LITTLE CURRENT—April’s sun hadn’t quite shaken off winter’s edge, but inside the Manitoulin Hotel and Conference Centre, the warmth was palpable. It wasn’t just the coffee — it was the buzz of ambition, grit, and solidarity humming through the crowd of women entrepreneurs who gathered for a full-day event that promised something rare in the North: a room made for them.
Last month, under the determined leadership of Barbara Baker, the Manitoulin Women’s Entrepreneur Conference brought together a powerhouse lineup of speakers and over 70 attendees from across Manitoulin Island and the surrounding region. Hosted at the Manitoulin Hotel and Conference Centre — where Lake Huron’s breath mingled with the chatter of future business deals — the conference offered more than just education and inspiration. It offered momentum.
The day began with greetings from Barbara Baker, the conference’s mastermind, who welcomed the crowd with a challenge: “Let this be more than a meeting of minds — let it be a launching pad.” Video welcomes from Ontario’s Ministers of Tourism, Culture and Gaming, and Small Business reinforced the event’s weight — this wasn’t just a local gathering; it was a signal to the province that Manitoulin women are ready to build, scale, and lead.
From there, the morning flowed with practical insights: Lila Sloss of Co-operators demystified the often murky world of insurance, and Karen Robinson of Karen Robinson Tax made bookkeeping feel less like a burden and more like a tool for empowerment.
Ms. Baker returned mid-morning to walk participants through a suite of media kits, spotlighting how businesses from the North can break into provincial, national and even international markets. From Northern Ontario Travel to Attractions Ontario to The Manitoulin Expositor itself, participants were handed tangible pathways to greater visibility.
The message was clear: It’s not enough to have a great idea. The world needs to see it.
In a stroke of participatory brilliance, attendees were invited to shape the future of the network. Round table discussions offered space for entrepreneurs to identify the real-world challenges they face — from seasonal business gaps to digital marketing struggles. Five key topics were chosen to inform a series of networking meetings throughout 2025, ensuring the support doesn’t end when the conference does.
This wasn’t lip service — this was women defining the tools they actually need, not the ones someone else thinks they should have.
After a North 46 lunch — with a custom menu made just for the conference — the day’s energy turned to growth. Rosalind Lockyer, founder of PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise, lit up the room with strategies for funding and scaling, followed by TD’s Melanie Milton and a briefing from Barbara on federal programs like FedNor and NOHFC.
The financial toolkit was laid out plain: grants, microloans, mentorships — all within reach, if you knew where to knock. Now they did.
With tourism being a major economic driver on Manitoulin, the afternoon focused on hospitality and destination branding. Carol Greenwood of TIAO and Karen Peacock from Destination Northern Ontario detailed workforce development and industry training, with a special lens on cultural tourism and culinary potential.
The final round table asked: How can Manitoulin become a culinary destination? The ideas poured in — from Indigenous-led food tours to farm-to-fork festivals — underscoring the creative drive of a community ready to innovate from the land up.
The day closed with a video from Royal FedNor highlighting opportunities at the Royal Agricultural Fair — an invitation for Northern entrepreneurs to step into national spotlight. The final hour was pure connection: handshakes, hugs, business cards and promises of partnership.
By 5 pm, the lake outside still glittered in late afternoon sun, but the real shine was in the eyes of the women filing out. They came with questions. They left with allies.
What Ms. Baker and her team built wasn’t just a conference. It was infrastructure — not of roads or bridges, but of relationship. Knowledge shared. Voices heard. Futures imagined, together.
And this was only April.
The five networking events planned across Manitoulin in 2025 will continue the momentum. But the spark? That caught fire last month in a room full of women who know the North is not just a place — it’s a strategy.
