FedDev Ontario provides operating funding to community futures development corporations so that these organizations across southern Ontario are able to have access to business supports, entrepreneurship training, business counselling and loans to support the growth of the business.
They also contribute to supporting community and economic development in rural communities. We support 36 community futures development corporations in southern Ontario. Six of them receive incremental funding to ensure that they are able to provide supports in both official languages, as they serve communities that have significant francophone populations. The CFDCs that serve francophone populations include Prescott-Russell—as you noted—Renfrew, central Niagara, north Simcoe, Essex, Cornwall and counties.
In terms of the CFDCs, they are really instrumental. About 60% of our rural population is being served by CFDCs, but that is also augmented by the programs that FedDev is able to deliver directly.