Rosalind Lockyer Receives Honourary Degree!

Continued The LU award has been very important to you Ros?

“It is a such an honour. You can't believe the pride I feel. I didn’t even have it on my bucket list or dream about it because you don’t have anything to do with it and other people nominate you. They have a very competitive process through the board of governors and the senate.”

“I was so honoured and surprised with the Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Lakehead University. It recognizes my life work, everything that I stand for. Our heart and soul goes into supporting the women and it is not easy growing an organization and hearing this won’t work so many times. You can’t please everyone no matter how hard you try and try to achieve.You have to take the bad side with good.”

The Paro organization has been around for a long time but still faces some uncertainty?

“Paro has several funders that are very supportive.We have to apply for funding every time with no certainly. We don’t really know how it will be now with the pandemic. Every year we have to go through negotiations with lots of reports in and written work to show the funding is required. It is a lot of work. I have been fortunate because of the values of Paro I have this wonderful group of women on the board of directors. People come to work for you because of your values.”

Paro has grown tremendously since the early beginnings Ros?

“We usually have about 30 staff that work different time schedules say on the road or on the zoom as we call it now. Paro drives around Ontario and gives women money to help grow their business. Now we zoom around Ontario.”

“Last year our showed stats we reached 23,000 women from our start so you can add a few thousand, say 25,000 now. We have put out millions of dollar amounts and loans to women. It is now all of Ontario after Covid. People would drive to our events before, from say Cornwall, and on ice roads from the north. It was a natural evolution for us to begin to serve more areas in Ontario.The pandemic has caused Paro to expand.There was nothing like Paro in Southern Ontario.The women didn’t meet the criteria with other lending sources or government and they searched us out and it happened quickly. Previously we were working in the Fednor territory. We got some funding from the province so that allowed to work anywhere in the province.Our Fednor money can only be used in their Northern Ontario territory.

So for Paro the pandemic has kept your team even busier Ros?

“Paro has had to work really hard during Covid as were given extra money to put out through Biz World. We had to help the women make their business plans for this funding. So there was a lot of administrative and training work. The whole Paro team went over and above to get the funds out to women.”

“Our team had been working from home at times so we were used to it or just being on the road. It wasn’t that difficult to have the people working in the office to work from home as we were used to it. It is really an online office. Training in person to training can be done on zoom.”

The pandemic has been difficult for women entrepreneurs?

“It has been very difficult for women during this pandemic because they have their children at home and the added burden of looking after their elders who may be out of long term care.”

“The businesses have had a lot of strain and they are our heroes and we need them to survive after the last 1 1/2 years. Retail, tourism, accommodation, the service sector, spas have all been hit hard. People are getting tired and burnt out. You have to look after yourself, pace yourself, take more breaks and still do your 8 hours.” “These vaccines are coming and will help tremendously. There still maybe 30% of people who don’t want to get vaccinated but businesses can say you can't stay here or get an airline ticket or say go into the US unless you have proof of vaccination. So if that starts happening they will get vaccinated. If everyone isn’t vaccinated there still is some risk.”

Do you have any interest in retiring Ros?

“Over the last few years I have thought about retiring but it just gets better all the time. I really enjoy what I am doing. I work with wonderful people, have a wonderful board of directors and while I am capable of working I want to do it.”

“Rebecca Johnson, councilor Thunder Bay and Levina Collins, President of Paro are wonderful models of women that want to change things and make the world better. With women there is the child rearing stage where we can’t do as much as we want to do so sometimes that means working later in life. We do community development service, supporting people and doing what we can to make it a better community to live say in Thunder Bay or Northern Ontario or all Ontario as social entrepreneurs. That’s what I am with our community partners. Its not really a job for me anymore.We support each other as women for the community.”

Growing up in Newfoundland has made you a certain type of person Ros?

“In Newfoundland people have a sense of humour and enjoy life, being around people and doing work in the community. It depends on the culture you are brought up.

“Thunder Bay has meant the world to me as well in many ways. I have been embraced in the community and I work with so many great people.”