Federal government invests $22M in aerospace industry, supporting six local projects
The federal government announced it will invest $22 million dollars to support six aerospace projects across Waterloo Region.
Filomena Tassi, the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario made the announcement Tuesday morning at the Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre at the Region of Waterloo International Airport.
"Ontario-made parts are found in almost every passenger plane in the world. And it's the workers who will continue to take this industry to new heights. That's why our government is investing directly in the organizations, businesses, and people who will drive innovation across the sector, and ensure workers have the skills needed to continue growing a strong, sustainable economy that works for everyone," said Tassi.
The money will go towards supporting businesses and organizations in Ontario’s aerospace sector, including increasing manufacturing, training, and green operations.
One of the projects receiving funding is the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA) at the University of Waterloo. WISA will get a $9.2 million boost to create an Innovation Hub to mobilize research, access green technologies and provide hands-on aviation training.
“It’s very exciting, especially for a program that’s so new. WISA is just about 18 months old and it’s already had such amazing success,” said Vivek Goel, President of UW. “Through this funding we’re going to be able to invest in equipment and training programs.”
“WISA — the first institute of its kind in Canada — can play a vital role in achieving sustainability in the aviation and aerospace industries. Launched in the fall of 2021, its mission is to become the world's leading hub for research, technology and education that will build a sustainable future for the aviation, aerospace and space industries. We have all the pieces here,” said Suzanne Kearns, Founder of the WISA.
Kearns said through WISA, the goal is to make Canada’s aerospace industry more environmentally friendly. One way it’s doing that is by researching on the world’s first type of certified electric training aircraft.
“Electric aviation is better for the environment. It reduces 98% of emissions from a training aircraft,” she said.
The plane hasn’t taken flight yet, but Kearns hopes to take flight in the near future.
The other five programs receiving funding from the Government of Canada are: Shimco North America, Cleeve Technology, First Nations Technical Institute, the World Trade Centre Toronto and Service Mold + Aerospace Inc.
The government said the the funding will create 400 jobs.
WINDSOR-BASED COMPANY GETS FUNDS
Service Mold + Aerospace Inc. is a Windsor-based build-to-print manufacturing supplier that produces structural parts and flight hardware for aerospace, space exploration, automotive, and commercial sectors. The company is receiving a repayable investment of over $3.8 million to purchase four pieces of Computer Numerical Control equipment. As a result, the company will reduce lead times, increase production, commercialize new parts, attract new customers, expand its market share in the rocket supply chain, and increase and diversify its revenue while creating 15 new jobs and maintaining 27 jobs.
"'With Space exploration reaching unprecedented levels, this FedDev Ontario support will allow Service Mold + Aerospace to invest in state-of-the-art CNC equipment and increase manufacturing capacity to meet the industry's demands. Furthermore, this investment would allow us to continue to hire, train, and retain highly skilled tradespeople, allowing an Ontario business to remain competitive in the industry and ensuring the longevity of our shared success," Myles Schuurman, vice president, Service Mold + Aerospace Inc. said in a media release.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
CSE says it shared information on Chinese hacking of parliamentarians in 2022
While several MPs and senators say they were only recently made aware of China-backed hackers targeting them, the Communications Security Establishment, one of Canada's intelligence agencies, says it shared information about the incident with parliamentary officials in June of 2022.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
Eviction for landlord's use was legitimate, despite owners' partial move, B.C. court rules
A B.C. judge has upheld the eviction of a family from their North Vancouver townhouse, finding that the landlords did not take an unreasonable amount of time to move into the home after the tenants vacated it.
What's causing the catastrophic rainfall in Kenya?
The torrential rains and deadly floods that have hit Kenya since March have been some of the worst in the country in recent years. Here's how factors combined to create the deadly deluge.