The executive director of the Four Counties Labour Market Planning Board has clarified the results of a recent study on business growth and lack of it in Grey, Bruce, Huron and Perth over the 12-month period from June of 2013 to June of 2014.
The study showed that during that time Perth County grew by 900 businesses, Bruce County also experienced growth, Grey County lost about 100 businesses and Huron lost 617 business, 417 of those represented self-employed people.
Huron County councillors questioned those figures at their meeting this week, but Gemma Memdez-Smith explains the numbers represent businesses that generated $30,000 worth of business or more.
"Those businesses would be people who are either self-employed or incorporated, so the year before they were making $30,000 or more, but this period they did not make $30,000." Memdez-Smith tells CKNX.
Mendez-Smith says the information they get is pure numbers but should generate some discussion on why the recent figures are so low for Huron County.
"This is a good jumping-off point to start talking to business owners in the community about the decline of income, so I think those are conversations that need to happen so we can figure these things out," she says
For more on the study itself, click here.