‘Ontario has 1,600 AI firms that’s grasping for graduates’: Canadian minister Victor Anthony Fedeli

At the India Today AI Summit, Victor Anthony Fedeli, Ontario's Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, highlighted Toronto's significant role in the evolution of artificial intelligence (AI), dubbing it the birthplace of the technology. Fedeli emphasized that the province is home to a multitude of companies eager to recruit AI graduates. "Toronto in Ontario is widely regarded as the cradle of AI innovation. The work of Dr. Geoffrey Hinton, a Nobel Prize recipient in machine learning, laid the groundwork for this field decades ago," he remarked. Fedeli pointed out that the establishment of the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, which employs around 800 researchers, marked a turning point in harnessing AI's potential. The province boasts impressive statistics, graduating approximately 1,100 AI master's students annually, with a record of 1,700 this year alone. Last year, Ontario saw the addition of approximately 17,000 new employees in the AI sector, underscoring the rapid growth of this field in Toronto. Currently, Ontario is home to about 1,600 AI firms, all vying for these skilled graduates. Fedeli provided context, noting that while Ontario is Canada's largest province with a population of just 15 million, it produces 86,000 STEM graduates each year. The province has recently allocated $750 million in its budget to support an increase in STEM graduates by an additional 20,500 annually. Looking ahead, Fedeli projected that Ontario could graduate over 100,000 STEM graduates annually, ensuring a consistent influx of talent into the workforce. He humorously added that if companies are seeking talent abroad, they can always find qualified candidates right in Ontario. His comments came during an opportune moment as the India AI Impact Summit 2026 unfolds in New Delhi, attracting delegates from over 30 countries, including government officials and representatives from international organizations.