Kingston business owners who need legal help – and may not have the resources for conventional legal support – are already familiar with the services and mission of the Queen’s Business Law Clinic.

For years, the QBLC has been helping local business; since January, from a new downtown location as part of the consolidated Queen’s Law Clinics.

In June, they expanded their offerings once again, at a community meeting with other local small business support organizations. The focus of the meeting was the launch of the First Capital Community Development Loan Program, an initiative of the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area, which aims to provide micro-loans to entrepreneurs who may have difficulty qualifying for traditional financing.

“Small businesses face a number of challenges and access to capital is typically a top concern,” says Queen’s Business Law Director Christian Hurley. “Access to free legal counsel through QBLC and operating capital through the Community Foundation’s new micro-loan program will help to ease that burden.”

Hosted by the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area, the event also included Aterna Savings, the KEDCO Small Business Development Centre, Futurpreneur Canada, and the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation.

“It was energizing to see the number of support groups that attended this launch event,” Hurley says. “It is but one example of the incredible network available to local entrepreneurs that makes Kingston a great place to pursue dreams of small business success.”