Ontario makes strategic investment in NORCAT

The Ontario government is investing more than $1 million to expand the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology (NORCAT) underground mining centre in Sudbury, Ontario. The NORCAT underground centre is an underground operating mine that provides innovative technology development, testing and demonstration services, as well as experiential and hands-on training services.

The government believes this investment will “help to unleash the economic potential of critical mineral and resource development across Ontario and provide companies with a place to design, test and repair innovative technologies that will help develop solutions for the global mining industry.”

George Pirie, Ontario’s minister of northern economic development and growth, stated: “As part of our plan to protect Ontario, we’re investing to make Ontario’s mining sector – as well as the companies and people that support and service this strategically important industry – more competitive, innovative and current. Through targeted investments, our government is building a more resilient, prosperous, and self-reliant economy that will create jobs and help build communities and businesses across the province.”

NORCAT is receiving $1,080,000 through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) to build a new facility with a service shop and training rooms, and to purchase new equipment and tools to expand its underground centre. The space will provide companies a place to design, test and repair innovative technologies that are helping to build and support mines across the province.

Don Duval, CEO of NORCAT, commented: “The ongoing support from the Government of Ontario has been instrumental to our continued growth and success. With this investment, we’re building a new 6,000-square-foot facility that will expand the capacity at the NORCAT underground centre to better serve innovative technology companies developing solutions for the global mining industry. Featuring 3,500 square feet of state-of-the-art shop space, along with modern offices and meeting rooms, this expanded capacity underscores our commitment to accelerating the development, adoption and broader diffusion of emerging technologies that will shape the future of mining.”

Through its funding programs, the NOHFC offers support to public and private sector economic development projects across Northern Ontario. Since June 2018, the NOHFC has invested more than $905 million in 7,309 projects in Northern Ontario, leveraging more than $2.8 billion in investment and creating or sustaining over 11,210 jobs.