Our Mid-August 2025 Newsletter
Western REN’s Community Connection: We’re Coming to You
At the Western REN, we believe strong relationships start with showing up. That’s why we’re launching Community Connection — a new outreach initiative that takes our team out of the office and into OUR Communities.
For one full day, we’ll set up in a central, public location where business owners, entrepreneurs, and community members can drop in, ask questions, and learn more about our programs and services. We’ll also spend the day visiting local businesses, arranging one-on-one meetings, and engaging face-to-face with the people who drive our regional economy.
Talk to us about all our programs and initiatives!
- BusinessNow Support
- Continuous Improvement (CI)
- Business Transition (BT)
- Apprenticeship and Skilled Trades Programs
- Connections & Resources to Support Immigrant Workforce and Community Integration
- Digital transformation and AI Programs
- Connecting business to the Dark Sky T’Railway through Get Side-Tracked
- …and much more.
Our first stop will be in Barrington – location, date and time will be announced shortly.
Upcoming stops will be announced regularly.
📩 Want us to visit your business while we’re in town? Email us in advance!
We’re proud to work for you — and with you. Let’s connect.
Email Us HERE
Residential Mitigation Incentive Program
If your home was affected by the 2023 wildfires in Atlantic Canada, the Canadian Red Cross may be able to help you make it more wildfire resilient. Through the Residential Mitigation Incentive Program, eligible households can receive up to $3,000 to complete upgrades like:
- Clearing flammable debris
- Pruning trees and managing vegetation
- Installing fire-resistant roofing, siding, or decking
To qualify, you must:
- Live in a wildfire-affected area
- Have registered with the Canadian Red Cross in 2023
- Have a primary residence with minor or no damage
Act fast—funding is limited! The deadline to apply is October 31, 2025.
Visit the Red Cross website to check your eligibility and apply.
Details HERE
Understanding How to Use AI
Running a business is hard. AI can help.
Small and medium-sized businesses in Nova Scotia can apply for a free seat in Google Canada’s Prompting Essentials course and learn how to:
- Write better AI prompts
- Draft emails & content faster
- Summarize reports
- Build trackers & analyze data
Brought to you by Halifax Partnership , Digital Nova Scotia, and Google Canada.
Spots are limited! Apply now.
NS Seafood & Agriculture Strategic Investment Fund
The Province of Nova Scotia recently announced the Nova Scotia Seafood and Agriculture Strategic Investment Fund, supporting major innovative and transformative projects that benefit the seafood and agriculture sectors.
Projects should demonstrate tangible and measurable economic outcomes that benefit our communities in such areas as enhanced market diversification and processing capacity with the goal of increasing Nova Scotia’s competitiveness in a changing world economy.
Deadline to submit an expression of interest is August 15, 2025.
Details HERE.
WesternREN.ca is Your New Home For Blogs and News
There are so many important stories to tell, news to keep you updated on, and events to connect you to our Business Community. WesternREN.ca is the Hub for everything happening within the Business Community in Western Nova Scotia. Keep looking in our “News & Blogs” for all of it!
Visit NEWS
Visit BLOGS
We will be back the end of the month with more for you!