Question Period Note: FedNor Accomplishments

Recent Priorities

• FedNor supports businesses and communities to capitalize on economic development opportunities in Northern Ontario, including ways to diversify trade and address the impacts of tariffs.

• Over the last decade, FedNor investments have contributed to 58,233 jobs. This was done with over $1 billion towards 1,997 projects led by local businesses, organizations, and communities in Northern Ontario.

• Successful projects focus on innovation, business growth and expansion, Indigenous-led initiatives, clean technology, and the development of ecosystems.

• The renewed Prosperity and Growth Strategy for Northern Ontario guides FedNor investments to build strong communities, grow competitive businesses, and spur innovation-driven productivity.

• FedNor received:
o $2.9 million for innovative homebuilding solutions;
o $13.6 million to invest in Artificial Intelligence;
o $15.8 million to strengthen the defence ecosystem;
o $42 million over three years to help businesses impacted by tariffs.

• With its commitment to supporting the Indigenous economy, FedNor recognizes the importance of true collaboration and partnership with First Nations in Northern Ontario.
o The Community Investment Initiative for Northern Ontario (CIINO) provides recipient municipalities and First Nation communities with funding to hire an economic development officer for three years to implement economic development priorities.
o As part of recent enhancements to this initiative, First Nation communities who do not have a strategic plan in place could hire an economic development officer to develop one.

FedNor’s Regional Economic Growth through Innovation Program helps support business scale-up, increase commercialization rates and enhance regional cluster development, resulting in job creation in Northern Ontario. Through its Northern Ontario Development Program, FedNor works closely with and invests in communities to help them attract and retain investment and businesses, in addition to supporting efforts to diversify the regional workforce.

FedNor’s programs provide targeted investments to support women entrepreneurs, to build a bilingual workforce, and to support Indigenous business growth.

FedNor continues to promote the economic participation of equity-deserving groups, including those with multiple intersecting identities.

In addition to its regular programming, FedNor delivers the Regional Homebuilding Innovation Initiative, investing in housing projects that change the way houses are built in Northern Ontario. This includes designing and upscaling modular homes, the use of 3D printing, panelized construction, as well as implementing net-zero and climate resilient homebuilding practices.

Through the Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative, FedNor also invests in projects that help bring new Artificial Intelligence technologies to market and accelerate adoption in critical sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, health sciences, mining supply and services, and forestry. This includes helping start-ups scale from lab to market and support SMEs by addressing capital, talent, data, regulatory, and technology integration challenges.

As part of national programming, FedNor delivers the Regional Tariff Response Initiative, which aims to support tariff impacted small and medium-sized enterprises and sectors to boost productivity, catalyze growth, diversify markets, and unlock new opportunities for growth at home and abroad.

To help strengthen Canada’s defence industrial base, FedNor also delivers the Regional Defence Investment Initiative to help small and medium-sized enterprises integrate into defence supply chains and enhance industrial and innovation capacity in support of Canada’s defence and security needs. The initiative supports the Government of Canada’s efforts under the Defence Industrial Strategy to enhance national defence capabilities and contribute to Canada’s commitment to spend 2 percent of the Gross Domestic Product on defence as part of its NATO obligations.

• Successful projects include:
o Innovation: IRegained Inc. received $498,550 through the Regional Economic Growth through Innovation Program to commercialize a device that helps stroke survivors regain use of lost hand functions. The portable device, called MyHand System, allows patients to regain hand dexterity to promote more independent living.

o Business growth and expansion: Economic Partners - Sudbury East/West Nipissing Inc. received $716,800 through the Northern Ontario Development Program, to support the Northern Ontario Agri-Food Pavilion at the 2024 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. The pavilion featured over 50 businesses from the North and provided them with opportunities to access new markets.

o Indigenous-led initiatives: Whitesand First Nation received $758,150 through the Northern Ontario Development Program to support a new community-owned bioeconomy centre. This multi-year investment will position Whitesand First Nation to create sustainable economic development opportunities.

o Clean technology: BioNorth Solutions received $145,500 through the Regional Economic Growth through Innovation Program to expand and upgrade its facility to develop environmental solutions including bio-products. This investment will foster the bioremediation of contaminated properties found in Northern Ontario, in Canada, and internationally.

o The development of ecosystems: Cambrian College of Applied Arts and Technology received more than $682,000 in Regional Economic Growth through Innovation funding to create a battery electric vehicle lab to provide mining companies and small to medium-sized enterprises with testing and support services for products related to battery vehicles.