Promoting and supporting prosperity, business, and sustainable growth, Weyburn Regional Economic Development (WRED) of southeast Saskatchewan works hand in hand with the City of Weyburn and the Rural Municipality (RM) of Weyburn No. 67. Together, they foster a professional and welcoming environment by collaborating with investors, community partners, and local government to the benefit of the entire local community.
Great business climate
Weyburn is not only among the province’s fastest-growing communities but is regarded as one of the most desirable areas to live and work. This vibrant community has long been committed to offering its citizens an outstanding standard of living via a business climate positively impacted by global economic conditions, particularly business activities related to agriculture, thanks to the region’s central location and longstanding agricultural heritage.
With major industries that include oil and gas—and the largest carbon capture and utilization facility in North America—there are numerous manufacturing and entrepreneurial opportunities to be had.
“All the funding we receive comes from those two municipalities and we work well with them,” says WRED Executive Director Monica Osborn, adding that there is also a Board of Directors which reviews suggestions and recommendations for proposed undertakings in Weyburn. “We recently went through a strategic plan that’s going to set us up from 2025 to 2027 to promote sustainable growth in our area.”
While WRED aims to be supportive and open to businesses looking for a home, its focus is also on ensuring that existing businesses remain happy with their location. To do that, WRED delves into what these businesses specifically require to achieve success.
“Our biggest milestone here is having a lot of businesses that have been in Weyburn for many years,” Osborn shares. “We have many multi-generational businesses that started from the ground up, and what’s unique about Weyburn is how many of our businesses are locally owned and operated, so there aren’t a lot of big-box stores here. It’s a little bit more of that small-town feel but with big-city amenities.”
An apt characterization of the community, she adds, is that it can offer so much even though the population sits at just over 11,000 residents within the city, with another 2,000 within the RM.
The warm, unpretentious, and friendly attitude of the residents is something WRED strives to maintain, along with a respectful and nurturing environment for business. “It’s great to have that down-home feel when you come into Weyburn,” says Osborn. “We also want to make sure businesses know we’re here to set a professional image for our region. We’re trying to work more within our region of southeast Saskatchewan as a whole, making it attractive for businesses that want to invest in our communities.”
Incentive programs
The City of Weyburn Incentive Programs encourage just that for both businesses and residents who can take advantage of the Commercial Incentive Program Façade & Site Improvements. This applies to existing or new businesses in a commercial location that are interested in making improvements to the façade of their building. Applicants receive a rebate of 25 percent of eligible costs up to $5,000 for improvements such as exterior lighting, signage, siding, landscaping, and more.
“There’s a long list of improvements that they can make to the exterior of their buildings which can be found on the City of Weyburn website,” says Osborn.
The New Construction incentive applies to new development/construction on vacant properties with tax abatements of 100 percent for up to five years, while the Vacant Buildings incentive extends to new businesses setting up in previously vacant commercial or industrial buildings. Tax abatement is also 100 percent for one year.
Meanwhile, “the Weyburn Builds Incentive Program is designed to encourage property owners to renovate or make improvements to the exterior of aging houses or new construction in mature areas in the city,” says Osborn. “Weyburn Builds provides owners who carry out new construction of a dwelling or RTM a property tax reduction of 75 percent for the first three years. This helps those property owners take some pride in fixing up older homes in their housing developments.”
The Show Home Incentive Program aims to encourage home builders, contractors, or businesses looking to develop new furnished homes in underdeveloped residential subdivisions throughout the city, she says, adding that there are about five subdivisions that can be utilized for these, with the tax abatement allowing developers to build homes and get them on the market. For both the Show Home and Spec Home Incentives, there is a tax abatement of 100 percent for up to three years.
And RM of Weyburn Incentive Programs include a Commercial/Industrial Bare Land Tax Exemption Policy to encourage new development within the municipality, a tax incentive provided to businesses who create employment in the rural municipality.
A boon for business
Even without these enticing incentives, the region boasts some impressive statistics. With a trading population of 45,000, a median household income of $80,000 in the city and $112,000 in the RM, and an estimated household spend of $110,233, residential taxes are the second lowest in Saskatchewan, while commercial taxes are among the five lowest rates in the province.
“The median age of our population is about 40, so that means prime employment opportunities for people accessing that labour force and looking to set up businesses,” Osborn says.
Helping businesses thrive is key, but WRED tackles a variety of other issues as well, including focusing on the housing shortage, an ongoing national concern.
“One of the things we’re going to be working on over the next couple of years is our housing growth,” Osborn says. “That means making sure we can attract not only businesses, but also residents to grow our population, and then with that will come more businesses and a growing amount of labour we can provide to businesses coming in.”
Another aspect of Weyburn’s appeal is its location. CPKC railway runs through Weyburn, connecting the region nationwide as well as down to Mexico, ensuring manufacturers can move their products globally. Three main highways also run through the city, two of which connect Weyburn to the United States and one provincially. Weyburn is also only an hour from a 24-hour port and an international airport, significantly benefitting residents and businesses alike.
A place of learning
Osborn also credits numerous local assets including the Credit Union Spark Centre, a state-of-the-art recreation and art facility that opened in October 2021, featuring a full-sized soccer field, batting cages, a running track, simulator rooms, and an art gallery. “Weyburn also has simulators and mini-gyms, meaning lots of things for kids to do,” she says. “The arts and cultural area also provides a place for people who want to engage in the arts outside of their home.”
The region’s impressive education system includes four large licensed Early Learning Childcare facilities, one of which is currently being renovated to bring an additional 90 daycare spaces to the community. Two primary school divisions offer schooling from kindergarten through Grade 12, complemented by post-secondary education through Southeast College. On a broader scale, the province houses two universities, two technical schools, and seven regional colleges with Saskatoon’s University of Saskatchewan, recognized for programs in agriculture, information technology, health services, and biotechnology, while The University of Regina specializes in petroleum engineering, climate change, health care, social work, justice, and education.
Looking to the future, a new hospital for Weyburn is on the horizon, slated to open in Spring, 2026.
“It’s a big milestone. It will be all brand new, which is huge for us,” Osborn says of the facility, which will allow the region to provide vital healthcare services to the immediate area and surrounding communities while potentially bringing in more medical clusters for residents.
Upgrading the region’s underground and road infrastructure has also been a priority, along with a recent upgrade of Weyburn’s water treatment facility, resulting in “good, clean water” for any potential new businesses or residents.
To be sure, Weyburn offers a wide variety of impressive attributes, activities, education, personal and business incentives, and, of course, location benefits, to a broad range of prospective residents.
Affordable living
Whether it’s the lowest property taxes and second lowest residential taxes in Saskatchewan, or numerous building incentives to help create more crucially needed housing, it all adds up to affordable living in a welcoming, professional, and future-focused community.
“We have all the available resources here,” Osborn says. “The assets are amazing. We have land available; we have that prime location for investors who are looking at getting their products to numerous places around the globe; and we’re connected all the way down to Mexico and to the ports.”
With a host of parks, trails, schools, golf clubs, and campgrounds, the region offers something of interest for residents of all ages.
Indeed, Weyburn has just about everything you could need or desire, according to Osborn. “When it comes to quality of life, Weyburn is a safe place to raise a family, with plenty of recreational amenities, outdoor green spaces, and a vast variety of cultural events,” she says.
