ODA Achieves 120 members in Two Weeks
From Formation to Coordinated Action
The Ontario Defence Association (ODA) officially launched in April. By its May 7 reception at Toronto’s Royal Canadian Military Institute (RCMI), 110 member organizations had signed on in the first seven days—and 120 by the two-week mark.
CDR was in the room for the launch reception, where a full house of key contributors from across the defence and security sector gathered to support a shared goal—strengthening Ontario’s role in national capability. Created to align industry, government, and innovation under one coordinated voice, the ODA is now moving from formation to action.
READ: Ontario Defence Association Launches to Strengthen Province’s Role in Defence
In a video message, Vic Fedeli, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, called the launch a generational opportunity. “This is the moment to lead, build new partnerships, and turn this historic opportunity into lasting growth,” Fedeli said. “I look forward to seeing the ODA play a role in ensuring that Ontario remains a trusted partner to Canada and our allies.”
SOVEREIGN CAPABILITY AND EARLY MOMENTUM
Heather Pilot, Executive Director and co-founder of the Ontario Defence Association, was direct about where Ontario’s defence strength truly lies.
“We have such great manufacturing capability here. It is the SMEs that Ontario needs to put their arms around, because that’s where our sovereign capability comes from,” Pilot said. “It’s not the primes. The primes are foreign-owned. We need to grow our SMEs, support them, remove barriers and make them primes.”
Pilot pointed to the early membership numbers as validation, but emphasized the real work is just beginning. “We had 110 members in seven days, and now we’re at 120 today,” she said. “Now is the time to strike out on what we are defining—and then coordinate with the Ontario government, because we see them as strong allies.”
ENGAGEMENT AND OPPORTUNITY
Pilot noted that engagement with the Defence Industrial Strategy team in Toronto has deepened, with near bi-weekly calls now in place.
READ: Canada’s First Defence Industrial Strategy: Security, Sovereignty and Prosperity
“The Toronto group has been amazing,” Pilot said. “I had a company that really needed some help, and I put them in touch, and they worked with them.”
The message to new members was clear: the ODA is already connecting SMEs to the right people.
Pilot stressed the ODA’s role in broadening the definition of defence opportunities—from military construction to medical devices—to attract companies that don’t yet see themselves in the sector. Looking ahead, she said success in year one means a fully staffed team and programming that industry finds real value in.
WATCH: INTERVIEW WITH ODA CO-FOUNDER HEATHER PILOT
A TWO-WAY STREET
Ted Kirkpatrick, Chair of the Ontario Defence Association and Vice President, Business Development and Government Relations at Ontario Shipyards, set the tone early in his remarks.
“Ontario can and must be a driving force behind Canada’s sovereign defence capability if Canada is to meet its goals and obligations both domestically and internationally,” Kirkpatrick said. “The Ontario Defence Association will be the conduit through which Ontario defence companies approach this new world.”
READ: Ontario – Defence Industry – Regional Report
On the surge in early membership, Kirkpatrick said it’s validation, but the focus now is on building programming that responds to what members actually need.
“The best advice for SMEs right now is reach out. We need to understand what your challenges are and where you want to go in defence,” Kirkpatrick said. “Early engagement and understanding what our members are trying to achieve—that will allow us to tailor our programming to best support them.”
Kirkpatrick noted that the response alone confirms the gap the ODA was created to fill. “There are companies that have ideas, things they want to do, or products they’re already manufacturing that they want to promote,” he said. “They need some support to do that.”
WATCH: INTERVIEW WITH ODA CHAIR TED KIRKPATRICK
THE FIRST CALL
Kirkpatrick kept the one-year benchmark simple. “If we are viewed as the voice of the defence industry with respect to the provincial government—if there’s a question on defence, if the first call is me—we’re on the right track.”
