The Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC) is working with several organizations and levels of government to help local businesses access new opportunities in federal defence procurement and international supply chains.
CEDC chief executive officer Jamie Taylor said their business development team is working to learn more about the opportunities and continues to provide information sessions and webinars, which provide insight into participation in procurement opportunities.
“A panel presentation, Accessing Federal Government Procurement Opportunities: Defence and Beyond, was provided at Prosperity Northwest in January to discuss this emerging opportunity,” said Taylor. The presentation demonstrated how Thunder Bay’s service and supply companies can position themselves to win federal contracts and benefit from unprecedented investments in the defence sector.
Taylor added that they are collaborating with a program officer from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (FedNor) to provide additional engagement opportunities.
“Further investigation on Northern Ontario-specific programming to help companies located in Thunder Bay overcome hurdles in understanding how to engage with large prime contractors is ongoing, specifically with our participation in the relaunched Northern Ontario Road to Defence (NORD) program, in which the CEDC will be an active stakeholder for the next three years,” she added.
Taylor said they found that the Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) Policy is a key opportunity for companies in Thunder Bay to participate in the defence sector.
“At a high level, this program from the federal government leverages defence procurement to contractually require Canadian content in large defence projects and procurement,” she said. “Companies located in Thunder Bay can benefit from the growth opportunities in Canada’s defence procurement by leveraging expertise and manufacturing capacity, which has grown in response to other resource industries such as forestry and mining.”
Taylor noted that additional training and infrastructure, such as the Confederation College Aviation Centre of Excellence (ACE), provide opportunities for the tight-knit business and innovation community to respond to the growing needs of the Canadian Forces.
Recently, Lucy Kwiaton, the CEDC’s business development team manager and Mike Barten, a development officer, toured the college’s ACE facility with a FedNor defence sector specialist and Michelle Salo, the college president, which strengthened collaboration and advanced key conversations across the sector.
Taylor recommends that businesses continue to engage with the CEDC as it investigates future opportunities and key events in the defence sector. They are hosting another webinar on resources and tools for defence sector procurement on March 11.
“Businesses should be prepared to investigate key events such as the Northern Ontario Road to Defence (NORD) conference in April, and Canada’s Global Defence and Security Trade Show (CANSEC) in May.
“Companies will also want to investigate the certifications that may be required to do business on defence projects, or determine any security requirements that may be necessary.” Taylor pointed out.
