Main Street... Railway Avenue... First Street... Broadway Avenue...

These names recall the tradition and pride found in the historic commercial areas of our communities.  But these places are not just remnants of the past.  As the heart and soul of our communities, they can and should be vibrant hubs of commercial and cultural activity.

In the 1970s, national heritage agencies in Canada and the United States developed Main Street programs to revitalize commercial historic areas through economic development, community organization and heritage conservation.  The Main Street movement transformed the way communities think about the revitalization and management of their historic districts. 

Pioneered by the U.S. National Trust for Historic Preservation, and adopted by the Heritage Canada Foundation, the Main Street Four-Point Approach® is a comprehensive, community-driven and proven approach to revitalizing historic downtown commercial districts.  It is based on the knowledge that historic commercial areas are the traditional centre of business, community and cultural life.

Main Street Saskatchewan is a new program established by the Ministry of Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport to support communities in revitalizing their historic commercial areas.  In 2011, four communities will be selected to pilot the Main Street approach in Saskatchewan.  The Ministry will enter into three-year contribution agreements with a local, non-governmental coordinating organization in each community to provide advisory services and capped matching financial support for administration, operating, and capital expenses related to the program.  In return, the local coordinating organization will implement the Main Street approach in its community and will participate with the Ministry in promoting and measuring the impact of the program.

The application process will be competitive and comprehensive, and will determine which communities will be chosen.  The Ministry will be supported in this work by an advisory committee consisting of representatives from various Ministries and provincial organizations involved in promoting community and economic and cultural development at the municipal level.

The Ministry of Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport is pleased to work with the Heritage Canada Foundation, and to use its Main Street Four-Point Approach trademark in delivering the Main Street Demonstration program.

Revitalizing historic main streets yields both direct and indirect benefits to the entire community.  They include economic renewal, job creation, physical improvements to downtown, private sector investment and tourism, as well as a strengthened ‘sense of place', local identity, community pride and spirit of cooperation.

Main Street Contribution Funding

The ministry will provide annual (matching) funding, up to $125,000/year for three years, to support a local demonstration program, as follows: 

• 2 in small communities (pop. under 2,000)
• 2 in larger communities (pop. over 2,000)