Status of Women committee  I would also add that it's the networking, it's the access to capital and it's absolutely the education and training and ongoing support. We see the success that we have through the holistic model of the women's enterprise initiative, because we offer one-on-one business advisory

Status of Women committee  Thank you. I think I heard three questions there. First of all, to answer your question around BDC, that is a complex question. I will speak of my experience with the Women's Enterprise Centre of B.C. We do partner with BDC. For example, our loan program is up to $150,000, and w

Status of Women committee  Yes, again I can share an example. The recent partnership with Vancity came out of a conversation that we were having internally. We were curious to know what percentage of women entrepreneurs were accessing the CEBA funding; that's the $40,000 loan fund. We had our intuition aro

Status of Women committee  As I indicated, a caregiver is with children or elder family members. I indicated the percentage: 24% of women entrepreneurs in Canada have children at home under the age of 18. That's a lot of additional juggling that has to occur. We're seeing a number of women entrepreneurs ha

Status of Women committee  Thank you for the question. Now, I should mention to you, of course, that there is the regional relief and recovery fund loan as well, and some of that has now been extended to sole proprietors. That absolutely has helped, and stage three of the CEBA loan has helped with that.

Status of Women committee  We don't have data to confirm this, but I can share an example of one of our loan clients just from today. We were having a conversation. She has an indoor gym for children. She has two locations. One of her landlords at one location is working closely with her and helping her an

Status of Women committee  I'm just wrapping up.

Status of Women committee  Okay. Also, we recommend considering a matching grant or micro-grant initiative, unlocking new capital by offering tax incentives for private investors to invest with a gender and sustainability lens, and of course continuing to deepen support for training and support across the

Status of Women committee  It has not been boring. Thank you very much.

Status of Women committee  Thank you very much. Good afternoon. It's wonderful to be here. I'm here as the interim CEO of the Women's Enterprise Centre in B.C., representing the interests of women entrepreneurs who play a critical role in the economic recovery of Canada. Before we discuss how women entrep