WHO ARE WE?
RDÉE Prince Edward Island Inc. is the provincial francophone economic development council of PEI. Its head office is located in Wellington, in the Community Business Centre. It also has satellite offices at the Carrefour de l’Isle-Saint-Jean in Charlottetown and at the Centre acadien Grand-Rustico in Rustico.
Its mission is “to contribute actively to entrepreneurial and community economic development within the Acadian and francophone community of Prince Edward Island, while collaborating towards the economic development of the province.”
It offers support services for entrepreneurial development and community economic development and also leads a number of economic and employability development projects.
The RDÉE, which has existed since 1999, first operated as a program of the Baie Acadienne Development Corporation. In March 2010, it was officially and independently incorporated as a non-profit organization. It is operated by a nine-person elected board of directors.
Members, who pay an annual membership fee, are primarily businesses and community organizations. Individuals are also welcomed. (Please note when paying the membership fee, one becomes a member of both RDÉE PEI and its Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of PEI.)
OUR TEAM
The RDÉE staff is made up of an administrative team (executive director, financial administrative assistant and communications officers) and a project development and management team (development officers and project coordinators). These are spread out over the three offices. The project coordinators are hired as needed to carry out various projects.
NETWORK AND PARTNERS
RDÉE Prince Edward Island is a full-fledged member of a national francophone economic development and employability network called RDÉE Canada. All Canadian provinces and territories (except Quebec) have their own local networks that are part of this national body, whose mission is to support its members in francophone economic development.
In January 2011, RDÉE PEI resurrected the Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of PEI (CCAFLIPE) and integrated it directly into the RDÉE. The CCAFLIPE is guided by a spokesperson and an advisory committee. The Chamber’s mission is to organize events that will help entrepreneurs to network, to learn and to exchange best practices.
RDÉE PEI has been managing the Wellington Rural Action Centre, the only centre in the province officially designated as bilingual, since April 2013. This centre provides support to community and entrepreneurial development projects in the Evangeline and surrounding communities. Any francophone project addressed to any of the four other Rural Action Centres will be directed to the Wellington centre.
Please note that the acronym “RDÉE”, in French, means “Economic Development and Employability Network”.
SERVICES
a) Community economic development and co-op development services
Studies
Planning
Mobilization and taking charge
Implementation
Promotion
Evaluation
b) Entrepreneurial development services
References
Networking/sharing/learning
PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES
RDÉE PEI manages a number of projects and initiatives, all designed to promote entrepreneurial and community economic development and employability.
1. Entrepreneurial support
• Wellington Rural Action Centre services
• Networking and training events
• Economic conferences
• Sales missions
• Exploratory missions
• Entrepreneurs’ Gala
• Francophone Ignition Contest
• Acadian and Francophone Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame
• Entrepreneurial recognition events
2. Youth programs and activities
• PERCÉ Internship Program for postsecondary students
• Jeunes millionnaires (Young Millionaires summer entrepreneurship program)
• Faut que ça grouille (community leadership program)
• Transition jeunesse (Program to help students transition to postsecondary studies)
• Hard Workers Youth Services Co-op (summer odd-job squad and co-operative training)
• Objectif Carrière ÎPÉ (former internship program for young adults)
3. Infrastructures
Over the years, RDÉE PEI has helped with a number of infrastructure projects.
• Evangeline Recreation Centre
• Centre Goéland
• Egmont Bay Wharf improvements
• Carrefour de l’Isle-Saint-Jean
• Centre Acadien Grand-Rustico
• Farmers’ Bank of Rustico Museum
• Doucet House
• Wellington Co-op
4. Organizations
• Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of PEI
• Conseil de développement coopératif de l’ÎPÉ (Co-op Development Council)
• Baie Acadienne Development Corporation
• Congrès mondial acadien 2020
• Various tourism associations
• Various festivals
5. Co-operatives
• Coopérative d’intégration francophone de l’ÎPÉ
• La Palette Artists’ Co-op
• Abram-Village Handcraft Co-op
• Le Chez-Nous Co-op
• Wellington Co-op
6. Tools
• “Let’s Talk Business” online talkshow
• Series of videos on PERCÉ
• Series of tourism videos
• www.ilebranchee.ca
• « Portrait du développement économique » DVD
• « J’peux le faire » DVD
• « Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel » DVD
• Kit for francophone immigrant workers and entrepreneurs
7. Various
• LIENS immigrant employability program
• CANA immigrant resources centre
• Heritage, Culture and Tourism Corridor
• Classification of tourism services
• Early Childhood projects
• Developers’ Network
• Partnership for Growth
• Support for major events
• Economic recovery initiatives (Souris, etc.)
OUR FUNDING
RDÉE Prince Edward Island Inc. is funded in part by the Government of Canada
through The Enabling Fund for Official Language Minority Communities.
Funding for projects come from a variety
of federal, provincial, organizational and private sources.