P A R O Centre for Women’s Enterprise, Celebrating 25 years of ‘Justifiable Pride and Accomplishment’ - and still pushing forward
INSIDE RAS Maintenance Services Just the Commercial/Industrial Cleaning Service you’ve been looking for! Wallets Can Be a Pain in the Behind WAR!! … Is never really over!! Is it? North Superior Publishing @tbay25
Province investing in charter aviation
Lakehead University Alumni House in new location
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THUNDER BAY BUSINESS NOVEMBER 2019
Lakehead University Alumni House in new location BY SCOTT A. SUMNER
Thunder Bay BUSINESS Lakehead University held a ribbon cutting to celebrate the grand opening of Alumni House in its new location on Thursday, Oct. 3, which kicked off Homecoming Weekend. Located at 1294 Balmoral St. in Thunder Bay, Alumni House is now more visible and more accessible to alumni, donors and supporters of Lakehead University. “Alumni House serves as a welcoming entry point to campus for alumni, donors, and friends who would like to come by and visit,” said Yolanda Wanakamik, VicePresident of the Alumni Association of
Lakehead University. “This new location will also allow Lakehead University to display more than 60 years of memorabilia as a celebration of the University’s past – and the Association’s contributions to Lakehead University,” Wanakamik said. “With hundreds of alumni visiting Lakehead Thunder Bay for Homecoming, we felt this was an excellent opportunity to hold the grand opening,” said Dr. Moira McPherson, Lakehead University’s President and Vice-Chancellor. The Alumni Association of Lakehead University has a long and proud tradition of supporting the institution, recognizing and celebrating the many distinguished
Above: Mark Tilbury, Alumni Association of Lakehead University Lakehead alumni with awards, and supporting current students through scholarships, bursaries, mentoring, and the cre-
ation of opportunities for engagement like Homecoming Weekend.
THUNDER BAY BUSINESS NOVEMBER 2019
Publisher’s Note Scott Sumner Ontario's government is supporting the delivery of important charter aviation transportation services in Northern Ontario. Today, Greg Rickford, Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, announced Wisk Air is receiving $1 million through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) to purchase a Bell 412 helicopter. The investment will go towards improving helicopter service to Northern Ontario communities, supporting electrical powerline development projects and expanding emergency relief and critical support to people in remote Indigenous communities. "Supporting important charter aviation transportation services to Northern Ontario communities is crucial to improving the quality of life for northerners," said Minister Rickford. "We are proud to support Wisk Air and their work to provide essential services to the North."
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Province investing in charter aviation transportation services in Northern Ontario -Wisk Air "As a contracted essential aviation service provider to Northern Ontario, NOHFC's support in Wisk Air Helicopter's third Bell 412 Aircraft contributes to essential services for the North, including utility and essential power line services, aerial construction and essential infrastructure, search and rescue and emergency services," said Mark Wiskemann, President and CEO of Wisk Air Helicopters. "With the province's support, we continue to meet our goal to generate jobs in the region and introduce and generate skill training, including delivering helicopter and power line training for our First Nation partner communities." The investment will create six skilled and good-paying jobs at Wisk Air. Quick Facts • Wisk Air has 35 years of experience in a wide range of fields, including firefighting, helicopter powerline support as well as providing key transportation services in the mining sector and
medivac operations. • Wisk Air operates from a main airbase and hangar in Thunder Bay with additional facilities in Pickle Lake and Red Lake, Ontario. • The NOHFC promotes and stimulates economic development initiatives in Northern Ontario by providing financial assistance to projects, big and small, that foster growth and job creation. • Since June 2018, the NOHFC has invested more than $120 million in 830 projects, creating or retaining over 2,300 jobs. Greg Rickford “Wisk Air has become the standard for helicopter services for NW Ontario. Today’s investment is supporting an acquisition of a new helicopter and support for 6 high skilled jobs.” “The $1 million contribution is from the tax payer of Ontario, most importantly through th NOHFC. These funds leverage other funds for the business.” Mark Wiskemann “This has allowed us to expand our business. The business is growing and continues to grow to service the communities of
Mark Wiskemann, President and CEO of Wisk Air Helicopters and Greg Rickford, Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines NW Ontario in a variety of fields. We are busy in forest fire suppression, fiber optics and and powerline construction. We are available for search and rescue and medical events. Wisk welcomes NOHFC as it helps us generate other funding.” “ I do have confidence in NW Ontario. I’m from Red Lake in the 80’s with friends and family still there. I have two adult children who are helicopter pilots here. My commitment to the area is growing the business and serving NW Ontario. This is year number 39 for the company.”
“This helicopter we are talking about today has been out on powerlines building andsearch and rescue. It was acquired May 26, 2018. The helicopter has a variety of configurations including heavy lifts for Hydro One , VIP flying and medical alerts. It was purchased in a used condition at acost $3.5 million. All aircraft are kept up to the nth degree.”
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THUNDER BAY BUSINESS NOVEMBER 2019
Celebrity Hockey comes to THUNDER BAY FOR THE 3rd annual EASTER SEALS CELEBRITY HOCKEY CLASSIC On Friday, October 25, hockey fans in the Thunder Bay area had the opportunity to skate with NHL greats in the city’s third annual Celebrity Hockey Classic in support of Easter Seals Ontario.
mined by the total dollars raised by each team. After an evening spent getting to know their celebrity teammate, teams will hit the ice on Friday, October 25 at the Thunder Bay Tournament Centre. Each team is guaranteed a minimum three games with VIP treatment before and after each game.
Celebrity All-Star Team in a thrilling game of hockey. Other Celebrity Hockey Classic tournaments taking place this year feature Eric Lindros in Whitby, Brad May in Halton, Rick Vaive in Waterloo and events in Brampton, Grey Bruce and YorkSimcoe.
Each team paid a registration fee of $1,500 (non-refundable/non-receiptable) plus a minimum of $400 per player in fundraising in order to qualify to play in the tournament.It was estimated over $100,000 was raised this year. Funds will help kids in Ontario with physical disabilities live more independently within their communities.
The tournament kicked off the evening of Thursday, October 24 with an unforgettable Draft Party, where each team selected a NHL star to play on their team. Draft positions will be deter-
An All-Star game ended the tournament with the top individual fundraisers from each team taking on the
For the past 96 years, Easter Seals has been providing support for children and youth with physical disabilities with programs including funding for essential mobility and accessibility equipment, as well as fully accessible summer camp opportunities at its two
properties, Camp Merrywood and Camp Woodeden. \ For more information, please visit www.celebrityhockeyclassics.com or easterseals.org.
Wallets Can Be a Pain in the Behind Last month I spoke about text neck. This can be a real pain in the neck and a potentially serious health problem. This month we will focus on the opposite end of the chain and discuss how creating stressors on the bottom
end can affect your health. Poor sitting postures will not only affect your buttocks. This is the starting point of the kinetic chain which can affect areas right up into your head. When I see someone in my office (usually male) taking their wallet out of their back pocket, I often will ask them if they always keep their wallet in their back pocket, even when sitting down. To do this would be similar to putting a wedge inside only one shoe and then trying to walk normally. It just is not going to happen. The more often and longer you sit on that wallet the more your body must adapt and compensate. Muscles on
one side of your spine will lengthened and stretch while those on the opposite size will shorten and shrink. Your pelvis will become un-level. You will most likely end up with a double scoliosis as you shift your lower back to the opposite side of wallet which will then cause you to tilt your upper back and head back to the wallet side to try and stay central. These compensations will become so entrenched that the one day you forget to put that wallet in your back pocket will cause your body to react negatively as your regular (albeit very poor sitting posture) will have changed. Your natural reaction will be to put the wallet back in your pocket to make you feel better again. However, long term consequences could include accelerated degenerative changes to your spine. Wallet sitting is one example of poor sitting posture. But there are many others. I have noted that some people like to sit with one leg always crossed on their lap. Even worse, some like to sit with one leg crossed under their other leg. Similar to the wallet scenario, you are contorting your pelvis and spine in so many ways, none of which are good for your health. Here are the quick solutions of what to do or not to do. 1 When sitting down make sure that nothing is in your back pockets. 2 Sit with your feet flat on the floor or on a small stool or block
3 Always sit up against the back of the chair with some low back support to minimize slouching. 4 Never cross your legs above the knee.
5 Never sit on your legs 6 Never sit in a side saddle position with your legs out to one side. If these guidelines seem too difficult to follow, just put this picture on your computer screen. It says everything you need to know. James DiGiuseppe is a local chiropractor with a busy family and wellness practice. For more health information or to contact Dr. DiGiuseppe visit www.portarthurchiropractic.com
THUNDER BAY BUSINESS NOVEMBER 2019
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RAS Maintenance Services Just the Commercial/Industrial Cleaning Service you’ve Once you’ve tried them, you won’t be able to be without them! By Sherry Hanes (November 2019) Looking for a new commercial or industrial cleaning service? Look no further than that of RAS Maintenance Services, located at 334 North Cumberland Street, Thunder Bay, Ontario. RAS Maintenance Services, their optimal adherence to detail, surpasses the norms of standard cleaning services to the point of increasing a sustained clientele, in the short time they have been in business. Just that alone speaks volumes about the top-scale satisfaction that any and every client receives when it comes to building maintenance and an array of other services required on a daily, weekly, monthly, semi-monthly basis, even annually, if so desired. To give you some background on this thriving company, we would like to introduce you to the owner of RAS Maintenance Services. Please meet Radcliffe Siddo, sole proprietor, who has operated since 2009, providing exceptional, affordable services. Radcliffe Siddo, started the business when he was a student completing his Masters’ Degree of Statistics in the Math Department at college. Radcliffe moved to Thunder Bay at the age of 19 on an academic scholarship in 1997 and completed his undergrad, double degree, in mathematics and computer science and then from
there, he moved to Boston Massachusett, as a Junior Actuary, which are the forerunners for insurance companies that calculates the rates for setting the insurance rates, calculating stats from actual life occurrences of people. Number crunching, based on health conditions and practices of clients, in other words, the creation of the perspectives. Forecasting expectancies, based on actual personal and societal health and behavioral practices. Radcliffe was cleaning in the evenings and attending college in the day time and evolved the company from there. Obtaining a few cleaning contracts in the beginning, Radcliffe saw the potential for a viable business and concentrated efforts to grow the business, even though he was completing his Masters’ Degree. Starting with only three contracts, Radcliffe worked the contracts for a year and then grew his business into ten contracts and then into 15 contracts and then grew his business even further, to 60 contracts, which he has maintained for the last 5 years. He supports just over 80 employees all over the North. They are in Iroquois Falls, Wawa, Dryden, Sioux Lookout, Atikokan, Fort Frances, Kenora, Nipigon, Marathon, Geraldton, Manitouwadge and Thunder Bay, of course. Everything is managed from home base in Thunder Bay, and physical site visits are performed monthly. The Industrial/Commercial cleaning business keep Radcliffe quite busy but, he finds that his passion to service the clients and to service them well, is pridefully rewarding. Radcliffe also provides property management cleaning services for Thunder Bay Housing, Nipigon Housing and a few other
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housing/ property management projects throughout Northern Ontario. Anytime tenants move out of a housing unit, RAS performs the restoration for cleaning the site unit. Also, RAS perform construction clean up and has an indisputable reputation with construction companies and commercial sites, for professional performance, such as Leon’s, the Brick, Walmart, Marriot Hotel, Holiday Inn and Hampton Inn, to name a few. Between industrial and commercial cleaning, the slate is pretty much balanced and the reviews are solid for favouring RAS Maintenance Services. RAS also provides, stripping, waxing, carpet cleaning, high dusting, lawn care, and also provides emergency services at 1-877-949-0317 (during regular daytime hours), office number is 807-577-0317, and after-hours emergency phone number is 1-807-252-2073 or 807632-1682. To contact by FAX, call 807345-9994 or you may email Radcliffe at radcliffe@rasfacilityservices.com. 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, our business is taking care of yours. Their cleaning expertise includes: · Certified green cleaning · Sustainable consumable procurement · Truck-mounted extraction & carpet repair · Truck-mounted pressure washing · Glass cleaning · Infection / Pandemic control · Raised computer floor cleaning · Hardwood floor refinishing · Wood polishing and oiling · Concrete polishing and refinishing
· Natural stone care and maintenance services Venetian blind dusting and washing · Routine lighting maintenance (lamp replacement and lens cleaning) · Emergency services · Parking lot sweeping & pressure washing · Snow removal · Landscaping · Escalator cleaning · Clean-up work post construction · Special occasion clean-up Because their service is defined by the quality of our people, they take great care in ensuring that all the members of our cleaning teams are: · Trained in the industry’s best practices · Enhanced security cleared · Friendly, professional and reliable · Committed to customer care They also know that not every building is the same and not every client has the same needs. Whether it’s an office space, clinic room, classroom or public space, they are proud of their ability to customize a cleaning program and cleaning team, to ensure excellence in environmental care. The hours of operation for contacting RAS is Monday – Saturday 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. and emergency hours are as mentioned above. So, put your feet up and relax! And let the experts handle all your commercial/industrial cleaning projects! Once you’ve tried them, you won’t be able to be without them!
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THUNDER BAY BUSINESS NOVEMBER 2019
WAR!! … Is never really over!! Is it? By Sherry Hanes Yes! It is nice to relax in our homes, watch T.V., read this paper or go to our jobs, or venture out over our country, take in the sites and special events and enjoy all that is ours, to embrace, to basque in! We can freely do this while, someone else Stands on Guard for Thee! How many times a day…a week…or even in a year…do you think of and feel really grateful for your freedom? Do you ever think about how fortunate you are to be living in a country that is basically free from militant enforcement? Are you grateful you can raise your family in a land that prospers and affords education and equality? Do you ever think about how privileged we are to have the lives we do and that WE didn’t have to lift a finger to get it this way? Someone did! And those someones’ are the men and women who fought the oppressors of the world! Who fought and continue to fight the bullies who live on our planet! The men and women who gave and give the ultimate gift of their own lives to free ours!! Be charitable in your actions to express your gratitude. Don’t be afraid to see everyone as equal. Don’t practice ‘contempt’ prior to investigation! Don’t wait to say ‘thank you’ to a soldier, man or woman, when you see them out and about! Practice peace. Eliminate distain for others. Don’t stereotype certain ethnic groups… ‘individuals’ do not represent an entire race or ethnicities, or their intentions! If we wish for peace
throughout the world, we must practice principals of peace on our homeland, in our homes and in our communities and in our schools and places of employment! We must teach our children well so that they will have peace in the land that they will inherit. WE are all soldiers in our homeland, when it comes right down to it and WE should be soldiers of peace or at least we should be practicing that each and every day and in every situation. WE should be standing together as one, to dissolve all discrimination, all abuses and all acts of oppression! WE should not blame and point fingers, but should all come together and do what is right, not what is easiest! WE must, especially as individuals, take responsibility for our own sake and that of our future families! The Colour Red. Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. The colour red is incorporated into our National Flag! The colour red is the primary colour of the famed Poppy flower, and is a symbol of Remembrance Day, as depicted in the poem, ‘In Flanders Field’, by John McCrea, May 1915, during the Great War of 1914-1918, (Belgium - Flanders Field American Cemetery and Memorial, a World War I]cemetery on the southeast edge of the town of Waregem, Belgium. Poppy flowers began to grow after the burial of the fallen soldiers. In Flanders Fields, a famous poem about World War I written by Canadian Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae.) The colour red is what we wear to show our support, respect
and gratitude to our soldiers here and now and those that have passed. Life is fragile at best! History presents a clear indicator of that! Wear your red as often as you can! Express your respect! Your support! And your GRATITUDE! And then … imagine if we hadn’t won???? June 6th, 1944! Juno Beach and our Canadian Forces! Juno or Juno Beach was one of five beaches of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944 during the Second World War. The beach spanned from Courseulles, a village just east of the British beach Gold, to SaintAubin-sur-Mer, just west of the British beach Sword. Taking Juno was the responsibility of the Canadian Army, with sea transport, mine sweeping, and a naval bombardment force provided by the Royal Canadian Navy and the British Royal Navy as well as elements from the Free French, Norwegian, and other Allied navies. The objectives of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division on D-Day were to cut the Caen-Bayeux road, seize the Carpiquet airport west of Caen, and form a link between the two British beaches of Gold and Sword on either side of Juno Beach. The beach was defended by two battalions of the German 716th Infantry Division, with elements of the 21st Panzer Division held in reserve near Caen. The invasion plan called for two brigades of the 3rd Canadian Division to land on two beach sectors—Mike and Nan—focusing on Courseulles, Bernières and Saint-Aubin.[a] It was hoped that the preliminary naval and air bombardments would soften up the beach defences and destroy coastal strong points. Close support on the beaches was to be provided by amphibious tanks of the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade. Once the landing zones were secured, the plan called for the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade to land reserve battalions and deploy inland, the Royal Marine commandos to establish contact with the British 3rd Infantry Division on Sword and the 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade to link up with the British 50th Infantry Division on Gold. The 3rd Canadian Division's D-Day objectives were to capture Carpiquet Airfield and reach the Caen–Bayeux railway line by nightfall. The landings initially encountered heavy resistance from the German 716th Division; the preliminary bombardment proved less effective than had been hoped, and rough
weather forced the first wave to be delayed until 07:35. Several assault companies— notably those of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada— took heavy casualties in the opening minutes of the first wave. Strength of numbers, coordinated fire support from artillery and armoured squadrons, cleared most of the coastal defences within two hours of landing. The reserves of the 7th and 8th brigades began deploying at 08:30 (along with the Royal Marines), while the 9th Brigade began its deployment at 11:40. The subsequent push inland towards Carpiquet and the Caen–Bayeux railway line achieved mixed results. The sheer numbers of men and vehicles on the beaches created lengthy delays between the landing of the 9th Brigade and the beginning of substantive attacks to the south. The 7th Brigade encountered heavy initial opposition before pushing south and making contact with the British 50th Division at Creully. The 8th Brigade encountered heavy resistance from a battalion of the 716th at Tailleville, while the 9th Brigade deployed towards Carpiquet early in the evening. Resistance in SaintAubin prevented the Royal Marines from establishing contact with the British 3rd Division on Sword. When all operations on the Anglo-Canadian front were ordered to halt at 21:00, by which time The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada had reached its D-Day objective, and the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division had succeeded in pushing farther inland than any other landing force on DDay. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_Beach All the wars, over all the years, have taken more lives than one could actually ever count. War robs us, everyone, all over the world, of a true, pure sense of freedom and security! The threat of war is always present! It can happen without notice! So, our armed forces, STAND ON GUARD FOR THEE! We cannot change the history of war but we can honour those who gave their lives and fought for freedom! And not only fought for we, here at home but also, for those who live and have lived in faraway countries, who could not defend for themselves. Thank all those in the Armed Forces every day, who fought for, and continue to fight for, what we have today! FREEDOM!
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St. Joseph’s Foundation to Host Charity Gala in Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of St. Joseph’s Heritage St. Joseph’s Foundation of Thunder Bay recently announced plans to host an extravagant dinner & gala to celebrate and honour the 40th Anniversary of St. Joseph’s Heritage. The event called Celebrate our Heritage in the Georgian Room will begin at 6:30 pm on Friday, November 15, 2019.
beautiful venue and at the time it was the number one place to go for fine dining in Thunder Bay. I’m absolutely thrilled that the Board of Directors of SJFTB will be
The entire community is invited to participate in the history and dinner celebration, which will take place in the Georgian Room. The event will feature live musical entertainment, a historical presentation by Sister Mae Kierans - Archivist from the Sister’s of St. Joseph, and a 5-course sitdown dinner. The menu will feature gourmet courses inspired by the original Georgian Room menu. In addition, each course will feature a specially selected wine pairing to enhance the dining experience.
hosting this special fundraiser that will transform the Georgian Room to its former glory and transport guests back in time, while recognizing the significant impact that St. Joseph’s Heritage has had on our community.”
Ontario, supporting St. Joseph’s Foundation with capital equipment purchases on behalf of St. Joseph’s Care Group. The proceeds ensure the continued care and support of clients at all St. Joseph’s Care Group sites.
St. Joseph’s Heritage officially opened on November, 10th 1979. St. Joseph’s Heritage, “A Place for All Seasons”, was created to be a community hub for all ages to enjoy recreation facilities, dining opportunities, health services, assisted and independent living. The facility, which would bring seniors together as a community, was the vision of Sister Leila Greco, former Chair of the St. Joseph’s Heritage Board, and P.R. (Jerry) Cook who helped her vision to become reality.
Limited tickets are available for $150.00 each or a table of 8 for $1100.00. Tickets can be purchased online at www.sjftb.net, over the phone by calling 807-768-4400, or by visiting the Foundation office in St. Joseph’s Heritage (63 Carrie Street). For more information visit the St. Joseph’s Foundation Facebook Page (@SJFTB) or www.sjftb.net.
Gail Brescia, Executive Director for St. Joseph’s Foundation says; “Almost 40 years later to the day, we will celebrate the vision of Sister Leila and Jerry Cook. We hope you will join us on Friday, November 15 as we celebrate the creation of this amazing facility.” Proceeds of the event stay in Northwestern
Chair of St. Joseph’s Foundation Board of Directors Sandra Sutherland-Byers says: “I remember working in the Georgian Room when I was going to school, it was such a
About St. Joseph’s Foundation: St. Joseph’s Foundation of Thunder Bay was established to support the works of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Sault Ste. Marie, which includes St. Joseph’s Care Group (SJCG). The Foundation is a separate organization working in cooperation with St. Joseph’s Care Group. Its objective is to raise funds that support capital purchases for St. Joseph’s Care Group.
Wataynikaneyap Power Announces Financial Close and Issues Notice to Proceed on Wataynikaneyap Power Transmission Project Wataynikaneyap Power officially announced today that it has achieved financial close and issued the notice to proceed to Valard LP (“Valard”) for construction of the Wataynikaneyap Power Transmission Project (“the Project”).
tory as we work towards a shared vision which will form the foundation for our future generations. We celebrate the moment of truth today but tomorrow our commitment to the tasks before us becomes very real as the work begins in our effort to connect our First Nation communities on time.”
Wataynikaneyap Power CEO, Margaret
Kenequanash, along with the Chiefs of the 24 First Nations, Barry Perry, President and Chief Executive Officer, Fortis Inc. (“Fortis”), Anne Scotton, Regional Director General at Indigenous Services Canada, Government of Canada, Carolyn Calwell, Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, Government of Ontario, and the First Nations LP (“FNLP”) Executive Council gathered together to celebrate this momentous occasion. This unprecedented Project is majority-owned by 24 First Nations in partnership with Fortis and other private investors. The Project will build approximately 1,800 kilometres of transmission lines in Northwestern Ontario to connect 17 remote First Nations communities to the Ontario power grid. Pikangikum First Nation was the first community to be connected in December 2018. “Indigenous Peoples are very patient and resilient – they have been talking about energy for 28 years,” said Margaret Kenequanash, CEO of Wataynikaneyap Power. “Today we place our mark on his-
This Project will supply clean, reliable energy to thousands of residents across the region and will eliminate the financially unsustainable and environmentally risky reliance on costly diesel generation. It will also create an estimated 769 jobs during construction, close to $900 million in socio-economic value, along with many other new economic opportunities. “Today marks a significant milestone for the 17 First Nations communities who will be connected to the main electricity grid in Ontario for the first time,” said Barry Perry, President and Chief Executive Officer, Fortis. “We are proud to work with our First Nations partners to bring cleaner and more reliable energy to their communities.” The Project will avoid an estimated 6.6 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent GHG emissions over 40 years, contributing to a focus on cleaner energy. “I would like to recognize the hard work of the Project Team on achieving financial close so we can issue the Notice to Proceed for the construction of the line
that brings light,” said Eliezar Mckay, Chair of FNLP. “This significant milestone is only possible through cooperation and with the patience and support of our people as part of the bigger vision of building and owning a transmission line - we share in the excitement of this historic occasion.”
The Notice to Proceed follows the financial close for the Project. Construction and project financing are now in place to fund a total project cost of up to $1.9 billion. The Project is targeted for completion by the end of 2023.
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THUNDER BAY BUSINESS NOVEMBER 2019
Design Local Buy Local Build Local You Nailed It! By Sherry Hanes DESIGN: When it comes to designing something for your home, no matter if it is a big project or a small one, local business people are there for you. They want to help you and you can tell they put passion into serving you! They can advise on the best design, best products and can help you save dollars and time! The best part is, you get to talk to actual people, either over the phone or in person. Many contractors and home improvement companies will come out to your home or site and prepare an estimate for you. In the stores, you can actually see and touch the products you are interested in, that way you can feel so much more confident when you can actually see the product or even take a number of the swatches home with you by shopping local. Local business owners want to help you. Yes! To get really honest…they
are also in business for the same reasons you go to your job….to make a living! Can you blame them? With Fall here, people like yourself, will be wanting to get a few projects completed before the snow flies. You may want to do some cosmetic updating to your home or your landscaping. You may want to install a wood fireplace or install new cabinets in your home. There are many things that you can do and so before you rush over to the computer to shop online or drive a couple of hours across borders, give your local business people the opportunity to show you what they can do for you, in your home and in your wallet! Everything from architecture, professional
home designs and products for every part of your home. Kitchens, baths, recreational areas, patios, fencing, yards, driveways, garages, sheds, lighting, landscaping, bird baths, just about everything you can imagine, Thunder Bay has it all covered for you! BUY: With all the competition out there these days, it is a wonder how local business actually stay in business! But the reason they do is because a lot of you still believe in the ‘buy local’ program! Everyone knows it is easy to get things online these days and have them shipped directly to your home…only problem is…if the wrong product is sent or you ordered the wrong thing yourself, or ordered too much, sending it back can be a little costly. When you deal with local business their services and expertise is all about getting you what you need, how much you need, when you need it with a price that is satisfactory and in a cinch. It is this simple…if there is a problem, they take care of it locally. If you need help with instructions or directions for applications, even though there is youtube, local merchants are happy to help you with that. Business relationships are built on great service and the merchants and contractors want to give you your monies worth. They want you to come into their store and feel like you know them personally! And merchants? Yes! You! The merchant! Give your very best to every customer, the first time and every time! Train your staff how be the best in customer care! You will at times have new people training under you or your store manager and staff. Your new employee wants to feel competent and even though they may be in the preliminary stages of product knowledge
and applications, they CAN give the best customer service starting with the greeting, followed up with direction to other staff members who have the knowledge of what your customer is looking for. And your staff should all take part in the professional mentoring of the new personnel. Also bear in mind that when staff has been with you for a while, unknowing to themselves and maybe even yourself, complacency sets in. Complacency has no place in business! Period! Re-energize your staff with enthusiasm, make their what they do for you rewarding, even if it is simply by way of positive acknowledgment for their efforts. Anyone and everyone can point out what is not right but, it takes that extra effort to offer up praise. Your staff is your front line. The first person the customers see when entering your place of business and the last person that the customer completes his or her experience with. You want them, the customer and the staff, to have a remarkable exchange so much that, everyone will want to work for you and customers with be telling everyone else about you! When it comes right down to it, your store is only as good as your staff and if invest in your staff well, not just for knowledge but for the best friendly customer service, you will gain more recognition and that can turn into some pretty serious coin! You feel great! Your staff feels great! And guess who else gets to feel great? That’s right! The customer! Your customer! Treat EVERYONE special! Because they are! BUILD: When you think of building, renovating, redesigning your home or business, performing repairs, landscaping for esthetics or drainage issues, repairing a basement or expanding or creating new decking for the recreational and relaxation part of your soul, you should consider LOCAL merchants, contractors and design engineers before anyone else! Also there could be some big or small projects that you may want to do yourself around your home and that is great when you have the knowledge to fulfill the task, but when you also do not possess such skillset, seek out the knowledgeable services at your local merchants, contractor and supply companies. You are going to have to buy supplies or product for your task anyway…why not let the local merchants guide you with their knowledge. They really want to take care of you and they want you to come back again and again. Everything you search for on the internet, when it comes to home build, home design or home improvement, is right in your own home town! You can search on the home pages for your product or service interest…just type in Thunder Bay at the end of your search word in the address bar and see what appears. You Nailed It!
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P A R O Centre for Women’s Enterprise, Celebrating 25 years of ‘Justifiable Pride and Accomplishment’ - and still pushing forward By Sherry Hanes (November, 2019) PARO: Latin for - “I am ready.” In a personal and informative interview with Rosalind Lockyer, Founder and CEO of PARO – Centre for Women Enterprise, Thunder Bay, Ontario, it goes without saying, Lockyer is one of the most dedicated and passionate, boundary breaking forerunners, advocating for women in business for 25 years now. PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise has played a paramount role in helping women become the entrepreneur they know they can be, effectuating immeasurable and superlative results for themselves but also, within their communities, for their families and in particular, growth in economic development, globally. It is no secret that women in all countries deal with insurmountable and devasting, old-world beliefs, when it comes to their status roles, they must play in society and family, and in a lot of cases, it is law, that women should never be in business, EVER! These of course, as anyone should realize, are damaging notions and suppressive practices, that not only damage women as a gender, but seriously damages advancements in economics, for country and home. The old adage that ‘women should be in the kitchen’, is just another ego bending tactic that seriously needs to be dissolved. Anyone who believes in strong economic foundations, promoting growth, understands that, that is exactly what success in business is all about and has absolutely, nothing, to do with gender…well? As a matter of fact, it does…it has been mentioned in business circles that women in business, and in partnership with their male businessmen counterparts, have made extraordinary contributions to success, if you will. It is also known, that women who have ventured on ‘the road less travelled’, supported by not only women, but also, some of our independent thinking, male counterparts, have literally and vastly, advanced some major economic frontiers. Take Elizabeth Arden for example, who was highly and equally respected as a person of business by Harry Selfridge of London, England. Elizabeth Arden had blazed the trail for women in, not only business but, did you know that she also affected acceptance of the social norms for cosmetic restrictions and stigmas, but also serious change in fashion for women. Arden was the first woman to ever wear a pair of ‘slacks’, (women’s dress pants), changing how the world viewed the idea about women’s apparel, so that women could perform daily chores and their jobs more effectively, when it came to safety and comfort, and all the while, retaining that feminine yet ‘fashionable’ aesthetic. As for cosmetics, Arden was the woman who changed the old degrading stigma of wear-
ing cosmetics publicly for women…to making it acceptable and attractive for all women, because prior to this, it was considered indecent display, if a woman was to wear make-up publicly, as that would set her with the social stigma of being a prostitute, permanently. In the history of women, who have become an integral part of the business world, either as an independent merchant or as a leader in corporate or political operations, women have proven beyond any business barometer, the invaluable contribution they have made and continue to make, to economic development on every level. Any women, who’s focus is on the betterment for all, is the one you will want to have on your team for direction, innovation and support. Women of ‘yesterday’ did not have it easy making their mark in the world of business, but today, even though there is still much to be done for accepting women in business, PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise, (a not-for-profit organization) invites all women to join them in creating independence in business for themselves, attaining justifiable pride and accomplishment through peer lending groups, guidance, support and financial assistance. For 25 years now, PARO has remained ‘ready’ for women that have the fortitude, the drive and the guts to push it all to the line and go for the dream that they intuitively know will be a struggle, but push forward, rejecting their adversaries. The Interview: Sherry: “Good day Rosalind. I would like you to talk to me a little about PARO
Centre for Women’s Enterprise and your involvement in this great organization.” Lockyer: “To do a good business, one has to build relationships with people, it’s about serving people and it’s about them getting to know you, and them liking to work with you and that’s how you do business with them and how you get to know them. We have been trying a new style for events. The new event style we have held, ‘Anything but Business’, has been a huge success and help people to get to know about PARO and will help women to network with each other. And instead of
key speakers talking all night, there will be entertainment, like music or a band and nice food and even being 25 years in the business, you can change things up for the better, you have to change with the times and be flexible. Young people today have a different view on life, they don’t want to work 24 hours a day and be serious all the time so, this type of event gives them the opportunity to relax and just enjoy, while making just as much progress in networking in business.” Continued
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P A R O Centre for Women’s Enterprise, Celebrating 25 years of ‘Justifiable Pride and Accomplishment’ - and still pushing forward Continued Lockyer, who just came back from a press conference for presenting the 2019, PARO Alumni Award to Susan Cooper-Rochon of Perfect Fit Lingerie and Fashion, was excited not only to present the award but, to share that PARO was there to help Susan get started in business and that Susan has never looked back. Success in business for Susan, is the result of a supporting community and family. It all started with Susan walking through the doors of PARO, who worked with Susan throughout the twelve years, implementing a great business plan, every step of the way. Lockyer strongly believes that when large businesses are failing, it is the small businesses that keep the economy going and the small business will survive because they provide good customer service, for which the customer will always return. It is a formula that works and is the backbone of our economy. Lockyer: “Increasingly now, there are more and more women in business and when I started 25 years ago, people appreciated the fact that many businesses were home businesses from women. Women were doing a lot of home businesses so therefore, they figured that those businesses weren’t as strong or vital or as important unless it was a retail outlet. But many of the businesses that women do, they don’t need to have a retail outlet. Working out of their home, allows women to do all that they are responsible for around family. Sometimes it’s child care and sometimes it’s elder care or volunteering in the community, supporting the kids at school and so on. All of that activity is really important to the community. Now today, 25 years later, no one would ever say that a home business is not as important as a retail business because they understand the differences and a home business is making a lot more money than
retail businesses depending on what it is and they have fewer expenses. Their revenue could be equal to a retail business but they don’t have the expenses so, that is one of the big changes and I think women lead the way, and PARO did too, lead the way in demonstrating there are different ways to do business and they all need to be appreciated. Then the other thing was that when I started first, people would say about women, ‘Oh! What kind of business do they do? Crafts?’ But women do all kinds of businesses, like for example today, we gave the Alumni Award to Susan Cooper-Rochon who owns the Perfect Fit Lingerie and Fashion and that is such a popular store in our neighbourhood and she was built on a service that is doing a good job for her clients. Last year’s Alumni Award winner was this year’s sponsor for the award event and that sponsor was Redhead and The Chef, Jennifer Biron, who baked the cake for the event as a gift in respect to the 25th Anniversary of PARO. In addition to the cake, cookies that were made special for the event and were presented to the attendees.” There are many varieties of businesses that PARO supports, and one business is based on social enterprises, which teaches nonindigenous people how to better work with indigenous communities and people. That is a much, needed service and therefore it is important to know that women doing businesses is not just crafts. Lockyer: “In the 25 years PARO grew from a very small organization, here in Thunder Bay, and now we’re all over Ontario. We have our centre here in Thunder Bay, we have two offices in Ottawa, we have one in Bellville and soon, we are in the plans now, opening one in Toronto. So, in the meantime, we’ve got women in business, we call them Better Business Growth Advisors, we look for women who are doing their business well and have good qualities so that they can go out on the roads and by-ways and support
other women in business, and then of course, we have our staff. So that’s been a huge expansion in our 25 years and it has also been a wonderful ride. Lots of challenges but lots and lots of fun finding the solutions together. This is what makes an organization like this work. We’ve got our 140 plus peer lending circles, those are small groups of women who help each
activist. I was a ‘roll up your sleeve’, kind of activist. Even in university, I was always interested in ‘like…why were women excluded from things? Even though they do really well in university and school, we always seem to be not in the high places. You know what I mean? It was very much so when I was in university, it was a man’s world. I mean, things
other. They go through the good times and the bad times and help each other through it all. We provide them with the loans and half the loans, they don’t have to repay for the first two stages and then they keep getting loans as they need them in the various stages. But then we have a lot of other loan and grant programs that we can help them apply for. These small circles of women create a big circle of women, not only supporting each other but doing good things in the community and that helps our economy at the same time as providing social support in the community as well. Women are really interested in how they can support the community and working with the indigenous women in the First Nations communities, that is the first thing they are interested in is, how is my business going to work in my community? How is it going to support my community? And we can learn from that because anyone doing a business, is providing a service to people. You’ve got to realize ‘we are all in this community together’. It’s all about serving the people and serving the community. That’s what it’s about!” Thoughts of retiring for Lockyer are not even in the cards. Lockyer explains, “I don’t retire! For me, this is, … it isn’t work, … it’s a mission to help women and to empower communities. So, in the sector we call it ‘Women’s Centre - CED’ Community Economic Development, but in doing this, there’s a great joy and lots of rewards.” Sherry: “How did you first come to doing this…?” Lockyer: “I think I was always a bit of an
have changed a lot in those years and rightly so, but we still have a way to go. When a woman realizes and says, ‘I can do anything I want to do’, but in most cases they can do anything they want to, until they actually try to do it. Then they start to see the very, subtle nuances, that keep the woman in her place and that is when she has to have the strength and she has to have the support. The strength to have confidence in her own intuition, own skills, her own abilities and the values that she wants to put out there in the world and she has to have people to support her. One of the projects we do, we do in partnership with women in politics and we’ve been trying to increase the number of women in politics and get elected again. It’s a slow steady race but more and more women are learning. Now, women who are running, even when they get in the high places, I mean if you look at social media, you’ll see some of the really nasty sexist remarks that they get and that is NOT o.k. Women need people that are going to support them. We have to educate our communities that when women entrepreneurs or women politicians are out there, it’s to the advantage of all. We all have mothers and most of us have sisters and aunts and we will possibly have children and we’re not going to want our family members to suffer from that kind of sexism and abuse. Domestic violence is still at an all-time high and we have a way to go. Continued
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P A R O Centre for Women’s Enterprise, Celebrating 25 years of ‘Justifiable Pride and Accomplishment’ - and still pushing forward Continued One thing that I feel is that if a woman has money in her pocket, she has more choices she can make. And to answer your question as to why I chose this, that really was it. There was a time when I was working in a woman’s centre, one that
dealt mostly in abuse situations, supporting women that were being abused, and you know I heard the stories over and over, and the biggest problem is that they have no access to the money and this is why I sort of started a small project that at the time was called ‘The Community Women’s Loan Fund’ and that became ‘PARO a Women’s Community Loan Fund’ and then it became ‘PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise’, so in its evolu-
tion now we’re a very vibrant and very sustainable organization that is spread all over the province. It is not a one person show, everyone has their place and their gift to give and we encourage the women to give back every day to each other and to their community.” Sherry: “Who was first on board with you?”
Lockyer: “Well. You know we had Sheila Fortes, she did bookkeeping for various organizations. And then we had Pat Puttus, who moved to Toronto and later had a freight forwarding company that did shipping overseas. And then there was Wendy Baldwin and she was a designer and made clothing, manufactured clothing, and she moved to Southern Ontario as well. Debbie Poole-Hoffman and she had a graphics business which she still owns
today. So, those were the first four officers of PARO.” PARO started out having five peer lending circles, which was great even 25 years ago and today there are over 140 peer lending circles and still growing…It is a model that really works.” PARO Centre for Women Enterprise, which is located at 105 May Street North, also has PARO Presents Gift Store, 111 May Street North, presents a lot of wonderful artisans. PARO Centre for Women Enterprise will be holding a special 25th Anniversary Celebration on November 7, 2019 at the Valhalla Inn, in Thunder Bay. Buffy St. Marie will return as the special guest speaker at the event, appearing by special request. A notably wise woman, who shares an incredible story of strength
and conviction. The event commences at 9:30 A.M. with guest speaker at lunch time and registration is at 9:30 to 10:00 followed by the opening ceremony. There will be a work shop in the morning showcasing working with banks in business, as well as a work shop in exporting as many women are becoming more involved in exporting. Join PARO on November 7th, 2019, and help celebrate their achievements that help us all. PARO - Centre for Women Enterprise – Celebrating 25 years of ‘justifiable pride and accomplishment!
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