NORTH BAY – The Ontario government is providing more than $1 million through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) to Canadore College in North Bay to expand the capabilities of the Innovation Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Prototyping (ICAMP). This investment will help boost business innovation and expansion, creating jobs and economic prosperity in the North.

“Our government is proud to continue providing targeted investments that will support the manufacturing industry in Northern Ontario,” said MPP Vic Fedeli. “The expansion of ICAMP at Canadore College will help businesses and students work together to conduct market research by using specialized equipment to design, develop and test innovative ideas.”

Canadore College will use NOHFC funding to complete the second phase of ICAMP’s Concept Development Lab and create the Entrepreneurship Academy. The Concept Development Lab will become an innovation shop with state-of-the-art technology that will enable entrepreneurs and students to make and test prototypes with the support of an on-site engineer and technician. The Entrepreneurship Academy will offer Northern Ontario start-ups and young companies a place where they can be guided through the ideation stage through to the process, create their own prototypes, and rent equipment.

“Through the NOHFC, our government continues to support local businesses with their expansion and innovation endeavors,” said Greg Rickford, Minister of Northern Development. “This investment ensures ICAMP at Canadore College will continue to help businesses develop innovative products and services, which will lead to economic diversification and create real opportunities for the people who live, work, study and do business in the North.”

The NOHFC promotes economic prosperity across Northern Ontario by providing financial assistance to projects—big and small, rural and urban—that stimulate growth, job creation and skills development. Since June 2018, the NOHFC has invested more than $717 million in 5,875 projects in Northern Ontario, leveraging more than $2.3 billion in investment and creating or sustaining over 9,260 jobs.

Quick Facts

• The Ontario government launched new and improved NOHFC programs that support more projects in rural northern communities and make it easier for more people and businesses to apply. The programs target existing and emerging markets, provide more work opportunities for Indigenous people and address the skilled labour shortage in the North.




• The NOHFC’s Community Enhancement Program builds strong and resilient northern communities through targeted investments in critical infrastructure.
  
  
  

Additional Resources

• The NOHFC, Northern Development Offices and Small Business Enterprise Centres are available to support northern communities, businesses and other stakeholders in identifying economic development opportunities and assist in accessing government funding programs.




• Canadore College’s ICAMP has state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies and supports innovative applied research designed to meet the needs of industry. ICAMP has undertaken more than 800 projects with over 300 companies, ranging from short-term technical assistance to multi-year complex projects. These projects have helped create or retain over 330 jobs in the region.
  

Quotes

“The Concept Development Lab is a joint initiative of the Innovation Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Prototyping, Innovation Initiatives Ontario North and MakeIT Centre. In Northern Ontario, the services that the Concept Development Lab will provide currently do not exist or are complementary to existing services.” – Brad Gavan, Director of Foundation, ICAMP, Corporate, Community, and Alumni Partnership at Canadore College

“Canadore College is committed to experiential learning and applied research. The Concept Development Lab will co-exist with the Entrepreneurship Academy at Canadore by providing technical support for the development of innovative products. The Entrepreneurship Academy will work with ecosystem partners to bring the products to market. We thank the Government of Ontario for its continued support, and the financial commitments towards these endeavours.” – George Burton, President and CEO, Canadore College

Media Contacts

Curtis Lindsay, Minister’s Office — 437-240-7317 — curtis.lindsay@ontario.ca

Media Desk, Communications Branch — mediadesk.ndm@ontario.ca