This is an example of a group that we work with. It's a community enterprise. It's a group of women who meet and together have produced these socks and have introduced them into Nipigon, a small community outside of Thunder Bay's tourism strategy. Over the last two years, they've seen an increase in tourism activity in the area, which could be in part attributed to this program.
Some of the other benefits that come out of this are that it's a business, it's a linked business, and it's a business that's working for community development in also supporting micro-enterprises at the same time that it's providing really valuable training in skills to people who participate.
Another good example is that, of this group of women, one of the women has now run for and been elected to her city council.
We have these women who are initiating more community enterprises, having pickerel dinners, and baking blueberry pies. It's an example of how community enterprise generates more enterprise, and it's an example of how people involved in these programs who might otherwise have been more on the outskirts, or outside of their community and what's going on in the economy, are getting involved, generating real business revenues, and becoming really active important civic people in their community.