Mr. Speaker, on October 22 I attended the first Communities Most Friendly to Home Based Businesses awards co-hosted by the Royal Bank of Canada and the Home Business Report in Toronto.
Through a nationwide survey the communities of Gander, Newfoundland, Barrie, Ontario and Maple Ridge, British Columbia were identified as being the most friendly to home based businesses.
Home based businesses are an incubator for innovation and ideas. With advances in technology, more Canadians are working from home. Communities are recognizing the benefits of responding to the needs of this growing workforce which now totals approximately over one million people.
Initiatives such as these awards acknowledge those who challenge stereotypes and applaud visionaries who are adapting their communities to support the values of home based businesses.
I would like to offer my congratulations to the award recipients: Libby Staple, Diane McGee and Brock McDonald. I would also like to thank Jim Rager of the Royal Bank, and Barbara Mowat of the Home Business Report.