Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario : In 2009, the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) became a stand-alone agency after it was formed by transferring functions from the former Southern Ontario Regional Economic Development Branch (SORED Branch) of the Department of Industry (P.C. 2009-1410 and P.C. 2009-1411). It was established to provide stimulus during an economic crisis and to support the competitiveness, innovation, and diversification of Southern Ontario's economy.
Initially, it reported to the Minister of State of the Department of Industry and had a temporary five-year mandate. In 2019, it became a permanent agency and was named a flagship platform for delivering the Innovation and Skills Plan of the Government of Canada along with the other seven Regional Development Agencies (RDA). The other RDAs are the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (FedNor), which also serves Ontario; the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), which serves the four Atlantic provinces; the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec (also known as Canada Economic Development (CED), and formerly known as the Federal Office of Regional Economic Development (Quebec) or FORD(Q)), which serves Quebec; the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) which serves the three territories; the Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD), which in August 2021 transitioned into two new agencies: the Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) which serves the three Prairie provinces, and the Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan) which serves British Columbia. The same program might be delivered by one organization in one region and by a different organization in another. For example, the Canada Infrastructure Works Program was delivered by Industry Canada in Ontario, ACOA in the Atlantic provinces, CED in Quebec, and PrairiesCan and PacifiCan in the four western provinces.
FedDev Ontario's mandate is to strengthen the capacity for innovation and clean, inclusive economic growth across southern Ontario. Programming and investment decisions reflect the Government of Canada's priorities and are shaped through stakeholder engagement to respond to the region's existing and emerging economic opportunities. It includes providing non-repayable funding to non-profit organizations to support solid and inclusive regional projects, offering interest-free loans to companies for projects that aim to help small and rural communities participate fully in economic growth opportunities, and providing ongoing national programs and targeted temporary programs and assistance during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. All these initiatives aim to drive economic recovery and provide relief during difficult times.
Since 2021, the FedDev Ontario reports to a new minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, who oversees the Agency. FedDev Ontario is under the leadership of the President, who acts as the Deputy Head and is responsible for the Agency's overall strategic direction to fulfill the Minister's mandate. He reports directly to the Minister on the Agency's activities.
FedDev Ontario operates only within the province of Ontario. Its headquarters is in Waterloo, with regional offices in Peterborough, Toronto, and Ottawa. The Agency covers the area as defined by 37 Statistics Canada census divisions.
