During Small Business Week in October 2022, WEKH and Futurpreneur celebrated young women entrepreneurs' success and resilience. The event highlighted available resources and showcased women entrepreneurs who had thrived through Futurpreneur's programs, including a fireside chat with program beneficiaries. Futurpreneur Canada is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting young entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 39 in starting and growing their businesses. They provide various programs and resources tailored to different entrepreneurial needs and demographics, such as their Startup Program, Black Entrepreneur Startup Program, and Side Hustle Program.

Event hosted in partnership with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) and Workplace Safety and Prevention Services (WSPS). WSIB is a government agency in Ontario, Canada, responsible for workplace insurance. WSPS is an organization dedicated to promoting health and safety in workplaces, partnering with WSIB to provide resources and support for employers.

The webinar provided information on health and safety basics such as employee rights and employer responsibilities under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the available free resources offered to small businesses by WSPS. 

As part of a mini-series focused on building capacity for women entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, WEKH partnered with the DMZ to share opportunities about their Bootcamp (pre-incubator) and Incubator programs, as well as their Women Founders stream of tailored support.

Le PCFE s'est associé au DMZ pour partager les possibilités offertes par leurs programmes Bootcamp (pré-incubateur) et Incubateur, ainsi que par leur programme de soutien personnalisé pour les femmes fondatrices.

Event hosted in partnership with the Workplace Safety and Prevention Services (WSPS), an Ontario-based organization dedicated to I'mproving workplace health and safety. They provide resources, training, and advisory services to help employers create safer work environments and reduce workplace incidents. The session focused on the impact of employees' mental health on absenteeism, morale, benefits use, and more, emphasizing its effects on workplace productivity, culture, and profits. It provided strategies and tools to address psychological hazards in the workplace that could contribute to mental harm or injury, aiming to enhance the understanding of workplace mental health.

A l’occasion du Mois de l’histoire des Noirs, le Portail de connaissances pour les femmes en entrepreneuriat (PCFE) a organisé un événement le 23 février 2023 avec la Société Économique de l’Ontario (SÉO) pour célébrer les femmes entrepreneures noires francophones. La Banque de développement du Canada (BDC) a également été invitée pour présenter les ressources et les services qu’elle offre pour aider les entrepreneurs.

In March, WEKH celebrated Black History Month with various events. This event, hosted in French, was dedicated to honoring francophone black women entrepreneurs. In collaboration with the Société économique de l'Ontario (SÉO), the event provided a platform for women entrepreneurs to share their backgrounds, projects, and experiences. It also highlighted best practices and available resources for black women entrepreneurs and showcased WEKH's latest reports.

WEKH hosted two other events in Fall 2022 with SÉO; we tend to use the same graphic design when collaborating with them. It keeps the consistency in terms of visual identity for both parties.

In February, as part of Black History Month, WEKH hosted an event in collaboration with Africa Trade Desk and Export Development Canada (EDC), dedicated to acknowledging the accomplishments of Black women entrepreneurs in trade. The event featured discussions on the achievements, obstacles, and distinctive journeys of Black women-owned businesses involved in exporting, along with insights into best practices, available resources, and opportunities for these entrepreneurs.

In February, as part of Black History Month, WEKH hosted an event in collaboration with Africa Trade Desk and Export Development Canada (EDC), dedicated to acknowledging the accomplishments of Black women entrepreneurs in trade. The event featured discussions on the achievements, obstacles, and distinctive journeys of Black women-owned businesses involved in exporting, along with insights into best practices, available resources, and opportunities for these entrepreneurs.

In March, WEKH celebrated the publication of the results of its report (in French) on the State of Women's Entrepreneurship in Canada 2023: Research Preview. The event included a presentation by Dr. Tania Saba, Director of WEKH's Quebec and Canadian Francophonie Hub, followed by a panel discussion with organizations supporting francophone women entrepreneurs. (Link to the report)

Canada’s leading minds tackled these issues and more while also exploring solutions at our two-day virtual conference, supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.