Futures Corporation Believes Federal Funding to Help Northern Women Founders

Carol Campbell, Executive Director of LaCloche Manitoulin Business Assistance Corporation (LAMBAC) has stated that the government money that was unveiled in Gore Bay, Ontario, on Thursday would help level the playing field for female entrepreneurs in the region's economy.

According to Carol, the Northern Ontario Women (NOW) program's financing will help create about 145 full-time employment and more than 110 women-led enterprises.

"We are proud to spearhead this priority project that empowers women to pursue their entrepreneurial aspirations, while supporting jobs, growth and a strong economy," Campbell said in a federal government news release issued Thursday.

The Government of Canada has invested $999,620, according to Nickel Belt MP Marc Serré, to enable LAMBAC to carry on offering the program, which gives small enterprises run by and controlled by women a maximum of $5,000.

According to the news release, the financing assists in defraying the cost of expert and training services so they can launch or grow their enterprises.

It stated that the objective is to address the difficulties faced by female entrepreneurs, with a focus on closing a gap in rural areas where training and services are either unavailable or prohibitively expensive.

"Today's announcement is fantastic news for our regional economy and an inspiring message to all women in northern Ontario considering entrepreneurship as a career," Serré said in the news release announcing the funding.

In their respective service areas, each of the 24 community futures development corporations (CFDCs) in northern Ontario assists with NOW promotion and conducts local training programs.

According to the news release, since 2019, NOW has provided support to nearly 400 women-owned and led enterprises in northern Ontario, resulting in the modernization and expansion of over 260 of these firms and the creation of over 300 full-time jobs.