Christian Gammon-Roy
Tribune
A federal MP was in town during Small Business Week to announce $786,294 in funding to Economic Partners Sudbury East-West Nipissing, to once again coordinate the Northern Ontario Pavilion at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto – something the local organization has been doing successfully for nearly a decade.
Pauline Rochefort, Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretary of State (Rural Development), and Member of Parliament for Nipissing-Timiskaming was in Sturgeon Falls on Friday morning, October 24th to make the announcement on behalf of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for FedNor. The funds are for FedNor’s Northern Ontario Agri-Food Pavilion, which promotes Northern businesses and products at the world’s largest ag fair, November 7 to 16 at Exhibition Place in Toronto.
Over the last 10 years, the pavilion has provided over 400 businesses the chance to get exposure and “generate a total of more than $9.8 million in on-site and projected sales”, according to a media release from FedNor. Cache Bay entrepreneur Isabelle Spence-Legault, of Field Good Farms, attended the fair in 2023 to showcase her Rose & Kin Teas. “My participation taught me that it is more than just a showcase, it is a potential turning point for SMBs. The conversations I had with attendees gave me fresh insight into my brand, and that direct feedback helped me refine my approach to my business. Even more exciting, it led to conversations of potential distribution with a national grocer. That kind of exposure and connection is what makes the pavilion so powerful. For northern entrepreneurs in agri-food, it’s truly a launch pad,” Spence-Legault said during the announcement.
