Winnipeg, Manitoba
Today, the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, announced that Women's Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC) will be providing loans of up to $50,000 to women entrepreneurs and business owners this fall through the Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund. The Minister was joined by Terry Duguid, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change; the Honourable Jim Carr, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South Centre; Alison Kirkland, Chief Executive Officer of WEOC; and Marcela Mandeville, Chair of the Board of WEOC.
Minister Ng highlighted that the Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund is already supporting women across the country in starting up and growing their businesses, with a majority of the recipients being under-represented women. With WEOC set to distribute nearly $30 million in loans, the Government of Canada is ensuring that even more women can access capital to start or grow their businesses.
WEOC will deliver the Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund through its regional loan fund partners. They will work with women entrepreneurs at every stage of the application process and deliver top-quality wraparound business support, including helping applicants with the development of viable business plans and providing advisory services, training and loan aftercare.
Currently, the loan fund partners are WeBC, Alberta Women Entrepreneurs, Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan, Women's Enterprise Centre of Manitoba, PARO Centre for Women's Enterprise, and Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs. Applicants can engage with these loan fund partners to start preparing their business plan for the application process.
