Government of Canada invests in 17 Canadian companies creating economic growth and good jobs

Investment supports growing Canadian cleantech companies across the country

OTTAWA, ON, Feb. 17, 2023 /CNW/ - Canadian cleantech entrepreneurs are making huge strides on solutions to the world's most pressing challenges, including technology for energy-efficient buildings, advances in sustainable agriculture and innovation in water security. This is good for our economy, good for workers and good for our environment.

Today, the Honourable François-Phillippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced investments totalling $68.2 million in 17 Canadian cleantech companies through Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC). These companies work in a wide range of cleantech sectors, such as agriculture, transportation, waste management and energy conservation. The SDTC funding will help them develop clean technologies with the potential to deliver significant environmental and economic benefits for Canadians.

The companies, according to the sector, are:

Energy exploration

• Arolytics ($0.4 million) of Calgary, Alberta – a women-led cleantech start-up that is developing software that enables oil and gas companies to identify cost-effective solutions to their emission management challenges.
• Carbonova ($2 million) of Calgary, Alberta – a women-led company that is developing a process that employs captured CO₂ and methane to create carbon nanofibers used to improve the mechanical strength of concrete and other materials.

Energy utilization

• 3E Nano ($5 million) of Toronto, Ontario – a growing energy utilization company that is developing a nano-thin solar coating that can be used on skylights, greenhouses and plexiglass windows to greatly lower heating and cooling costs.
• BrainBox AI ($6.5 million) of Montréal, Quebec – a pioneering company developing a digital control solution that uses artificial intelligence to optimize heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems to make buildings more energy efficient.

Power generation

• Aurora Hydrogen ($3.9 million) of Edmonton, Alberta – a start-up cleantech company that is pioneering an innovative process that uses microwaves to produce turquoise hydrogen, with no direct CO₂ emissions or water consumption.
• Next Hydrogen ($5 million) of Mississauga, Ontario – a start-up cleantech energy company that is developing an innovative electrolysis technology to break water into hydrogen and oxygen, significantly decreasing the cost of hydrogen production while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Transportation

• Nano One ($10 million) of Burnaby, British Columbia – a groundbreaking cleantech company that is carrying out a project that will further efforts to cut CO₂ emissions and industrial waste by simplifying the supply chain for electric vehicle battery production.
• Visual Defence ($4 million) of Richmond Hill, Ontario – a scale-up clean technology company that is advancing an AI-enabled solution to help cities monitor road conditions in real time, increasing operational efficiency and sustainability while reducing costs.

Agriculture and agrifood

• Future Fields ($5 million) of Edmonton, Alberta – a women-led biotechnology company that is scaling up its revolutionary process to produce the proteins needed to culture more cost-effective, less carbon-intensive meats. 
• Hortau ($6.8 million) of Lévis, Quebec – an agricultural technology company that is developing a crop management platform that uses wireless sensor networks and artificial intelligence to anticipate crop stress and optimize plant growth.
• New School Foods ($5 million) of Toronto, Ontario – a start-up cleantech innovator that is developing a plant-based alternative to cuts of fish.
• Synergraze ($1.3 million) of Calgary, Alberta – a women-led agricultural company that is developing a seaweed-derived feed additive capable of cutting methane emissions from cattle digestion by up to 90%, reducing the environmental impacts of cattle-rearing.

Waste management

• Cyclic Materials ($3.6 million) of Kingston, Ontario – a start-up waste-management company that is advancing a unique technology to recover rare earth elements from magnetic waste, reducing landfill and increasing Canada's supply of these vital materials.
• Enim (Seneca experts-conseils) ($3 million) of Anjou, Quebec – a visionary cleantech company that will build and operate a pilot facility for the hydrometallurgical extraction of metals from old, printed circuit boards to reduce and recycle electronic waste.
• Provision Analytics ($2.6 million) of Calgary, Alberta – a leading-edge software company that is advancing its digital platform, using analytics and machine learning, to monitor food safety and quality data to discover ways to minimize waste across the food supply chain.
• Symbient Environmental ($1.5 million) of Mississauga, Ontario – a start-up wastewater treatment company that is pioneering a low-cost system to disinfect wastewater using performic acid instead of chlorine, reducing impacts on aquatic environments.
• ZS2 Technologies ($2.6 million) of Calgary, Alberta – a construction technology pioneer that is developing a process to make low-carbon magnesium cement by combining waste products while reducing environmental impacts.

Through investments like these, the Government of Canada and SDTC are committed to growing our economy and creating good jobs for workers across the country, while leaving a healthy future for generations to come.

Quotes

"Now is the time for ambitious climate action. Our government is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with these groundbreaking companies as they drive innovation and make their mark as international leaders in clean technology. We will continue to support cleantech companies as they turn their vision into action to grow the economy and create well-paying jobs in this industry."
– The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

"Canada's entrepreneurs have the ideas that will help solve some of our planet's most pressing environmental problems, but they cannot do it alone. With our support and funding at all stages of development, we are helping companies reach commercialization faster so that they can tap into the strong global demand for sustainable solutions across every sector of the economy."
– Leah Lawrence, President and CEO, Sustainable Development Technology Canada 

Quick facts

• Clean technology businesses contributed more than $28.2 billion to the Canadian economy in 2021 and exported $9.2 billion in goods and services.
• In 2021, the cleantech sector employed more than 188,000 Canadians in rewarding, well-paying jobs.
• Women account for 41% of all jobs in the cleantech sector.
• The world is taking notice of Canada's leadership in clean technology: 13 Canadian companies, 10 of which have been funded by SDTC, placed on the 2022 Global Cleantech 100 list.
• In December 2020, the Government of Canada announced A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy, Canada's strengthened climate plan, which recapitalized SDTC with an additional $750 million over five years, representing the single largest Government of Canada investment in SDTC.
• Since its inception in 2001, SDTC has invested more than $1.58 billion in over 500 companies that have generated $3.1 billion in annual revenues, created 20,942 jobs, brought 194 new technologies to market and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 22.6 megatonnes of CO₂ annually, which is equivalent to taking almost 7 million cars off the road every year.

Associated links

• Budget 2022: A Plan to Grow Our Economy and Make Life More Affordable
• Budget 2021: A Recovery Plan for Jobs, Growth, and Resilience
• Clean technology: Canada's clean technology plan, investments and innovations for a clean growth future
• A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy: Canada's strengthened climate plan to create jobs and support people, communities and the planet
• Greening Government Strategy: A Government of Canada Directive

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SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Contacts: Laurie Bouchard, Senior Manager, Communications, Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, [email protected]; Media Relations: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, [email protected]; Media Relations: Sustainable Development Technology Canada, 343-803-0672, [email protected]