The federal and provincial governments are collectively investing $1.9 million into a program that boosts exports from Northern Ontario.
On May 25, FedNor Minister Navdeep Bains travelled to B&D Manufacturing in Lively (outside Sudbury) to announce the federal and provincial governments would each contribute $952,100 to the Northern Ontario Exports Program for two years.
Bains was joined by Sudbury MP Paul Lefebvre, Nickel Belt MP Marc Serré, and Sudbury MPP Glenn Thibeault.
Led by Ontario’s North Economic Development Corp. (ONEDC), the export program provides Northern Ontario businesses with support for training, marketing and advertising activities, enabling them to be more competitive in new markets.
The funding will also enable ONEDC to establish a Northern Ontario presence within the Canada Pavilion at Minexpo International, the largest mining conference in the world, which will be held Sept. 26-28 in Las Vegas.
Since 2014, the Northern Ontario Exports Program — formerly the Mining Supply and Service Export Assistance Program — has supported 67 Northern Ontario firms, which helped create 137 new jobs and maintained an additional 146 in the region.
Established in 2005, ONEDC has a mandate to create and implement economic development partnerships, programs and projects between the Cities of North Bay, Timmins, Sudbury, Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie, as well as other regional development organizations in Northern Ontario.
