The Women's Entrepreneurship Pilot (WEP) Program was a virtual business training program that offered FREE virtual support to women entrepreneurs in the eastern Ontario region from September 2019 to March 2022.
Participants had access to vital business support services like:
- programming to strengthen entrepreneurial skills through on-line training;
- live streaming of business roundtable events;
- virtual one-on-one discussions with a designated business consultant; and
- networking, and mentoring via virtual activities.
You can still find business support through our program partners' websites. Visit their pages to learn more:
- Business & Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland (BECN)
- Kawartha Lakes Small Business & Entrepreneurship Centre (KLSBEC)
- Leeds Grenville Small Business Enterprise Centre (LGSBEC)
- Prescott-Russell Community Development Corporation (PRCDC)
- Business Advisory Centre Durham (BACD)
Women in these 5 key partner regions across eastern Ontario accessed these important services administered by the Ontario East Economic Development Commission.
If You've Missed the Enrollment Period for WEP, Don't Worry!
Here are more resources to help women small-business owners:
- Read up on the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy
- Visit the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub
Watch Now: Here's How WEP Helped These Entrepreneurs
Malcom HR

Unwrapped Experience Boxes

Services provided for this pilot project were available to women entrepreneurs within the partners’ catchment areas.
The Government of Canada is committed to advancing gender equality and women’s economic empowerment and to supporting women entrepreneurs through the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) announced in 2018.
The Government of Canada WES Ecosystem Fund – Regional Stream provided funding to support the Ontario East Women’s Virtual Entrepreneurship Incubator Pilot Project (known as the Women’s Entrepreneur Program or WEP).
Ultimately, the results of the Women’s Virtual Entrepreneurship Incubator Pilot Project will be shared with stakeholders across the province and nation to support women in business.