HAMILTON – The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Natural Resources, today unveiled the design and broke ground for the new building that will house the CANMET Materials Technology Laboratory (CANMET–MTL), which is moving to McMaster Innovation Park in Hamilton from Ottawa in 2010.
"Our Government is positioning CANMET–MTL to play a greater role in fostering research and innovation in Canada's industrial sector, particularly in our automotive and manufacturing industries," said Minister Raitt. "Innovation is the lifeblood of our manufacturing sector, essential to Canada's global competitiveness and the key to creating and maintaining high-quality jobs."
CANMET–MTL is Canada's leading research centre dedicated to structural metals and alloys, materials design, pilot-scale processing and performance evaluation. Scientific and technical staff are involved in research and development to provide materials solutions for Canadian industry in the energy, transportation and metals-manufacturing sectors.
Demonstrating the Government of Canada's commitment to energy efficiency, energy experts from Natural Resources Canada's CanmetENERGY were involved in the design of the new building, which will qualify for the Canada Green Building Council's Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) certification.
"We recognize that advances in science and technology are essential to strengthening the competitiveness of Canada's economy. By partnering with McMaster University, we're creating a world-class research facility that will draw on our country's best scientific and technological know-how to create innovative new technologies and industrial solutions," said Minister Raitt.
Minister Raitt was joined at today's announcement by Peter George, President of McMaster University. "CANMET is the jewel of McMaster Innovation Park," said Mr. George. "It holds boundless opportunities for growth and collaboration. We are also delighted with the design's LEED designation because McMaster is committed to sustainability and environmental responsibility."
Announced in 2005, the CANMET–MTL relocation project reflects the strategic importance of the Canadian manufacturing sector and the challenging financial conditions and global competition it faces. Construction will begin this winter, and staff relocation will start in the summer of 2010. The move will deepen Canada's technological capacity in the critical areas of new-materials research and help to create a world-leading materials innovation cluster to the benefit of Canada's manufacturing base.
Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt today unveiled the design and broke ground for the new building that will house the CANMET Materials Technology Laboratory (CANMET–MTL) in Hamilton. The Government of Canada lab is moving to McMaster Innovation Park in Hamilton from Ottawa in 2010.
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