Ottawa announces $2M for electric battery innovation in Sudbury
It was a multi-million dollar day in Sudbury as the federal government provided a huge funding boost for electric vehicle innovation.
FedNor announced it's spending more than $2 million to position the city as an electric vehicle battery hub. The money will be split between two projects, one each at NORCAT and Cambrian College.
NORCAT will get $1,321,875 to acquire and incorporate mining equipment powered by batteries and electric motors. Cambrian will get $682,320 to establish a BEV lab within its Centre for Smart Mining.
"I can't think of better timing with the work that's happening here at Cambrian and at NORCAT in terms of really getting the industry ready to be fully mobilized in the least carbon-emitting way," said FedNor Minister Patty Hajdu.
The federal government wants to see minerals in the north play a major role as Canada looks to reach its goal of cars and passenger trucks being 100 per cent zero-emission by 2035.
It comes off the heels of another announcement in 2020, where Ottawa and the provincial government announced $10 million to create a cobalt refinery in the north, which would create sulfate used in long-range EVs.
"We're making sure that we are poised to become really a driver of that huge demand globally for better ways, cleaner ways, to power ourselves," Hajdu said.
"Northern Ontario has the technology and the expertise to participate fully and really to lead."
"I think it's great news for Sudbury and northern Ontario really," said Devin Arthur, president of the EV Society of Sudbury who was in the audience.
"You know all the hard work that's been done around electric vehicles in the north is really kind of showing the fruits of what everyone has done."
"The investments by FedNor and the Greater Sudbury Development Corporation are all really significant to maintaining our position as leaders in and around the world," said Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger.
Hajdu toured the Cambrian College facilities, taking a look at where the BEV lab will go once constructed.
She steered clear of any discussion about future investments, including the construction of a battery plant in the region.
"I can't project the future but I can tell you that FedNor will be there as there are exciting opportunities from an economic development perspective to support emerging businesses, to support innovation and ideas," Hajdu said.
"I think it's a great time with mining transitioning to BEVs and I think the importance of critical minerals and the role they plan within the adoption of BEVs, that we're very excited about this contribution of FedNor which will supercharge our battery electric vehicle lab's capacity," said Mike Commito, Cambrian's director of research and development.
"It's really a chance for us to validate that northern Ontario is the global destination for the future of mining so we're very excited for that opportunity," said NORCAT's Don Duval.
Registrations with zero-emission vehicles hit an important milestone last year, making up more than five per cent of all new vehicles registered.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.