The Federal government is investing $11.5 to help Canada’s automotive industry develop technologies for cars of the future. Up to 80 skilled jobs will be created in BC, Ontario and Quebec.
The funding of up to $11.5 million for six new projects with six different Canadian businesses will support the development of lighter, more fuel-efficient cars that produce less air pollution and emit fewer greenhouse gases that cause climate change.
Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, made the announcement at Datec Coating Corp. in Mississauga, ON. Datec, which supplies heating solutions to the automotive sector, will receive a contribution of up to $1.3 million to develop technologies that will improve heating management systems for vehicle cabins, lithium-ion batteries and engine fluids. These technologies will maximize the performance of electric and hybrid cars and make them more fuel efficient.
“If Canada is to succeed in making the cars of the future, we must embrace greener, more sustainable technologies,” says Bains. “The advanced research and development projects that give rise to these technologies create the well-paying middle-class jobs of the future and challenge today’s auto workers to enhance their skill set. By having a workforce with skills that are in demand and the technologies that will shape the future of the industry, Canada’s auto sector can secure its place in the global supply chain of tomorrow.”
Other companies receiving funding:
- Tyromer Inc. in Windsor, ON, (up to $3.4 million), which is using recycled scrap rubber to seal car windows and doors.
- Eurospec Manufacturing Inc. in Newmarket, ON, (up to $1.7 million), which is developing a best-in-class automotive seat adjustment mechanism.
- Loop Energy Inc. in Burnaby, BC, (up to $787,000), which is developing a fuel cell that will generate more power.
- TM4 Inc. in Boucherville, QC, (up to $4 million), which is developing a low cost, high performance electric engine for light trucks.
- Advanced Technology Emission Solutions Inc. in Hamilton, ON, (up to $272,000), which is developing a catalytic converter designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from car tailpipes.
The automotive sector is one of Canada’s largest manufacturing industries, producing more than 2 million vehicles a year. That translates to roughly one car being manufactured every 14 seconds.
This sector employs more than 500,000 Canadians directly and indirectly and creates more spinoff jobs than any other. For every job created on an automotive assembly line, six jobs are created in various other sectors of Canada’s economy.
This sector contributes $18 billion to the Canadian economy.
The Automotive Supplier Innovation Program supports research and development activities by companies that provide components, parts and production systems for the cars of the future. The program provides firms with new opportunities to participate in global supply chains.
Canada is home to approximately 700 suppliers of automotive components and hundreds more suppliers from other industries, such as information and communications technologies.
