March 15, 2019 | Local, Aerospace
The Government of Canada awards $1.2 million in financial assistance to the Laval-based company Mecaer America
March 13, 2019 – Laval, Quebec – Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED)
Mecaer America, Inc. is a leader in manufacturing landing gears for helicopters, regional and business transport aircraft, and military training aircraft. To better meet the needs of its clients and to ensure its growth, the company will receive a repayable contribution of $1.2 million from Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions. Through that financial assistance, the company will be able to invest in new procedures leading to the creation of a unique, world-renowned centre of excellence for the design, manufacture and qualification of its integrated landing gear systems.
Yves Robillard, Member of Parliament for Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, announced that funding today. The Government of Canada's assistance will enable Mecaer America to meet the growing global demand for aircraft production, consolidate Greater Montréal's aerospace cluster and better position that cluster on the international stage. The creation of a centre of excellence and the technological transformation of the Laval plant will also generate benefits for Canadian suppliers, from whom Mecaer America makes tens of millions of dollars in purchases each year.
Mecaer America is wholly owned by Mecaer Aviation Group (MAG), one of the premier international suppliers of aircraft solutions used in four business lines: actuating and flight control systems, landing gear systems, cabin comfort systems and aviation services. MAG is an Italian company with 600 employees in Italy, Canada and the United States. Mecaer America has been based in Laval since 2002 and specializes in the design, manufacture and qualification of integrated landing gear systems. The Laval subsidiary has 125 highly qualified employees, 20% of whom are devoted to research and development.
Workers in the aerospace industry are highly qualified and contribute to the country's economic vitality through their well-paying jobs. This is why the Government of Canada makes strategic investments that enable companies in this sector to increase their knowledge and expertise.
“In line with our commitment to foster growth for the Canadian economy, the Government of Canada's goal is to provide better support for businesses that are making investments to improve their productivity and ensure their growth and that of the Canadian economy.”
Yves Robillard, Member of Parliament for Marc-Aurèle-Fortin
“As Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, my goal is to help businesses grow and innovate so that they can increase their competitiveness and create good-quality jobs and wealth for Canadians. That is why we are providing our support to Mecaer America, whose success reflects on the region and on the Canadian economy as a whole.”
The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister responsible for CED
“The financial assistance from both levels of government is essential for our strategic development. It also shows the welcome extended to an Italian company that has made significant investments in Quebec. Thank you to CED for its support.”
Chris O'Neill, President, Mecaer America
Today's announcement is made on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister responsible for the Innovation, Science and Economic Development portfolio, which is comprised of 17 federal departments and agencies, including CED and the other five regional development agencies.
The funding was awarded under CED's Quebec Economic Development Program. To find out more about CED and its priorities, see the 2018–2019 Departmental Plan or visit www.dec-ced.gc.ca.
The year 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of federal regional economic development in Quebec: half a century of concrete action targeting the growth of Quebec's regions and businesses.
May 31, 2023 | Local, Aerospace
According to an independent study conducted by Doyletech Corporation, selecting the Boeing P-8 Poseidon for Canada's Multi-Mission Aircraft requirement would bring significant benefits to the country.
July 30, 2019 | Local, Aerospace
BY DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN Final preparations are being made for the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team's biggest-ever tour to North America, which includes performances or flypasts over 6 Canadian cities, according to the British government. The team will perform over Halifax, Ottawa-Gatineau, Toronto, Niagara Falls, Vancouver, and Victoria. The first public event of the tour will be a flypast with aircraft from the Royal Canadian Air Force over the Halifax waterfront on Sunday, Aug. 11. That will be followed on Aug. 13 by a flypast of Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and an aerobatic display at Aero Gatineau-Ottawa. The team will then visit a number of cities in the U.S. and later fly over Niagara Falls on Aug. 28. On Saturday Aug. 31 and Monday Sept. 2 they will perform at the Canadian International Air show in Toronto. On Sept. 26 the Red Arrows will do a flypast over Vancouver harbour. The same day the team will do a flypast over Victoria's harbour. It is the first time the Red Arrows have been to Canada and the US since 2008. The team consists of 11 pilots, nine of whom fly in the display, and more than 100 support personnel and technicians. Each of the pilots has previous fast-jet, operational experience flying the Tornado, Typhoon or Harrier. Flying Hawk T1 jets, the team is based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/red-arrows-aerobatic-team-coming-to-canada-flypast-of-parliament-hill-set-for-aug-13
October 31, 2019 | Local, Aerospace
In May 2018, CAE and KF Aerospace joined together to form SkyAlyne Canada – a 50/50 joint venture to focus on developing and delivering military pilot and aircraft training in Canada. These two companies currently deliver all phases of pilot training to the Royal Canadian Air Force through the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) program and the Contracted Flying Training and Support (CFTS) program. These programs will come to an end in the next few years and Canada is looking to award a new contract to renew its existing aircrew training services through the Future Aircrew Training program (FAcT). Vanguard recently had the opportunity to speak with Peter Fedak, Program Solutions, SkyAlyne Canada. Can you tell us a little more about this joint venture between CAE and KF Aerospace? Peter Fedak: CAE and KF Aerospace are the current providers of all phases of military pilot training and air combat system operator training in Canada. Since we have the knowledge, experience, and credibility with the RCAF in providing these training services to them, we thought that by joining together we can provide the best solution for Canada. The best way to do that was to create an entirely new entity – a 50/50 joint venture – with two leading air training Canadian companies. That led to the birth of SkyAlyne, a true collaboration to bring the best solution for the future, provided by a truly Canadian organization. The expertise that we possess – right here in Canada – is a real benefit to Canadians and the RCAF. What are some of the top training challenges with the current programs? PF: With any government program, the most important thing to taxpayers is cost. In Canada, we have some unique environmental challenges that drive the cost up, like the weather, flying below 40 degrees Celsius or above 40. This requires infrastructure, aircraft requirements, and personnel to operate in these extreme temperatures. Another challenge is timing. The NFTC program will expire in 2023, with an option year to 2024. The timeline to engineer the transition, planning, and infrastructure is a challenge that we and the government recognize, but we are ready to face it. With our ongoing programs, we are well situated to seamlessly make the transition for Canada. If SkyAlyne is selected for the FAcT program, what are some of the capabilities that this joint venture will bring to the table? PF: A key part in the lead up to FAcT will be to maintain the existing training programs while transitioning to the new program. We have the employees, technical and infrastructure base with the current programs and the ability to seamlessly move between the two. The most valuable resource is people and under NFTC and CFTS, we have a true core human resources capability of trained, qualified and professional people that work under these programs every day and are committed to the success of the pilot training program for the RCAF. Having these personnel is a real core capability for us to maintain the production of pilots while moving forward. Can you share with us some of the lessons or takeaways from the CFTS program that you think would be important to incorporate into the FAcT program? PF: The key lesson is the relationship. We didn't create this program and then offer it to the RCAF. We are here because of the RCAF and the Government of Canada. We are here to support them by understanding the culture and people and building on that by working closely with them to keep the program moving forward. This is truly a long-term relationship, like a marriage. We are here for 22 years under this contract and looking for another 25 years. So, it's a matter of establishing and maintaining that trust going forward. That's the only way you can get through these long-term complex contracts – building a good relationship. Thanks for taking the time to speak with us. PF: Thank you very much for the opportunity. It's always a pleasure to speak about not only our current programs here in Southport, Manitoba and Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan but also the future opportunities to continue supporting the Government of Canada with our exciting new joint venture of SkyAlyne. To hear more about this topic listen to the podcast with Peter Fedak. https://vanguardcanada.com/2019/10/30/skyalyne-a-true-canadian-collaboration-for-fact/