Vic Fedeli

Victor Anthony "Vic" Fedeli (born August 8, 1956) is a lifelong entrepreneur, businessperson, author, philanthropist, and politician, currently serving as Ontario's Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade and Chair of Cabinet (Ontario).

The Honourable

Vic Fedeli

MPP
Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade
Assumed office
June 20, 2019
PremierDoug Ford
Preceded byTodd Smith
Ontario Chair of Cabinet
Assumed office
June 29, 2018
PremierDoug Ford
Preceded byHelena Jaczek
Ontario Minister of Finance
In office
June 29, 2018 – June 20, 2019
PremierDoug Ford
Preceded byCharles Sousa
Succeeded byRod Phillips
Leader of the Opposition in Ontario
In office
January 26, 2018 – June 29, 2018
Preceded byPatrick Brown
Succeeded byAndrea Horwath
Leader of the
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Interim
In office
January 26, 2018 – March 10, 2018
Preceded byPatrick Brown
Succeeded byDoug Ford
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament
for Nipissing
Assumed office
October 6, 2011
Preceded byMonique Smith
43rd Mayor of North Bay
In office
December 1, 2003 – November 30, 2010
DeputyPeter Chirico
Preceded byJack Burrows
Succeeded byAl McDonald
Personal details
Born
Victor Anthony Fedeli

(1956-08-08) August 8, 1956
North Bay, Ontario
Political partyProgressive Conservative
Spouse(s)Patty Kelly
ResidenceCorbeil, Ontario
OccupationAdvertising executive

His business experience led his firm Fedeli Corporation to be ranked 34th in the Top 50 Best Places to Work in Canada in 1989.[1] It also served him well when he was elected to two terms as mayor of North Bay, Ontario from 2003 to 2010. [2] [3]

Fedeli has been the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) representing Nipissing since his election in the 2011 general election.[4] In opposition, he served as his party's Energy and Finance Critic,[5] In 2014, he announced his candidacy for the 2015 Ontario PC leadership race but later withdrew and endorsed Christine Elliott [6]. In January 2018, Fedeli was unanimously chosen as interim leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario and Leader of the Official Opposition in Ontario. He continued to serve as Leader of the Opposition after Doug Ford became party leader at the Progressive Conservative Party leadership election on March 10, 2018, as Ford did not have a seat in the Ontario Legislature at that time.[7] [8]

In June 2018, he was sworn in as Ontario's Minister of Finance and Chair of Cabinet in the new Ford Administration [9]. In the 2019 Cabinet Shuffle, Fedeli became Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade, while remaining Chair of Cabinet.


Background

Personal life

Fedeli was born and raised in North Bay, to Lena (née Fava) Fedeli and A. R. Hub' Fedeli. Vic is of Italian ancestry and maintains close ties to the North Bay Italian-Canadian community. He studied Visual Communications at Conestoga College and Business at Nipissing University.[10] He fondly talks about his high school days at North Bay's Scollard Hall, as it was a Catholic boarding school in his day, where hundreds of students from around the world attended. He still keeps in touch with many of those worldwide contacts.

Vic earned a Prospector’s Licence in the ‘70s and he can still be found with his sluice and pan on a creek in the gold fields of the 1920s in Temagami. He enjoys reading business biographies and is author of five books on the finances of Ontario.

Fedeli and his wife Patty (née Kelly) reside in Corbeil, Ontario.[11]

Fedeli Corporation

In 1978, Fedeli returned to North Bay and opened Fedeli Advertising, at the time the only full-service marketing agency in Ontario north of Toronto. As a young entrepreneur, he developed the company into a global agency doing work all over the world, from their base in Northern Ontario. One of the proudest moments of his business career was in 1989 when Profit ranked the firm 34th on its list of 50 Best Places to Work in Canada. Fedeli was also recognized as one of Canada's Most Successful Entrepreneurs in an episode of MoneyMakers, hosted by Everett Banning. Fedeli Advertising was sold in 1992.[12] [13]

Community Service

Local service

Fedeli served ten terms on the board of the North Bay and District Chamber of Commerce, including as president in 1986. He has also served as a director with Global Vision and served on the area's Police Board, Health Unit, Hydro Board, and Conservation Authority.

When the federal government moved 414 Squadron from Canadian Forces Base North Bay in 1992, most of the facilities were deemed surplus. While part of the complex was demolished, some of the base’s airfield facilities were sold to the non-profit Air Base Property Corporation in 1996, where Fedeli served as the dollar-a-year chairman from inception until 2002.[14] This period included a lawsuit against the Canadian government which resulted in a $3 million award to ABPC. The court settlement allowed the corporation to repair, enhance, and market the property.[15]

Largely because of his work with the ABPC, Fedeli was named North Bay’s Citizen of the Year in 1999.[16] Fedeli also received the Rotary International Paul Harris Fellowship in 1999, and was awarded the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012[17]. Vic was appointed Honourary Lieutenant Colonel of the Algonquin Regiment in 2010, and Honourary Colonel in 2013.

Philanthropy

Vic has served as Chair of several local fundraising campaigns, and has provided nearly $2-million in area donations. In 1992, Fedeli served as co-chair of the Nipissing University expansion fundraising campaign, contributing $250,000 to fund the Vittorio Fedeli Business Centre, named after his grandfather. Subsequently, Canadore College enlisted Fedeli to serve as chair of their campaign to fund a School of Aviation. A donation of $100,000 was made by Fedeli to construct a lecture hall named after his father, Hub. Fedeli would later donate an additional $100,000 to Canadore for their Center for All Media, saying he relied on the school as a source of staff when he started his advertising firm. [18]

During the 2009 effort to raise funds for the Harris Learning Library, Fedeli again made a donation to Nipissing University and Canadore College of $250,000. He funded the Critical Care Unit at the North Bay Regional Health Center with a $150,000 donation, [19] and funded the Family Center at the Nipissing Serenity Hospice with a further $150,000 donation.[20] Area libraries and other educational facilities also feature Fedeli rooms.

As mayor of North Bay, Fedeli worked for a $1/year choosing to donate his annual salary to a different charity.[21] He provided the media with an Auditor's statement each year, outlining the $350,000 in donations.

Politics

Mayor of North Bay

In 2003, Fedeli made his first run for elected office. He was swept into the mayor’s chair with 75% of the vote running on his ‘2020 Vision’[22][23] campaign platform, easily defeating three challengers including former deputy mayor Lynne Bennett.

Fedeli attempted to govern according to a 'three-legged stool' approach where decision-making was to take into account financial, social, and environmental considerations. However it was his focus on fiscal prudence that led him into frequent conflict with Monique Smith, the local MPP and member of the ruling Liberal government. Fedeli and Smith sparred over the level of funding the city received from the provincial government, specifically its share of the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund.[24]

Few people get an chance to re-shape a City, and Vic took great advantage of his opportunity while Mayor. In an effort to raise revenues and increase residential development in the city, Fedeli undertook the sale of surplus publicly-owned lands. This led to 115 parcels of property being sold, bringing in about $8 million, and saw a housing construction boom, including the gentrification of many areas of the city. [25]


In the 2006 mayoral election, Fedeli was challenged by Stan Lawlor. Despite Lawlor’s high profile as a former mayor and candidate for the Liberal Party of Ontario, Fedeli was re-elected with more than two-thirds of the vote.

In 2009, Fedeli successfully launched an effort to win exemption for Canadian businesses from the Buy American provision of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.[26] He championed a mayor-to-mayor campaign, calling U.S mayors of cities exporting to his home town.

Fedeli's time as mayor was also marked by investments in social housing, the only municipality to do so, and development of a methane-powered generation facility at the municipal landfill, also unique among communities the size of North Bay.[27] Total building starts hit a record $92 million in 2009, compared with a 10-year average of $35 million before Fedeli was elected mayor.[28] Before the end of Fedeli's term, the city's credit rating with Moody had jumped five levels to AA1, their highest possible rating.[29]

On February 1, 2010, Fedeli announced he would not seek a third term as mayor in the October municipal election, keeping a promise from his first campaign in 2003 that he would only serve two terms.[30] Fedeli stated his work was done; his “Council had restored hope and restored solvency”.

Provincial politics

Nipissing MPP

On January 13, 2011, Fedeli announced his candidacy to be the Progressive Conservative candidate in the provincial election scheduled for October 10, 2011. The only other candidate at the time was Bill Vrebosch, mayor of East Ferris, who had run and lost against then-MPP Monique Smith by a 357-vote margin in the 2007 Ontario election. Vrebosch dropped out of the race soon after, citing family health concerns, and Fedeli was acclaimed the PC candidate on February 26, 2010.[31] He won the seat on election day over Liberal candidate Catherine Whiting, New Democratic candidate Henri Giroux and Green Party candidate Scott Haig with more than half the valid votes cast.[4] Fedeli was re-elected in the 2014 Ontario General Election, and again in the 2018 Ontario general election.[32]

Critic roles

Following the 2011 election, PC Leader Tim Hudak named Fedeli as critic of the Ministry of Energy (Ontario) and the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines.[33] However, after Frank Klees abandoned his bid for Speaker, Hudak rewarded him with the Transportation portfolio, which was previously the responsibility of Norm Miller. Miller was then appointed critic for Northern Development and Mines.[34]. On September 10, 2013, it was announced that Fedeli would be replacing Peter Shurman as Tory Finance Critic.[35]

Fedeli's coverage of the Energy portfolio coincided with growing opposition in rural Ontario to the governing Liberals' Green Energy Act, and the controversy over the Liberal's cancellation of gas-fired electricity generating stations in Oakville and Mississauga. Fedeli was named PC lead on the Standing Committee on Justice Policy, investigating the circumstances surrounding the gas plant cancellations. On June 6, 2013, Fedeli and fellow Progressive Conservative Rob Leone wrote to OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis asking him to order an investigation into "theft of taxpayer property and breach of public trust" in relation to the deletion and removal of emails from government computers.[36] The scandal contributed to the resignation of Premier Dalton McGuinty and Energy Minister Chris Bentley. It also led to the arrest and conviction of David Livingston, Dalton McGuinty’s chief of staff.[37]

ONTC divestment

On March 23, 2012, the province announced it would be selling the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission.[38] As the ONTC is headquartered in North Bay, and several hundred workers are employed within Nipissing, the issue was a significant concern in the riding.

The divestiture announcement was largely unanticipated as then-Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty had signed a pledge in 2002 to not privatize the corporation,[39] while in the 2011 election the Progressive Conservatives had committed to transfer oversight from the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines to the Ministry of Transportation, and expand the commission's capital spending abilities by giving it access to infrastructure spending.[40]

In April, Fedeli revealed that the ONTC pension plan was underfunded by $150 million[41] and challenged Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci to clarify the status of ONTC retirees' pensions and benefits.[42]

One of the charges levelled at the government over their handling of the ONTC file was that there had been a lack of consultation.[43] In an effort to draw a contrast with this, Fedeli and his caucus colleague Norm Miller undertook a tour of northern communities to meet with various stakeholders in June 2012.[44] The same month, Fedeli claimed the government would realize 'no savings' with the divestiture of the ONTC.[45]

With the election of Kathleen Wynne to the leadership of the Liberal Party of Ontario a new cabinet was sworn in on February 11, 2013. Michael Gravelle took over the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines file and soon announced there would be no dramatic change in direction for the ONTC.[46] On March 6, 2013, at Fedeli's request the Standing Committee on Public Accounts asked the auditor general to investigate the divestiture of the ONTC.[47] On May 1, Fedeli claimed he had numbers showing the ONTC divestment would cost the government $530 million more than earlier estimates.[48] Soon thereafter, Gravelle disclosed to a meeting of the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities in Parry Sound that "(w)e need to be open to options other than divestment", a shift in direction that he attributed to feedback he had received since taking over the Northern Development and Mines portfolio.[49]

On September 18, 2013, the Standing Committee on Estimates approved a motion brought forward by Fedeli ordering the release of Ministry of Finance Documents relating to the ONTC in the months prior to the 2011 election.[50]

In government

On June 29, 2018, Fedeli was sworn in as Ontario's Minister of Finance under Doug Ford.[51] He was also appointed Chair of Cabinet.[51] [52]

On June 20, 2019, Fedeli was appointed to the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

Parliamentary roles
  • Member, Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs
  • PC Lead, Standing Committee on Justice
  • Critic, Energy (October 26, 2011 – September 30, 2013)
  • Critic, Finance (September 10, 2013 – January 30, 2018)
  • Leader of the Opposition in Ontario (January 26, 2018 – June 29, 2018)
  • Minister of Finance (Ontario) and Chair of Cabinet (Ontario) (June 29, 2018 – June 20, 2019)
  • Minister of Economic Development and Chair of Cabinet (Ontario) (June 20, 2919 – present)

Electoral record

Provincial electoral record
2018 Ontario general election: Nipissing
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeVic Fedeli17,59849.93+8.12
New DemocraticHenri Giroux12,99436.87+11.13
LiberalStephen Glass2,7947.93-18.85
GreenKris Rivard9972.83-0.97
Northern OntarioTrevor Holliday7382.09
LibertarianBond Keevil1220.35
Total valid votes 35,243100.0  
Turnout 59.7
Eligible voters 59,031
Progressive Conservative hold Swing
Source: Elections Ontario[53]
2014 Ontario general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Progressive ConservativeVic Fedeli13,08541.81−8.30
LiberalCatherine Whiting8,38126.78−1.81
New DemocraticHenri Giroux8,05525.74+7.60
GreenNicole Peltier1,1983.83+0.67
LibertarianDerek Elliott3651.17+1.17
IndependentPatrick Clement2100.67+0.67
Total valid votes 31,294 100.00
Source: Elections Ontario
2011 Ontario general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Progressive ConservativeVic Fedeli15,38050.11+9.74
LiberalCatherine Whiting8,77428.59−13.35
New DemocraticHenri Giroux5,56718.14+5.41
GreenScott Haig9713.16−0.68
Total valid votes 30,694 100.00
Source: Elections Ontario

Municipal electoral record
North Bay mayoral election, 2006
Candidate Votes %
Vic Fedeli 12,168 67.20
Stan Lawlor 5,931 32.80
North Bay mayoral election, 2003
Candidate Votes %
Vic Fedeli 13,025 75.00
Lynne Bennett 3,147 18.12
Tim Wright 686 3.95
Jeff Marceau 508 2.93

Cabinet posts
Ontario Provincial Government of Doug Ford
Cabinet posts (2)
Predecessor Office Successor
Todd Smith Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade
June 20, 2019-present		 Incumbent
Charles Sousa Minister of Finance
June 29, 2018–June 20, 2019		 Rod Phillips
Special Parliamentary Responsibilities
Predecessor Title Successor
Helena Jaczek Chair of Cabinet
June 29, 2018-present		 Incumbent
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References
  1. {{Cite web|url=http://fedeli.com/meet-vic%7Ctitle=Meet Vic
  2. {{ Cite news|url=https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/industry-news/government/a-politician-who-kept-his-promise-366633
  3. {{cite news|url=https://www.macleans.ca/politics/vic-who-the-ontario-pcs-name-an-interim-leader/
  4. "PCs take back Harris's old seat". CBC News, October 7, 2011.
  5. "Current MPPs". Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
  6. {{ Cite news|url=https://www.cp24.com/news/fedeli-drops-out-of-leadership-race-throws-support-behind-elliott-1.2220165
  7. {{Cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2018/01/26/vic-fedeli-interim-leader-for-ontario-pcs.html%7Cname=Vic Fedeli interim leader for Ontario PCs
  8. {{cite news|url=https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/regional-news/north-bay/vic-fedeli-named-new-interim-leader-of-ontarios-pc-party-823607
  9. Cite news|url=https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/top-stories/provincial-cabinet-appointments-applauded-panned-by-forestry-indigenous-leaders-971159
  10. {{Cite Web|url=http://fedeli.com/meet-vic/extended-biography/
  11. {{Cite Web|url=http://fedeli.com/meet-vic/extended-biography/
  12. {{Cite news|url=https://www.economicclub.ca/speakers/1260
  13. Cite news|url=https://www.macleans.ca/politics/vic-who-the-ontario-pcs-name-an-interim-leader/
  14. “Entrepreneurial Community Award of the Year”, Northern Ontario Business Awards
  15. “Head to head: North Bay’s Airbase Property Corp challenges the government and comes out a winner, creating a new industry in the North”, Northern Ontario Business, October 1, 2001
  16. , Kiwanis North Bay
  17. The Governor General of Canada
  18. {{Cite web|url=http://fedeli.com/meet-vic/extended-biography/
  19. {{cite news|url=http://fedeli.com/meet-vic/extended-biography/
  20. {{Cite news|url=https://www.baytoday.ca/local-news/vic-signs-big-personal-cheque-for-hospice-project-729762
  21. {{ Cite news|url=https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/industry-news/government/vic-fedeli-north-bays-best-salesman-365816
  22. {{Cite web|url=http://fedeli.com/meet-vic/mayoral-service/
  23. {{Cite news|url=https://www.baytoday.ca/local-news/fedeli-sees-2020-54271
  24. “Province Blamed for North Bay’s Bloated Budget”. Bay Today, March 7, 2006
  25. “Stepping down: Fedeli reflects on two terms as mayor” North Bay Nugget, October 13, 2010.
  26. “Ontario mayor takes on Buy American policy”. Toronto Star, October 6, 2009.
  27. “Message didn't get out - Fedeli” North Bay Nugget, September 29, 2010.
  28. “Building statistics highlight city's 'positive economic climate'”. North Bay Nugget, December 24, 2009.
  29. “City recognized for strong fiscal governance”. North Bay Nipissing News, December 28, 2011.
  30. “Fedeli not running again”. Sault Star, February 3, 2010.
  31. "Former North Bay mayor to run for PCs". Sudbury Star, February 28, 2011
  32. "Election Night Results /Résultats du soir de l'élection". Elections Ontario. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  33. "Fedeli, Vanthof named to respective shadow cabinets". North Bay Nugget, October 25, 2011.
  34. "Klees not running for Ont. Speaker". CityNews, October 28, 2011.
  35. Hudak promotes Holyday, Fedeli to key critic posts. CBC News.
  36. "Ontario power plant cancellations: Tories want OPP to probe 'stolen' documents". Toronto Star, June 10, 2013.
  37. {{Cite News|url=https://www.680news.com/2018/01/18/david-livingston-guilty-laura-miller-not-guilty-gas-plants-trial-verdict/
  38. . MNDM, March 23, 2013.
  39. ONTC: McGuinty pledges commitment in 2002. North Bay Nugget, March 3, 2012.
  40. Hudak vows to review Metrolinx deal. cnews, July 13, 2011.
  41. Fedeli speaks out on ONTC. North Bay Nipissing News, April 5, 2012.
  42. ONTC pension question filed with Queen's Park Clerk. North Bay Nipissing News, April 12, 2012.
  43. Northern mayors pressure McGuinty on Ontario Northland. SooToday.com, April 16, 2012.
  44. Tories make whistle stop in Timmins to discuss ONTC. Timmins Daily Press, June 27, 2012.
  45. No Savings in Ontario Northland sale, Fedeli claims. SooToday.com, June 5, 2012.
  46. ONTC future won't change with Gravelle. North Bay Nugget, February 16, 2013.
  47. Auditor general probing Ontario Northland sale. Northern Ontario Business, March 7, 2013.
  48. ONTC: Fedeli slams latest 'scandal'. North Bay Nugget, May 1, 2013.
  49. Gravelle: divestment not the only option. North Bay Nugget, May 11, 2013.
  50. Fedeli wins release of Ontario Northland documents. North Bay Nugget, September 19, 2013.
  51. June 29, Nugget Staff Published on; June 29, 2018 | Last Updated; Edt, 2018 2:16 Pm (June 29, 2018). "Fedeli named new finance minister – UPDATED".
  52. Cite news|url=https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/top-stories/provincial-cabinet-appointments-applauded-panned-by-forestry-indigenous-leaders-971159
  53. "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. pp. 7–8. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
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