April 8, 2015 – Ottawa – Industry Canada
The Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development, Minister for Democratic Reform and Minister responsible for the National Capital Commission, and Royal Galipeau, Member of Parliament for Ottawa–Orléans, announced federal funding for hundreds of students and dozens of faculty at Algonquin College and La Cité collégiale to develop new cutting-edge construction technology.
The research could allow home buyers to take a 3D tour of a house before it is built, produce infrared technology to measure where heat leaks out of homes or develop new pavement that will resist water erosion, while creating jobs for tradespeople. It will also help the colleges train new tradespeople and make the manufacturing of construction materials cheaper, quicker and of higher quality, saving Canadian construction firms time and money.
The result will be improved designs, decreased re-work or fewer costly delays while design issues are addressed during construction, improved worker safety and reduced cost overruns. A productivity enhancement of only 2 percent for the industry represents a savings of $1.8 billion per year. The construction industry accounts for an estimated 12 percent of Canada's GDP.
The National Capital Region is receiving more than $4 million: an Innovation Enhancement Grant of $2.3 million over five years to Algonquin College and a Technology Access Centres Grant of $1.75 million over five years to La Cité collégiale. The funding announced today was awarded through the College and Community Innovation (CCI) Program and the College Industry Innovation Fund (CIIF) Program. These programs fund research projects and partnerships between Canadian colleges and private businesses.
Minister Poilievre and Mr. Galipeau made the announcement today on behalf of the Honourable Ed Holder, Minister of State (Science and Technology), at Algonquin College's newly opened Construction Research Centre.
Scott French
Director of Communications and Parliamentary Affairs
Office of the Minister of State (Science and Technology)
343-291-2700
Media Relations
Industry Canada
343-291-1777
media-relations@ic.gc.ca
Martin Leroux
Media and Public Affairs Officer
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
613-943-7618
media@nserc-crsng.gc.ca
NSERC is the primary funding agency supporting Canada's science and engineering research community. The agency supports almost 30,000 post-secondary students and post-doctoral fellows in their advanced studies. NSERC promotes discovery by funding approximately 12,000 professors every year and fosters innovation by working with over 3,000 Canadian companies that are participating and investing in post-secondary research projects.
