SOUTHWEST, Sask. — A longtime southwest Saskatchewan economic development officer is being recognized by her peers for nearly two decades of work supporting rural communities.
Lindsay Alliban, economic development officer for the Town of Gull Lake and the Village of Hazlet, received the Professional of the Year Award from the Saskatchewan Economic Development Alliance (SEDA) during the organization's annual summit in Saskatoon, held Oct. 26 to 28.
"It was a really nice presentation and there were a lot of good people recognized, so there was a good feeling all around," said Alliban.
Although she had been notified ahead of time that she had won the award, the recognition still came as an emotional moment.
"They did let me know a bit before that I had won, but when I was there, I actually became quite emotional. They said a lot of nice things about me and my career in economic development," she said.
Alliban noted that several people and organizations from southwest Saskatchewan were honoured during the conference.
"We had multiple awards come back home to the southwest, so that was nice to see. It shows the value of the work some of the economic development officers and municipalities are doing down here," she said.
The award recognizes certified economic development professionals who have made significant contributions to their communities and the profession.
"In Saskatchewan, we have an accreditation program where you can take courses and become professionally certified as an economic development officer," said Alliban. "The award also recognizes people who have worked in the profession for a long time and have had some success."
She said conference organizers highlighted several projects she has worked on, as well as her efforts in regional and local collaboration.
Alliban has worked for the Town of Gull Lake since 2017 and has served as economic development officer for the Village of Hazlet since 2009. Over the years, she has balanced responsibilities between multiple communities while also taking on contract work for other municipalities.
She has also previously worked with the villages of Frontier and Fox Valley and has delivered presentations for organizations across Saskatchewan.
"It's more about economic development and the contributions you've made than any specific community you work in," she said.
"It's the first time I've received Professional of the Year, but I've been lucky enough to be part of other community awards through various projects," she said.
Alliban believes regional co-operation can help smaller communities access economic development services that might otherwise be beyond their financial reach.
"There's definitely creative ways communities can have access to an economic development officer," she said. "One good strategy is regional development, getting rural municipalities, villages and neighbouring communities involved. There are lots of opportunities to work together and make it affordable."
She pointed to Hazlet as an example of how even small communities can benefit from dedicated economic development expertise.
"What I always say is that if the Village of Hazlet can have an economic development officer for almost 20 years, then anyone can do it," she said.
Alliban described economic development as a broad field that touches many aspects of community life.
"My job is the economic development of the community. I write grants, support events and fundraisers, and economic development looks different in every community," she said. "I'm definitely a big promoter of small towns having economic development professionals. It goes a long way. You can bring in funding and organize community initiatives just by having someone dedicated to that work."
She added that economic development often overlaps with recreation, tourism and community well-being.
"There is definitely a lot of crossover with recreation and tourism. Community well-being all ties into economic development," she said. "Those things all work together to help communities grow and succeed."
