I'm sure everybody in the room has heard about the “valley of death”. We have all read the statistics of a drop in venture capital and investment capital to help small businesses, especially the higher-risk businesses. We need to address that, if we're serious about moving this economy and stabilizing the economy.
That said, we took a very strategic position that if a venture capitalist comes along and is registered and meets the requirements in Ontario and is willing to put dollars on the table, then the investing in business innovation program is open to them, and they will be considered.
We need to fill that gap. We have many very creative people in Ontario whose creations, whether by way of an improvement in a process, a new software, a better way to make an aluminum suitcase.... People sometimes need to get over that hump, and they can't always count on the traditional methods, which are banks.