May 13, 2019 | Local, Aerospace, C4ISR, Security
SAINTE-ANNE-DE-BELLEVUE, QC, May 10, 2019 /CNW/ - Through Canada's defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, the Government of Canada is ensuring that our women and men in uniform have the equipment they need to do their jobs and to protect Canadians.
Today, the Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport and Francis Scarpaleggia, Member of Parliament for Lac-Saint-Louis, on behalf of the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility, announced that the Government of Canada has awarded a $39-million contract to Macdonald, Dettwiler and Associates Corporation (MDA) of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, to design, build and deliver 10 search and rescue repeaters for National Defence's Medium Earth Orbit Search and Rescue (MEOSAR) system.
This contract will help create or maintain 44 jobs over the length of the contract, which will stimulate economic growth in Quebec.
Deployed on a satellite, a repeater detects signals from distress beacons across the country and along Canada's coastlines and relays them to a ground station.
As part of an agreement between National Defence and the United States Air Force (USAF), the Canadian repeaters will be hosted on USAF's next-generation GPS satellites.
The MEOSAR system is expected to deliver improved response times for search and rescue activities and increase accuracy to locate people, ships or planes in distress. It will replace Canada's current search and rescue system, which has been in place for several decades.
Quotes
"Our Government is committed to providing the Canadian Armed Forces with cutting-edge technology for search and rescue operations to save those in distress in Canada. These repeaters will be designed and built with homegrown Canadian aerospace expertise, supporting our aerospace sector and stimulating economic growth in Quebec."
The Honourable Marc Garneau
Minister of Transport
"Through this investment, our government is supporting the Canadian Armed Forces in their important work to help save people's lives both on land and sea. The contract with MDA will also help sustain economic growth in our community with 44 good middle-class jobs. ."
Francis Scarpaleggia, Member of Parliament for Lac-Saint-Louis
"This project builds on the successful partnership between National Defence and MDA to develop innovative solutions that are vital to Canada's sovereignty and security. Once qualified as operational, this system will dramatically improve both the speed and location accuracy for detecting beacons, and as a result, greatly enhance the coordination and dispatch of search and rescue teams to help people in distress."
Mike Greenley
Group President of Macdonald, Dettwiler and Associates Corporation
Quick facts
September 30, 2022 | Local, Aerospace
OTTAWA — Swedish fighter-jet maker Saab is voicing complaints about Ottawa's negotiations with Washington and U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin to buy the F-35, saying such talks weren't supposed to be part of the process.
November 8, 2018 | Local, Naval
OTTAWA, Nov. 8, 2018 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is making our oceans healthier, cleaner and safer than ever, thanks to the $1.5 billion Oceans Protections Plan. The Canadian Coast Guard's two new Channel Survey and Sounding Vessels (CSSVs) will support the ongoing commitment to ensure the safety of mariners in Canada as they serve as the platform for the Canadian Hydrographic Service's Channel Survey Program. The program collects information about channel conditions and water depth of the St. Lawrence waterway to assist in safe navigation. The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard has accepted two new CSSVs, called the CCGS Jean Bourdon and CCGS Helen Irene Battle, into the Canadian Coast Guard fleet. Under the Coast Guard's ship-naming policy, Channel Survey and Sounding Vessels are named after Canadian scientists, hydrographers, and explorers who have made significant contributions in their respective fields. In this case, Jean Bourdon carried out the first hydrographic studies of the St. Lawrence River, and Helen Irene Battle was an award-winning scientist and first woman in Canada to earn a PhD in marine biology. Both were important citizens whose contributions helped shape Canada. These new CSSVs were made in Canada by Kanter Marine of St. Thomas, Ontario, as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy. These vessels will enhance the capability of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, as well as other departments and agencies, to monitor and observe marine and environmental conditions. In addition, the new CSSVs will be able to assist with a number of activities related to search and rescue, aids to navigation, law enforcement, emergency response, and natural disasters, as well as supporting ecosystems and fisheries science in the region. Quote "This investment by the Canadian Coast Guard under the National Shipbuilding Strategy is a priority of the federal government. The new Channel Survey and Sounding Vessels will enable the Canadian Hydrographic Service to collect important data, while contributing to the safety of mariners through safe and efficient navigation on the St. Lawrence." The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Quick Facts The Channel Survey and Sounding Vessels (CSSV), built by Kanter Marine of St. Thomas, ON, are a catamaran design of 11.95m in length. They will have a maximum speed in excess of 20kts and have a crew of four. The home port for the new CSSVs will be in Mont-Joli, Quebec; however, they will operate within the St. Lawrence River from Montreal to Isle-aux-Coudres. The new CSSV class reflects the advancements and new standards existing in the field of hydrographic surveys, such as multi-beam sonars, highly accurate positioning systems and modern data acquisition and processing technologies. The new CSSVs will allow hydrographic surveys to be conducted with better accuracy while reducing data gathering time. They will also be able to assist with a number of activities related to search and rescue, aids to navigation, law enforcement, emergency response, natural disasters as well as supporting ecosystems and fisheries science in the region. These two new vessels will replace the two current Channel Survey and Sounding Vessels (CCGS F.C.G. Smith and CCGS GC 03) operational in the St. Lawrence waterway, which have been in operation for an average of 37.5 years and are nearing the end of their lifespan. https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/government-of-canada-accepts-new-vessels-for-the-canadian-coast-guard-700059911.html
May 29, 2024 | Local, Naval
The possibility of the acquisition of a nuclear-powered fleet was introduced by Justin Trudeau during a news conference on April 8.