The provincial government is helping to promote and expand access to business services in Northern Ontario through a Collège Boréal initiative to develop a business network database.
Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci made the announcement in Sudbury, March 24 with a contribution of $250,000 to launch the STICO Centre (Sous-Traitance Industrielle et Commerciale de l’Ontario) or Industrial and Commercial Sub-Contracting Centre of Ontario.
The centre’s objectives are to create a network of commercial and industrial subcontracting firms from Northern Ontario, promote the industrial subcontracting exchange between Northern Ontario and Quebec, stimulate networking, and support francophone businesses in Northern Ontario.
In order to achieve this, STICO offers a variety of specialized services in research, evaluation and improvement of suppliers in Ontario and elsewhere. A virtual subcontracting database of suppliers and subcontractors across the North will also be created. For a fee, members will be able to request a listing of organizations that fit their business criteria. This will help northern companies compete more efficiently for broad-based contracts.
“This project will make it easier for business to tap into larger regional and global markets,” says Bartolucci.
The STICO mission is to link together SMEs and large corporations to increase business opportunities.
