Paving the Way ll was a conference held in Timmins over the weekend with guest speakers from McMaster University, Timmins, Belle Vale, Hearst and Cochrane. This was a follow up to last year’s conference trying to address the concerns of Northern Ontario Communities. It was an effort to show the communities that there are more businesses in their area than the big one industry towns they thought. It showcased small businesses and the value added industries that they foster to help the communities prosper. From lambs, to wool, to mitts and socks and blankets it’s all done in one place here in the north. Vegetable gardeners selling their crops at farmer’s markets and secondary to that pickles and breads. One of the focus points of the conference was that although the big chain stores can bring in products cheaply, they often put the local business out of business. One of the ideas coming from this year’s conference was that if we support our local businesses, they will continue to flourish. It was up to community representatives to go back to their communities to see what they could do.