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October 12, 2018 | Local, Aerospace, Security

Vancouver Island company to advance aerospace innovation and firefighting technology

Investment helps create up to 15 new high-value, local jobs and global opportunities

PORT ALBERNI, BC, Oct. 11, 2018 /CNW/ - Canadians will benefit from a stronger aerospace industry and better aerial firefighting technology thanks in part to a new investment in a British Columbian firm specializing in firefighting aircraft.

Today the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Minister of Accessibility and Chair of the Cabinet Committee on Federal Recovery Efforts for the 2017 and 2018 British Columbia Wildfires, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, announced a repayable investment of nearly $3.4 million in Coulson Aircrane Ltd., a small aviation company based in Port Alberni, British Columbia.

This investment helps create good middle-class jobs and strengthens Coulson's position in the aerospace supply chain. The project will facilitate collaboration with post-secondary institutions, ensure workers have the skills they need and generate new Canadian intellectual property.

This funding supports Coulson's first-of-its-kind research and development (R&D) initiative to convert a Boeing 737 plane into a dual-purpose aerial firefighting tanker / passenger aircraft that can be used to fight fires in Canada and elsewhere.

This investment is being made through the Strategic Innovation Fund, a program designed to attract and support high-quality business investments across all sectors of the economy by encouraging R&D that will accelerate the transfer of technology and the commercialization of innovative products, processes and services and will facilitate the growth of innovative firms.

Quotes

"Our government's support for Coulson Aircrane demonstrates our commitment to Canada's aerospace industry—a major engine of innovation and a key contributor of well-paying jobs to the national economy. By investing in innovative projects like this one at Coulson, we're creating new opportunities for Canadians from coast to coast. That's how, through the Strategic Innovation Fund, we're investing in innovation today to create the jobs of tomorrow."
– The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

"Innovative companies such as Coulson Aircrane are a key part of our government's plan to grow the economy and create well-paying middle-class jobs for British Columbians. As a world leader in aerial firefighting, Coulson is a testament to the kind of quality work that this region is capable of—and the quality talent that is right here in British Columbia. The development of this innovative technology will better protect our forests from wildfire damage and increase efficiency by providing the ability to deliver both fire retardant and fire-fighting personnel at the same time. This is a great demonstration of how Canada can lead in the technology economy.."
– The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement

"Coulson Aviation is appreciative of Minister Qualtrough's announcement of Government of Canada support for innovation in Canada. This investment has been instrumental in our company's conversion of airliners into tankers for fighting fires as well as carrying passengers. Extensive aircraft modifications took place here at the Port Alberni airport, involving 140,000 hours of work in the community. We are proud that the newly completed air tankers will begin fighting forest fires globally this fall and that we are currently converting another airliner."
– Wayne Coulson, CEO, Coulson Group

Quick facts

  • Coulson Aircrane is a family-owned company and a key player in the aerial firefighting business. The company works with firefighting agencies in Canada, the United States and Australia.
  • Canada's aerospace industry includes 700 firms, directly contributes close to $12.6 billion in GDP to Canada'seconomy and employs more than 85,000 Canadians.
  • The Strategic Innovation Fund is a flexible program that reflects the diversity of innovation in all sectors of the economy.
  • In addition to the Strategic Innovation Fund, there are hundreds of programs and services to help businesses innovate, create jobs and grow Canada's economy. With a simple, story-based user interface, the Innovation Canadaplatform can match businesses with the most fitting programs and services in about two minutes.

Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on Twitter: @ISED_CA

SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

For further information: Nilani Logeswaran, A/Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, 613-668-1794; Media Relations, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, 343-291-1777, ic.mediarelations-mediasrelations.ic@canada.ca

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/vancouver-island-company-to-advance-aerospace-innovation-and-firefighting-technology-696990951.html

On the same subject

  • ‘Hard decisions are going to have to be made’: can vital defence procurements survive in a post-pandemic world?

    May 13, 2020 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

    ‘Hard decisions are going to have to be made’: can vital defence procurements survive in a post-pandemic world?

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He added that the impact will also depend on where the facilities are located, as the Irving shipyard in Nova Scotia faced a three-week shutdown, opposed to the Seaspan shipyards in B.C., which has continued relatively normal operations. A spokesperson for the Department of National Defence told The Hill Times that progress is still being made “where possible” on current and future equipment for the Canadian Forces. “While our focus must be on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, we remain committed to the National Shipbuilding Strategy and other defence projects under Strong, Secure, Engaged,” the spokesperson said in an email. “We continue to meet regularly with PSPC [Public Services and Procurement Canada] to address the delivery of ongoing and future major procurement projects, and to assess and address the impact of the pandemic on these projects. 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Mr. Perry said historically when the government has needed to slash spending, it has looked at the military. “When you are trying to fix a fiscal problem, inevitably national defence is part of the way governments have tended to try and fix that,” he said, adding that given the size of the defence budget, it is “virtually impossible” to address an economic situation without making some fiscal changes at the Department of National Defence. But he said that historical pattern may not continue as it's a different kind of fiscal problem for the government. “In a dynamic where you have real big impacts on consumer confidence and there's also, I think, fairly serious concerns about the availability of financing and liquidity in the civilian economy, potentially there's more of a room for DND and the Government of Canada writ large to be part of the economic solution here and not just part of the fiscal problem,” Mr. Perry said. Former naval officer Norman Jolin, who served in the Canadian Navy for 37 years and commanded the Halifax-class HMCS Montréal, said the last thing the government will want to do is cancel projects that it has already announced at the expense of Canadian workers. “The last thing [the government] would want to do in a world where we've lost so many jobs is to cause more people not to have jobs by cutting things,” he said. Mr. Jolin compared the National Shipbuilding Strategy to the construction of a trans-Canada railway in the 19th century. “This is jobs across Canada,” he said, adding that it is not just jobs at shipyards but throughout the supply chain including manufacturing jobs in southern Ontario. Mr. Jolin said with the procurements under the National Shipbuilding Strategy, the lengthy timeline will mitigate the pandemic's impact. For the Canadian Surface Combatant procurement, the first ship isn't projected to be completed until the mid-2020s and the final delivery date for the entire fleet is in the late 2040s. He said while there may be minor delays in the short term, it shouldn't have much impact on when the ships are delivered in the end. But he said there is still much unknown about how the pandemic has affected the procurement process. Charles Davies, a retired colonel in the Armed Forces who spent time as the senior director responsible for procurement and equipment management policy at the Department of National Defence, also said the long timeline on projects should reduce the impact of any delay. “In the inherently long gestation periods of the major programs, the net impact should be limited,” he said. Mr. Davies, a CDA Institute fellow, said now can be a time for the government to look to make key investments in capabilities that will be needed in the future to defend its borders while at the same time keeping the economy afloat. He said unlike in the mid-1990s during the budget cuts under then-prime minister Jean Chrétien, Canada is not in the geopolitical position to allow its defence budget to dissipate. “We're in a different world now,” he said, citing the “strategic environment” with more aggressive behaviour being seen from the Chinese and Russian governments. https://www.hilltimes.com/2020/05/13/hard-decisions-are-going-to-have-to-be-made-can-vital-defence-procurements-survive-in-a-post-pandemic-world/247826

  • Des génies d’ici protègent les avions de chasse

    November 18, 2020 | Local, Aerospace, C4ISR, Security

    Des génies d’ici protègent les avions de chasse

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  • Fighter RFP delayed again pending official review of industrial benefits policy

    May 31, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

    Fighter RFP delayed again pending official review of industrial benefits policy

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