The face of Northern
Ontario businesses has been changing for quite some
time, but those changes are still overshadowed by the mining and forestry industries,
which still dominate the headlines around the region
in
the mainstream media.
As the 21st century gets underway, it is estimated
that women will start half of Canada’s new companies.
Between 1991 and 1994, Canadian firms run by women
created new jobs at four times the rate of the
national average, according to information from the
Ontario Women’s Directorate. There is every reason
to
anticipate that this trend will continue.
This
is very encouraging news for Northern Ontario. We
need entrepreneurs. We need jobs. We need wealth
creators. We need innovators, mentors and risk takers.
And we need to know who they are and what they do.
We also need to acknowledge those women who do venture
into the world of business and economic development
and we
need to encourage more to follow.
These are some of the reasons why we launched the
Influential Women of Northern Ontario Awards program
nine years ago
– to seek out, honour and profile women in our
region who contribute to our economic growth.
By acknowledging their successes and encouraging
others to follow, the face of Northern Ontario
businesses will take on a
more balanced look and truly reflect what’s going
on in our communities.
Patricia Mills
Publisher, Northern Ontario Business
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