Vic Fedeli

Victor Anthony Fedeli (born August 8, 1956) is a Canadian businessman and politician who currently serves as Ontario minister of economic development, job creation and trade and chair of Cabinet. He is the member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Nipissing, representing the Progressive Conservative (PC) party, and has held his seat since the 2011 provincial election. Fideli was mayor of North Bay, Ontario from 2003 to 2010, and previously served as minister of finance, Opposition leader, and interim PC party leader.

The Honourable Vic Fedeli MPP
Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade
Incumbent
Assumed office June 20, 2019
Premier	Doug Ford
Preceded by	Todd Smith
Ontario Chair of Cabinet
Incumbent
Assumed office June 29, 2018
Premier	Doug Ford
Preceded by	Helena Jaczek
Ontario Minister of Finance
In office June 29, 2018 – June 20, 2019
Premier	Doug Ford
Preceded by	Charles Sousa
Succeeded by	Rod Phillips
Leader of the Opposition in Ontario
In office January 26, 2018 – June 29, 2018
Preceded by	Patrick Brown
Succeeded by	Andrea Horwath
Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Interim
In office January 26, 2018 – March 10, 2018
Preceded by	Patrick Brown
Succeeded by	Doug Ford
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament for Nipissing
Incumbent
Assumed office October 6, 2011
Preceded by	Monique Smith
43rd Mayor of North Bay
In office December 1, 2003 – November 30, 2010
Deputy	Peter Chirico
Preceded by	Jack Burrows
Succeeded by	Al McDonald
Personal details
Born	Victor Anthony Fedeli August 8, 1956 North Bay, Ontario
Political party	Progressive Conservative
Spouse(s)	Patty Kelly
Residence	Corbeil, Ontario
Occupation	Advertising executive

Prior to his entry into politics, Fedeli founded the advertising company Fedeli Advertising in his hometown of North Bay. He was active in the local community, serving on the municipal police board, and in the local chamber of commerce. In 2003, he was elected mayor of North Bay.

In 2014, he announced his candidacy for the 2015 Ontario PC leadership race but later withdrew and endorsed Christine Elliott . In January 2018, Fedeli was unanimously chosen as interim leader of the PC party and leader of the Official Opposition in Ontario. He continued to serve as leader of the Opposition after Doug Ford became party leader following the 2018 PC leadership election, as Ford did not have a seat in the Ontario Legislature at that time.

In June 2018, he was sworn in as minister of finance and chair of Cabinet in the Ford government. In 2019, Fedeli was shuffled out of finance, with Rod Phillips taking on the role and Fedeli being moved into the economic development, job creation and trade portfolio, while remaining Cabinet chair.

Background

Personal life

Fedeli was born and raised in North Bay, to Lena (née Fava) Fedeli and A.R. "Hub" Fedeli. He 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.

Fedeli and his wife Patty (née Kelly) reside in Corbeil, Ontario.[1]

Fedeli Corporation

In 1978, Fedeli returned to North Bay and opened Fedeli Advertising, doing work all over the world. In 1989, the 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. Fedeli Advertising was sold in 1992.[1]

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 board, and conservation authority.

When the Government of Canada 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 chairman from inception until 2002.[2] This period included a lawsuit against the federal government which resulted in a $3 million award to ABPC. The court settlement allowed the corporation to repair, enhance, and market the property.[3]

Largely because of his work with ABPC, Fedeli was named North Bay's Citizen of the Year in 1999.[4] 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.[5] Vic was appointed honourary lieutenant colonel of The Algonquin Regiment, in 2010. and honourary colonel in 2013.

Philanthropy

Fedeli served as chair of several local fundraising campaigns and has provided nearly $2-million in area donations. In 1992, he contributed $250,000 to fund the Vittorio Fedeli Business Centre, named after his grandfather. Subsequently, Canadore College enlisted him 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.[1]

During the 2009 effort to raise funds for the Harris Learning Library, Fedeli again made a donation to Nipissing University and Canadore College. He funded the Critical Care Unit at the North Bay Regional Health Center with a $150,000 donation,[1] and funded the Family Center at the Nipissing Serenity Hospice with a further $150,000 donation.[6] 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.[7] 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 ran for mayor of North Bay, and was elected with 75% of the vote.[8] He focused on fiscal prudence that led him into frequent conflict with Liberal MPP Monique Smith. Fedeli and Smith sparred over the level of funding the city received from the Province of Ontario, specifically its share of the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund.[9]

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.[10]

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 an exemption for Canadian businesses from the Buy American provision of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.[11] 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 the development of a methane-powered generation facility at the municipal landfill, also unique among communities the size of North Bay.[12] total building starts hit a record of $92 million in 2009, compared with a 10-year average of $35 million before Fedeli was mayor. Before the end of Fedeli's term, the city's credit rating with Moody had jumped five levels to AA1, their highest possible rating.[13]

On February 1, 2010, Fedeli announced he would not seek a third term as mayor in the October municipal election, keeping his promise from his first campaign in 2003 that he would only serve two terms. Fedeli stated "his work was done; his Council had restored hope and restored solvency."[14]

Nipissing MPP

On January 13, 2011, Fedeli announced his candidacy to be the Progressive Conservative candidate in the 2011 provincial election. 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.[15] 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.[16] Fedeli was re-elected in the 2014 election, and again in the 2018 election.[17]

Critic roles

Following the 2011 election, PC Leader Tim Hudak named Fedeli as energy critic and the northern development and mines critic.[18] However, after Frank Klees abandoned his bid for speaker, Hudak assigned him the transportation critic portfolio, which was previously the responsibility of Norm Miller. Miller was then appointed critic for northern development and mines.[19] On September 10, 2013, it was announced that Fedeli would be replacing Peter Shurman as PC finance critic.[20]

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 Ontario Provincial Police 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.[21] 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, McGuinty's chief of staff.[22]

ONTC divestment

On March 23, 2012, the province announced it would be selling the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC).[23] 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,[24] 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, and expand the commission's capital spending abilities by giving it access to infrastructure spending.[25]

In April, Fedeli revealed that the ONTC pension plan was underfunded by $150 million[26] and challenged Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci to clarify the status of ONTC retirees' pensions and benefits.[27]

One of the charges levelled at the government over their handling of the ONTC file was that there had been a lack of consultation.[28] 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.[29] The same month, Fedeli claimed the government would realize 'no savings' with the divestiture of the ONTC.[30]

With the election of Kathleen Wynne as Liberal leader and premier, 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.[31] 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.[32] On May 1, Fedeli claimed he had numbers showing the ONTC divestment would cost the government $530 million more than earlier estimates.[33] 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.[34]

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.[35]

In government

On June 29, 2018, Fedeli was sworn in as finance minister under newly the elected premier, Doug Ford.[36] He was also appointed chair of Cabinet.[36][37]

After less than a year in the finance portfolio, Fedeli shuffled into the economic development, job creation and trade portfolio on June 20, 2019. The PCs had been slipping in the polls, partly due to spending cuts in Fedeli's April 2019 budget.[38]

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 and chair of Cabinet (June 29, 2018 – June 20, 2019)
• Minister of economic development and chair of Cabinet (June 20, 2019 – present)

Electoral record

Provincial electoral record

2018 Ontario general election: Nipissing
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive Conservative	Vic Fedeli	17,598	49.93	+8.12
	New Democratic	Henri Giroux	12,994	36.87	+11.13
	Liberal	Stephen Glass	2,794	7.93	-18.85
	Green	Kris Rivard	997	2.83	-0.97
	Northern Ontario	Trevor Holliday	738	2.09
	Libertarian	Bond Keevil	122	0.35
Total valid votes			35,243	100.0
Turnout				59.7
Eligible voters			59,031
	Progressive Conservative hold		Swing
Source: Elections Ontario[39]

2014 Ontario general election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive Conservative	Vic Fedeli	13,085	41.81	−8.30
	Liberal	Catherine Whiting	8,381	26.78	−1.81
	New Democratic	Henri Giroux	8,055	25.74	+7.60
	Green	Nicole Peltier	1,198	3.83	+0.67
	Libertarian	Derek Elliott	365	1.17	+1.17
	Independent	Patrick Clement	210	0.67	+0.67
Total valid votes			31,294	100.00
Source: Elections Ontario

2011 Ontario general election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive Conservative	Vic Fedeli	15,380	50.11	+9.74
	Liberal	Catherine Whiting	8,774	28.59	−13.35
	New Democratic	Henri Giroux	5,567	18.14	+5.41
	Green	Scott Haig	971	3.16	−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

References

1. "Extended Biography".
2. “Entrepreneurial Community Award of the Year”, Northern Ontario Business Awards
3. “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
4. , Kiwanis North Bay
5. The Governor General of Canada
6. Dawson, Chris (29 September 2017). "Vic signs big personal cheque for Hospice project".
7. Neeley, James (16 June 2009). "Vic Fedeli – North Bay's best salesman". Northern Ontario Business.
8. Adams, Kate (18 October 2006). "Fedeli Sees 2020".
9. “Province Blamed for North Bay’s Bloated Budget”. Bay Today, March 7, 2006
10. “Stepping down: Fedeli reflects on two terms as mayor” North Bay Nugget, October 13, 2010.
11. “Ontario mayor takes on Buy American policy”. Toronto Star, October 6, 2009.
12. “Message didn't get out - Fedeli” North Bay Nugget, September 29, 2010.
13. “City recognized for strong fiscal governance”. North Bay Nipissing News, December 28, 2011.
14. “Fedeli not running again”. Sault Star, February 3, 2010.
15. "Former North Bay mayor to run for PCs". Sudbury Star, February 28, 2011
16. "PCs take back Harris's old seat". CBC News, October 7, 2011.
17. "Election Night Results /Résultats du soir de l'élection". Elections Ontario. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
18. "Fedeli, Vanthof named to respective shadow cabinets". North Bay Nugget, October 25, 2011.
19. "Klees not running for Ont. Speaker". CityNews, October 28, 2011.
20. Hudak promotes Holyday, Fedeli to key critic posts. CBC News.
21. "Ontario power plant cancellations: Tories want OPP to probe 'stolen' documents". Toronto Star, June 10, 2013.
22. Perkel, Colin (18 January 2018). "Chief of staff for former premier McGuinty guilty in gas plants trial".
23. . MNDM, March 23, 2013.
24. ONTC: McGuinty pledges commitment in 2002. North Bay Nugget, March 3, 2012.
25. Hudak vows to review Metrolinx deal. cnews, July 13, 2011.
26. Fedeli speaks out on ONTC. North Bay Nipissing News, April 5, 2012.
27. ONTC pension question filed with Queen's Park Clerk. North Bay Nipissing News, April 12, 2012.
28. Northern mayors pressure McGuinty on Ontario Northland. SooToday.com, April 16, 2012.
29. Tories make whistle stop in Timmins to discuss ONTC. Timmins Daily Press, June 27, 2012.
30. No Savings in Ontario Northland sale, Fedeli claims. SooToday.com, June 5, 2012.
31. ONTC future won't change with Gravelle. North Bay Nugget, February 16, 2013.
32. Auditor general probing Ontario Northland sale. Northern Ontario Business, March 7, 2013.
33. ONTC: Fedeli slams latest 'scandal'. North Bay Nugget, May 1, 2013.
34. Gravelle: divestment not the only option. North Bay Nugget, May 11, 2013.
35. Fedeli wins release of Ontario Northland documents. North Bay Nugget, September 19, 2013.
36. 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".
37. "Provincial cabinet appointments applauded, panned by forestry, Indigenous leaders". Northern Ontario Business.
38. "Vic Fedeli out as finance minister". North Bay Nugget. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
39. "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. pp. 7–8. Retrieved 20 January 2019.

External links

• Official website
• Ontario Legislative Assembly parliamentary history (archived)