Media Release: WBE Canada Supports Business Community in Nova Scotia

Toronto, July 15, 2019

WBE Canada (Women Business Enterprise Canada Council) partnered with Centre for Women in Business, Supplier Diversity Alliance Canada (SDAC) and other partner organizations to bring Supplier Diversity Day to Halifax on July 9th 2019. 

 The first half of the day was dedicated to corporate buyers as councils facilitated conversation around the  business case for supplier diversity, best practices and case studies. It was encouraging to see attendees ask many questions and show interest in learning more about how they can support diverse businesses through their supply chain. Mike Pacholok, Chief Purchasing Officer, City of Toronto and Kiruba Sankar, Director-CSR, Global Procurement, RBC supported the community with best practices from their organizations. 

The afternoon session was dedicated to connecting buyers with suppliers through round table conversations. Local suppliers had the opportunity to connect with City of Halifax, City of Toronto, Dalhousie University, Department of National Defense (DND), Government of Canada – Office of Small & Medium Enterprises (OSME), Nova Scotia Community College and RBC. 

Thank you to event sponsors – Nova Scotia Business Inc. (NSBI) and Export Development Canada (EDC). 

Upon conclusion of this event, WBE Canada’s Supplier Advisory Committee hosted WBE Meetup to continue conversations with our local community. Julie Kaye, Chair of the committee and Silvia Pencak, President of WBE Canada were in attendance to connect with suppliers and local organizations. 

On July 11th, SDAC in partnership with NSBI brought supplier diversity information to the business community in Cape Breton. Council leaders had the opportunity to answer many questions about how supplier diversity benefits both buying organizations and suppliers. 

Kiruba Sankar, Director-CSR, Global Procurement, RBC inspired attendees by opportunities for diverse suppliers in RBC’s value driven supply chain initiatives. Alison Campbell, Senior Director, Supplier Engagement and Regional Coordination, OSME shared with attendees the latest updates in federal government’s supply chain and opportunities for SMEs in doing business with government.  

Debbie Adams shared with the attendees her experience as a diverse supplier certified with Inclusive Workplace Supplier Council of Canada (IWSCC). IWSCC certified disabled and veteran owned businesses. 

This was a very successful trip and we will look forward to welcoming the Nova Scotia community in Toronto at our upcoming Annual Conference in November and  at future events in Nova Scotia. 

About WBE Canada

Women Business Enterprises Canada Council (WBE Canada) is a Canadian nonprofit organization with a mandate to bridge the gap between Corporate and Government buyers and Women Business Enterprises (WBEs). WBE Canada certifies majority-owned, managed, and controlled women’s businesses and provides a range of programs and services to assist WBEs in better accessing business opportunities with major corporations. This includes training and education, through an annual conference, workshops and webinars; mentoring programs and networking. events with like-minded businesswomen and corporate members. WBE Canada also provides its corporate members with forums, tools and techniques to broaden and strengthen their goals.