Contact North generates up to $16.1M to Northern Ontario: study

Contact North | Contact Nord, the world's largest distance education and training network, generates between $9.7 million and $16.1 million of economic activity in Northern Ontario, according to a recent study.

Conducted by Dr. Livio Di Matteo, professor of economics at Thunder Bay's Lakehead University, the study examined the impact of the not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Sudbury and Thunder Bay on the 94 small and remote communities where it operates.

The study also found it supports job creation with estimated total employment of 146 to 243 full-time jobs.

Contact North | Contact Nord's 2008-2009 operating, capital and project expenditures were used as the basis for the estimates.

"Beyond the numbers which are indeed impressive, Contact North | Contact Nord is, for thousands of residents in Northern Ontario, the only option to access education and training without having to leave their communities,” stated Maxim Jean-Louis, president and CEO of Contact North | Contact Nord, in a release.

“Dr. Di Matteo’s research and analysis confirms not only the significant value we bring to thousands of residents but also to the North’s economy.”