Community Improvement Plan Update

Following approval at the February 10, 2025, Council meeting, the document for the revised Community Improvement Plan (CIP) is now available on our website.

Supporting local businesses and promoting economic development is one of our priorities.

The Community Improvement Plan (CIP) approved in 2025, for the Villages of Embrun and Russell is a grant program that can offer up to $20,000 for local business owners to renovate and improve their properties. This grant/rebate program helps us:

• encourage businesses to stay, open, and expand within our community.
• create more tax revenue thanks to increased commercial property values.
• improve the appearance and function of downtown areas.

The funding approach for this new version of the program will differ from the previous model; instead of using general taxation to finance it, we will allocate future tax revenues from property improvements receiving this grant to fund the program.

With this new strategy, we will be able to accumulate funds for future community improvement projects and finance the next program update within the next 5 to 10 years.

For more information on the program, please visit www.russell.ca/CIPvillages or contact the Economic Development Department at ecodev@russell.ca.