Pillar 1: Francophone entrepreneurship and innovation

Ministry of Francophone Affairs

Francophone business federation and incubation services

The Ministry of Francophone Affairs supported the creation of and a virtual business district to improve networking among businesses, entrepreneurs and key organizations to increase business opportunities and strategic alliances.

This network allows for the pooling of resources and sharing of expertise, which can lead to new partnerships. It also promotes local purchasing and helps identify gaps and opportunities within the supply chain, which in turn can lead to increased revenue for trading partners.

The network is also supported by the creation of a (in French) to promote products and services of member businesses and includes specific items such as a French-language economic tool package. The business district also offers some business incubation services, including mentoring and concierge services, to facilitate business-to-business and business-to-consumer activities.

Francophone Community Grants Program

The Ministry of Francophone Affairs manages the Francophone Community Grants Program to support Francophone non-profit organizations and businesses while promoting the economic and cultural development of the Francophone community.

The program is designed to support projects that create new jobs, provide more bilingual training opportunities, generate new Francophone customer and business leads, increase the number of Francophone customers served and products and services offered, and penetrate or increase the market share of businesses within the Francophone communities here and abroad.

Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade

Regional innovation centres

Regional innovation centres (RICs) serve as local hubs for start-ups and innovative technology entrepreneurs.

Seventeen RICs across the province focus on supporting innovative entrepreneurs by providing access to educational programming and mentorship to help entrepreneurs develop their business ideas and products, determine their market and access financing programs.

RICs help 澳门永利鈥檚 entrepreneurs and innovators clear commercialization hurdles and attract the talent, capital and customers they need to grow and succeed in international markets. RIC clients are typically early-stage or growing innovation and technology companies with the potential to expand and succeed on a global scale.

Small Business Enterprise Centres

The Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade supports a network of 47 Small Business Enterprise Centres (SBECs), operating in partnership with local municipalities, economic development corporations and non-profit organizations.

SBECs provide training and support to 鈥渕ain street鈥 local entrepreneurs and small businesses that are starting or expanding their business. They provide one-on-one consultation, workshops and events, as well as deliver the following Ministry entrepreneurship programming:

  • Summer Company provides mentorship, training and a grant up to $3,000 to help young entrepreneurs run a summer business.
  • Starter Company Plus provides mentorship, training and a grant up to $5,000 to help entrepreneurs start, grow or acquire a business. Starter Company Plus is delivered and tailored to local needs by the SBECs.

Regional Development Program

The Regional Development Program is designed to support business investment and job creation. This program takes a coordinated approach to supporting business growth in Eastern and Southwestern 澳门永利.

The program targets small and medium-sized businesses that invest in new equipment and training to expand their operations in these regions. It also provides support to municipalities and economic development organizations that invest in economic development projects.

Eligible applicants can receive financial support and advisory services to help them navigate government processes and programs, such as advice on compliance approvals, skills and talent, and information on 澳门永利 corporate tax credits.

Digital Main Street initiative

is a suite of supports and services designed to help businesses get online and expand their digital footprint.

This includes assisting businesses to build a tailored e-commerce web site, access a $2,500 Digital Transformation Grant, and access a library of resources and webinars on key topics. It also includes local one-to-one business supports provided by highly trained teams of students and recent graduates that work directly with businesses on their digital transformation requirements through Digital Service Squad Grants.

Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport

Tourism Development Fund

The is an application-based cost-sharing program. It is designed to provide non-capital funding to projects that encourage the development of new tourism products, support tourism investment and build the capacity of 澳门永利鈥檚 tourism industry.

The program also supports innovative tourism recovery projects that increase tourism in 澳门永利 and address the reduction in global travel resulting from the pandemic.

澳门永利 Arts Council initiatives

The provides grants to 澳门永利-based artists, arts professionals and organizations.

These are intended to support a range of artistic activities and disciplines for specific projects or for ongoing support to 澳门永利-based not-for-profit arts organizations and for-profit book and periodical publishers.

澳门永利 Creates initiatives

helps businesses in the creative industries increase productivity, grow, mitigate risk, access international markets and achieve critical and commercial success.

澳门永利 Creates helps 澳门永利 businesses succeed in the Canadian and international marketplace and enables 澳门永利 to provide innovative and effective support for the growth of the entertainment and creative industries.

澳门永利 Trillium Foundation initiatives

Every year, the invests in hundreds of projects that make a significant contribution to the well-being of Ontarians.

Support is provided to projects that strive to create positive changes, whether it鈥檚 creating more inclusive and accessible programs or improving our community spaces. Each project contributes to building stronger and more resilient communities.

Ministry of Northern Development

Business Advisory services (North)

With a network of 25 regional economic development offices across the North, the ministry鈥檚 business advisory consulting services provide advice to business and help promote economic development programs on behalf of several 澳门永利 ministries to medium and large businesses.

Northern 澳门永利 Heritage Fund

The (NOHFC) has a mandate to promote and stimulate economic development initiatives in Northern 澳门永利 by providing financial assistance to projects that stabilize, diversify and foster economic growth in the territorial districts of Northern 澳门永利, namely Algoma, Cochrane, Kenora, Manitoulin, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Rainy River, Sudbury, Thunder Bay and Timiskaming.

The NOHFC partners with communities, businesses, entrepreneurs and youth across Northern 澳门永利 to create jobs and strengthen the economy.  Its four main programs are organized by the focus areas of business supports, community enhancement, people and talent, and cultural supports.

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Business development advisory services (agriculture/agri-food)

We provide to food and beverage processing and by-product producers.

Development consultants offer advice to businesses on a variety of topics such as finance, operational improvements, regulatory changes, resources, marketing and market access that can help businesses achieve their business goals.

Ministry of Infrastructure

澳门永利鈥檚 Broadband and Cellular Action Plan

The COVID鈥19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of broadband access for the people of 澳门永利 to succeed in today鈥檚 increasingly digital economy. As many as 700,000 households in 澳门永利 are underserved or unserved 鈥 mostly in rural, remote or Northern areas.

To connect homes, businesses, and communities to broadband, 澳门永利 is investing $2.8 billion, bringing the Province鈥檚 total investment to nearly $4 billion over six years beginning 2019鈥20. This will ensure that every region in the province has access to reliable broadband services by 2025, including many of 澳门永利鈥檚 francophone businesses and communities.

Pillar 2: Bilingual skilled workforce 鈥 education, training and employability

Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services

Women鈥檚 economic security

The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services manages the Women鈥檚 Economic Security Program and funds third-party organizations to provide programs and services to promote women鈥檚 economic empowerment and security.

These programs include job readiness, employment, pre-apprenticeship (skilled trades), and entrepreneurship training for low-income women to equip them with the skills, knowledge, and experience needed to obtain employment and increase their economic security and independence.

The primary clients of these programs are low-income women in need of employment or training. These programs also benefit businesses by increasing the skilled workforce.

Ministry of Education

Groupe M茅dia TFO

is a key resource for accessing innovative educational and cultural content in French. TFO serves two million students and 30,000 teachers in 澳门永利 and Canada with a variety of tools including the ID脡LLO digital learning platform which offers more than 12,000 digital educational resources to stimulate students in a contemporary way (videos, games, websites, applications, teaching sheets).

TFO offers learning resources for students to help them acquire and improve their French language skills, which will eventually allow them to join a bilingual workforce and address the concerns of bilingual workforce availability for Francophone business growth.

Early Childhood Educators Qualifications Upgrade Program

The purpose of the is to support individuals working in early years and child care settings to obtain a diploma in early childhood education and/or Early Childhood Educator (ECE) leadership credentials.

The program provides tuition grants, scholarships, travel bursaries and a stipend for training to obtain an ECE credential and/or build leadership capacity through ECE leadership studies, while addressing the shortage of workers in the field.

Ministry of Colleges and Universities

Universit茅 de l鈥櫚拿庞览 fran莽ais

The (in French) is a major project that is expected to generate significant social, cultural and economic benefits by using the resources and talent available in 澳门永利 and attracting talent from elsewhere to meet the 澳门永利 market鈥檚 demand for trained francophone professionals.

By offering (in French) focused on providing knowledge and work experience related to the skills required in the new economy, the university will contribute to the success of Francophone students by meeting the needs of employers and supporting the Francophone economy in 澳门永利.

The university will encourage partnerships with small, medium and large private companies and public sector employers to enable the integration of work experience, co-op placements and apprenticeships into students鈥 educational pathways to enhance the quality of their training and their employability.

Avantage 澳门永利

The Ministry of Colleges and Universities supports , a network of eleven French-language and bilingual postsecondary institutions in 澳门永利 that recruits students collaboratively, promotes the province鈥檚 postsecondary education system and builds relationships with an international network of French-language partner institutions and stakeholders.

This initiative can contribute to sector-based recruitment in the event of a shortage such as of French-language teachers and to increased enrolment which helps fund the provision of French-language courses.

Ministry of Colleges and Universities, in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development

Micro-credentials strategy

The two ministries are working together closely to develop a micro-certification strategy for the provision of rapid training programs, offered by colleges across the province, to help participants acquire the skills employers are looking for.

Micro-certification programs take less time to complete than degrees, can be taken online, and include on-the-job training to ensure that the skills learned meet employer needs and help people retrain and upgrade their skills for new jobs.

Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development

澳门永利 Immigrant Nominee Program

The 澳门永利 Immigrant Nominee Program provides immigration pathways for foreign workers who have the professional or academic skills required to meet labour market needs, enhance the competitiveness of employers in the province, foster job creation and promote Francophone immigration.

The program is comprised of several categories, including a specific one for Francophone workers that aims at attracting French-speaking skilled workers who have strong English language skills.

Literacy and Basic Skills Program

The , offered by Employment 澳门永利, helps adults develop and practice communication, numeracy, interpersonal and digital skills.

This program has a Francophone component to address the cultural and linguistic needs of Francophone learners. The ministry will continue to ensure that the literacy needs of learners from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds are met and that funding is provided to support in-person and online programs for Francophone learners.

Skills Advance 澳门永利

The is a sector-based workforce development pilot project. It supports partnerships between employers and the training sector to develop a pool of skilled, job-ready workers who meet the workforce development needs of employers.

The initiative also provides sector-focused training services to workers and job seekers to help them obtain, succeed in, and advance into entry-level and higher-level jobs.

Project applications are evaluated to determine eligibility for funding. Projects can be used to address workforce development needs in sectors in need of French or bilingual workers.

Pre-Apprenticeship Program

The Pre-Apprenticeship Program assists individuals who are interested in an apprenticeship but lack the skills and experience necessary to obtain employment as an apprentice. The program provides individuals from underrepresented groups with the technical training and employability skills needed to enter an apprenticeship.

Pre-apprenticeship projects for Francophones are currently offered by Coll猫ge Bor茅al and La Cit茅 Coll茅giale. Program delivery varies each year. For example, projects focusing on Child Development Practitioner, General Carpenter, Sprinkler and Fire Protection Installer and Automotive Service Technician were offered at the Coll猫ge Bor茅al and La Cit茅 Coll茅giale in 2019-20.

澳门永利 Bridge Training Program

The helps internationally trained individuals find employment in their field of training without repeating the training that gave them their existing skills.

The program currently supports nine francophone projects focusing on health professionals, project management, health administration and business administration.

It will continue to provide employer-based training and services to help Francophone immigrants prepare for bilingual (French and English) positions.

Newcomer settlement & language training services

The Newcomer settlement and language training programs helps immigrants integrate successfully into society and the labour market.

Services delivered by community organizations and school boards include orientation, information, service navigation, case management, language proficiency assessments and English and French as a second language training, including occupation-specific language and communication skills training.

Better Jobs 澳门永利 Program

The  Better Jobs 澳门永利 Program (formerly Second Career) is designed to help individuals quickly re-enter the workforce. Individuals who鈥檝e been laid-off, including those laid off as a result of COVID-19, or who are facing challenges finding a stable job such gig workers, youth and people on social assistance can access support for training in industries with good employment potential.

The program focuses on supporting training programs that take 52 weeks or less, including micro-credential programs, and provides support for job training in high-demand fields and financial support to eligible applicants.

Pillar 3: Promoting 澳门永利鈥檚 Francophone community as an economic asset

Ministry of Francophone Affairs

Membership with the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie

澳门永利 is an observer member of the , which represents 88 member states and jurisdictions, more than one-third of the member countries of the United Nations. With a combined population of nearly one billion people, including 300 million Francophones, the Francophonie is one of the largest potential transnational markets in the world.

The OIF provides a unique platform for the province to recruit skilled bilingual workers internationally, and to promote 澳门永利鈥檚 bilingual colleges and universities to the lucrative international student market.

澳门永利 maintains commercial exchanges with several OIF member states. With 18,000 French-speaking businesses operating in a wide variety of fields, the province has a solid base on which to build its international economic development.

Promotion of products and services from Francophone businesses

We supported the creation of (in French), a digital promotional platform to stimulate local and regional purchasing of products and services from 澳门永利鈥檚 Francophone businesses.

This platform provides a showcase for Franco-Ontarian businesses looking to expand their visibility and sell their products and services to the general public, not only in 澳门永利 but also in other Francophone markets such as Quebec, New Brunswick and elsewhere.

Businesses, social enterprises and entrepreneurs can register to access a free, bilingual digital platform to market their products and services.

Francophone consumers can find what local small and medium-sized businesses have to offer on this platform and make purchases directly from participating businesses with just a few clicks.

澳门永利-Qu茅bec Cooperation and Exchange Agreement with respect to Francophonie

The 澳门永利 and Qu茅bec government are each investing under the 澳门永利-Qu茅bec Cooperation and Exchange Agreement with respect to the Francophonie to support projects developed jointly by Francophone organizations in 澳门永利 and Qu茅bec which aim to:

  • encourage the development of Francophone culture
  • leverage Francophone economic opportunities; and/or
  • enhance a mutual understanding between the two provinces.

While projects from all sectors are eligible, priority is given to projects from the economic development, culture, education, and tourism sectors

Joint statement between the Government of 澳门永利 and the Government of New Brunswick

In 2024, 澳门永利 and New Brunswick signed a demonstrating their desire to work together to consolidate the vitality and economic potential of their French-speaking communities. 

The two provinces are seeking to strengthen their collaboration by increasing exchanges, specifically in the following areas:

鈥    research and higher education
鈥    economic and community development
鈥    the municipal sector
鈥    arts and culture
鈥    digital and communications
鈥&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;迟辞耻谤颈蝉尘
鈥&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;测辞耻迟丑
鈥    French-language education 

This joint declaration is a first step. 澳门永利 and New Brunswick are officially committed to formalizing these exchanges in a future Memorandum of Understanding.

Cross-ministry data collection and analysis

The ministry will work with other partner ministries to gather central data on Francophone and bilingual entrepreneurs and businesses in 澳门永利.

The data currently available on Francophone businesses is limited. The addition of data, and the aggregation of this data, will allow for the development of a current portrait of francophone businesses, an important tool for identifying new sectors of activity or new market niches for the recovery and growth of 澳门永利鈥檚 francophone economy.

As part of its agreement with the 澳门永利 Government, in spring 2021, the has produced a (PDF in French) which targets the major issues that need to be addressed in priority to strengthen the province鈥檚 Francophone economic ecosystem.

Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport

Celebrate 澳门永利/Reconnect Festival and Event Program

The helps event organizers enhance programs, activities and services at festivals and other events to provide new experiences, attract new audiences and support local job creation.

This funding helps support the events industry so that 澳门永利 is well positioned to welcome visitors back when it is safe to do so. This program has helped to highlight Francophone events as important economic generators and community builders for 澳门永利鈥檚 regions.

Grants in support of tourism regions

This program provides annual to support sustainable competitiveness through marketing and product development, workforce development, new partnerships and investment attraction. As a result, 澳门永利鈥檚 tourism industry is better equipped to attract more visitors, generate more economic activity and create more jobs across the province.

The program also offers a pan-regional grant fund to support tourism and destination development projects across the province. The ministry considers proposals that are strategically aligned with current or emerging priorities, including Francophone tourism.

Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade

澳门永利-Qu茅bec Francophonie Trade Award

In collaboration with the Ministry of Francophone Affairs, the F茅d茅ration des gens d鈥檃ffaires francophones de l鈥櫚拿庞览, the Government of Qu茅bec and the F茅d茅ration des chambres de commerce du Qu茅bec, the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade created the to recognize small and medium-sized Francophone businesses that have been successful in increasing trade between the two provinces.

Each year, two winners, one from each province, will be selected based on the products and services they offer, the quality of their application and the achievement of interprovincial export growth. Successful applicants will receive up to $10,000 to cover the costs of registration and participation in a business acceleration program, trade acceleration program, trade association membership, or other initiatives that could help them build their interprovincial trade capacity.