Departmental Results Report 2020-21

From the Minister

It is my pleasure to present the 2020–21 Departmental Results Report for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

In a year that was characterized by uncertainty and rapidly shifting priorities as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, FedDev Ontario remained committed in its continued efforts to meet the evolving needs of Canadians and the Canadian economy. Southern Ontario is a diverse and vibrant region that has shown extraordinary tenacity during this crisis; and FedDev Ontario has delivered an unprecedented number of projects and funding in response.

Since the onset of the pandemic, Canada’s regional development agencies (RDAs) have been delivering critical support to help businesses and organizations stay open, protect jobs and prepare for a strong recovery. FedDev Ontario engaged with key stakeholders to determine where support was needed most and to secure relief funding in record time, while also providing repayment flexibilities to companies.

As part of Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, the Regional Economic Growth Through Innovation (REGI) program has been supporting business growth and innovation and helping regions to diversify, with the goal of building stronger and more innovative communities across Canada with the support of RDAs. Primary efforts this year were guided through the launch and delivery of the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF), which provided assistance to businesses and communities that required additional support to cope with and recover from the pandemic, with 25 percent of RRRF funding earmarked for the tourism sector, which had been particularly impacted in the region. In total, FedDev Ontario’s delivery of RRRF funding provided critical support to more than 27,000 businesses in southern Ontario which is estimated to preserve over 55,000 jobs.

The Agency continues to support businesses that foster clean and inclusive growth to create jobs and new innovative products and services in the region. FedDev Ontario has provided strategic investments across many sectors including health innovation, technology, manufacturing, tourism, and in support for underrepresented groups. The Agency has continued to deliver on its commitment to foster a resilient, dynamic and growing economy that creates jobs, opportunities and a better quality of life for all Canadians, including those from diverse backgrounds, such as women, Indigenous peoples, Black people and other racialized groups, youth, LGBTQ2, and others.

We invite you to read this report to learn more about how FedDev Ontario is building a strong culture of innovation to position Canada as a leader in the global economy.

The Honourable Helena JaczekThe Honourable Helena Jaczek
Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for southern Ontario

Results at a glance

2020–21 total actual spending 2020–21 total actual full-time equivalents (FTEs)

$692,746,495

294

2020-21 was defined by the COVID-19 pandemic. The unprecedented economic disruptions of the pandemic, which resulted in reduced output and a shock to supply chains, has forced many companies across the country to lay off employees or temporarily halt business. Some sectors have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, such as tourism and hospitality, along with main street businesses. The pandemic has also disproportionately impacted the region's traditionally underrepresented groups including women, Indigenous peoples, Black people and other racialized groups, youth, LGBTQ2, and others. 

Primary efforts during this fiscal year was to launch and deliver the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF), which provided assistance to businesses and communities in southern Ontario that required additional support to mitigate financial pressures and survive from the impacts of the pandemic. In 2020-21, since the launch of the RRRF in May 2020, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) and 36 Community Futures Development Corporations have delivered more than $430 million in funding to over 27,000 businesses and organizations across the region. This support is estimated to maintain over 55,000 jobs.

Further, FedDev Ontario responded to COVID-19 by adopting new approaches to build awareness of the Agency's programs, support, and impact in southern Ontario while supporting the region's public health and lockdown measures. This involved leveraging online video platforms for virtual events, project announcements and ongoing communication with stakeholders. In addition, FedDev Ontario worked with other RDAs to coordinate approaches and communications, ensure consistency in program flexibilities and conditions for COVID-19 relief programs as well as collaborate on policy options for the region's post-pandemic recovery.

In 2020–21, FedDev Ontario achieved the following key results:

  • Overall, invested more than $650 million in over 1,600 projects in 2020-21 compared to more than $230 million in over 440 projects during in 2019-20;
  • Implemented targeted supports to assist the tourism sector through the pandemic, including more than $120 million in direct support to businesses in tourism dependent communities, $30 million to Destination Marketing Organizations to meet their liquidity needs and ability to safely attract visitors back to their communities, and working with recipients of the Canadian Experiences Fund to build out digital alternatives to in-person experiences;
  • Facilitated greater participation of underrepresented groups in southern Ontario's economy in support of the Government of Canada's commitment to the inclusive economic growth priority through investments of over $238 million in more than 800 projects that assisted women, Indigenous peoples, Black people and other racialized groups, youth, LGBTQ2, and others;
  • Invested more than $180 million in over 190 projects to support innovation, growth and diversification across southern Ontario through its core programming. These projects leveraged $3.9 for every dollar invested by Agency, as well as, created 4,360 jobs and maintained 8,568 jobs;
  • Contributed to the Government of Canada's commitment to green initiatives through investments of more than $29 million in 60 clean tech projects;
  • Promoted the Government of Canada's priority of rural economic growth with investments of more than $176 million in over 300 rural projects;
  • Met or exceeded targets set for seven out of the eight performance indicators under the three Agency's departmental results. For the nineth indicator, the value of exports of clean technologies from southern Ontario, no target was set for 2020-21 due to unavailability of baseline data;
  • Provided operating funding to 36 Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) to support them in the providing a wide variety of programs and services supporting community economic development and small business growth, including loans which created 892 jobs and maintained an additional 2,722 jobs in rural southern Ontario communities;
  • Supported Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs) through investments of more than $20 million in over 90 projects. This included RRRF projects that assisted Francophone communities businesses in meeting their liquidity needs, and the Economic Development InitiativeEndnote 1 (EDI) projects that addressed the specific business needs identified by OLMCs, such as entrepreneurship and organizational skills development (including those of social enterprises);
  • Responded to 20,859 enquiries and completed 419 secondary market research requests through Small Business Services during this fiscal year compared to 15,674 enquiries and completed 346 secondary market research during the last fiscal year.

For more information on the Federal Economic Development Agency for southern Ontario's plans, priorities and results achieved, see the "Results: what we achieved" section of this report.

Results: what we achieved

Core responsibility

Economic development in southern Ontario

Description:

FedDev Ontario promotes an innovative and inclusive southern Ontario economy through investments in regional growth, commercialization and adoption of technologies, as well as community diversification.

Results:

The Agency works toward achieving its core responsibility by fulfilling three departmental results, and measures progress through nine associated indicators that are part of its reporting framework. Many of these indicators are macro-economic and stem from the Government of Canada's Innovation and Skills PlanEndnote 2. The achievement of targets for the macro-economic indicators is dependent on a number of factors, FedDev Ontario's intervention being one of them.

The most recent priorities included enabling growth in key sectors, as well as contributing to jobs  creation and restoring employment to levels prior to the pandemic. Further, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, additional priorities were identified which include supporting the introduction of sector-specific measures for hardest-hit industries including the regional air transportation sector, tourism and hospitality.

A key element of the Government of Canada's COVID-19 Economic Response Plan is the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF) Endnote 3. This initiative, launched in May 2020, provided support to help affected businesses, not-for-profit organizations and communities both in urban and rural settings, to mitigate financial pressures to allow them to continue their operations and prepare for a successful recovery. This included providing technical assistance to drive digital adoption across main street businesses and financial support to help under-represented groups disproportionately impacted by the pandemic to adapt.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted and exacerbated existing systemic barriers faced by underrepresented groups such as: Black entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized business owners in Canada. In order to help address these barriers, the Black Entrepreneurship ProgramEndnote 4 was launched in September 2020. This program will support Black business owners and entrepreneurs across the country at a critical time.

The Regional Air Transportation InitiativeEndnote 5 (RATI) was launched in March 2021 as part of Canada's COVID-19 Economic Response Plan. This initiative supports Canada's regional air transportation ecosystems to remain operational through these difficult times and support economic growth in southern Ontario.

Concurrently, FedDev Ontario continued to deliver innovation programming through two programming streams: Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSUP) Endnote 6 and Regional Innovation Ecosystem (RIE)Endnote 7. These program streams foster an environment conducive to starting and growing businesses, and help create the conditions for building strong, dynamic and inclusive regional innovation ecosystems across southern Ontario. The Agency also invested in projects supporting community economic development through the Community Economic Development and Diversification (CEDD) program streamEndnote 8.  CEDD aims to develop, diversify and transform local communities by promoting small business development, creating and retaining employment in rural communities and supporting community innovation and strategic collaborations. Together, the three complementary program streams offer a continuum of support for businesses and organizations in southern Ontario.

FedDev Ontario also played an important role in delivering additional national initiatives in southern Ontario. These initiatives included the Community Futures Program that supported rural communities develop and sustain their local economies; the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy that supported women entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses through access to financing, networks and advice; the Economic Development Initiative that supported Francophone and bilingual organizations in Official Language Minority Communities; and the Canadian Experiences Fund that assisted Canada's tourism sector to grow and innovate.

The Agency continued to leverage its role as a convenor, co-investor, pathfinder and champion for the region. The Agency approved projects aligned with the Government of Canada's priorities on clean technology, rural, and inclusive economic growth, by providing support to underrepresented groups, such as women, Indigenous peoples, Black people and other racialized groups, youth, LGBTQ2, and others.

It is important to note that program streams may contribute to more than one departmental result; however, for ease of comprehension, program stream results are reported generally under one departmental result. Programming delivered through the BSUP program stream is generally reported under the "Businesses are innovative and growing in southern Ontario" departmental result, whereas programming delivered through the RIE program stream is generally reported under the "Businesses invest in the development and commercialization of innovative technologies in southern Ontario" departmental result. Results achieved through CEDD program stream are reported generally under the "Communities are economically diversified in southern Ontario" departmental result.

Gender-based analysis plus

FedDev Ontario's programs and services are designed to advance diversity and provide inclusive outcomes across southern Ontario. To better understand and measure the reach of the Agency's programs, FedDev Ontario continued to leverage its funding application form, which includes a voluntary declaration section for underrepresented groups (including women, Indigenous peoples, Black people and other racialized groups, youth, LGBTQ2, and others).  In addition, the Agency continued to advance efforts to establish more robust GBA+ practices at the project assessment phase and continued to invest in projects that advance the economic participation of underrepresented groups. The Agency was also an active advocate for the Government's 50–30 Challenge and will continue this work as part of the Agency's actions to strengthen its connections with the diverse populations in the region and to increase the representation and inclusion of under-represented groups in leadership. Finally, FedDev Ontario also developed a comprehensive framework and action plan to support diversity, equity and inclusion. Some of the key actions taken were: unconscious bias training completed by all executives and nearly 80 percent of staff; implemented a requirement that all applicants seeking support from the Agency must certify that they do not promote violence, incite hatred or discrimination on the basis of sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, age or mental or physical disabilities; and modified the Agency's core contribution agreements to integrate diversity and inclusion considerations, which will come into effect in the next fiscal year. GBA+ results for various programs are included under the departmental results narrative.

Experimentation

FedDev Ontario fosters a culture of experimentation, led by a Champion of Experimentation and Innovation for the Agency. The Champion led an initiative that encouraged employees to bring forward experimental pilot projects, that have the potential to develop innovative ideas for the work environment at FedDev Ontario. The Agency also recognizes the need to source external approaches to experimentation, fueling the innovation engine with a broader lens and collaborative approach to achieve tangible results. The COVID-19 pandemic represented untested challenges across Canada's economic landscape, especially for small businesses. Building a collective effort amongst multiple partners across Southern Ontario, the Agency successfully delivered the Digital Main Street platform, helping traditional brick and mortar small businesses pivot to digital business models with tailored levels of assistance, to rapidly rebuild revenue streams and strengthen their future resilience. As experimentation can lead to discovery, a national initiative, subsequent to the Agency's Digital Main Street, was announced in Budget 2021, with the goal to continue to help SMEs boost their e-commerce presence and digitize how they run their businesses.

Departmental Result: Businesses are innovative and growing in southern Ontario

In 2020–21, FedDev Ontario had over 1,200 active projects with $328.8 million invested under this departmental result. FedDev Ontario invested $260 million under the Regional Relief and Recovery FundEndnote 9 (RRRF) to directly support businesses and organizations mitigate financial pressures and survive from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This investment supported over 1,100 SMEs, of which 95 per cent are small enterprises (fewer than 100 employees). Further, 60 percent of these SMEs are majority led by a member of an underrepresented group, such as women, Indigenous peoples, Black people and other racialized groups, youth, LGBTQ2, and others. This is critical as the pandemic has exacerbated systemic barriers faced by individuals in these groups. Overall, it is estimated that these investments in 2020-21 will help to maintain more than 25,000 jobs in the region.

As part of the Agency's suite of support to companies affected by the global pandemic, over 90% of its clients in repayment took advantage of the flexibility in repayments offered by FedDev Ontario. This represented $39.9 million in cash flow relief to clients, representing 12.3% of the total repayable portfolio of almost $325 million.

See related FedDev Ontario Success Story: HiMama Inc.

Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, Canada's manufacturers have shown incredible resilience in the face of economic challenges, with many adapting operations to stay competitive and seize new opportunities for growth in a digital world. Many have also pivoted to support Canada's response to COVID-19 by harnessing their expertise and retooling their facilities to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers, such as face shields, masks, gowns, and other critical medical equipment and devices. Other FedDev Ontario recipients have been instrumental in supporting COVID-19 response efforts in  the pharmaceutical/medical industry.

In 2020–21, FedDev Ontario had an active portfolio of 80 projects with $68.8 million invested under the Business Scale-up and ProductivityEndnote 10 (BSUP) program stream to accelerate business growth, assist businesses in scaling up, and enhance business productivity and competitiveness in both domestic and global markets. These multi-year projects are in areas of competitive advantage for southern Ontario and the Agency's priority areas of advanced manufacturing, big data, and disruptive technologies. Some of the companies supported under BSUP have emerged out of the RIE projects that the Agency continues to support. For example, ecosystem investments under the RIE program have resulted in business success for early-stage companies, which have subsequently been able to scale and apply for funding under the BSUP program. BSUP program stream projects leveraged over $4 for every dollar invested by the Agency, supported 80 businesses, reported over $197 million in sales resulting from commercialized innovations, created 1,058 jobs and maintained 1,469 jobs.

In support of Government of Canada priorities, FedDev Ontario, through the BSUP program stream's 2020-21 active portfolio had invested $17.2 million in 27 clean technology projects, invested nearly $42 million in 42 businesses which are led or majority led by a member of an underrepresented group, such as women, Indigenous peoples, Black people and other racialized groups, youth, LGBTQ2, and others, and invested over $5 million in eight rural projects to foster economic growth in rural areas.

In 2020-21, the Agency made several strategic investments to support inclusive growth, greening of economy and digital adoption, and industrial automation. For example, Gerrie Electric, one of Canada's largest independent electrical distributors, was supported with $1.4 million investment to support digital transformation of its operations. The company is a third-generation, family-owned and certified Women Business Enterprise, committed to environmental sustainability and fostering local employment. Similarly, $1.4M investment was made in Fourmark Manufacturing Inc. to scale-up production of recyclable packaging, which will facilitate a 10% weight reduction in production process, saving an estimated 190,480 lbs of raw plastic, and ultimately result in an estimated annual waste reduction of 970,035 lbs of non-recyclable materials.

See related FedDev Ontario Success Story: MindBeacon

FedDev Ontario is a trusted, long-term partner and resource for southern Ontario's businesses, entrepreneurs and community organizations. As a champion, pathfinder and convenor in southern Ontario, the Agency advances the region's economy, encourages collaborative ventures, and leverages the region's innovation ecosystem and assets. The Agency also convenes federal departments to better inform and support the development of federal programs and policies to have a positive impact on the region's economy.

A key activity the Agency accomplished this year was ongoing pandemic-related pathfinding.  FedDev Ontario worked to gather information directly from companies to understand how COVID-19 had impacted their business, promoted federal and provincial information portals for those wishing to offer COVID-19 solutions to government, and connected stakeholders looking for partners to pursue technology development.

FedDev Ontario continued to deliver the Accelerated Growth ServiceEndnote 11 (AGS), offering a coordinated and client-tailored service model to support Canadian businesses as they grow, innovate, and increase their capability to succeed in global markets. Launched in 2016, this Government of Canada initiative supports growth-oriented Canadian businesses as they expand by helping them access the key government services they need to grow, such as financing, access to global markets, innovation and business advice. As of March 31, 2021, FedDev Ontario has supported 255 clients through AGS. In 2020–21, FedDev Ontario engaged with 28 companies, connecting high-growth firms in southern Ontario with relevant government programs and services available in the region. 

FedDev Ontario leveraged economic benefits for southern Ontario from Canadian defence procurements in line with Canada's Industrial and Technological Benefits Endnote 12 (ITB) Policy. This role was particularly critical given the pandemic's impact on the regional economy. Despite moving its operations to remote work, in 2020–21 the Agency held 421 meetings with firms in the region, 45 meetings with post-secondary institutions, as well as 139 meetings with major defence contractors and 36 meetings with industry associations, all done using virtual platforms. This compared to 277 meetings with firms in the region, 22 meetings with post-secondary institutions, as well as 141 meetings with major defence contractors and 30 meetings with industry associations in 2019-20. FedDev Ontario also responded to 29 separate requests from defence contractors to identify possible southern Ontario suppliers and facilitated 142 introductions between companies. All these activities represented potential business opportunities for the region.

Given pandemic restrictions, in person events were not possible, therefore the Agency organized virtual engagements to support southern Ontario clients. These included hosting an ITB learning webinar for small firms to help them understand how to maximize business development opportunities during the early stages of a defence procurement project. In addition, FedDev Ontario designed and facilitated a virtual emerging technology supplier event to showcase dozens of innovative southern Ontario stakeholders to defence contractors. 

FedDev Ontario also continued to provide business information and services to entrepreneurs and small businesses across Ontario through its Small Business Services Endnote 13 (SBS). Through SBS, FedDev Ontario supported entrepreneurs in business development by providing information on federal and provincial programs, services and regulations, and secondary market research, all free of charge. Service remained uninterrupted despite the ongoing pandemic. In 2020–21 the team responded to 20,859 enquiries and completed 419 secondary market research requests compared to 15,674 enquiries and completed 346 secondary market research requests in 2019-20. Ontario clients generated 260,485 visits to the SBS page on FedDev Ontario's website Endnote 14. In 2020–21, SBS strengthened its engagement with underrepresented groups, including women, youth, Francophone communities and Indigenous peoples. The team held over 2,590 virtual interactions at 47 virtual events across Ontario in 2020–21.

In 2020–21, firms supported by FedDev Ontario programs reported a 11.18 percent revenue growth rate, exceeding the 7.85 percent target. Similarly, the number of high-growth firms in southern Ontario was 4,280 in 2020–21, surpassing the target of 4,190. For the third indicator, the value of exports of clean technologies from southern Ontario in 2020–21 was $6.6 billionEndnote 15. This is a new indicator and no target was set due to unavailability of baseline data. Lastly, the value of exports of goods from the region was $184.3 billionEndnote 16, slightly below the target of $188.5 billion.

HiMama Inc.

  • Toronto-based HiMama is improving early childhood education by providing modern technological innovations to daycares globally. HiMama develops, sells and supports software solutions for its global customer base, which includes over 3,500 daycares.
  • In 2020–21, COVID-19 forced widespread closures of daycares across North America, causing severe financial strain on HiMama's clients and impairing the company's ability to pay for its subscriptions. Due to daycares' increased dependence on HiMama's app for teacher-parent communication, HiMama's monthly revenues dropped significantly.
  • FedDev Ontario funding through the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF) allowed HiMama to continue operations and are estimated to maintain 72 jobs.

"The support we received from RRRF helped HiMama to support families with remote learning activities and a continued connection for their children and child care providers during closures. Upon reopening, we were also well-positioned to help daycares adapt their operations to support new health and safety procedures. Child care is fundamental to the effective functioning of our economy and I'm grateful that we were able to be there for early childhood educators who have been some of the unsung heroes through the pandemic, " 

Ron Spreeuwenberg, CEO of HiMama.

MindBeacon: Increasing access to effective and affordable mental health care

  • Since 2002, MindBeacon has been a leading provider of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and other evidence-based therapies through its network of clinics across the Greater Toronto Area. The company first introduced its digital platform, BEACON, in 2016 to enhance delivery of CBT in its clinics, eventually launching as a full digital service in 2017.
  • With this innovative platform, MindBeacon is simplifying the process of accessing mental healthcare services by offering digital, virtual and in-person therapies for people with symptoms of depression, anxiety, panic, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and insomnia.
  • Given increased demand for virtual treatment, MindBeacon is expanding its digital and virtual therapy platforms with the help of a $4-million FedDev Ontario investment in 2019. With this investment, its mental health clinicians will be able to treat five times more patients than in traditional face-to-face settings.
  • In the next few years this company's plan include expanding into new markets and has recently completed a public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

"FedDev Ontario's investment has allowed us to scale our business. We are creating over 300 jobs—50 jobs are expected as a result of the FedDev Ontario project—and attracting new capital. We are reaching new partners in business and health care delivery and we are receiving interest from around the world, including a contract from France. The fact that we have made-in-Canada technology to help others and validation from the federal government is bringing out confidence in other nations. It demonstrates that we have the leadership of the Government of Canada to invest and see what needs to be done."

Sam Duboc, Co-founder and CEO, MindBeacon

Departmental Result: Communities are economically diversified in southern Ontario

In 2020–21, FedDev Ontario had 275 active projects with over $170 million invested under this departmental result. FedDev Ontario provided $83.3 million under the Regional Relief and Recovery FundEndnote 17 (RRRF) to help businesses and organizations mitigate financial pressures and survive from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, delivered via Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs). Under the RRRF, CFDCs further distributed funding to over 1,900 SMEs in rural areas of southern Ontario. A significant portion of this funding assisted underrepresented groups such as women, Indigenous peoples, Black people and other racialized groups, youth, LGBTQ2, and others. This is critical as the pandemic has exacerbated systemic barriers faced by individuals in these groups. Overall, it is estimated that this funding in 2020-21 will maintain more than 6,000 jobs in rural southern Ontario.

Supporting one of the hardest-hit sectors during the pandemic, Canada's RDAs (including FedDev Ontario) continued to deliver the Canadian Experiences FundEndnote 18 (CEF) to assist Canada's tourism sector, in many cases working with these organizations to implement digital offerings as an alternative to in-person events, sustaining them through the pandemic. As of March 31, 2021, the Agency had invested $9.4 million in 66 CEF projects which created 105 jobs, maintained 176 jobs, and supported 547 businesses and organizations. CEF also provided LGBTQ2 training to 1,400 businesses and organizations and market readiness training to 30 Indigenous businesses.

In 2020–21, FedDev Ontario provided additional support to tourism businesses and organizations specifically impacted by the pandemic. This funding was provided for tourism adaptation and recovery projects in tourism dependent communities, with a portion of the program budget assisting inclusive growth and recovery for Francophone and Indigenous tourism operators. FedDev Ontario invested $9.9 million in 18 tourism projects which created over 1,000 jobs, maintained over 3,000 jobs, and supported 331 businesses and organizations. 

See related FedDev Ontario Success Story: Relief, recovery and adaptation for tourism operators across southern Ontario communities

In addition, the Regional Air Transportation InitiativeEndnote 19 (RATI) was launched in March 2021 as part of Canada's COVID-19 Economic Response Plan. This initiative aims to support Canada's regional air transportation ecosystems to remain operational through these difficult times and support the economic growth of our regions.

In 2020–21, FedDev Ontario had an active portfolio of 47 projects with $40.4 million invested under the Community Economic Development and DiversificationEndnote 20 (CEDD) program stream to develop, diversify and transform local communities by promoting small business development, creating and retaining employment in rural communities, enhancing the access smaller and mid-size cities have to innovation supports through investments in new commercialization projects, facilitating participation of underrepresented groups in local economies, and supporting community innovation and strategic collaborations. CEDD projects leveraged over $5 for every dollar invested by the Agency, supported more than 300 businesses and organizations, created 812 jobs and maintained 1,695 jobs. Further, in support of the Government of Canada priorities, FedDev Ontario, through the CEDD program stream's 2020-21 active portfolio had invested over $30 million across 30 rural projects, invested $16.6 million in 27 businesses which are led or majority led by a member of an underrepresented group, such as women, Indigenous peoples, Black people and other racialized groups, youth, LGBTQ2, and others, and $8.7 million in 19 clean technology projects.

In 2020-21, several communities received support under the CEDD stream to build on their unique regional advantages to help anchor innovative and high potential companies in their regions.  For example, the Western Fair Association in London received $7 million to establish an agri-food hub to anchor innovative food companies in the region; the City of Kingston received significant investments to build out their life sciences clusters; and the City of Guelph received approximately $4 million to establish COIL – Canada's first circular economy accelerator.

The Agency delivered additional national programs such as the Community Futures Program, Economic Development Initiative, Black Entrepreneurship Program, and Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, which contributed to the Government of Canada's inclusive growth priorities, and enhanced the ability of targeted groups such as, women, Black people, Francophone, and rural entrepreneurs, to start, grow and expand their businesses.

FedDev Ontario continued to invest in rural communities by supporting the operational costs of 36 Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) in southern Ontario under the Community FuturesEndnote 21 Program. The lending and business advisory services provided by CFDCs are key to supporting the growth of SMEs in rural communities across southern Ontario. In 2020–21, CFDCs in southern Ontario provided $45.8 million through 629 loans to rural businesses that leveraged an additional $101.3 million. CFDCs reported that these investments created 892 jobs and maintained an additional 2,722 jobs. In addition, the CFDCs provided business services in the form of business counselling and support to 5,380 clients.

FedDev Ontario supported Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs) through delivery of the Economic Development InitiativeEndnote 22 (EDI). In 2020–21, the Agency invested $0.8 million in five projects to address the specific needs identified by OLMCs, such as entrepreneurship and organizational skills development (including those of social enterprises), and provided micro loans to women entrepreneurs and newcomers to Canada. As of March 31, 2021, the five active EDI projects leveraged over $3 for every dollar invested by the Agency, created 59 jobs and maintained 86 jobs, and delivered 1,721 training/networking sessions with 5,341 people receiving training/mentorship over the course of the year.

FedDev Ontario continued to deliver the WES Ecosystem FundEndnote 23, as part of the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES). In 2020-21, FedDev Ontario managed 16 regional projects and three national projects spanning over multiple years and invested $13.4 million. These 19 projects fund not-for-profit organizations to advance women entrepreneurs from underrepresented sectors or underrepresented groups in building their capacity to scale up their businesses and broaden their professional networks. In 2020–21, the WES Ecosystem Fund projects supported 1,317 women entrepreneurs in starting a new business, provided business advisory services to more than 3,300 women entrepreneur clients, and assisted 439 women entrepreneurs in growing their business abroad.

In September 2020, the Government of Canada launched the Black Entrepreneurship ProgramEndnote 24 (BEP). This Program will help Black Canadian business owners and entrepreneurs grow their businesses and succeed now and into the future. The BEP is made up of three components including the Loan Fund, the Knowledge Hub, and the Ecosystem Fund. FedDev Ontario received $26 million to deliver the Ecosystem Fund regionally in southern Ontario and nationally over the next three years. This Program supports not-for-profit Black-led organizations to develop new services or expand those already offered such as mentorship, networking, financial planning, and business training for Black entrepreneurs.

An evaluation of the Southern Ontario Prosperity ProgramEndnote 25 (SOPP) was completed in 2020–21, which served as the Agency's core program for its second five-year mandate between 2014–15 to 2018–19. The evaluation found that there is a strong, continued need for SOPP programs particularly amongst underrepresented groups and in rural communities pre-pandemic. Further, the evaluation found that nearly 90 percent of the SOPP-funded projects were either successful or very successful in achieving of their goals in strengthening strategic clusters and supporting businesses in communities across southern Ontario. A matched-pairs analysis conducted by Statistics Canada showed that businesses supported by the Agency, particularly those that received direct funding, grew faster than similar non-assisted companies in terms of revenues, employment, productivity and R&D expenditures, and were more likely to still be in operation three years after receiving assistance. The evaluation recommended improving the Agency's performance reporting metrics and processes, and enhancing support for certain target groups/areas, particularly women, Indigenous businesses, youth entrepreneurs and rural regions.

FedDev Ontario met or exceeded targets set for all three performance indicators under this departmental result (see results achieved table). For the first performance indicator related to the inclusive participation of women, Indigenous peoples, youth, visible minorities and persons with disabilities in the southern Ontario economy, the Agency met its targets for all groups. For the second performance indicator, 38.2 percent of all jobs were professional, science and technology-related jobs in the southern Ontario economy, exceeding  the Agency's target of 35.1 percent. Lastly, the amount leveraged per dollar invested by FedDev Ontario in community projects was $1.72 in 2020–21, exceeding the target of $1.00, which excludes the new RRRF program which was established after target was set for this indicator.

Relief, recovery and adaptation for tourism operators across southern Ontario communities

From the outset of the pandemic, FedDev Ontario has been supporting businesses and organizations in communities across southern Ontario to keep their lights on, keep staff employed, and adapt for a strong recovery. The tourism industry in particular has been hard-hit by the pandemic, with domestic and international travel coming to a halt in line with public health guidelines. That is why FedDev Ontario has supported more than 400 tourism-related projects with funding of over $150 million in 2020-21. This funding was spread throughout 35 unique census divisions across southern Ontario, supported more than 1,600 businesses and organizations, and is estimated to create or maintain more than 12,000 jobs.

  • This includes more than $130 million in total Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF) support for over 325 tourism-related projects since May 2020. In addition, about $20 million in support for over 75 tourism-related projects was provided through the Canadian Experiences Fund and CEDD program stream funding in 2020-21.
  • This has allowed businesses and organizations to shift their in-person tourism offerings and events to virtual experiences that reach new global audiences, in an effort to increase the number of tourists coming to Canada when it is safe to welcome international visitors again.
  • This support is helping tourism businesses and the communities that rely on them with digital transformation, space renovations and retrofits, the implementation of health and safety measures and personal protective equipment, and expansion of outdoor spaces as part of safe reopening plans.

Departmental Result: Businesses invest in the development and commercialization of innovative technologies in southern Ontario

In 2020–21, FedDev Ontario had 64 active projects with over $150 million invested under this departmental result. FedDev Ontario provided $91.5 million to not-for-profit organizations (NFPs) under the Regional Relief and Recovery FundEndnote 26 (RRRF). Of this, $50 million was allocated to a range of technical supports to help main street businesses and organizations pivot to adopt digital solutions and continue to generate revenue through digital sales channels during the pandemic.  In addition, there were several projects implemented with strategic partners across the region to support businesses and organizations led by under-represented groups to adapt to the impact of the crisis. Together, these 13 approved projects in 2020-21, are expected to support over 24,000 businesses and are estimated to maintain more than 26,000 jobs in the region.

In 2020–21, FedDev Ontario had an active portfolio of 51 projects with $63.2 million invested under the Regional Innovation EcosystemEndnote 27 (RIE) program stream to create, grow and nurture inclusive regional ecosystems that supported business needs, and fostered an entrepreneurial environment conducive to innovation, growth and competitiveness. The portfolio includes investments in areas of competitive advantage for southern Ontario, including health and life sciences, advanced manufacturing, and disruptive technologies, such as quantum technologies and smart cities. The Agency made targeted investments in NFP organizations that provided support to businesses at each stage of development in areas where Canada and southern Ontario have the potential to have a leadership position and opportunities for growth.

RIE active projects in 2020-21 leveraged over $3 for every dollar invested by the Agency, supported more than 490 organizations and businesses, resulted in over 160 partnerships/ collaborations, and created 1,478 jobs and maintained 2,285 jobs. RIE projects strengthened collaboration between the region's businesses, post-secondary institutions and not-for-profit organizations. In support of Government of Canada priorities, through the RIE program stream, FedDev Ontario invested $20.7 million in 15 projects that are led or majority led by a member of an underrepresented group, such as women, Indigenous peoples, Black people and other racialized groups, youth, LGBTQ2, and others.

In 2020–21, FedDev Ontario made several strategic investments to build robust and inclusive regional innovation ecosystems, to catalyze the emergence of new clusters and support innovative companies to scale. Significant investments include $6 million to Innovation Factory to build out the biotechnology and life sciences cluster in Hamilton, as well as the $8.2 million investment in the University of Waterloo Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing Lab to facilitate new supply chain integration opportunities, and a $4.7 million expansion to the Hardware Catalyst Lab at VentureLAB to virtualize their capabilities and expand the supports available to semiconductor and hardware companies to commercialize their technologies and scale their growth.   In addition, investments were made over the last year to support more inclusive ecosystems through re-skilling and upskilling initiatives to support greater participation of under-represented groups in emerging sectors.  This includes over $5 million to Elevate to work with community based organizations to provide rapid re-skilling for members of BIPOC communities in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, as well as close to $6.4 million through the YWCA Hamilton to re-skill women for careers in advanced manufacturing and IT careers.

RIE projects also continued to strengthen strategic clusters by supporting consortia that bring together stakeholders to address economic priorities, which include smart cities and digital health sectors.

See related FedDev Ontario Success Story: Digital Main Street (DMS)

In 2020–21, several RIE projects pivoted to support the Government of Canada's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation (SONAMI), which brings together post-secondary institutions to help small and medium-sized manufacturers grow their business by adopting advanced manufacturing technologies in their operations, worked with FedDev Ontario to implement a short-term response to leverage its advanced manufacturing infrastructure to support regional production of personal protective equipment (PPE).

FedDev Ontario met or exceeded targets set for the two performance indicators under this departmental result (see Results achieved table). For the first performance indicator, in 2020–21, the value of business expenditure on research and development by firms receiving FedDev Ontario program funding was $229.9 million, above the target of $100.92 million. For the second performance indicator, related to percentage of companies engaged in collaborations with higher education institutions in southern Ontario, the Agency met its target of 21.5 percent.

Digital Main Street (DMS)

When brick-and-mortar businesses were forced to close to foot traffic at the beginning of the pandemic, it became apparent that an online presence is key to resilience. A $42.5-million investment in June 2020 from FedDev Ontario brought together the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas, Communitech, Invest Ottawa and the Ontario Business Improvement Area Association to expand the existing Digital Main Street platform across the province. Since then, partners delivered critical support to over 21,900 small businesses across Ontario to  pivot their operations to include digital business models, regain lost revenue and become more resilient and competitive as the economy recovers, employing more than 1,400 students and youth to help deliver these supports.

  • Little Chief & Co., a St. Catharines main street boutique that offers sustainable pet food and supplies, was forced to close its shop doors when the pandemic hit. Owners Jen and Mike McKenna connected with Digital Main Street to help pivot their shop toward digital business models. Through tailored advice and support from youth hired through DMS, the owners were able to quickly transition to e-commerce through the ShopHERE program, while also taking advantage of a $2,500 Digital Transformation Grant to support a digital expansion through the purchase and adoption of digital tools and technologies. This allowed Little Chief & Co. to launch an online store and continue to generate revenue through new sales channels.
  • Following the launch of the company's online store, The Digital Main Street team helped the McKennas take advantage of the FutureProof tier of the program where they were able to work with a dedicated team to explore methods of further digital transformation for their business. This included finding and integrating a robust shipping solution to allow them to scale operations, as well as creating a targeted marketing strategy, which helped the business to not only survive the pandemic, but also breakthrough into the U.S. market.

"The Digital Main Street program has been vital to our business during the COVID-19 crisis by allowing us to quickly pivot from our brick and mortar storefront to being fully online, while offering curbside pick-up and free local delivery," stated Jen and Mike.

"ShopHERE, the Transformation Grant and  Future Proof helped us optimize our time, energy and resources while continuously growing the Little Chief & Co. shopping experience for our local community and beyond. With the support of Digital Main Street, helping our business survive and expand, our online sales now account for over 25 percent of our total sales, and continue to grow weekly!"

Results achieved
Departmental results Performance indicators Target Date to achieve target 2018–19 Actual results 2019–20 Actual results 2020–21 Actual results
Communities are economically diversified in southern Ontario Percentage of SMEs that are majority-owned by women, Indigenous peoples, youth, visible minorities and persons with disabilities in southern Ontario At least 15.1% of SMEs are majority-owned by women March 31, 2021

Women: 15.1% Footnote 1

Women: 15.1% Footnote 1

Women: 15.1% Footnote 1

At least 1% of SMEs are majority-owned by Indigenous peoples

Indigenous: 1% Footnote 1

Indigenous: 1% Footnote 1

Indigenous: 1% Footnote 1

At least 16% of SMEs are majority-owned by youth

Youth: 16% Footnote 1

Youth: 16% Footnote 1

Youth: 16% Footnote 1

At least 16.2% of SMEs are majority-owned by visible minorities

Visible minorities: 16.2% Footnote 1

Visible minorities: 16.2% Footnote 1

Visible minorities: 16.2% Footnote 1

At least 0.8% of SMEs majority-owned by persons with disabilities

Persons with disabilities: 0.8% Footnote 1

Persons with disabilities: 0.8% Footnote 1

Persons with disabilities: 0.8% Footnote 1

Communities are economically diversified in southern Ontario Percentage of professional, science and technology related jobs in southern Ontario's economy

At least 35.1%

March 31, 2021

35.3%

36.0%

38.2%

Amount leveraged per dollar invested by FedDev Ontario in community projects

At least $1.00

March 31, 2021

$3.29

$2.53

$1.72Footnote 2

Businesses in southern Ontario invest in the development and commercialization of innovative technologies Value of business expenditure on research and development by firms receiving FedDev Ontario program funding (in dollars)

At least $100.92M

March 31, 2021

$100.92M

$205.9M

$229.9M

Percentage of companies engaged in collaborations with higher education institutions in southern Ontario

At least 21.5%

March 31, 2021

21.5%Footnote 3

21.5%Footnote 3

21.5%Footnote 3

Businesses in southern Ontario are innovative and growing Number of high-growth firms in southern Ontario

At least 4,190

March 31, 2021

4,190

4,190

4,280

Value of exports of goods (in dollars) from southern Ontario

At least $188.5B

March 31, 2021

$190.9B

$195.8B

$184.3BFootnote 4

Value of exports of clean technologies (in dollars) from southern Ontario

TBDFootnote 5

March 31, 2021

Not available

$6.6BFootnote 5

$6.6BFootnote 6

Revenue growth rate of firms supported by FedDev Ontario programs

At least 7.85%

March 31, 2021

13.45%

8.27%

11.18%

General note: Actual results are based on the latest available data from Statistics Canada. Actual results for previous years were the latest available at that time. Statistics Canada data may have been updated after drafting of this report.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)
2020–21 Main Estimates 2020–21 Planned spending 2020–21 Total authorities available for use 2020–21 Actual spending authorities used) 2020–21 Difference (Actual spending minus Planned spending)

$239,480,721

$239,480,721

$681,787,947

$679,506,478

$440,025,757

Note: The variance between actual and planned spending is related to the increased funding received to support the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF) and the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) in 2020-21 due to COVID-19 impacts.

Human resources (full-time equivalents)
2020–21 Planned full-time equivalents 2020–21 Actual full-time equivalents 2020–21 Difference (Actual full-time equivalents minus Planned full-time equivalents)

172

210

38

Note: The variance between actual and planned human resources is due to the requirement for greater capacity to deliver the increased funding received to support RRRF and WES in 2020-21.

Financial, human resources and performance information for the FedDev Ontario's Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase Endnote 28.

Internal Services

Description

Internal Services are those groups of related activities and resources that the federal government considers to be services in support of programs and/or required to meet corporate obligations of an organization. Internal Services refers to the activities and resources of the 10 distinct service categories that support Program delivery in the organization, regardless of the Internal Services delivery model in a department. The 10 service categories are:

  • Acquisition Management Services
  • Communication Services
  • Financial Management Services
  • Human Resources Management Services
  • Information Management Services
  • Information Technology Services
  • Legal Services
  • Material Management Services
  • Management and Oversight Services
  • Real Property Management Services

Results

In 2020–21, FedDev Ontario responded to COVID-19 by adopting new approaches to build awareness of the Agency's programs, support and impact in southern Ontario while supporting the region's public health and lockdown measures. This involved pivoting to using online video platforms for virtual events and project announcements, and enhancing use of social media, strategic web content and other digital communications platforms. In addition, to ensure consistent client service and ease of access to information, all RDAs worked closely together to coordinate approaches and communications, ensuring consistency in program flexibilities and conditions for COVID-19 response programs, including the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF), and the Regional Air Transportation Initiative (RATI).

The Agency executed over 130 announcements and events for projects and investments which included two events with the Prime Minister, as well as numerous other virtual events and video messages featuring the Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries and local MPs. FedDev Ontario's website had 75,821 unique visitors to the homepage, 108,649 visitors to the RRRF page and 6,211 readers of the monthly Southern Ontario Spotlight newsletter, with content focused on highlighting COVID-19 relief measures and profiling recipients who pivoted operations to support production of medical equipment and personal protective equipment vital to the country's COVID-19 efforts.

The Agency also provided employees with enhanced information management and information technology tools to enable an agile, innovative and digital workplace. For example, expanded adoption of Microsoft Teams and WebEx allowed staff to connect through virtual meetings and improved client services. Expanded use of digital signatures created efficiencies in approval processes and reduced dependence on paper. These digital tools enabled the Agency to work remotely, allowing staff to continue providing superior support to stakeholders and partners as well as launching new pandemic-related programming. As the Agency prepares for the future of the workplace, lessons learned from this past year will be incorporated into Agency plans, and it is anticipated that remote work will remain a pillar in its workplace configuration.

The Agency established a multi-year controls testing plan to contribute to organizational oversight. Launched in January 2021, the assessment plan takes into consideration the impact of COVID-19 on day-to-day operations and new emerging risks. The three-year control assessment includes the RDA multi-year risk-based internal audit engagements for 2020 through to 2023, and the internal reviews for in-house completion. It also includes the newly scheduled performance audit by the Office of the Auditor General on the RRRF program. 

Human Resources Management remained a key area of focus for FedDev Ontario in 2020–21. The Agency continued to create an environment that is committed to recruitment and retention of talent, embracing diversity and inclusion and supporting learning, innovation and collaboration in a way that sets it apart as a workplace of choice. Significant and ongoing work continues to ensure the work environment at FedDev Ontario is respectful, embodies a culture of excellence, and embraces diversity and inclusion in line with the Clerk of the Privy Council's Call to Action. To support this, FedDev Ontario joined the 50-30 ChallengeEndnote 29, which is an initiative between the Government of Canada, business and diversity organizations. Its goal is to increase the representation and inclusion of under-represented groups in leadership positions, as well as staff. To date, the Agency has appointed a Champion of Diversity and Inclusion, updated employment equity statements for inclusion on all FedDev Ontario job advertisements, engaged staff through a new employee-oriented initiative called Your Voice, and completed the Fall 2020 Self-ID blitz that saw 100% staff participation.

The Agency's culture of learning and its recruitment of the next generation through summer employment and co-op work experience programs is demonstrated in its recognition on the Career Directory 2021 as one of Canada's Best Employers for Recent Graduates for its excellence as a workplace of choice. To encourage and foster an environment of learning for staff, FedDev Ontario offered a coaching and mentoring project as well as encouraged participation in training events and use of the Agency's talent discussion tool. These activities align with the Government of Canada's Beyond 2020 initiativeEndnote 30.

The Agency's results on the 2020 Public Service Employee SurveyEndnote 31 (PSES) include:

  • 93 percent of staff reported that the people they work with value their ideas and opinions;
  • 86 percent of staff indicated that they were encouraged to be innovative or take initiative at work;
  • 91 percent of staff reported that the Agency respects individual differences (e.g., culture, work styles, ideas);
  • 87 percent of staff indicated that in the work unit, every individual is accepted as an equal member of the team; and,
  • 89 percent of staff reported that the Agency does a good job of raising awareness of mental health in the workplace.

The Agency accelerated the development of its internal grants and contributions program management system to adapt quickly to the task of delivering federal relief funding. With the advanced development, applications for the RRRF were received online, and assessed using the online platform, reducing processing and approval times, and getting needed funds into the hands of businesses across southern Ontario.

FedDev Ontario grew its social media reach significantly by adding more than 19,000 new followers and creating posts that resulted in more than 20,000 engagements and were seen more than 2.6 million times. Followers of the Agency's LinkedIn account increased by 373 percent, engagements increased by 217 percent and impressions increased by 226 percent over the previous year. With expanded use of Twitter and Instagram throughout the year, followers were increased by 19 percent and 78 percent respectively, and Twitter engagements increased by 151 percent.  The Agency added to its social media presence with a new Facebook page, posting regularly to grow its audience and initiating a process to broadcast live events and announcements on the platform.

Throughout the year, the Ontario Federal Council which is chaired by the President of FedDev Ontario, supported the collaboration and coordination of government-wide initiatives and priorities, and played a key role in the region to disseminate central guidance related to COVID-19 in order to support the regional workforce. In addition, the OFC established a new regional grassroots network on Diversity & Inclusion to bring together like-minded colleagues at all levels and from multiple organizations across the region to discuss systemic issues that may create barriers to equity and inclusion in the public sector. The OFC also continued to engage with various provincial ministries across the Ontario Public Service to enable meaningful collaboration, and advanced Beyond 2020Endnote 32 principles, promoted learning and talent management, and encouraged diverse, healthy and respectful workplaces.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)
2020–21 Main Estimates 2020–21 Planned spending 2020–21 Total authorities available for use 2020–21 Actual spending (authorities used) 2020–21 Difference (Actual spending minus Planned spending)

$12,675,425

$12,675,425

$14,741,370

$13,240,017

$564,592

Human resources (full-time equivalents)
2020–21 Planned full-time equivalents 2020–21 Actual full-time equivalents 2020–21 Difference (Actual full-time equivalents minus Planned full-time equivalents)

93

84

-9

Analysis of trends in spending and human resources

Actual expenditures

Departmental spending trend graph

The following graph presents planned (voted and statutory) spending over time.

Total expenditures increased to $692.7 million in fiscal year 2020-21, compared to $267.5 million in fiscal year 2019-20. The primary increase is seen in total statutory authorities, with $241.6 million for the year ending March 31, 2021, compared to $3.4 million in 2019-20. This increase is attributed to the RRRF authorities granted to FedDev Ontario as part of the Public Health Events of National Concern Payments Act. Accompanying increases in Voted authorities also align with the delivery of RRRF in southern Ontario.

Budgetary performance summary for Core Responsibilities and Internal Services (dollars)
Core responsibilities and Internal Services 2020–21 Main Estimates 2020–21 Planned spending 2021–22 Planned spending 2022–23 Planned spending 2020–21 Total authorities available for use 2018–19 Actual spending (authorities used) 2019–20 Actual spending (authorities used) 2020–21 Actual spending (authorities used)

Economic development in southern Ontario

239,480,721

239,480,721

244,171,019

224,260,221

681,787,947

220,057,754

254,749,868

679,506,478

Budget Implementation vote–unallocated authorities

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Subtotal

239,480,721

239,480,721

244,171,019

224,260,221

681,787,947

220,057,754

254,749,868

679,506,478

Internal Services

12,675,425

12,675,425

12,972,416

12,776,556

14,741,370

16,648,044

12,754,540

13,240,017

Total

252,156,146

252,156,146

257,143,435

237,036,777

696,529,317

236,705,798

267,504,408

692,746,495

Actual human resources

Human resources summary for core responsibilities and Internal Services
Core responsibilities and Internal Services 2018–19 Actual full-time equivalents 2019–20 Actual full-time equivalents 2020–21 Planned full-time equivalents 2020–21 Actual full-time equivalents 2021–22 Planned full-time equivalents 2022–23 Planned full-time equivalents

Economic development in southern Ontario

112

184

172

210

185

182

Subtotal

112

184

172

210

185

182

Internal Services

120

87

93

84

87

86

Total

232

271

265

294

272

268

Note: 2020-21 Actual spending and full-time equivalents increased due to increased funding provided for the delivery of the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund and Women Entrepreneurship Strategy.

Expenditures by vote

For information on the Federal Economic Development Agency for southern Ontario's organizational voted and statutory expenditures, consult the Public Accounts of Canada 2020–2021.Endnote 33

Government of Canada spending and activities

Information on the alignment of the Federal Economic Development Agency for southern Ontario's spending with the Government of Canada's spending and activities is available in GC InfoBase.Endnote 34

Financial statements and financial statements highlights

Financial statements

The Federal Economic Development Agency for southern Ontario's financial statements (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2021, are available on the FedDev Ontario website. Endnote 35   

Financial statement highlights

Condensed Statement of Operations (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2021 (dollars)
Financial information 2020–21 Planned results 2020–21 Actual results 2019–20 Actual results Difference (2020–21 Actual results minus 2020–21 Planned results) Difference (2020–21 Actual results minus 2019–20 Actual results)

Total expenses

$184,073,898

$347,775,139

$184,222,051

$163,701,241

$163,553,088

Total revenues

0

$20,513

$13,314

$20,513

$7,199

Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers

$184,073,898

$347,754,626

$184,208,737

$163,680,728

$163,545,889

Overall expenses for 2020-21 have increased by 89% compared to the 2020-21 planned results and 2019-20 actual results due to the launch of the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund, and new funding for the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy in early 2020-21. The increase is attributed to non-repayable contributions provided to support southern Ontario businesses and organizations to weather the economic impacts of COVID-19. FedDev Ontario received funding throughout the fiscal year through both supplementary estimates and statutory authorities through the Public Health Events of National Concern Payments Act. Revenues do not account for a significant portion of FedDev Ontario's finances.

Condensed Statement of Financial Position (unaudited) as of March 31, 2021 (dollars)
Financial information 2020–21 2019–20 Difference (2020–21 minus 2019–20)

Total net liabilities

$26,509,317

$30,966,319

-$4,457,002

Total net financial assets

$23,654,144

$28,406,659

-$4,752,515

Departmental net debt

$2,855,173

$2,559,660

$295,513

Total non-financial assets

$57,793

$64,669

-$6,876

Departmental net financial position

-$2,797,380

-$2,494,991

-$302,389

Departmental net financial position for FedDev Ontario has minimal variance from prior year balances. The $302,389 difference is reflective of increased liabilities recognized for employee leave balances. Net liabilities and net assets are primarily composed of liabilities established for transfer payment disbursements owed to recipients, and an asset balance for the cash due from the consolidated revenue fund to discharge these payments.

Corporate Information

Organizational profile

Appropriate minister[s]:

Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for southern Ontario:
The Honourable Helena Jaczek, P.C., M.P.
The Honourable Melanie Joly, P.C., M.P. (responsible Minister for 2020-21)
Institutional head:
Nancy Gardiner (Appointed on September 1, 2021)
Ministerial portfolio:
Innovation, Science and Economic Development (portfolio name for 2020-21)

Enabling instrument[s]:

Order in Council P.C. 2009-1410 dated August 13, 2009, amending Schedule I.1 of the Financial Administration Act to include the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario as a department.

Order in Council P.C. 2009-1411 dated August 13, 2009, whereby the Department of Industry transferred to the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario the control and supervision of the portion of the federal administration in the Department of Industry known as the Southern Ontario Regional Economic Branch.

Year of incorporation / commencement: 2009

Raison d'être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do

"Raison d'être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do" is available on FedDev Ontario's website. Endnote 36

For more information on the department's organizational mandate letter commitments, see the Minister's mandate letter. Endnote 37

Operating context

Information on the operating context is available on FedDev Ontario's website. Endnote 38

Reporting framework

Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario's Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory of record for 2020–21 are shown below.

Departmental Results Framework Core Responsibility:
Economic Development in Southern Ontario
Departmental Result:
Businesses in southern Ontario are innovative and growing

Indicator: Number of high-growth firms in southern Ontario

Indicator: Value of exports of goods (in dollars) from southern Ontario

Indicator: Value of exports of clean technologies (in dollars) from southern Ontario

Indicator: Revenue growth rate of firms supported by FedDev Ontario programs

Departmental Result:
Communities are economically diversified in southern Ontario

Indicator: Percentage of SMEs that are majority-owned by women, Indigenous peoples, youth, visible minorities and persons with disabilities in southern Ontario

Indicator: Percentage of professional, science and technologyrelated jobs in southern Ontario's economy

Indicator: Amount leveraged per dollar invested by FedDev Ontario in community projects

Departmental Result:
Businesses in southern Ontario invest in the development and commercialization of innovative technologies

Indicator: Value of business expenditure on research and development by firms receiving FedDev Ontario program funding (in dollars)

Indicator: Percentage of companies engaged in collaborations with higher education institutions in southern Ontario

Program Inventory

Business Scale-up and Productivity

Regional Innovation Ecosystem

Community Economic Development and Diversification

Supporting information on the program inventory

Financial, human resources and performance information for Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario's Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.Endnote 39

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on FedDev Ontario's website Endnote 40:

  • Reporting on green procurement
  • Details on transfer payment programs
  • Gender-based analysis plus

Federal tax expenditures

The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures.Endnote 41 This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs as well as evaluations and GBA Plus of tax expenditures.

Organizational contact information

Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
101-139 Northfield Drive West
Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 5A6
Canada

Telephone: 1-866-593-5505
Fax: 519-725-4976
E-mail: info@feddevontario.gc.ca

Web: https://www.feddevontario.gc.ca

Appendix: definitions

appropriation (crédit)
Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)
Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.
core responsibility(responsabilité essentielle)
An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a core responsibility are reflected in one or more related departmental results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.
Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)
A report on the plans and expected performance of an appropriated department over a 3year period. Departmental Plans are usually tabled in Parliament each spring.
departmental priority (priorité)
A plan or project that a department has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Priorities represent the things that are most important or what must be done first to support the achievement of the desired departmental results.
departmental result (résultat ministériel)
A consequence or outcome that a department seeks to achieve. A departmental result is often outside departments' immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.
departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)
A quantitative measure of progress on a departmental result.
departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)
A framework that connects the department's core responsibilities to its departmental results and departmental result indicators.
Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)
A report on a department's actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.
experimentation (expérimentation)
The conducting of activities that seek to first explore, then test and compare the effects and impacts of policies and interventions in order to inform evidence-based decision-making, and improve outcomes for Canadians, by learning what works, for whom and in what circumstances. Experimentation is related to, but distinct from innovation (the trying of new things), because it involves a rigorous comparison of results. For example, using a new website to communicate with Canadians can be an innovation; systematically testing the new website against existing outreach tools or an old website to see which one leads to more engagement, is experimentation.
full-time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)
A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full personyear charge against a departmental budget. For a particular position, the fulltime equivalent figure is the ratio of number of hours the person actually works divided by the standard number of hours set out in the person's collective agreement.
gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS Plus])
An analytical process used to assess how diverse groups of women, men and gender-diverse people experience policies, programs and services based on multiple factors including race ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability.
government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)
For the purpose of the 2020–21 Departmental Results Report, those high-level themes outlining the government's agenda in the 2019 Speech from the Throne, namely: Fighting climate change; Strengthening the Middle Class; Walking the road of reconciliation; Keeping Canadians safe and healthy; and Positioning Canada for success in an uncertain world.
horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)
An initiative where two or more federal organizations are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.
non-budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)
Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.
performance (rendement)
What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.
performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)
A qualitative or quantitative means of measuring an output or outcome, with the intention of gauging the performance of an organization, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.
performance reporting (production de rapports sur le rendement)
The process of communicating evidencebased performance information. Performance reporting supports decision making, accountability and transparency.
plan (plan)
The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally, a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead to the expected result.
planned spending (dépenses prévues)

For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in Main Estimates.

A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.

program (programme)
Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within the department and focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.
program inventory (répertoire des programmes)
Identifies all the department's programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the department's core responsibilities and results.
result (résultat)
A consequence attributed, in part, to an organization, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single organization, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the organization's influence.
statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)
Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.
target (cible)
A measurable performance or success level that an organization, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.
voted expenditures (dépenses votées)
Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an appropriation act. The vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.