CEDEC

What CEDEC does

CEDEC (Community Economic Development and Employability Corporation) is a federally funded Canadian non-profit, founded in 2000 and headquartered in Huntingdon, Quebec. It is the officially designated Official Language Minority Community organization for economic development in Quebec (OLMCQ), operating as a collaborative hub that convenes public, private, and civil society sector partners across the province to drive economic outcomes for English-speaking Quebecers.

The organization's intellectual product is the Collaborative Economic Development Model (CEDM), an integrative framework grounded in OECD research and best practices for cross-sector economic development. CEDEC operationalizes the CEDM through three core research instruments — the Overview of Quebec's Economic Landscape (OQEL), the Collaborative Economic Development Dialogues (CEDD), and the Economic and Labour Market Development Applied Research Program (ELMDARP) — and a portfolio of collaborative ventures spanning experiential tourism (Magdalen Islands International Cruise Ship Tours, Côte-Nord-Labrador, Sutton), workforce integration (EmployESBC, Connectez-vous Québec), care services (Très-Saint-Sacrement/Howick), and agri-food sustainability. The OLMCQ Ten-Year Economic Development Plan (2023-2033) and the upcoming 2026-2028 Roadmap provide the strategic container for these initiatives.

CEDEC is funded primarily through the federal Enabling Fund for Official Language Minority Communities and direct Government of Canada appropriations, and its services are delivered free of charge to communities, businesses, and job seekers. It does not operate a proprietary technology platform; its "technology" is the CEDM methodology plus published research outputs (e.g., OQEL reports, Flagship Report 2025-2026) and a bilingual monthly e-Magazine. Distribution is regional and partnership-driven: CEDEC identifies venture opportunities across Quebec (Baie-Comeau, Trois-Rivières, Huntingdon, Sutton, Pontiac, Drummondville, Magdalen Islands, etc.), convenes multi-stakeholder groups, guides ventures from concept through implementation, and provides ongoing monitoring. Institutional positioning is unusually strong for its size: it is the sole Canadian representative at the OECD LEED Forum, with President and CEO John Buck serving as chair of the OECD Local Development Forum, and it received a 2024 endorsement from the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages. Customer concentration is essentially binary — the Government of Canada is both the regulator and the primary funder — which is the defining structural feature of this entity.

Name

CEDEC

Legal name

Community Economic Development and Employability Corporation

Website

https://cedec.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CEDEC is the federally designated Official Language Minority Community economic development organization for Quebec, convening public, private, and civil society partners to create jobs, grow businesses, and attract investment for English-speaking communities across the province. It is funded primarily by the Government of Canada's Enabling Fund and operates as a non-profit collaborative venture hub.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Huntingdon

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Funding: CEDEC is primarily funded by the Enabling Fund for Official Language Minority Communities and the Government of Canada, acting as the designated Official Language Minority Community organization in Quebec (OLMCQ). This constitutes the organization's core revenue stream.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CEDEC is a federally funded non-profit organization that delivers economic development, labour market, and business development services to English-speaking communities in Quebec through its Collaborative Economic Development Model (CEDM). It convenes public, private, and civil society partners into multi-sector ventures across sectors such as tourism, care economy, workforce, agriculture, e-commerce, and affordable housing, and supports these efforts with applied economic research (OQEL, CEDDs, ELMDARP), strategic plans (OLMCQ Ten-Year Plan, Workforce Development Strategy), and knowledge dissemination via publications and a bilingual e-Magazine.

Product overview

CEDEC (Community Economic Development and Employability Corporation) is Quebec's designated Official Language Minority Community organization for economic development. The organization operates as a collaborative hub offering the integrative Collaborative Economic Development Model (CEDM) alongside research programs (OQEL, ELMDARP), strategic initiatives (OLMCQ Workforce Development Strategy, Ten-Year Economic Development Plan), and multiple collaborative ventures (EmployESBC, Côte-Nord-Labrador Tourism Venture, Sutton Tourism Venture, Magdalen Islands Cruise Tours, Très-Saint-Sacrement/Howick Venture). The CEDM is CEDEC's core methodology based on OECD research, while CEDDs serve as qualitative research sessions and the OQEL provides foundational economic landscape analysis. CEDEC also publishes a monthly e-magazine and produces the Flagship Report as a roadmap for economic development opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Collaborative Economic Development Dialogues (CEDDs): A series of nine qualitative research sessions conducted between November 2024 and June 2025 designed to identify promising collaborative economic development opportunities in Quebec across sectors including agriculture, tourism, e-commerce, care economy, green economy, and affordable housing.
• Overview of Quebec's Economic Landscape (OQEL)
• OLMCQ Workforce Development Strategy
• Collaborative Economic Development Model (CEDM)

Products and services

• Collaborative Economic Development Model (CEDM) CEDEC's integrative methodology that helps communities create jobs, increase wages, grow businesses, and attract investment by convening public, private, and civil society sector partners; based on OECD research and sector collaboration best practices. Delivered to OLMCQ communities as a free, federally funded service.
• Collaborative Economic Development Dialogues (CEDDs) A series of nine qualitative research sessions conducted between November 2024 and June 2025 designed to identify and frame promising collaborative economic development opportunities in specific economic sectors (agriculture, tourism, e-commerce, care economy, green economy, affordable housing, labour market participation of seniors and immigrants, and English-speaking graduates) across Quebec.
• Overview of Quebec's Economic Landscape (OQEL) Major economic study by CEDEC identifying key trends shaping Quebec's economy, including AI and digital technology, green economy transition, and shifting demographics as economic drivers. The 2024-2026 edition was produced in 2024.
• OLMCQ Workforce Development Strategy Strategic framework for developing and coordinating an English-speaking talent management supply chain, providing lifelong learning opportunities and a provincial talent matching platform linking English-speaking job seekers to employers across Quebec.
• Economic and Labour Market Development Applied Research Program (ELMDARP) CEDEC's applied research program providing OLMCQ and broader Quebec society with knowledge about promising collaborative economic development opportunities and labour market analysis.
• CEDEC e-Magazine (Electronic Newsletter) Monthly bilingual (English/French) e-Magazine covering collaborative economic development news, initiative announcements, partner events, business resources, and OLMC economic development updates; subscription form collects name, email, organization, language preference, city, province, and country.
• Flagship Report 2025-2026 (OLMCQ Collaborative Economic Development Roadmap) Roadmap report presenting collaborative economic development opportunities identified through CEDDs for the OLMCQ, presented as 'The 2026-2028 OLMCQ Collaborative Economic Development Roadmap' under the campaign 'The Road to Prosperity.'

Quantifiable outcome

• Create or expand 250 businesses or social enterprises by 2033
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Canadian Francophone Rural Revitalization Foundation (FCRR/FRRC)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 September 2021CEDEC co-hosted the 'Creating Inclusive Economies: Bridging Public, Private and Civil Society' (CEI) conference with the FRRC, bringing together over 100 participants from across Canada to discuss collaborative approaches to rural economic recovery post-COVID-19.
• Mont SuttoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 November 2019A major ski resort in the Eastern Townships that partnered with CEDEC and the Eastern Townships School Board on an innovative paid French-language training program (300 hours over 10 weeks) to help English-speaking and allophone workers gain French skills for employment in the tourism industry. Mont Sutton was a finalist for the Excellence Tourism Award for this initiative.
• Eastern Townships School Board (Commission scolaire Eastern Townships)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 November 2019The school board delivered the 300-hour personalized French-language training program at Mont Sutton through its Brome-Missisquoi Adult Education Campus, providing customized educational services as part of the collaborative workforce development initiative.
• EmployESBC (Employment English-Speaking Black Community)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEDEC guides and supports EmployESBC, a venture that matches English-speaking and bilingual Black Quebecers with forward-looking jobs in the Greater Montreal Area. CEDEC provided venture-specific research to help better understand Black and Black immigrant populations in Quebec. EmployESBC reported short-term economic impacts of $850,000.
• Côte-Nord – Labrador Interprovincial Tourism VenturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA CEDEC-guided collaborative venture focused on increasing tourist spending and stays along the Expedition 51° route of the Québec-Labrador Highway. CEDEC helped design and carry out a survey to establish a baseline for measuring economic benefits from enhanced tourism activity.
• Sutton Tourism VenturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA CEDEC-guided collaborative venture focused on increasing tourist spending and stays in the Town of Sutton, Quebec. This includes the 'Earn While You Learn' paid French-language training program at Mont Sutton and broader tourism development initiatives.
• Très-Saint-Sacrement / Howick VenturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA CEDEC-guided collaborative venture focused on expanding business and social enterprise-based care services in the health sector, leveraging relationships between social enterprises and private sector health care providers.
• Magdalen Islands International Cruise Ship Tours VenturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA collaborative venture guided by CEDEC involving Escale Îles de la Madeleine, Autobus les Sillons, Cap Dauphin Fishermen's Cooperative, Council for Anglophone Magdalen Islanders (CAMI), Municipality of Grosse-Île, and La Maison du Potier. Developed experiential tours featuring English-speaking heritage for cruise ship visitors to the Magdalen Islands.
• Escale Îles de la MadeleinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTourism organization serving as a Venture partner in the Magdalen Islands International Cruise Ship Tours Venture, leading efforts to develop and promote experiential tours for cruise ship passengers.
• Autobus les SillonscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTour operator serving as a Venture partner in the Magdalen Islands cruise ship tourism initiative, developing and operating experiential tour logistics including bus transport and guided experiences.
• Cap Dauphin Fishermen's CooperativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA fishing cooperative providing live lobster pound tours and local seafood tastings as part of Grosse-Île experiential tourism experiences for cruise ship visitors.
• Council for Anglophone Magdalen Islanders (CAMI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization managing the Historical Heritage Site in Grosse-Île, providing cruise ship visitors with cultural experiences showcasing the history and traditions of English speakers on the island.
• La Maison du PotiercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerÉCONOMUSÉE artisan shop featured in Magdalen Islands experiential tours, offering visitors the opportunity to learn about and purchase locally crafted pottery products.
• Municipality of Grosse-ÎlecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal government of Grosse-Île serving as a Venture partner in the Magdalen Islands cruise ship tourism initiative, supporting community-level coordination and local infrastructure for tourism experiences.
• OECD Local Employment and Economic Development (LEED) ForumcoreOthersCEDEC is the only Canadian representative at the OECD LEED Forum. President and CEO John Buck serves as chair of the OECD Local Development Forum. CEDEC's model is based on OECD research and best practices in public, private, civil society collaboration.
• Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEDEC endorses QCGN's recommendations to use the OLMCQ Community Development Plan as a frame of reference for future investments and to create an Advisory Committee to guide the Secretariat responsible for Government of Quebec relations with English-speaking Quebecers.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• RDÉE Canada (Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité): The francophone minority equivalent of CEDEC: a national network of francophone economic development and employability organizations for official language minority communities outside Quebec. Mirrors CEDEC's mandate of community economic development, workforce integration, and PPP-style venture support in a parallel OLMC context.
• CDEC de Montréal (Corporation de développement économique et communautaire): Montreal's largest community economic development corporation, focused on neighbourhood-level economic revitalization, employability, and social economy in Quebec. Operates a closely analogous three-sector convening model in the same province and serves overlapping community-development populations.
• Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN): A documented CEDEC partner that advocates for Quebec's English-speaking communities on policy, including OLMCQ funding and government relations. Acts as the policy counterpart to CEDEC's economic development mandate and shares the same OLMCQ audience and government interlocutors.
• Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDC Network): A national network of 252+ federally funded Community Futures Development Corporations delivering business development, financing, and strategic planning to rural and underserved Canadian communities. Closely aligned mission, similar enabling-fund/PPP structure, and an analogous venture-and-LO-role model at regional scale.
• Community Business Development Corporations (CBDCs): Atlantic Canada's network of community-owned CBDCs providing small business loans and economic development support for rural communities. Similar intermediary role, similar federal-provincial blended funding model, and analogous last-mile economic development services.
• Canadian Francophone Rural Revitalization Foundation (FCRR / FRRC): Documented CEDEC partner: co-hosted the 2021 'Creating Inclusive Economies' conference with CEDEC, focusing on collaborative economic development and rural recovery. Operates in the parallel francophone OLMC space and shares CEDEC's three-sector convening methodology.

Broad incumbents

• Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED-Q): The federal agency responsible for economic development in Quebec, with a broader mandate than CEDEC and direct budget authority. Acts as a key funder/partner rather than direct competitor, but its regional development programming covers subsets of CEDEC's portfolio (workforce, business support, community economic development).
• YMCA Quebec (YMCAs of Quebec): Provincial federation of YMCAs delivering employment assistance, language training, and immigrant integration services across Quebec. Overlaps with CEDEC on workforce development and OLMC employment services, but as a broader welfare-facing incumbent.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): A US-based community development intermediary that finances and convenes local economic development initiatives across public, private, and civic sectors. Shares CEDEC's three-sector collaboration thesis and venture-leader role at national scale, with similar measurable impact reporting.

Regional players

• Social Economy Promotion Office (SEPO) / Chantier de l'économie sociale: Quebec's coordinating body for the social economy, working with the 11,200+ social economy enterprises cited in CEDEC's market analysis. Shares CEDEC's interest in social enterprise development, social economy investment, and OLMCQ labour force participation, but is francophone-majority and works at provincial rather than minority-community level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cedec_qc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CEDEC