Community Futures West Interlake can assist you in the development and planning of your new business or business expansion.

Some of the support we can provide includes:

• The Ins and Outs of starting a business.
• Assistance in developing a business or financial plan.
• Analyzing your business and accessing industry comparisons.
• Repayable small business loans, loan guarantees or equity investments.

We have an extensive library of information about starting a business and we can access specific research on your business idea and sector. We have access to statistics Canada demographic information, consumer spending statistics and business/industry specific statistics such as cost of goods sold, mark-up, expected profit margin and average industry revenue and expenses.

Community Futures West Interlake is a regional site for the Business Info Centre, and we maintain a comprehensive business library.

Community Futures West Interlake is a developmental lender for new or expanding businesses. Our mandate is to foster employment, sustainable businesses and communities.

• Small business, Entrepreneurs with Disabilities, Youth, and Social Enterprise loans up to $150,000.
• Repayable terms up to 5 years with a maximum period of 10 years.
• Interest charges of bank prime +2% to +4%, minimum base rate of 6.5%. Disability and Social Enterprise loans interest charges of bank prime, minimum base rate of 5%.
• Youth Micro Loan Program loans up to $4,000 for enrolled full-time students. Interest charges of 5% for a maximum of two year repayment term. Rebate/grant of 10% borrowed will be returned if loan is paid in full and on time.
• Aftercare loan and business counselling.

LOAN APPLICATIONS AND LOAN CLIENTS - DECLINES AND CONFLICTS

Appeal Process
Should a client wish to raise concerns on loan request decisions or loan procedures, an appeal process must be followed.  Appeals shall be staged and clearly outlined to all loan application clients within the Loan Application document, and to loan clients within the Letter of Offer, and posted on the website.  For Community Futures West Interlake, this is a staged process:

1.  informal appeal to the manager;

2.  then formally in writing to the Investment Review Committee; and

3.  finally the full board of directors.

Any appeal to the board or beyond must be in writing from the client and must outline the reasons for the appeal/concern.  The appeal process may take 4 to 6 weeks.

Community Futures West Interlake Board of Directors has ultimate responsibility for assessing and approving investment applications and dealing with loan disputes.  Prairies Can requested Community Futures Associations to work with their member CFs to develop and put in place a process to review situations that cannot be resolved at the local CF level.  Community Futures West Interlake will direct appeals and complaints they cannot resolve to Community Futures Manitoba for an external opinion.  Appeals requested and received from CF Manitoba shall be presented to the CF West Interlake Board of Directors as information and shall not be binding to the final decision of the board.  The CF Manitoba appeals review is set out below.

As part of their annual reporting to Prairies Can, CFs must report the:

• Number of and basis for each appeal/concern.
• Number of appeals upheld/denied/pending.

The Investment Review Committee (IRC) of Community Futures West Interlake Inc. makes all decisions regarding loans and client concerns.  Applicants may resubmit their applications based on the following circumstances:

1.  There is a significant change in their business plan that effects how you will proceed with the project and has increased the projects viability.

2.  The applicant has improved their credit score and removed outstanding judgments (if this was the reason for denial).

3.  Something significant to the applicant was not included, and should have been part of the original application.

Administrative Process
The staff at Community Futures West Interlake will:

• Phone the client to advise him/her of the decision of the Investment Review Committee (IRC) regarding their loan decline, or the response to their expressed concerns.
• Advise the applicant/client by letter the reason(s) for the IRC response.
• Maintain copies of the letter, the original business plan and other associated documents on file.

Community Futures Manitoba Appeals Review
Review appeals of loan decisions made by Manitoba Community Futures organizations that have been first reviewed and then referred to the Committee by the Community Futures organization whose decision is under appeal.  Following a review of the appeal, the Committee shall provide clear, non-binding recommendations to the appellant and the referring CF organization as to whether the CF organization's loan decision should be upheld, amended, including recommendations as to the specific amendments.  The Committee will strive to provide the appellant and the referring CF organization with its recommendations within 15 business days of receiving all of the following:

• Notice of the appeal;
• A copy of the documentation, eg. loan assessment, provided to and the decision made by the original lending decision authority within the Manitoba CF organization;
• Any additional documentation provided for, and the written results of the initial appeal of the decision at the local CF organization level.

Following the appeals review, CF Manitoba shall provide the Manitoba CF organizations recommendations and lessons learned from loan decision appeal reviews regarding best practices for assessing and approving investment applications and for dispute resolution.  CF Manitoba shall maintain complete confidentiality of all activities of the appeals committee.