Sudbury, ON - Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario - FedNor
The world is changing rapidly. The international rules-based order is fading, and technological change is expanding the fields of conflict. In response, Canada's new government is focused on what we can control to protect Canada's sovereignty, build our prosperity, and strengthen our strategic autonomy.
Today, Viviane Lapointe, Member of Parliament for Sudbury, announced a Government of Canada investment of $4.5 million to support a major expansion of NORCAT's underground innovation centre. The announcement was made on behalf of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for FedNor.
Once complete, the expanded underground facility will replicate complex mining and defence-related environments so partners and businesses can validate new systems and technologies. This includes autonomous systems, advanced communications, sensing technologies, robotics, AI-enabled analytics, GPS-denied navigation, dual-use technologies, and more.
This FedNor-funded expansion will enhance NORCAT's existing underground infrastructure, providing Canadian entrepreneurs and mining technology companies with greater access to large-scale testing and validation environments. The investment will strengthen NORCAT's capacity to support the development and commercialization of emerging technologies, while creating opportunities to apply innovations developed for mining across other industries. These expanded capabilities will also position NORCAT to pursue future opportunities as a testing and validation site for the Canadian Armed Forces and NATO-aligned defence partners, supporting Canada's growing need for dual-use technologies.
Funded through the Government of Canada's Regional Defence Investment Initiative, the underground centre's expansion will also allow NORCAT to generate new revenue, support up to 50 percent more projects annually and provide hands-on training required to build a skilled workforce and the competencies needed to adopt and deploy emerging technologies across the defence, mining, and industrial sectors.
This strategic initiative supports the Government of Canada's commitment to strengthen Canadian businesses, reduce reliance on U.S. suppliers, and build domestic capacity for defence manufacturing and services. It also aligns with the federal government's Defence Investment Strategy, a $6.6-billion plan to prioritize building military equipment at home, hike the share of defence contracts awarded to Canadian firms and add up to 125,000 new jobs over the next decade.
