Last year, Canada's aerospace industry added close to 200,000 jobs to the Canadian economy, and it's poised to see even more gains in innovation and economic benefits.Airbus Canada
Just a short drive from Canada’s biggest airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, is a world-class airplane assembly facility. The Mississauga location of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Canada Aerospace (MHICA) is integral to the company’s Canadian aerospace operations, and it leverages the area’s rich heritage as home to other international aerospace firms, including McDonnell Douglas and Boeing.
“They helped build a workforce and a supply chain to keep us all competitive,” says Janet Wardle, president and CEO of MHICA.
MHICA’s presence also builds on the country’s significant aviation innovations, such as the de Havilland Beaver and Dash-8. Ms. Wardle says MHICA transferred production of more than 10,000 auto parts from Japan to North America, with more than half of those suppliers Canadian and 40 per cent of that number in Ontario.
“With this history and collaboration with the government, academia and our supplier partners, we have built a network of innovators,” Ms. Wardle says.
MHICA is one global aerospace company that sees Canada as an ideal location for investment, but it is far from alone. With world-class clusters in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, Canada’s aerospace sector is fifth largest in the world. According to the Canadian government’s 2022 State of Canada’s Aerospace Industry report, “in 2021, the Canadian aerospace industry contributed over $24B in GDP and close to 200,000 jobs to the Canadian economy.”
Global aerospace leaders have taken notice of the country’s innovative and lucrative scene: Over the past 15 years, 59 companies have announced 91 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in Canada, many of them in research and development (R&D). Aerospace spends more on R&D than any other manufacturing industry in Canada, to the tune of $710-million in investments in 2021.
It’s helping drive the sector’s electric revolution — the aerospace industry has set a goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 — making strides that are not just good for the environment, but Canada’s job market and role on the world stage.
Adrian Schaffer, President of Emerging Mobility at Ricardo, says that it’s important to find eco-friendly solutions to reduce the environmental impacts of flying.Ricardo
Benoît Schultz, president and CEO of Airbus Canada, sees first-hand the value in investing in Canada, where Airbus has its largest presence outside Europe. The company, which works across the entire aerospace sector — commercial aircraft, satellites, military aircraft and helicopters — does business with more than 700 partners in Canada, generating close to $2-billion a year.
Airbus taps into Canada’s talent and aviation ecosystem, particularly when it comes to innovation. “The A220 is the most eco-efficient aircraft in the world in the small single-aisle category, with a reduction in CO2 emissions of at least 25 per cent compared to similar early generation aircraft,” says Mr. Schultz.
Ricardo, a global strategic, environmental, and engineering consulting company serving the global transportation and energy sector, is another business that’s developing greener solutions in Canada. It recently signed a deal with Pratt & Whitney Canada to support the development of advanced hybrid-electric propulsion technologies for next-generation aircraft. Adrian Schaffer, President of Emerging Mobility at Ricardo, says that it’s important to find eco-friendly solutions to reduce the environmental impacts of flying.
“Just like the automotive industry, there’s a trend (of greener technology) that’s starting within aerospace — it’s the next area of opportunity, particularly if we can provide solutions that meet the quality standards and safety requirements,” Mr. Schaffer says. “The big key is decarbonization and providing solutions that are going to be at the forefront of that movement.”
Apart from working with Pratt & Whitney Canada, Ricardo also recently announced the opening of an aerospace centre of excellence in Quebec, which will be home to around 25 engineers and experts, Mr. Schaffer says. The centre will build on Ricardo’s knowledge in the aerospace industry to meet the future needs of the sector with a focus on decarbonization.
But Canada isn’t just home to cutting-edge aircraft technologies and greener solutions. The country is also at the forefront of innovation when it comes to satellites and space.
Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT), a Norwegian company, invested in a satellite station in Inuvik, NWT. Canada’s North is seen as the “new space frontier” for its proximity to the Arctic Circle, holding promise to become an even bigger industry. KSAT invested nearly $20-million in Inuvik to develop and hire workers in partnership with local firm New North Networks.
“Low earth orbit satellites circle north to south, so if you’re at the North Pole, for example, you can see every one of those satellites when they pass as opposed to being at the equator where you’ll see that satellite a couple of times a day — if you’re lucky,” says Tom Zubko, president and founder of New North Networks.
Amund Nylund, COO of KSAT, explains that these satellites orbit the earth 14 times a day. A ground station in the North allows you to see many of these orbits, which means you can communicate with the satellite when you have visibility to it, “and that’s what makes Inuvik and the northern ground station ideal.”
This isn’t just interesting from a scientific perspective; there are also concrete benefits to this type of research for Canada—and the world. ‘’I think this can act as a springboard for other types of industry in terms of research,” Zubko says. “There are [a lot] of climate change endeavours right now—Inuvik is kind of in the centre of one of the most impacted areas by climate change. There’s a lot of different kinds of research that is going on and I think that’ll accelerate.”
In urban centres, MHICA’s Ms. Wardle says the potential is limitless. She cites the variety of large-scale aerospace projects that exist across the country, and she says Quebec, Ontario and Canada as a whole will gain greatly in terms of technology and economic benefits. “I am very excited to see what the next year has in store for us, as we are looking to soar beyond and continue to build our capabilities and diversify.”
And that’s not just good for the aerospace industry. In fact, the innovations that are coming out of this sector are good for our communities, and the country at large.
Advertising feature produced by Globe Content Studio with Invest in Canada. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.