Southern Ontario Spotlight - August 2020

A few weeks ago, Minister Mélanie Joly announced nearly $30 million in FedDev Ontario funding for eight innovative businesses in Waterloo Region to create nearly 500 high-skilled jobs, commercialize new technologies and scale up, supporting Waterloo region’s innovation ecosystem and the economy.

• With a $7.2-million investment, women-led software company Axonify Inc. will bring its frontline training and communications tools to new global markets, expand into new sectors and create 81 skilled jobs;
• With a $6.1-million investment, gas barbecue grill manufacturer Onward Manufacturing Company Limited will enhance its Waterloo production facility with new tooling, advanced manufacturing and LEAN processes, creating up to 175 jobs;
• With a $5-million investment, Dejero Labs Inc. will extend its network connectivity software into the Smart Cities space, creating 30 skilled jobs;
• With a $4.8-million investment, medical technology company Intellijoint Surgical Inc. will commercialize its state-of-the-art Intellijoint HIP and Intellijoint KNEE products to new international markets, creating 94 and maintaining 60 jobs;
• With a $4.2-million investment, video quality software company SSIMWAVE Inc. will boost its sales and marketing resources and expand its customer base, supporting 65 skilled jobs;
• With a $1-million investment, X-ray imaging manufacturer KA Imaging Inc. will accelerate commercialization of its innovative X-ray detector, Reveal™, creating 10 skilled jobs;
• With a $700,000 investment, TeTechS Inc. will further commercialize its machinery for measuring the thickness of plastic bottles, vaccine vials, containers and preforms, increase its market share and reduce waste, creating 19 skilled jobs;
• With a $676,000 investment, Shimco North America Inc. will increase capacity to produce next-generation metal surface treatments and curate a global centre of excellence for the aerospace industry, creating 12 jobs in Waterloo Region.

Minister Joly also hosted roundtables with local tech leaders, innovation policy thought-leaders, and the Canadian Digital Media Network to discuss challenges and explore opportunities for collaboration.

On August 9, International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, PS Young announced $12.43 million in FedDev Ontario funding for eight southern Ontario organizations that support Indigenous  economic growth, culture and tourism.

This funding includes more than $10 million towards Aboriginal Impact Capital (AIC) for the establishment of a new capital pool, helping to provide mid-market Indigenous small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), on and off reserve, with the additional financing they need to scale their businesses.

Seven other organizations received contributions through the Canadian Experiences Fund to improve and expand cultural attractions in Indigenous communities, and support much-needed jobs. Finally, the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Businesses received funding to create an Indigenous Business Directory to open new opportunities for Indigenous people and contribute to their growth and economic sustainability. Recipients include Aboriginal Impact Capital, Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation, Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation, Chippewas of Saugeen First Nation #29, Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, Indigenous Tourism Association of Ontario and the Ottawa Tourism and Convention Authority Inc.

Read the News Release and Backgrounder to learn more.

As the world increasingly prioritizes cleantech solutions, the Government of Canada is supporting cleantech companies to scale up, grow and benefit the economy.

Recently, Parliamentary Secretary (PS) Kate Young announced a total FedDev Ontario investment of $10 million to support the scale up and growth of two rural southwestern Ontario companies that produce renewable clean energy alternatives to petroleum-based fuels.

Using its proprietary Lipid-to-Hydrocarbon technology, FORGE Hydrocarbons has capacity to produce up to 200,000 litres per year of renewable diesel biofuel from locally-sourced waste fats and oils. FedDev Ontario’s repayable contribution of $5 million will enable the company to increase its production capacity to 28 million litres per year by establishing a new production facility in Sombra, Ontario, outfitted with advanced equipment and automated processes. Through this project, FORGE Hydrocarbons will create 38 jobs in Sombra.

Aylmer-based IGPC Ethanol Inc. is a renewable fuel cooperative that produces ethanol from corn as an alternative to traditional gasoline. In 2018, the cooperative acquired advanced manufacturing equipment and doubled its ethanol production to 380 million litres per year as it expanded operations to reach new markets. FedDev Ontario’s contribution of $5 million supported the project, which added 19 skilled jobs in Aylmer.

Also in additional support for the cleantech sector, Minister Maryam Monsef, MP for Peterborough–Kawartha, recently announced a $4.8-million FedDev Ontario investment to establish the Trent Enterprise Centre (TEC) in Trent University’s Cleantech Commons, a research park for cleantech collaboration. The TEC will offer an accelerator and technology demonstration space, supporting 70 companies with business advisory and mentoring services and leading to the creation of 300 jobs.

PS Young also announced a total FedDev Ontario investment of more than $2.5 million to support the scale up and growth of two leading food manufacturers in southern Ontario.

Florentina Foods provides a full-service approach to frozen entrée products for retail and food service clients throughout North America, from recipe development to production, packaging and transportation. With FedDev Ontario’s $2-million repayable contribution, the company will install new production lines with automated and energy-efficient equipment, an R&D lab and a test kitchen at its new facility in Orangeville. Through this project, the company expects to more than double its production capacity and create 50 full-time jobs.

More than 2,000 Ontario schools and most major Canadian retailers look to Terra Cotta Foods Ltd. for their peanut- and nut-free cookies and snacks. This Georgetown food processor is known for its ability to produce traditional, kosher and gluten-free products such as cookies, granola and ice-cream sandwiches. With a repayable contribution of nearly $535,000, Terra Cotta will upgrade its production facility and implement new software solutions to streamline operations, enabling the company to focus on scaling up capacity of its ice cream sandwich production line to capitalize on immediate demands from retailers. This project is expected to create 16 full-time jobs and more than double the company’s supply chain spending on dairy products from regional suppliers.

Investments like these position these companies for growth, while helping to get Canadians back to work and ensuring that our agricultural sector can play a major role in Canada’s economic recovery.

On August 7, Minister Joly announced a FedDev Ontario investment of $250,000 through the Canadian Experiences Fund to support three Central Ontario SMEs to enhance their culinary tourism experiences and expand their product offerings:

• Stirling-based Kings Mill Cider received $75,000 to expand its operations into shoulder seasons, improve the overall tourist experience and increase Kings Mill’s brand awareness and visibility. With this investment, King’s Mill Cider has completed a new covered walkway and enclosed deck overlooking the orchard, a renovated kitchen and taproom area, improved road signage and on-site parking, and added a wood-fueled pizza oven, walking trails and overnight tent camping.
• MacKinnon Brothers Brewing received $75,000 to build a permanent outdoor stage for music festivals and performances in partnership with a local theatre company at their facility in Bath to increase tourism in the shoulder season; and
• Potter Settlement Artisan Winery in Tweed received $100,000 to improve tourist experiences and expand their season. With the addition of a pizza oven that can service 50-100 customers per day, water features in the property’s ponds, and accessible washrooms, Potter Settlement is looking forward to enhancing their customers’ agri-food tourism experiences.

In Ontario, tourism accounts for $39.4 billion of GDP and directly and indirectly supports more than 820,000 jobs. These investments will help not only these three local businesses, but will support the local economy and tourism sector.

On July 23, the CAN Health Network celebrated its one-year anniversary at an event hosted with St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and PointClickCare, a member of the network and a Mississauga-based cloud-based technology company. The CAN Health Network was launched with FedDev Ontario support in 2019 to help streamline the procurement process and create an integrated marketplace that better connects the needs of health care organizations with the innovative solutions and technologies produced by Canadian entrepreneurs.

Minister Ng spoke at the celebration, where she highlighted the impact of the network over the past 12 months to help businesses export their made-in-Canada ideas to the world. In that time, the CAN Health Network has grown to include 15 Canadian healthcare organizations, and is working with businesses to sell Canadian-made technologies as part of 10 commercialization projects currently underway.

In one Network-supported project, SE Health and AlayaCare are collaborating to design and test a new software platform that will enable an enhanced model of home care delivery in Ontario. AlayaCare’s product suite includes a COVID-19 screening tool that enables care providers to assess their patient’s risk status; a secure video conferencing feature that seamlessly adapts in-person visits to virtual ones; and a Family Portal, which allows care providers, clients and authorized family members to access and manage information about their care plans.

These solutions are helping to power SE Health’s H.O.P.E (Home, Opportunity, People, Empowerment) Model of Care, a holistic approach to community care that better meets the needs of patients, families and healthcare professionals, while helping to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and other infections.

Through this partnership, CAN Health, SE Health and AlayaCare are empowering healthcare providers to achieve better health outcomes by augmenting home care with innovative technology.

Learn more about the CAN Health Network and its support for Canadian companies and solutions that are strengthening our healthcare system and economy.

“Congratulations to CAN Health on a successful first year of working with high-growth Canadian SMEs to pilot and commercialize new technologies. The Government of Canada is proud to support organizations like CAN Health who are answering the call to action to provide critical support to our country during this fight against COVID-19 by providing a dedicated market for participating health care providers to procure leading-edge health care solutions.” The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario