Meanwhile, the government, interested by the inner workings of the Community Futures system that had been operating in Europe since the 70s, decided to launch a similar program in Canada aimed at creating Community Development Assistance Committees (CADCs) [Comités d'aide au développement des collectivités (CADC)]. The CADCs would provide communities, individuals and organisations with onboarding, information, planning and action services designed for local socioeconomic development.

 

1987 Along with the CADCs, the CLE societies were included in the new Community Futures Program (CFP), under the name of Business Development Centres (BDC) [Centres d’aide aux entreprises (CAE)]. Each operates in a niche specific to its purpose: CADCs focus on local development, while CAEs put the emphasis on employment development and business services.

 

1988 The Gaspé-Nord CAE was founded in May 1988.

 

1995 The federal government decides to merge the CADCs with the CAEs and changes their name to Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) [Sociétés d’aide au développement des collectivités (SADC)]. However, the newly renamed corporation did retain the same goal as its predecessors: to encourage the community to have a hand in shaping its own future. Despite all these changes, the organisation continues to pursue its mission.

Ever since that momentous day, the SADC has never wavered in its efforts to help the region move forward, and the outcomes speak for themselves.

 

2011 After several years of lobbying, Canada Economic Development finally meets the community's expectations by relegating the Estran-Murdochville sector to the SADC de Gaspé. The newly redefined territory of the SADC de Gaspé-Nord thus becomes the Haute-Gaspésie RCM.

 

2012 Following the change in territorial designation, the SADC de Gaspé-Nord is renamed the SADC de la Haute-Gaspésie, representing the newly defined RCM territory it serves.

 

The SADC takes advantage of this change to adopt the new corporate identity proposed by the Réseau des SADC et CAE. The corporate logo is inspired by the Network's key mission: development, hence the upward-pointing triangular shape that evokes development towards success goals.

 

2023 As part of its mandate and confronted with an unprecedented pandemic, the federal government entrusts the Quebec-based Réseau des SADC et CAE with the implementation of specific programmes to support businesses. To support the regional economy, the “Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF)” is implemented in 2020 and the “Rural Tourism Small Business Assistance Program” [Programme d’aide aux petites entreprises touristiques rurales (PAPETR)] follows in 2021.

 

2024 A new 5-year agreement ending in 2029 is reached with the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec to enable the SADC to maintain its services and its three main lines of business, namely Business Financing, Advisory Services and Local Economic Development.