Vic Fedeli

Personal life

Fedeli was born and raised in North Bay, to Lena (née Fava) Fedeli and Albino Rodolfo “Hub" Fedeli.^[1] He is of Italian ancestry. He studied visual communications at Conestoga College and business at Nipissing University.^{[citation needed]}

Fedeli and his wife Patty (née Kelly) reside in Corbeil, Ontario.^[2] They have no children.^[3]

Fedeli Corporation

In 1978, Fedeli returned to North Bay and opened Fedeli Advertising, which, in 1989, the Profit ranked his firm as one 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.^[2]

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 on the area's police board, health board, and conservation authority.^{[citation needed]}

Fedeli was recognized for his work in North Bay with the non-profit Air Base Property Corporation (ABPC), where he served as chairman from inception until 2002.^[4] His time there included a lawsuit against the federal government which resulted in a $3 million award to ABPC. Fedeli was named North Bay's Citizen of the Year in 1999.^[5]

Fedeli received the Rotary International Paul Harris Fellowship in 1999, the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.^[6] He was appointed honorary lieutenant colonel of The Algonquin Regiment in 2010, and honorary colonel in 2013.^{[citation needed]} Internationally, Fedeli served as a director with Global Vision.^{[citation needed]}

Philanthropy

Fedeli served as chair of several local fundraising campaigns and has provided nearly $2 million in area donations. His donations to Canadore College include $250,000 to fund the Vittorio Fedeli Business Centre (named after Fedeli's grandfather), $100,000 to construct a lecture hall named after his father, and $100,000 for the Centre for All Media.^[2] Subsequently, Canadore College enlisted him to serve as chair of their campaign to fund a School of Aviation.^{[citation needed]}

He funded the Critical Care Unit at the North Bay Regional Health Center with a $150,000 donation,^[2] and funded the Family Center at the Nipissing Serenity Hospice with a further $150,000 donation.^[7] Area libraries and other educational facilities also feature Fedeli rooms.^{[citation needed]}

As mayor of North Bay, Fedeli chose to donate his annual salary to various charities.^[8] He provided the media with an auditor's statement each year, outlining the $350,000 in donations.^{[citation needed]}

Mayor of North Bay

In 2003, Fedeli ran for mayor of North Bay, and was elected with 75% of the vote.^[9] In office, 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.^[10]

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 greater housing construction, including the gentrification of many areas of the city.^[11]

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[12] He championed a mayor-to-mayor campaign, calling U.S. mayors of cities exporting to his hometown.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[13] 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.^[14]

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."^[15]

Provincial politics

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)

Provincial electoral record

Municipal electoral record

Cabinet posts