Building Internet awareness.

• Author: GOULIQUER, DIANNE

Communities across the North are getting a crash course on the importance of a strong-e-economy thanks to a series of workshops coordinated by the Northwestern Ontario Associated Chambers of Commerce (NOACC).

In March of this year, Kenora-Rainy River MP Robert Nault, Thunder Bay-Superior North MP Joe Comuzzi and Thunder Bay-Atikokan MP Stan Dromisky announced $120,000 in FedNor funding to help the NOACC conduct the Northern Ontario Online Outreach Initiative (NOI), an e-commerce building exercise delivered through workshops in nine northwestern Ontario communities.

The two-day, professionally conducted workshops are a means to build Internet awareness, outline the benefits of moving online, promote new e-tools, develop future technology, introduce Web marketing methods and demonstrate the advantages of a northern network inclusive of electronic profiling.

The NOI tour began in Geraldton on March 28 and 29 and will wrap up May. 9 and 10 in Thunder Bay.

It's the same session in each community," Jon Christianson, the NOACC president, says. "The overall goal is to educate businesses in northwestern Ontario about the need to be involved in e-commerce and to teach them about basics of e-commerce."

Creating economic growth opportunities in northwestern Ontario, promoting the regional transition to an online economy, and helping the region to remain competitive in the future marketplace is at the heart of the NOI initiative, Christianson adds.

Christianson says NOI is just the first step in educating Northern Ontario about the crucial role the Internet plays in the modern business world.

NOACC is also planning a region-wide survey, similar to one conducted in Thunder Bay...