The story of the impact of the pandemic on Canadian businesses is told repeatedly in statistics – hard numbers and hard facts. We know that Canadian women-businesses have suffered from the economic ravages of the pandemic, but overall have actually fared marginally better than other business groups by being able to respond quicker and in more innovative ways. The most… Read More

Supplier diversity and inclusive business practices are core to RBC’s business strategy and central to their commitment to helping communities prosper. As a founding member of WBE Canada, RBC has been championing diverse suppliers and ensuring that they receive fair representation in RBC’s sourcing processes. By ensuring that diverse suppliers have access to procurement opportunities, RBC is able to provide… Read More

Major corporations and government institutions play an integral part in the supplier diversity framework and economic well-being of Canada. As the COVID Pandemic slammed into our daily lives, years of gains and progress made by women-owned businesses were stripped away in a matter of weeks. Female entrepreneurs across the country were forced to handle disruptions in their businesses as well… Read More

The pandemic experiences of women entrepreneurs are especially acute because of structural inequalities¹. 2020 – The year of COVID-19, was a difficult one. The impacts were severe on certain groups and communities, including Canadian women entrepreneurs. About 61 percent of women-owned businesses were challenged with the loss of contracts, customers, or clients and 45.7% of women-owned businesses reported that they… Read More

For immediate Release: November 11, 2020 Women Business Enterprises Canada Council (WBE Canada) held its 11th Annual Conference Supply Chain Innovation <Decoded> November 9 and 10, 2020 in a virtual format to ensure its community remained safe and healthy as the country continued to deal with the Covid-19 Pandemic. This year’s conference, attended by 495 participants, was supported by corporate… Read More

For Immediate Release Today WBE Canada (Women Business Enterprises Canada Council) announced during its 11th Annual Conference the launch of its pilot Government Membership Program designed to encourage Canada’s public institutions to formally adopt supplier diversity as a way forward to grow the Canadian economy. While Canada’s public organizations have continued to recognize that diversity and inclusion drive growth and… Read More

As we slowly begin to approach phase 3 of this global pandemic, the world is slowly starting to adjust to a “new norm”. So what does this mean for businesses that plan to re-open? Policy A business owner is now required to create a mask policy. They are required to communicate the policy to staff members, train the staff members… Read More

There’s no doubt – COVID 19 hit the business community with tornado strength. Since mid-March, businesses have had to re-organize, shift priorities, pivot how they do business, re-tool to answer the call for necessary equipment, sadly lay off staff, make wage cuts and for many, multi-task as they spend their days at home with children, managing at-home learning while managing… Read More

WBE Canada compiled the following resources to help you cope with the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on your business. Financial support COVID-19 Regional Relief and Recovery Fund– $675 million to support regional economies, businesses, organizations and communities in regions across Canada and $287 million to support the national network of Community Futures Development Corporations. Available through Regional Development Agencies.… Read More

Last update: April 20, 2020 On April 9th, 2020 WBE Canada had the pleasure of hosting a ground breaking webinar with senior women leaders from all of its member financial institutions to discuss business financing during COVID-19. Moderated by Ashlee Froese, Lawyer at Froese Law, a Canadian Certified Women Business Enterprise (WBE) Company, this event provided an overview of all… Read More