Southern Ontario Spotlight

International Women’s Day is a global day to recognize and celebrate women’s and girls’ social, economic, cultural and political achievements, as well as to raise awareness of the work that remains to be done in achieving gender equality. The Government of Canada recognizes that women entrepreneurs are essential to the economic success of our communities and is investing in women entrepreneurs to help them succeed and to help build a strong, diverse economy and a better future for all Canadians.

On March 8, FedDev Ontario Minister Filomena Tassi announced a contribution of over $1.7 million for PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise (PARO) to deliver the Women's Enterprise Centre Southern and Eastern (WECSE) Ontario initiative. PARO is a Northern Ontario-based, women-led not-for-profit that helps women in Ontario start and grow their businesses through skills training, networking opportunities, mentoring and access to funding. This investment will allow PARO (through the WECSE) to expand their services across Ontario, with a focus on the rural areas of Prescott-Russell, Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry, Peterborough/Kawarthas and Bruce/Grey/Middlesex. The initiative will be delivered in collaboration with 10 partners, including local Community Futures Development Corporations, and will support over 170 women-owned businesses, create and maintain 190 jobs and provide access to services for business development and job creation to more than 1,500 women in the region. It will prioritize services to women identifying as Indigenous, members of racialized communities, youth, 2SLGBTQI+, persons with disabilities, newcomers to Canada, and members of official language minority and rural communities.

PARO was also one of 28 new Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) investment projects announced by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). Eight projects will receive training, mentorship and business acceleration support to help diverse and underserved women across the country reach their business goals. Fifteen recipients will receive support in areas such as the care economy and the retail and service sectors—as well as providing coverage in rural and remote regions and the north. Lastly, five organizations have been approved for $15 million to deliver the Inclusive Women Venture Capital Initiative to help women access venture capital funding and ensure that the venture capital industry is sensitive to gender and potential unconscious bias.

Canada’s aerospace sector is a pillar of the economy and a driver of innovation across the country. With products on virtually every passenger aircraft in the world, southern Ontario is home to world-class aerospace manufacturers and organizations.

On March 14, FedDev Ontario Minister Filomena Tassi announced a total investment of over $11 million, through the Aerospace Regional Recovery Initiative (ARRI), for RAMPF Composite Solutions Inc. (RAMPF), Nanowave Technologies Inc., NWI Precision Tube ULC and Women in Aerospace - Canada (WIA – Canada). RAMPF, a Burlington-based manufacturer, will purchase new equipment to reduce waste and increase processing speed, creating 15 new jobs in Burlington. Hamilton-based not-for-profit WIA – Canada, an organization dedicated to expanding women’s visibility in the aerospace sector, will develop and deliver the Advancing Women in Aerospace Leadership Program, providing professional development, training and mentorship programs at no cost for 150 women in or transitioning into the aerospace sector.

In February, Minister Tassi announced an ARRI investment of over $22 million for six aerospace projects in the Waterloo and Cambridge regions. This investment will support businesses and organizations in Ontario's aerospace supply chain to increase manufacturing and productivity capabilities, green operations, train, and upskill employees, while supporting over 400 jobs across the region.

This investment includes nearly $9.2 million in support for the University of Waterloo’s Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA), that will equip an Innovation Hub at the Waterloo Region Airport to mobilize research, access green technologies and provide hands-on aviation training. In Cambridge, Shimco North America (Shimco), a full-service custom shim and small part aerospace manufacturer, is receiving over $1.2 million to support the construction of a 20,000- square foot addition to its manufacturing space and purchase new advanced equipment.

Minister Tassi, along with with Ya’ara Saks, Member of Parliament for York Centre, recently attended a Downsview Aerospace Innovation and Research (DAIR) milestone event to celebrate Green Fund recipients. In August, DAIR received over $2.6 million from FedDev Ontario to help improve the aerospace sector’s overall environmental footprint by funding projects that will support the government’s initiative to a greener future.

In total, these projects will increase manufacturing capacity and productivity, green operations, provide professional skills development and support over 180 jobs across southern Ontario’s aerospace sector. Since 2015, the Government of Canada, through FedDev Ontario, has invested nearly $160 million in nearly 35 aerospace projects across southern Ontario, creating over 900 jobs and maintaining over 1,000 jobs.

Throughout the month of March, Minister Tassi and FedDev Ontario representatives attended numerous events across southern Ontario to celebrate the achievements of women entrepreneurs and to listen and learn about innovative opportunities to address barriers to success still faced by women in Canada.

On March 2, Minister Tassi delivered virtual remarks at the StrikeUP 2023 Conference, hosted in collaboration with Northumberland Community Futures Development Corporation (NCFDC) and Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) Ecosystem Fund recipients, dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs and providing a forum for growth, mentorship and financing. Minister Tassi celebrated the important role of the women’s entrepreneurship ecosystem across Canada and in southern Ontario as well as the achievements of the network to date. The Minister also highlighted the federal government’s ongoing commitment, through FedDev Ontario, to advancing gender equity through the WES. The event saw more than 3,000 attendees, which included women entrepreneurs, coaches, impact investors and supporters. Then on March 10, at the Women Inspire 2023 forum hosted by Casa Foundation, the Minister provided introductory remarks welcoming attendees to the event, highlighting Government of Canada support for women and Black entrepreneurs and the importance of a diverse economy that helps communities thrive, supports job creation and drives industry growth.

Lloyd Longfield, Member of Parliament for Guelph, spoke on behalf of Minister Tassi at Innovation Guelph’s Rhyze and Shine Pitch Event on March 16, a public pitch competition and networking opportunity for women entrepreneurs, which featured a $30,000 prize awarded to the competition’s winner. MP Longfield spoke about the importance of creating a strong, diverse economy and how Innovation Guelph and Rhyze Ventures have been delivering critical supports including mentorship, networking opportunities, training and coaching to help more than 250 women entrepreneurs and women-led businesses start and grow their businesses to date.

Representatives from FedDev Ontario attended the 2023 Women in Defence and Security (WiDS) Awards Breakfast in Ottawa, where more than 1,400 in-person and virtual attendees heard a keynote speech from Jody Thomas, National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister. The event recognized emerging leaders in Canada’s defence space and featured the presentation of two scholarships and a fellowship, and the announcement of Department of National Defence Director Julia Scouten as the new WiDS President. Minister Tassi also delivered congratulatory remarks at the wrap-up event for the WE-CAN project at Queen’s University, a FedDev Ontario-supported initiative that has provided more than 2,300 women entrepreneurs with tools, resources, expert mentors, networks and community building to expand existing businesses and to launch new ventures.

Lastly, a representative from FedDev Ontario spoke at the Journée de la Femme event hosted by the Prescott-Russell Community Development Corporation and MOFIF, which featured panelists Dr. Samantha Nutt from WarChild, Sabine Soumare from Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, and and Rokhaya Gueye and Caroline Codsi from Women in Governance. A FedDev Ontario representative also participated in an IWD Networking Lunch hosted by Town of Blue Mountains and Blue Mountains’ Chamber of Commerce, where they heard from Ukrainian women who shared their incredible stories of fleeing the war and relocating to Canada to build a new business and a new life in Grey County.