The Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre in Thunder Bay is receiving $456,000 for its Youth Tech Impact Program (YTIP), which connects young professionals with businesses across northern Ontario.
This funding is provided by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, also known as Fed Nor, and is part of Canada’s new national strategy to promote artificial intelligence and help industries integrate AI.
This latest funding round for YTIP emphasizes AI development, giving resources to skilled youth who will assist partnered businesses in adopting or creating new AI technologies or updating their systems using AI tools.
“An investment like this is actually about making sure that there is a way to connect businesses with the AI expertise that’s going to help them grow in a new digital way,” says Minister responsible for Fed Nor and Minister of Jobs and Families Patty Hajdu.
The new funds will cover 15-week placements for young people, supporting a total of 30 small and medium-sized businesses in the northern and northwestern parts of the province.
Richard Gemmill serves as the executive director for the Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre.
He mentions that YTIP represents an evolution of a long-standing youth program at the innovation centre, now focusing specifically on AI development and innovation.
Last year’s program paired nine young individuals – a mix of students and recent graduates.
“Most of them, if not all of them, had some aspect of AI as part of that project, to implement or integrate AI into the operations,” says Gemmill.
For example, he describes how “one of the companies was looking at trying to streamline their inventory system, both input and output reporting structure. And so one of the youth was working with an AI platform to support that organization.”
A significant portion of the funding goes toward wage subsidies for these placements, which Gemmill notes are very well received by businesses.
“They were all really impressed with the skills that the youth brought but also their ability to just work with AI and bring value to their company.”
He adds that four or five out of those nine youths are continuing on after their work placements end.
“We feel that the Innovation Centre brings a ton of value in connecting skilled youth with suitable companies. And we take pride in partnering with startups and smaller businesses,” he adds.
The Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre’s Executive Director Richard Gemmill speaks at a Fed Nor announcement. PHOTO: SAM GOLDSTEIN/ACADIA BROADCASTING/AUGUST 27, 2026
Minister Hajdu refers to Fed Nor as “an amazing little powerhouse of an economic development agency. We’re not the largest but we are one of the mightiest… Fed Nor has a really good sense on the ground of who’s doing what, where expertise lies.”
She points out that feedback from regional businesses regarding Fed Nor’s efforts has been very positive.
“What they say is that Fed Nor has been incredibly useful for figuring out that landscape where help exists and what kind they need. Sometimes companies aren’t even sure what tools are right for their challenges.”
The minister explains that data indicates Northwestern Ontario lags slightly behind other regions in embracing AI within its economy but insists it’s becoming essential for business practices everywhere.
“It reminds me when I was young and the internet came online. At first, not many people used it; indeed few had access. But increasingly we live in a world where it’s hard to imagine being without it… AI is similar. There’s an underlying fabric starting to shape how business operates.”
Sam Goldstein is a 2025 graduate of Seneca Polytechnic journalism program. Sam loves history, politics, and food. Born and raised in Toronto, he works as a multimedia journalist based in Thunder Bay. You can reach him at goldsteins@radioabl. ca.
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