P.E.I. now has its own Black chamber of commerce

Michael Forrest

Last Thursday a number of entrepreneurs and budding businesspersons met in Charlottetown, P.E.I. to launched the province’s chapter of the Canadian Black Chamber of Commerce (CBCC).

“Since 18 years ago when I came to PEI, the Black diaspora has been growing exponentially,” said Kevin Lloyd, regional business manager for CBCC.

Lloyd started a drilling and blasting company after working in the mining industry for years.

An important part of the chamber’s mission, Lloyd said, is to connect Black folks with funding opportunities that they may not know are available to them.

“They don’t have the information. They don’t know where to go to,” he said.

According to Michael Forrest, the CBCC’s founder, “Many Black communities … whether from the African continent or from the Caribbean or born here in this great country of Canada, we want to find ways to connect you to make sure that we can start creating and bringing the legacy of our Black global history together in one place, one time,” he said.

The organization said the needs of entrepreneurs and businesses change depending on where they are located in the country.

“Everyone’s got their unique struggles and I find that the small business struggle is real no matter where it is,” Forrest said.

Organizers said the new chapter will be getting to work immediately and plan to host a Black business expo in the coming months.

Lloyd said one of his goals is to create greater connectivity in P.E.I.’s Black community.

“My vision is for every single one of us to be successful and build together. “