The Federal Government is making FedNor a stand-alone agency.
Municipal leaders across the north have long called for the move to give them greater independence to funding requests.
Terry Sheehan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister responsible for FedNor, says the government is responding.
“Stakeholders told us that FedNor needed more independence and local decision making to ensure it could better respond to the region’s economic development needs, and that’s what we’re doing here today.”
Nipissing-Timiskaming MPP Anthony Rota says it will better respond to the needs of the area.
“We do not have to rely on Ottawa to tell us ‘well this is how you’re going to do it’. We have guidelines like the other RDA (regional development agencies) in the country, but we can make those decisions that reflect us.
The switch from a government program to a separate agency also comes with a larger budget.
The regional development program was first created in 1987, operating under various ministries until now.
