Southern Ontario Spotlight - November 2022

The unique histories, languages, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs of Indigenous communities are woven into the fabric of our country, and the Government of Canada remains committed to working in partnership with Indigenous businesses and communities to create economic opportunities including supporting the Indigenous tourism sector and community infrastructure.

On November 18, FedDev Ontario announced a total investment of over $9.6 million for 23 Indigenous-led projects that will support community infrastructure enhancements, tourism recovery and economic development. The announcement was hosted by Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation, which received a non-repayable investment totalling more than $500,000, through the Tourism Relief Fund (TRF), to develop and market virtual reality experiences at Her Majesty’s Royal Chapel of the Mohawks and Chiefswood National Historic Site. In addition, with support through the Canada Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF), Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation will make improvements to Chiefswood Park, including facility renovations, construction of a new pavilion and meeting space, installation of a new splash pad, and the construction of eight glamping units with roof-top solar panels.

“The Government of Canada is committed to investing in Indigenous businesses, organizations and communities to achieve their goals, increase their participation in the economy and create prosperity. With investments through the Tourism Relief Fund and Canada Community Revitalization Fund, FedDev Ontario is providing Indigenous tourism owners with support to attract visitors, enhance public spaces, share knowledge and create jobs and economic growth in their communities.”

– The Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

An additional 19 Indigenous-led community infrastructure and tourism projects are receiving support to recover from the pandemic, safely welcome back visitors and strengthen communities.

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (The Royal) is the largest combined indoor agriculture fair and international equestrian competition in the world. Pandemic-related closures in 2020 and 2021 resulted in a significant loss of revenue for The Royal, its vendors and exhibitors, and the local tourism and hospitality sectors. Through the Major Festivals and Events Support Initiative (MFESI), the Government of Canada made a commitment to revitalizing major events and festivals such as The Royal, supporting their important contributions to local economies and positioning them for strong futures.

With a non-repayable MFESI investment of over $5 million for the 100th edition of The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, organizers were able to make updates to its venue and equipment, including the purchase of new livestock stalls and horse jumps, and the implementation of enhanced health measures to keep visitors safe. The Royal also enhanced and modernized the visitor experience at the fair to include updated signage, improved video production, live streaming technology, interactive mapping software and programming improvements.

The Major Events and Festivals Support Initiative (MFESI) was a $200-million national fund to support major Canadian festivals and events that have been hit hard by the economic impacts of COVID-19 as they adapted and enhanced their events. Through the MFESI, FedDev Ontario provided a total investment of $64.7 million in nine projects in southern Ontario.

Southern Ontario’s technology sector continues to place Canada at the forefront of global innovation. Strategic investments in small- and medium-sized businesses and start-ups ensures stays competitive and on the leading edge of emerging technology, while creating skilled, good-paying jobs.

On November 17, FedDev Ontario Minister Filomena Tassi announced a combined investment of $4.4 million to support two Ottawa-based tech companies. BluWave-ai Inc., a clean technology company that uses AI to help utility companies optimize renewable energy sources on their electricity grids received $1.7 million, and Tehama Inc., a software company that offers the world’s first Carrier for Work™ platform, an accessible, easy and secure cloud-based remote workplace Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) solution received $2.7 million. With this investment, BluWave-ai will build and commercialize new software products to support electric vehicle fleet management, and Tehama will integrate new technologies into its cybersecure platform to support global expansion efforts. This combined investment will create over 85 jobs (50 at BluWave-ai, 35 at Tehama), as well as leverage $12.6 million in private sector support to the region.

Last week, Minister Tassi embarked on a tour of the Kingston, Peterborough and Lindsay areas to highlight several new FedDev Ontario investments for the tourism and manufacturing sectors, as well as funding to support Indigenous job seekers.

Starting in Kingston, Minister Tassi announced a total investment of over $9.8 million for 37 projects in Kingston, Frontenac, Lanark, and Lennox and Addington that will support community infrastructure enhancements, tourism recovery and economic development in the region. The announcement was hosted by Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston, which received a non-repayable Tourism Relief Fund investment of more than $300,000 to restore the Museum’s heritage architecture, including exhibit galleries, windows and doors, to attract visitors to the museum and to the region. Renovations will also be made to the historical building of the Kingston Dry Dock national historic site. Later that day, Minister Tassi met with executives at FedDev Ontario funding recipient GreenCentre for a tour of the facility and to learn more about its cleantech accelerator ADVANCE-ON programming, which it launched with support from FedDev Ontario. This was followed by a roundtable discussion at Queen’s University with key economic development stakeholders in the area to discuss their challenges, plans for growth and recovery, and opportunities for collaboration and collective action.

Minister Tassi then headed to Lindsay, Ontario to announce an investment of over $1.5 million for TS Manufacturing Company, a family-owned manufacturer of quality equipment for the forest products industry worldwide. This investment, delivered through the Business Scale Up and Productivity stream, will allow the company to obtain advanced manufacturing equipment to expand production of its first-in-the-world Robotic Lumber Sorter, serving small- and medium-sized customers that are traditionally under-served by equipment manufacturers. This project will boost local supply chain spending, reduce waste in lumber production and strengthen the regional economy in Lindsay and the Kawartha Lakes by adding 10 skilled jobs.

Later that day, Minister Tassi announced an investment of over $1 million, through the Jobs and Growth Fund, for The Pinnguaq Association (Pinnguag), a not-for-profit organization focused on STEM education and digital literacy skills development in rural, remote and Indigenous communities across Canada. This investment will support the development of a two-year project where underrepresented job-seekers in Indigenous communities in southeastern Ontario will receive training to strengthen digital skillsets from basic computer skills to social media, website development and graphic design. Participants will also receive internship opportunities, job placements and targeted recruitment activities, gaining on-the-job experience to prepare for future employment. The project is expected to support 60 Indigenous businesses and create 120 internships and job placements. More information about the programming can be found pinnguaq.