The Federal economic development agency for northern Ontario should be doing a better job of supporting local businesses.

Kenora MP Eric Melillo found out that less that 15 percent of the goods and services purchased by FedNor over$1,000 came from the region.

“Isn’t about the grants, this is about FedNor spending on it’s own operations,” says Melillo.

“It’s the contracts that it buys.  We see things like a vehicle they purchased…microphones and speakers and even a shredder that was purchased.”

Melillo says in three instances contracts were awarded to companies based in the United States.

“The vast majority of these contacts, the goods and services that FedNor is procuring for it’s own operations, are not coming from northern Ontario.  A concern for me.  Because a federal economic development agency, at the very least, could be supporting northern Ontario’s economy by purchased goods and services from the north.”

Melillo says its difficult to believe there were not businesses in northern Ontario that could have instead provided these goods and services,