without the permission of the client will kill a deal. Information on specific projects should be released only by the client or at the client's direction.

Incentives don't seem to be fair. How do they help the small business?
Incentives are not fair. Incentives are meant to be strategic. They are geared to higher paying industries and are designed to help bring new, higher-paying jobs that would not otherwise come to our communities. The workers holding those jobs are the customers of the service businesses and retailers in the community. Without those jobs, the smaller businesses could not survive (the multiplier effect).

Regardless of incentives, wouldn't most of these jobs have been created anyway?
Certainly a percentage of these jobs would have been created in any event. However, Saskatoon could simply not compete with other cities without these incentives and a large number of jobs would have been at risk. The program has been directly responsible for creating a large number of jobs throughout the city, keeping jobs in the city and helping to improve the region's economy.

What happens if the company does not live up to its job creation/investment commitment?
Companies do not receive tax incentives until they have reached their commitment level. If they reach the level and later cut back, the incentives are cut back as well. These are performance based incentives; the company must perform up to the level promised over a period of years to earn them. SREDA audits companies that have incentive agreements with the City of Saskatoon.