Invention in Canada
Encyclopedia
This article outlines the history of Canadian technological invention. Technologies chosen for treatment here include, in rough order, transportation, communication, energy, materials, industry, public works, public services (health care), domestic/consumer and defence technologies.
The terms chosen for the "age" described below are both literal and metaphorical. They describe the technology that dominated the period of time in question but are also representative of a large number of other technologies introduced during the same period. Also of note is the fact that the period of invention of a technology can begin modestly and can extend well beyond the "age" of its introduction. To maintain continuity, the complete treatment of an invention is dealt with in the context of its dominant "age".
, snowshoe
, igloo
and pemmican
. The west coast natives innovated construction techniques that included the use of heavy timber and eastern tribes developed sedentary agricultural techniques.
The first metal works, Les Forges de St. Maurice developed metal products for colonial use. Along with the Royal Dockyards of 1666 and 1746, in Quebec City, they constituted the first groupings of skilled industrial labourers working in teams to solve the problems related to the construction of complex structures.
Techniques to improve fishing and the cutting and the transport of timber were refined. There were innovations in cultivation techniques to deal with the cold climate.
It was via the paddle-powered steam boat that steam power was first introduced to Canada. The Accommodation, a side-wheeler built entirely in Montreal by the Eagle Foundry and launched in 1809, was the first steamer to ply Canadian waters, making its maiden voyage from Montreal to Quebec that same year in 36 hours.
The building of large wooden ocean-going sailing vessels became a hugely successful undertaking in the Maritimes in the latter half of the nineteenth century due to innovative construction techniques and designs.
Sandford Fleming
invented standard time
.
In 1844, in Nova Scotia, Charles Fenerty
invented newsprint
made from woodpulp and Abraham Gesner invented kerosene
in Halifax in 1846.
Thomas Willson
innovated techniques for the production of acetylene
. Experiments in X-ray
technology were conducted at RMC
in Kingston, Ontario. Henry Ruttan
improved techniques for the heating and ventilation of buildings and railway cars. In the United States, Canadian James Lee invented the rifle
magazine.
invented and patented the incandescent electric light in Toronto in 1874 and later sold the patent to Edison. This would become the basis for his renowned endeavours with electric lighting. Thomas Willson
invented the electric arc light during this period.
The year 1876 saw Alexander Graham Bell
invent the telephone. Bell (a Scot by birth) had a family home in Canada at the time, but conducted much of his work in a rented laboratory in Boston. World-shaking experiments in trans-oceanic wireless communication conducted by Guglielmo Marconi
in Newfoundland and Cape Breton. In the US, Canadian Reginald Fessenden
conducted investigations into what is now called FM broadcasting
. Canadian Frederick Creed invented the teleprinter in 1902.
As listed in an alternate wiki page, "Brantford [Ontario] is sometimes known by the nickname The Telephone City as former city resident Alexander Graham Bell conducted the first distant telephone call from the community to Paris, Ontario in 1876."
Charles C. Barnes of Sackville, New Brunswick invented the rotary vane pump
and patented the device on June 16, 1874.
Inventive Canadian chemists specializing in the field of electrochemistry
during this period included W.T. Gibbs, T.L.Wilson and E.A. LeSeur.
In 1907, the invention by researcher Charles E. Saunders
of genetically modified Marquis wheat with its hardy growing characteristics helped overcome retarded growing conditions on the prairies.
Alexander Graham Bell undertook experiments in aviation and high speed water craft on Bras d'Ors Lakes in Nova Scotia. It was here that Canada's first heavier than air machine, the AEA Silver Dart
, took to the air in 1909.
Peter Robertson invented the square headed Robertson screwdriver in Milton, Ontario in 1908.
, the gas mask
, invented by Dr. Cluny MacPherson of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, the "Nissen Hut", invented by Peter Norman Nissen
in 1916, the Curtiss Canada bomber and the ill-starred Ross rifle
. Attempts were made to convert the latter to what became known as the Huot automatic rifle
but the war ended before it could be introduced.
of Oshawa, eventually became the basis for General Motors of Canada. S. L. C. Coleman of Fredericton, New Brunswick invented the sway bar
, a device to improve the suspension of automobiles, in 1919. The dump truck was invented in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1920 by Robert T. Mawhinney. In Montreal Alexis Nihon
invented the tubeless tire
.
It was within this context that Joseph Bombardier in Quebec invented his automobile for the snow or "snowmobile" and founded the Bombardier company. This corporation would become a giant of Canadian industrial research in the latter part of the century. In 1925, Arthur Sicard of Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec, invented the snow blower
.
Experiments with electrical sound recording by microphone were undertaken by Horace Owen (born Hamilton, Ontario, 1888 died Ottawa 1972) and Lionel Guest in 1919.
This period also saw the development of the "batteryless" radio in Toronto by Edward S. Rogers, Sr.
and further innovations in radio by Canadian Marconi Company in Montreal. Experiments in television transmission were conducted there by Alphonse Ouimet
in Montreal in 1932. In 1937, Donald Higgs invented what would become the Walkie-talkie
.
On the domestic scene, Herbert McCool invented Easy-Off Oven Cleaner in Regina in 1932 and Frederick F. Tisdall, M.D., T. G. H. Drake, M.B., Pearl Summerfeldt, M.B., and Alan Brown, M.B. of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, invented pablum
in 1930.
Eli Franklin Burton along with students James Hillier, Cecil Hall and Albert Prebus
invented the electron microscope
at the University of Toronto in 1938 and Hugh Le Caine
invented the music synthesizer in 1945. The forties also saw Frank Forward invent techniques for refining nickel and cobalt.
However in terms of scale, nothing could match the giant of Canadian innovation throughout the late 19th and first half of the 20th century, the Canadian Pacific Angus Locomotive Works of Montreal. This huge enterprise designed, developed and built many of the steam engines for the great Canadian Pacific Railway Company.
The NRC itself helped develop radar
, the proximity fuse, the explosive RDX
, high velocity artillery, fire control computers and submarine detection equipment among other things. The NRC Examination Unit innovated in the field of cryptology. The NRC's Atomic Energy Project ushered in the Atomic Age with the development of the world's most powerful research reactor (NRX
), as well as the start-up of the first reactor outside the United States (ZEEP), at its Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories
(see below).
The Crown Corporation, Turbo Research (Orenda) a top secret jet engine development enterprise was established in 1944 at Leaside, near Toronto to develop jet power plants including the TR.1, TR.2, TR.3, and TR.5, for RCAF aircraft.
Enterprises such as the Ford Motor Company of Canada developed and built special purpose military transport vehicles. Polymer Corporation
of Sarnia, Ontario pioneered new types of synthetic rubber. Canadian Industries Limited
in Montreal formulated new types of explosive and Canadian Marconi Company innovated in the new field of radar. Northern Telecom (Nortel
) developed telecommunications equipment. Ship building companies on the east and west coast adapted US and British designs and construction techniques for the mass construction of ships. Wilbur R. Franks
invented the aviation anti-blackout suit in Toronto and experiments in germ and chemical warfare were conducted at Grosse-Isle, Quebec and what is now CFB Suffield
, Alberta.
Specialized government businesses such as Research Enterprises Limited (1940) developed and manufactured what would now be called "high tech" products, including optical systems and communications devices.
Secret arrangements with Britain and the US, resulting from the Tizard Mission
, saw Canadian industry participate in the development of the atomic bomb, notably through the innovation of uranium refining techniques. Under the aegis of the National Research Council, a top-secret nuclear laboratory was established at the University of Montreal in 1942. Subsequently the top-secret Chalk River Laboratories
nuclear research facility was built at Chalk River, Ontario, and it was here that the ZEEP
atomic pile went critical in 1945, making Canada the second country in the world after the US to build a nuclear reactor.
of Kitchener, Ontario, offered televisions and entertainment systems to consumers. In the fifties Anthony Barringer invented INPUT, an electromagnetic device used for the aerial detection of mineral deposits.
The Toronto area saw the creation of a naissant military industrial complex around the design of jet aircraft. AVRO Canada developed the Avro Canada Jetliner and the CF-100 jet fighter. The Orenda (Orenda Aerospace
) jet engine factory developed jet power plants for the new aircraft. The scale of this undertaking grew dramatically with the development of the huge CF-105 long range high altitude interceptor and its associated Velvet Glove
air-to -air missile and came crashing to the ground just as quickly when the project was cancelled in 1959. At the same time, with financing from the US, AVRO was developing the Avro Arrow Avrocar, a supersonic fighter based on a flying saucer design. However the project collapsed when the costs became unreasonably high.
East coast shipbuilders continued to innovate with the construction of new classes of warship such as the St. Laurent class destroyer
and Restigouche class destroyer
. The Royal Canadian Navy developed the innovative HMCS Bras d'Or (FHE 400)
but the vessel was not introduced into service. In Ottawa, the Defence Research Board, with the support of industry developed Canada's first satellites the Alouette 1
and Alouette 2
, as well as the Black Brant (rocket)
. In the sixties and seventies Gerald Bull
experimented with long range artillery. Agent Orange
(the herbicide) was tested by the US Army at Gagetown New Brunswick from the early fifties to the nineties.
There were also developments in civil aviation. In the fifties De Havilland Canada
developed bush planes and later in the sixties and seventies STOL aircraft. CAE innovated in the field of aircraft simulators and Pratt and Whitney Canada developed its signature PT-6 series of aircraft engines. Telesat Canada pioneered the development of the domestic Anik (satellite)
series of spacecraft for communications. In the field of nuclear energy, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, developed its CANDU series of atomic power reactors.
Canola
was developed in Canada from rapeseed during the seventies by Keith Downey and Baldur Stefansson and is used to produce oil that is low in erucic acid and glucosinolate It has become a major cash crop in North America. A strain of canola with additional modification that made it resistant to herbicide was introduced in Canada in 1996.
John Hopps invented the artificial pacemaker
for heart patients, in Toronto in 1951 and Harold Elford Johns t Laboratories in Toronto innovated techniques for the mass production of the Salk vaccine. Nordion developed medical radio isotopes.
Gerald Heffernan invented what is known as mini-mill steel manufacturing. In the US, Canadian Lewis Urry working for the Eveready Company invented the alkaline battery
and lithium battery
. Also in the US, Canadian Willard Boyle working at the Bell Labs invented the charge-coupled device
(CCD) which became the key technology for digital photography and improved astronomical telescopes.
Innovations in the pulp and paper industry have been made by the Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada and the Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada, both located in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada.
Canadian companies were early innovators in the PC field with models like the Hyperion. AES developed the word processor. The federal government became involved with its Telidon video text service based on the (North American Presentation Level Protocol Syntax) NAPLPS
standard. Chip makers, such as ATI Technologies
, developed powerful video cards for computer games. Business intelligence, and cinematic special effects software products developed by companies like Alias Research (Alias Systems Corporation
) of Toronto formed in 1983, have enjoyed great success, as have a number of consumer oriented offerings including Corel Draw, software by Delrina
Corporation of Toronto and many electronic games.
Northern Electric maintained its innovative pace, becoming Northern Telecom, and through part ownership in Bell-Northern Research
became a leader in the development of digital switching and other communications technologies.
Pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer Canada Inc., GlaxoSmithKline Inc., Merck Frosst Canada Ltd., Biovail Corporation, AstraZeneca Canada Inc. and Sanofi pasteur
Limited invested hundred of millions in drug research.
Space research and development produced the Canadarm 1 and Canadarm2 for NASA and RADARSAT-1
and RADARSAT-2
. The NRC and Hughes developed and build MSAT
, the mobile communications satellite in 1995.
Creative Canadians have also invented the IMAX
cinema and improved deep diving suits, such as the Newtsuit
developed in 1987 by Phil Nuytten
. Ballard Power Systems
in Vancouver has produced a number of innovations in fuel cell technology. Michael Brook invented the "Infinite Guitar" in 1987.
Military innovations have included the Halifax class frigate
, LAV III
light armoured vehicle, Air Defense Anti-Tank System
, the CRV-7 rocket and secure communications systems. The US Air Force tested cruise missile
s in western Canada in the eighties.
, by Research in Motion
of Waterloo, Ontario, which has become the fashionable communications tool of business people and more recently, consumers, through the introduction of its Pearl smartphone
, around the world. In 2001, the Faculty of engineering at the University of Sherbrooke created the Adaptive Multi-Rate Wideband (AMR-WB) speech compression algorithm. This technique has become the basis for the world standard in cell phone voice quality.
The first web search programme, "Archie" (Archie search engine
) was developed by Alan Emtage
a student at McGill University in 1990. Early in the 21st century the internet reached its stride and contributed significantly to Canadian industrial research efforts through its use in the formation of networks such as CANARIE
. Industrial software makers including Cognos
and Open Text Corporation
have had continued success in the field of business intelligence
software and enterprise content management
software, respectively. In 2007, D-Wave Systems
a company located in Burnaby, British Columbia demonstrated the Orion, which it claims to be the world's first quantum computer
. There are studies in quantum computing technology at the Institute for Quantum Computing
, in Waterloo, Ontario.
In the field of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, companies such as Apotex
and Winnipeg based Cangene Corp., have become world leaders in the development of generic drugs and biopharmaceuticals respectively.
In 2008, AECL introduced the Advanced CANDU Reactor
(ACR-1000) atomic power reactor and Nordion the develop the unsuccessful Multipurpose Applied Physics Lattice Experiment
(MAPLE) atomic reactor, intended for the production of medical isotopes. this cancellation was one of the factors leading to a shortage of medical isotopes in 2007 and 2009.
The beginning of the 21st century is also notable for the rise of research in the field of nanotechnology
. About 140 small to medium sized firms based in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal are researching products in this field, some privately funded and others supported by the National Institute for Nanotechnology
in Edmonton.
In 2008 the Zenn (zero emission no noise) light electric car, manufactured at Saint-Jerome, Quebec and the Nemo light electric truck built at Sainte-Therese, Quebec, were introduced to the Canadian and international market.
Two Canadian contestants in the X-Prize competition (X Prize Foundation
) have made attempts to construct manned sub-orbital space craft. To date these vehicles have not flown. Since 1998, the Mars Society
has experimented with procedures related to the establishment of human life on Mars at its simulated base located at Haughton Lake on Devon Island. In 2008, Odessey Moon, based on the Isle of Man announced plans to build the Moon I (M-1) space craft with MacDonald Detwiller and Associated Ltd. of Richmond BC, as prime contractor, as a competitor in the Google Lunar X Prize
Challenge.
Military research in Canada has been championed by Defence Research and Development Canada
, created in 2000 as the result of the reorganization of the Defence Research Board of Canada.
The government of Canada has put into place tax programmes to encourage industrial R&D. Today industrial research accounts for about 50% of all research spending in Canada.
The terms chosen for the "age" described below are both literal and metaphorical. They describe the technology that dominated the period of time in question but are also representative of a large number of other technologies introduced during the same period. Also of note is the fact that the period of invention of a technology can begin modestly and can extend well beyond the "age" of its introduction. To maintain continuity, the complete treatment of an invention is dealt with in the context of its dominant "age".
The Stone Age: Fire 14,000 BC – AD 1600
The first innovators and inventors in Canada were, not surprisingly, the native peoples who arrived here 14,000 years ago. They innovated techniques to survive in a very new and mostly hostile environment. This involved new ways to obtain food, create clothing and travel across a huge territory. Notable inventions included the canoeCanoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
, snowshoe
Snowshoe
A snowshoe is footwear for walking over the snow. Snowshoes work by distributing the weight of the person over a larger area so that the person's foot does not sink completely into the snow, a quality called "flotation"....
, igloo
Igloo
An igloo or snowhouse is a type of shelter built of snow, originally built by the Inuit....
and pemmican
Pemmican
Pemmican is a concentrated mixture of fat and protein used as a nutritious food. The word comes from the Cree word pimîhkân, which itself is derived from the word pimî, "fat, grease". It was invented by the native peoples of North America...
. The west coast natives innovated construction techniques that included the use of heavy timber and eastern tribes developed sedentary agricultural techniques.
The Age of Sail: Ships, symbolic language, and the wheel (1600 – 1830)
The arrival of the Europeans provided a new impetus for innovation and invention.The first metal works, Les Forges de St. Maurice developed metal products for colonial use. Along with the Royal Dockyards of 1666 and 1746, in Quebec City, they constituted the first groupings of skilled industrial labourers working in teams to solve the problems related to the construction of complex structures.
Techniques to improve fishing and the cutting and the transport of timber were refined. There were innovations in cultivation techniques to deal with the cold climate.
The Steam Age: Trains, telegraphs, water, and oil (1830 – 1880)
This era ushered in experimentation with the design of steam powered locomotives and ships.It was via the paddle-powered steam boat that steam power was first introduced to Canada. The Accommodation, a side-wheeler built entirely in Montreal by the Eagle Foundry and launched in 1809, was the first steamer to ply Canadian waters, making its maiden voyage from Montreal to Quebec that same year in 36 hours.
The building of large wooden ocean-going sailing vessels became a hugely successful undertaking in the Maritimes in the latter half of the nineteenth century due to innovative construction techniques and designs.
Sandford Fleming
Sandford Fleming
Sir Sandford Fleming, was a Scottish-born Canadian engineer and inventor, proposed worldwide standard time zones, designed Canada's first postage stamp, a huge body of surveying and map making, engineering much of the Intercolonial Railway and the Canadian Pacific Railway, and was a founding...
invented standard time
Standard time
Standard time is the result of synchronizing clocks in different geographical locations within a time zone to the same time rather than using the local meridian as in local mean time or solar time. Historically, this helped in the process of weather forecasting and train travel. The concept...
.
In 1844, in Nova Scotia, Charles Fenerty
Charles Fenerty
Charles Fenerty , is a Canadian inventor who invented the wood pulp process for papermaking, which was first adapted into the production of newsprint. Fenerty was also a poet...
invented newsprint
Newsprint
Newsprint is a low-cost, non-archival paper most commonly used to print newspapers, and other publications and advertising material. It usually has an off-white cast and distinctive feel. It is designed for use in printing presses that employ a long web of paper rather than individual sheets of...
made from woodpulp and Abraham Gesner invented kerosene
Kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
in Halifax in 1846.
Thomas Willson
Thomas Willson
Thomas Leopold "Carbide" Willson was a Canadian inventor.He was born on a farm near Princeton, Ontario in 1860 and went to school in Hamilton, Ontario. By the age of 21, he had designed and patented the first electric arc lamps used in Hamilton...
innovated techniques for the production of acetylene
Acetylene
Acetylene is the chemical compound with the formula C2H2. It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is unstable in pure form and thus is usually handled as a solution.As an alkyne, acetylene is unsaturated because...
. Experiments in X-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
technology were conducted at RMC
Royal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
in Kingston, Ontario. Henry Ruttan
Henry Ruttan
Henry Ruttan was a businessman, inventor and politician figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Adolphustown in 1792. At the age of 14, he left school to work in a store in Kingston. He served in the militia during the War of 1812. After the war, he remained in the militia and reached the rank of...
improved techniques for the heating and ventilation of buildings and railway cars. In the United States, Canadian James Lee invented the rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
magazine.
The Electric Age: Light, telephones, heavy manufacturing, skyscrapers and central heating (1880 – 1920)
Matthew Evans and Henry Woodward (inventor)Henry Woodward (inventor)
Henry Woodward was a Canadian inventor and a major pioneer in the development of the incandescent lamp.-Work on the incandescent light bulb:On July 24, 1874, Woodward and his partner, Mathew Evans, a hotel keeper, patented an electric light bulb. Woodward was a medical student at the time. Their...
invented and patented the incandescent electric light in Toronto in 1874 and later sold the patent to Edison. This would become the basis for his renowned endeavours with electric lighting. Thomas Willson
Thomas Willson
Thomas Leopold "Carbide" Willson was a Canadian inventor.He was born on a farm near Princeton, Ontario in 1860 and went to school in Hamilton, Ontario. By the age of 21, he had designed and patented the first electric arc lamps used in Hamilton...
invented the electric arc light during this period.
The year 1876 saw Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone....
invent the telephone. Bell (a Scot by birth) had a family home in Canada at the time, but conducted much of his work in a rented laboratory in Boston. World-shaking experiments in trans-oceanic wireless communication conducted by Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian inventor, known as the father of long distance radio transmission and for his development of Marconi's law and a radio telegraph system. Marconi is often credited as the inventor of radio, and indeed he shared the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand...
in Newfoundland and Cape Breton. In the US, Canadian Reginald Fessenden
Reginald Fessenden
Reginald Aubrey Fessenden , a naturalized American citizen born in Canada, was an inventor who performed pioneering experiments in radio, including early—and possibly the first—radio transmissions of voice and music...
conducted investigations into what is now called FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
. Canadian Frederick Creed invented the teleprinter in 1902.
As listed in an alternate wiki page, "Brantford [Ontario] is sometimes known by the nickname The Telephone City as former city resident Alexander Graham Bell conducted the first distant telephone call from the community to Paris, Ontario in 1876."
Charles C. Barnes of Sackville, New Brunswick invented the rotary vane pump
Rotary vane pump
A rotary vane pump is a positive-displacement pump that consists of vanes mounted to a rotor that rotates inside of a cavity. In some cases these vanes can be variable length and/or tensioned to maintain contact with the walls as the pump rotates. It was invented by Charles C...
and patented the device on June 16, 1874.
Inventive Canadian chemists specializing in the field of electrochemistry
Electrochemistry
Electrochemistry is a branch of chemistry that studies chemical reactions which take place in a solution at the interface of an electron conductor and an ionic conductor , and which involve electron transfer between the electrode and the electrolyte or species in solution.If a chemical reaction is...
during this period included W.T. Gibbs, T.L.Wilson and E.A. LeSeur.
In 1907, the invention by researcher Charles E. Saunders
Charles E. Saunders
Sir Charles Edward Saunders, FRSC was a Canadian agronomist. He was the inventor of Marquis Wheat....
of genetically modified Marquis wheat with its hardy growing characteristics helped overcome retarded growing conditions on the prairies.
Alexander Graham Bell undertook experiments in aviation and high speed water craft on Bras d'Ors Lakes in Nova Scotia. It was here that Canada's first heavier than air machine, the AEA Silver Dart
AEA Silver Dart
-References:NotesBibliography* Aerial Experimental Association . Aerofiles. . Retrieved: 19 May 2005.* Green, H. Gordon. The Silver Dart: The Authentic Story of the Hon. J.A.D. McCurdy, Canada's First Pilot. Fredericton, New Brunswick: Atlantic Advocate Book, 1959.* Milberry, Larry. Aviation in...
, took to the air in 1909.
Peter Robertson invented the square headed Robertson screwdriver in Milton, Ontario in 1908.
Killing Machines I: Artillery and machine guns (1914 – 1918)
WWI invention and innovations included the variable pitch propeller, developed by Wallace Rupert TurnbullWallace Rupert Turnbull
Wallace Rupert Turnbull was a New Brunswick engineer and inventor, born on October 16, 1870 in Saint John, NB. The Saint John Airport was briefly named after him. He died November 24, 1954...
, the gas mask
Gas mask
A gas mask is a mask put on over the face to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face. Some gas masks are also respirators, though the word...
, invented by Dr. Cluny MacPherson of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, the "Nissen Hut", invented by Peter Norman Nissen
Peter Norman Nissen
Peter Norman Nissen , a Canadian-American mining engineer, developed the prefabricated shelter called the Nissen hut in 1916.-Early years:...
in 1916, the Curtiss Canada bomber and the ill-starred Ross rifle
Ross rifle
The Ross rifle was a straight-pull bolt-action 0.303 inch calibre rifle produced in Canada from 1903 until the middle of the First World War....
. Attempts were made to convert the latter to what became known as the Huot automatic rifle
Huot automatic rifle
The Huot was a Canadian World War I light machine gun project.-Design and development:In 1916, the Canadian Expeditionary Force was desperately short of light machine guns. Since the Ross rifle had finally been taken out of service, there were large numbers of surplus rifles.That year, Joseph Huot,...
but the war ended before it could be introduced.
The Automobile Age: Cars, planes and radios (1920 – 1950)
In the early twentieth century, several dozen individuals and small businesses located mostly in southern Ontario experimented with snowblower innovation. One of these, Samuel McLaughlinSamuel McLaughlin
Colonel Robert Samuel McLaughlin, CC, ED, CD was an influential Canadian businessman and philanthropist. He started the McLaughlin Motor Car Co...
of Oshawa, eventually became the basis for General Motors of Canada. S. L. C. Coleman of Fredericton, New Brunswick invented the sway bar
Sway bar
A sway bar or anti-roll bar or stabilizer bar is a part of an automobile suspension that helps reduce the roll of a vehicle that is induced by cornering or road irregularities. It connects opposite wheels together through short lever arms linked by a torsion spring...
, a device to improve the suspension of automobiles, in 1919. The dump truck was invented in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1920 by Robert T. Mawhinney. In Montreal Alexis Nihon
Alexis Nihon
Alexis Louis Nihon, was a Belgian-born Canadian inventor and businessman.- Biography :Born in Liège, Belgium, the son of Alexis Laurent Nihon and Marie Florentine Thiry, he moved to Canada when he was eighteen years old....
invented the tubeless tire
Tubeless tire
Tubeless tires are pneumatic tires that do not require a separate inner tube. Unlike traditional pneumatic tires which use a separate inner tube, tubeless tires have continuous ribs molded integrally into the bead of the tire so that they are forced by the pressure of the air inside the tire to...
.
It was within this context that Joseph Bombardier in Quebec invented his automobile for the snow or "snowmobile" and founded the Bombardier company. This corporation would become a giant of Canadian industrial research in the latter part of the century. In 1925, Arthur Sicard of Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec, invented the snow blower
Snow blower
A snow blower or snow thrower is a machine for removing snow from an area where it is not wanted, such as a driveway, sidewalk, roadway, railroad track, rink, runway, or houses...
.
Experiments with electrical sound recording by microphone were undertaken by Horace Owen (born Hamilton, Ontario, 1888 died Ottawa 1972) and Lionel Guest in 1919.
This period also saw the development of the "batteryless" radio in Toronto by Edward S. Rogers, Sr.
Edward S. Rogers, Sr.
Edward Samuel "Ted" Rogers is regarded as the founder of Rogers Communications although it was established in 1967, almost three decades after his death.-Life and career:...
and further innovations in radio by Canadian Marconi Company in Montreal. Experiments in television transmission were conducted there by Alphonse Ouimet
Alphonse Ouimet
J. Alphonse Ouimet, was a Canadian television pioneer and president of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from 1958 to 1967....
in Montreal in 1932. In 1937, Donald Higgs invented what would become the Walkie-talkie
Walkie-talkie
A walkie-talkie is a hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver. Its development during the Second World War has been variously credited to Donald L. Hings, radio engineer Alfred J. Gross, and engineering teams at Motorola...
.
On the domestic scene, Herbert McCool invented Easy-Off Oven Cleaner in Regina in 1932 and Frederick F. Tisdall, M.D., T. G. H. Drake, M.B., Pearl Summerfeldt, M.B., and Alan Brown, M.B. of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, invented pablum
Pablum
Pablum is a processed cereal for infants originally marketed by the Mead Johnson Company in 1931. The trademarked name is a contracted form of the Latin word pabulum, meaning "foodstuff", which had long been used in botany and medicine to refer to nutrition, or substances of which the nutritive...
in 1930.
Eli Franklin Burton along with students James Hillier, Cecil Hall and Albert Prebus
invented the electron microscope
Electron microscope
An electron microscope is a type of microscope that uses a beam of electrons to illuminate the specimen and produce a magnified image. Electron microscopes have a greater resolving power than a light-powered optical microscope, because electrons have wavelengths about 100,000 times shorter than...
at the University of Toronto in 1938 and Hugh Le Caine
Hugh Le Caine
Hugh Le Caine was a Canadian physicist, composer, and instrument builder.Le Caine was brought up in Port Arthur in northwestern Ontario...
invented the music synthesizer in 1945. The forties also saw Frank Forward invent techniques for refining nickel and cobalt.
However in terms of scale, nothing could match the giant of Canadian innovation throughout the late 19th and first half of the 20th century, the Canadian Pacific Angus Locomotive Works of Montreal. This huge enterprise designed, developed and built many of the steam engines for the great Canadian Pacific Railway Company.
Killing Machines II: Bombers, tanks, corvettes and radar (1939 – 1945)
WWII saw science and industry harnessed to fight the enemy. The National Research Council (NRC), created during WWI to advise the government on industrial research, grew exponentially as did Canadian war industries. A tight bond was formed between the two.The NRC itself helped develop radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
, the proximity fuse, the explosive RDX
RDX
RDX, an initialism for Research Department Explosive, is an explosive nitroamine widely used in military and industrial applications. It was developed as an explosive which was more powerful than TNT, and it saw wide use in WWII. RDX is also known as cyclonite, hexogen , and T4...
, high velocity artillery, fire control computers and submarine detection equipment among other things. The NRC Examination Unit innovated in the field of cryptology. The NRC's Atomic Energy Project ushered in the Atomic Age with the development of the world's most powerful research reactor (NRX
NRX
NRX was a heavy water moderated, light water cooled, nuclear research reactor at the Canadian Chalk River Laboratories, which came into operation in 1947 at a design power rating of 10 MW , increasing to 42 MW by 1954...
), as well as the start-up of the first reactor outside the United States (ZEEP), at its Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories
Chalk River Laboratories
The Chalk River Laboratories is a Canadian nuclear research facility located near Chalk River, about north-west of Ottawa in the province of Ontario.CRL is a site of major research and development to support and advance nuclear technology, in particular CANDU reactor...
(see below).
The Crown Corporation, Turbo Research (Orenda) a top secret jet engine development enterprise was established in 1944 at Leaside, near Toronto to develop jet power plants including the TR.1, TR.2, TR.3, and TR.5, for RCAF aircraft.
Enterprises such as the Ford Motor Company of Canada developed and built special purpose military transport vehicles. Polymer Corporation
Polymer corporation
Polymer Corporation was a Canadian federal crown corporation established in 1942 to produce artificial rubber to substitute for overseas supply cut off by World War II. A factory was established in Sarnia, Ontario where, using German patents from an American licensee, Polymer produced 5000 tons of...
of Sarnia, Ontario pioneered new types of synthetic rubber. Canadian Industries Limited
Canadian Industries Limited
Canadian Industries Limited, also known as C-I-L is a Canadian chemicals manufacturer. Products include paints, fertilizers and pesticides, and explosives. It was formed in 1910 by the merger of five Canadian explosives companies...
in Montreal formulated new types of explosive and Canadian Marconi Company innovated in the new field of radar. Northern Telecom (Nortel
Nortel
Nortel Networks Corporation, formerly known as Northern Telecom Limited and sometimes known simply as Nortel, was a multinational telecommunications equipment manufacturer headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada...
) developed telecommunications equipment. Ship building companies on the east and west coast adapted US and British designs and construction techniques for the mass construction of ships. Wilbur R. Franks
Wilbur R. Franks
Wilbur Rounding Franks was a Canadian scientist, notable as the inventor of the anti-gravity suit or G-suit, and for his work in cancer research....
invented the aviation anti-blackout suit in Toronto and experiments in germ and chemical warfare were conducted at Grosse-Isle, Quebec and what is now CFB Suffield
CFB Suffield
Canadian Forces Base Suffield , is the largest Canadian Forces Base and the largest Commonwealth military training base in the world...
, Alberta.
Specialized government businesses such as Research Enterprises Limited (1940) developed and manufactured what would now be called "high tech" products, including optical systems and communications devices.
Secret arrangements with Britain and the US, resulting from the Tizard Mission
Tizard Mission
The Tizard Mission officially the British Technical and Scientific Mission was a British delegation that visited the United States during the Second World War in order to obtain the industrial resources to exploit the military potential of the research and development work completed by the UK up...
, saw Canadian industry participate in the development of the atomic bomb, notably through the innovation of uranium refining techniques. Under the aegis of the National Research Council, a top-secret nuclear laboratory was established at the University of Montreal in 1942. Subsequently the top-secret Chalk River Laboratories
Chalk River Laboratories
The Chalk River Laboratories is a Canadian nuclear research facility located near Chalk River, about north-west of Ottawa in the province of Ontario.CRL is a site of major research and development to support and advance nuclear technology, in particular CANDU reactor...
nuclear research facility was built at Chalk River, Ontario, and it was here that the ZEEP
ZEEP
The ZEEP reactor was a nuclear reactor built at the Chalk River Laboratories near Chalk River, Ontario, Canada . ZEEP first went critical at 3:45 PM, September 5, 1945...
atomic pile went critical in 1945, making Canada the second country in the world after the US to build a nuclear reactor.
The Television Age: TV, nuclear weapons, atomic energy, and computers (1950 – 1980)
After the war a number of innovators including ElectrohomeElectrohome
Electrohome was one of Canada's largest manufacturers of television sets from 1949 to 1984. The company was also involved in television broadcasting....
of Kitchener, Ontario, offered televisions and entertainment systems to consumers. In the fifties Anthony Barringer invented INPUT, an electromagnetic device used for the aerial detection of mineral deposits.
The Toronto area saw the creation of a naissant military industrial complex around the design of jet aircraft. AVRO Canada developed the Avro Canada Jetliner and the CF-100 jet fighter. The Orenda (Orenda Aerospace
Orenda Aerospace
Orenda Engines was a Canadian aircraft engine manufacturer and parts supplier. As part of the earlier Avro Canada conglomerate, which became Hawker Siddeley Canada, they produced a number of military jet engines from the 1950s through the 1970s, and were Canada's primary engine supplier and repair...
) jet engine factory developed jet power plants for the new aircraft. The scale of this undertaking grew dramatically with the development of the huge CF-105 long range high altitude interceptor and its associated Velvet Glove
Velvet Glove
The Velvet Glove was a short-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile designed by CARDE and produced by Canadair starting in 1953...
air-to -air missile and came crashing to the ground just as quickly when the project was cancelled in 1959. At the same time, with financing from the US, AVRO was developing the Avro Arrow Avrocar, a supersonic fighter based on a flying saucer design. However the project collapsed when the costs became unreasonably high.
East coast shipbuilders continued to innovate with the construction of new classes of warship such as the St. Laurent class destroyer
St. Laurent class destroyer
The St. Laurent class destroyer was a class of destroyers that served the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces from the mid-1950s to the mid-1990s....
and Restigouche class destroyer
Restigouche class destroyer
The Restigouche class destroyer was a class of destroyers that served the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces from the late-1950s to the late-1990s....
. The Royal Canadian Navy developed the innovative HMCS Bras d'Or (FHE 400)
HMCS Bras d'Or (FHE 400)
HMCS Bras d'Or was a hydrofoil that served in the Canadian Forces from 1968 to 1971. During sea trials in 1969, the vessel exceeded , making her the fastest unarmed warship in the world....
but the vessel was not introduced into service. In Ottawa, the Defence Research Board, with the support of industry developed Canada's first satellites the Alouette 1
Alouette 1
Alouette 1 was Canada's first satellite, and the first satellite constructed by a country other than the USSR or the United States. Occasionally, Alouette 1 is misrepresented as the third satellite successfully put in orbit, rather than being from the third country to have one of its own in space,...
and Alouette 2
Alouette 2
Alouette 2 was a Canadian research satellite launched at 04:48 UTC on November 29, 1965 by a Thor Agena rocket with Explorer 31 from the Western test range at Vandenberg AFB in California...
, as well as the Black Brant (rocket)
Black Brant (rocket)
The Black Brant is a Canadian-designed sounding rocket built by Bristol Aerospace in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Over 800 Black Brants of various versions have been launched since they were first produced in 1961, and the type remains one of the most popular sounding rockets ever built...
. In the sixties and seventies Gerald Bull
Gerald Bull
Gerald Vincent Bull was a Canadian engineer who developed long-range artillery. He moved from project to project in his quest to launch economically a satellite using a huge artillery piece, to which end he designed the Project Babylon "supergun" for the Iraqi government...
experimented with long range artillery. Agent Orange
Agent Orange
Agent Orange is the code name for one of the herbicides and defoliants used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. Vietnam estimates 400,000 people were killed or maimed, and 500,000 children born with birth...
(the herbicide) was tested by the US Army at Gagetown New Brunswick from the early fifties to the nineties.
There were also developments in civil aviation. In the fifties De Havilland Canada
De Havilland Canada
The de Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd. company was an aircraft manufacturer with facilities based in what is now the Downsview area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
developed bush planes and later in the sixties and seventies STOL aircraft. CAE innovated in the field of aircraft simulators and Pratt and Whitney Canada developed its signature PT-6 series of aircraft engines. Telesat Canada pioneered the development of the domestic Anik (satellite)
Anik (satellite)
The Anik satellites are geostationary communications satellites launched by Telesat Canada for television in Canada. In Inuktitut, Anik means "little brother".-The Satellites:-Anik A:...
series of spacecraft for communications. In the field of nuclear energy, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, developed its CANDU series of atomic power reactors.
Canola
Canola
Canola refers to a cultivar of either Rapeseed or Field Mustard . Its seeds are used to produce edible oil suitable for consumption by humans and livestock. The oil is also suitable for use as biodiesel.Originally, Canola was bred naturally from rapeseed in Canada by Keith Downey and Baldur R...
was developed in Canada from rapeseed during the seventies by Keith Downey and Baldur Stefansson and is used to produce oil that is low in erucic acid and glucosinolate It has become a major cash crop in North America. A strain of canola with additional modification that made it resistant to herbicide was introduced in Canada in 1996.
John Hopps invented the artificial pacemaker
Artificial pacemaker
A pacemaker is a medical device that uses electrical impulses, delivered by electrodes contacting the heart muscles, to regulate the beating of the heart...
for heart patients, in Toronto in 1951 and Harold Elford Johns t Laboratories in Toronto innovated techniques for the mass production of the Salk vaccine. Nordion developed medical radio isotopes.
Gerald Heffernan invented what is known as mini-mill steel manufacturing. In the US, Canadian Lewis Urry working for the Eveready Company invented the alkaline battery
Alkaline battery
Alkaline batteries are a type of primary batteries dependent upon the reaction between zinc and manganese dioxide . A rechargeable alkaline battery allows reuse of specially designed cells....
and lithium battery
Lithium battery
Lithium batteries are disposable batteries that have lithium metal or lithium compounds as an anode. Depending on the design and chemical compounds used, lithium cells can produce voltages from 1.5 V to about 3.7 V, over twice the voltage of an ordinary zinc–carbon battery or alkaline battery...
. Also in the US, Canadian Willard Boyle working at the Bell Labs invented the charge-coupled device
Charge-coupled device
A charge-coupled device is a device for the movement of electrical charge, usually from within the device to an area where the charge can be manipulated, for example conversion into a digital value. This is achieved by "shifting" the signals between stages within the device one at a time...
(CCD) which became the key technology for digital photography and improved astronomical telescopes.
Innovations in the pulp and paper industry have been made by the Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada and the Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada, both located in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada.
The PC Age: The Microchip and Mobile Communications (1980 – 2000)
The latter part of the twentieth century has been notable for developments in information technology, telecommunications and pharmaceuticals.Canadian companies were early innovators in the PC field with models like the Hyperion. AES developed the word processor. The federal government became involved with its Telidon video text service based on the (North American Presentation Level Protocol Syntax) NAPLPS
NAPLPS
NAPLPS is a graphics language for use originally with videotex and teletext services. NAPLPS was developed from the Telidon system developed in Canada, with a small number of additions from AT&T...
standard. Chip makers, such as ATI Technologies
ATI Technologies
ATI Technologies Inc. was a semiconductor technology corporation based in Markham, Ontario, Canada, that specialized in the development of graphics processing units and chipsets. Founded in 1985 as Array Technologies Inc., the company was listed publicly in 1993 and was acquired by Advanced Micro...
, developed powerful video cards for computer games. Business intelligence, and cinematic special effects software products developed by companies like Alias Research (Alias Systems Corporation
Alias Systems Corporation
Alias Systems Corporation , headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was a software company that produced high-end 3D graphics software. The company was formed in 1995 when Silicon Graphics bought Alias Research, which was founded in 1983, and Wavefront Technologies, founded in 1984, then merged...
) of Toronto formed in 1983, have enjoyed great success, as have a number of consumer oriented offerings including Corel Draw, software by Delrina
Delrina
Delrina was a Canadian software company founded by four individuals, Dennis Bennie as CEO and chairman, Mark Skapinker as president, Bert Amato as executive vice president and chief technical officer and Lou Ryan as executive vice president of world wide sales...
Corporation of Toronto and many electronic games.
Northern Electric maintained its innovative pace, becoming Northern Telecom, and through part ownership in Bell-Northern Research
Bell-Northern Research
Bell-Northern Research was a telecommunications research and development organizations jointly owned by Bell Canada and Northern Telecom...
became a leader in the development of digital switching and other communications technologies.
Pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer Canada Inc., GlaxoSmithKline Inc., Merck Frosst Canada Ltd., Biovail Corporation, AstraZeneca Canada Inc. and Sanofi pasteur
Sanofi pasteur
Sanofi Pasteur is the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group. It is the largest company in the world devoted entirely to vaccines.- History :...
Limited invested hundred of millions in drug research.
Space research and development produced the Canadarm 1 and Canadarm2 for NASA and RADARSAT-1
RADARSAT-1
Radarsat-1 is Canada's first commercial Earth observation satellite.-Mission:It was launched at 14h22 UTC on November 4, 1995 from Vandenberg AFB in California, into a sun-synchronous orbit above the Earth with an altitude of 798 kilometers and inclination of 98.6 degrees...
and RADARSAT-2
RADARSAT-2
Radarsat-2 is an Earth observation satellite that was successfully launched December 14, 2007 for the Canadian Space Agency by Starsem, using a Soyuz FG launch vehicle, from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome....
. The NRC and Hughes developed and build MSAT
MSAT
MSAT, short for Mobile Satellite, is a satellite-based mobile telephony service developed by the National Research Council of Canada. Supported by a number of companies in the US and Canada, MSAT hosts a number of services, including the broadcast of CDGPS signals...
, the mobile communications satellite in 1995.
Creative Canadians have also invented the IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
cinema and improved deep diving suits, such as the Newtsuit
Newtsuit
The Newtsuit is an atmospheric diving suit designed and originally built by Phil Nuytten.The suit is used for work on ocean drilling rigs, on pipelines, salvage jobs, photographic surveys, and is standard equipment in many of the world’s navies....
developed in 1987 by Phil Nuytten
Phil Nuytten
Phil Nuytten is a Canadian entrepreneur, deep-ocean explorer, scientist, inventor of the Newtsuit, and founder of Nuytco Research Ltd....
. Ballard Power Systems
Ballard Power Systems
Ballard Power Systems , located in Burnaby, British Columbia -- a suburb of Vancouver -- is a company that designs, develops, and manufactures zero emission proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells. This company has made a bus that uses only hydrogen fuel cells. These fuel cells combine hydrogen and...
in Vancouver has produced a number of innovations in fuel cell technology. Michael Brook invented the "Infinite Guitar" in 1987.
Military innovations have included the Halifax class frigate
Halifax class frigate
The Halifax-class frigate is a class of multi-role patrol frigates that have served the Royal Canadian Navy since 1992...
, LAV III
LAV III
The LAV III armoured vehicle is the latest in the Generation III Light Armoured Vehicle series built by General Dynamics Land Systems, entering service in 1999. It is based on the Swiss MOWAG Piranha IIIH 8x8....
light armoured vehicle, Air Defense Anti-Tank System
Air Defense Anti-Tank System
The Air Defense Anti-Tank System is a dual-purpose short range surface-to-air and anti-tank missile system based on the M113A2 vehicle. It is manufactured by the Swiss company Oerlikon-Contraves, a member of the Rheinmetall Defence Group of Germany....
, the CRV-7 rocket and secure communications systems. The US Air Force tested cruise missile
Cruise missile
A cruise missile is a guided missile that carries an explosive payload and is propelled, usually by a jet engine, towards a land-based or sea-based target. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhead over long distances with high accuracy...
s in western Canada in the eighties.
The Internet Age: Wireless Technology, Mega Oil and Ecological Friendliness (2000 – Present)
The best known Canadian invention of recent years is surely the BlackBerryBlackBerry
BlackBerry is a line of mobile email and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion since 1999.BlackBerry devices are smartphones, designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, and much more...
, by Research in Motion
Research In Motion
Research In Motion Limited or RIM is a Canadian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada that designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market...
of Waterloo, Ontario, which has become the fashionable communications tool of business people and more recently, consumers, through the introduction of its Pearl smartphone
Smartphone
A smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera...
, around the world. In 2001, the Faculty of engineering at the University of Sherbrooke created the Adaptive Multi-Rate Wideband (AMR-WB) speech compression algorithm. This technique has become the basis for the world standard in cell phone voice quality.
The first web search programme, "Archie" (Archie search engine
Archie search engine
Archie is a tool for indexing FTP archives, allowing people to find specific files. It is considered to be the first Internet search engine. The original implementation was written in 1990 by Alan Emtage, Bill Heelan, and J...
) was developed by Alan Emtage
Alan Emtage
Alan Emtage conceived and implemented the first version of Archie, a pre-Web internet search engine for locating material in public FTP archives....
a student at McGill University in 1990. Early in the 21st century the internet reached its stride and contributed significantly to Canadian industrial research efforts through its use in the formation of networks such as CANARIE
CANARIE
CANARIE is a Canadian government-supported non-profit corporation, founded in 1993, which maintains a set of leased wide area network links for the transfer of very large data files. The core network consists of 19000 km of fibre optic cable capable of speeds as high as 100 Gbps but...
. Industrial software makers including Cognos
Cognos
Cognos was an Ottawa, Ontario-based company making business intelligence and performance management software. Founded in 1969, at its peak Cognos employed almost 3,500 people and served more than 23,000 customers in over 135 countries.Originally Quasar Systems Limited, it adopted the Cognos...
and Open Text Corporation
Open Text Corporation
OpenText Corporation Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. As Canada's largest software company, it produces and distributes computer software applications designed to enable Enterprise content management solutions for large corporations across all industries....
have had continued success in the field of business intelligence
Business intelligence
Business intelligence mainly refers to computer-based techniques used in identifying, extracting, and analyzing business data, such as sales revenue by products and/or departments, or by associated costs and incomes....
software and enterprise content management
Enterprise content management
Enterprise Content Management is a formalized means of organizing and storing an organization's documents, and other content, that relate to the organization's processes...
software, respectively. In 2007, D-Wave Systems
D-Wave Systems
D-Wave Systems, Inc. is a quantum computing company, based in Burnaby, British Columbia. On May 11, 2011, D-Wave System announced D-Wave One, labeled "the world's first commercially available quantum computer," and also referred to it as an adiabatic quantum computer using quantum annealing to...
a company located in Burnaby, British Columbia demonstrated the Orion, which it claims to be the world's first quantum computer
Quantum computer
A quantum computer is a device for computation that makes direct use of quantum mechanical phenomena, such as superposition and entanglement, to perform operations on data. Quantum computers are different from traditional computers based on transistors...
. There are studies in quantum computing technology at the Institute for Quantum Computing
Institute for Quantum Computing
The Institute for Quantum Computing, or IQC, located in Waterloo, Canada, is an affiliate research institute of the University of Waterloo with a multidisciplinary approach to the field of quantum information processing.-IQC's Mission:...
, in Waterloo, Ontario.
In the field of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, companies such as Apotex
Apotex
Apotex is a Canadian pharmaceutical corporation. Founded in 1974, the company is the largest producer of generic drugs in Canada, with sales exceeding one billion dollars a year...
and Winnipeg based Cangene Corp., have become world leaders in the development of generic drugs and biopharmaceuticals respectively.
In 2008, AECL introduced the Advanced CANDU Reactor
Advanced CANDU Reactor
The Advanced CANDU Reactor is a Generation III+ nuclear reactor design and is a further development of existing CANDU reactors designed by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited. The ACR is a light-water-cooled reactor that incorporates features of both Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors and Advanced...
(ACR-1000) atomic power reactor and Nordion the develop the unsuccessful Multipurpose Applied Physics Lattice Experiment
Multipurpose Applied Physics Lattice Experiment
The Multipurpose Applied Physics Lattice Experiment dedicated isotope-production facility was a project jointly undertaken by AECL and MDS Nordion...
(MAPLE) atomic reactor, intended for the production of medical isotopes. this cancellation was one of the factors leading to a shortage of medical isotopes in 2007 and 2009.
The beginning of the 21st century is also notable for the rise of research in the field of nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
. About 140 small to medium sized firms based in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal are researching products in this field, some privately funded and others supported by the National Institute for Nanotechnology
National Institute for Nanotechnology
The National Institute for Nanotechnology is a research institution located on the University of Alberta main campus, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Its primary purpose is nanotechnological research....
in Edmonton.
In 2008 the Zenn (zero emission no noise) light electric car, manufactured at Saint-Jerome, Quebec and the Nemo light electric truck built at Sainte-Therese, Quebec, were introduced to the Canadian and international market.
Two Canadian contestants in the X-Prize competition (X Prize Foundation
X Prize Foundation
The X PRIZE Foundation is a non-profit organization that designs and manages public competitions intended to encourage technological development that could benefit mankind....
) have made attempts to construct manned sub-orbital space craft. To date these vehicles have not flown. Since 1998, the Mars Society
Mars Society
The Mars Society is an international space advocacy non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the human exploration and settlement of the planet Mars. It was founded by Robert Zubrin and others in 1998 and attracted the support of notable science fiction writers and filmmakers, including Kim...
has experimented with procedures related to the establishment of human life on Mars at its simulated base located at Haughton Lake on Devon Island. In 2008, Odessey Moon, based on the Isle of Man announced plans to build the Moon I (M-1) space craft with MacDonald Detwiller and Associated Ltd. of Richmond BC, as prime contractor, as a competitor in the Google Lunar X Prize
Google Lunar X Prize
The Google Lunar X PRIZE, abbreviated GLXP, sometimes referred to as Moon 2.0, is a space competition organized by the X Prize Foundation, and sponsored by Google. It was announced at the Wired Nextfest on 13 September 2007...
Challenge.
Military research in Canada has been championed by Defence Research and Development Canada
Defence Research and Development Canada
Defence Research and Development Canada, also Defence R&D Canada or DRDC , is an agency of the Department of National Defence , whose purpose is to respond to the scientific and technological needs of the Canadian Forces...
, created in 2000 as the result of the reorganization of the Defence Research Board of Canada.
The government of Canada has put into place tax programmes to encourage industrial R&D. Today industrial research accounts for about 50% of all research spending in Canada.
See also
- Science and technology in CanadaScience and technology in CanadaScience and technology in Canada consists of three distinct but closely related phenomena:* the diffusion of technology in Canada,* scientific research in Canada* innovation, invention and industrial research in Canada...
- Canadian government scientific research organizationsCanadian government scientific research organizationsExpenditures by federal and provincial organizations on scientific research and development accounted for about 10% of all such spending in Canada in 2006...
- Canadian university scientific research organizationsCanadian university scientific research organizationsExpenditures by Canadian universities on scientific research and development accounted for about 40% of all spending on scientific research and development in Canada in 2006....
- Canadian industrial research and development organizationsCanadian industrial research and development organizationsExpenditures by Canadian corporations on research and development accounted for about 50% of all spending on scientific research and development in Canada in 2007....
- Canadian scientists
- Canadian inventionsCanadian inventionsAs "necessity is the mother of invention", the range of Canadian inventions is a reflection of the particular circumstance of the nation: it is a large country with a need for innovation to help bridge the distance gap...
- Canadian space program
- List of aircraft of the Canadian Air Force
- List of Canadian Navy ships
- CP ShipsCP ShipsCP Ships was a large Canadian container shipping company, prior to being taken over by Hapag Lloyd in late 2005. CP Ships had its head office in the City of Westminster in London and later in the City Place Gatwick development on the property of London Gatwick Airport in Crawley, West Sussex.The...
- Timeline of the Canadian Broadcasting CorporationTimeline of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation-1901-1939:*1901**First transatlantic wireless signal from Cornwall to Newfoundland.*1902**First wireless telegraphy station at Glace Bay, Nova Scotia.*1905**Canada's first Wireless Telegraph Act.*1913**Radio Telegraph Act includes voice transmission.*1919...
- Television in CanadaTelevision in CanadaTelevision in Canada officially began with the opening of the nation's first television stations in Montreal and Toronto in 1952. As with most media in Canada, the television industry, and the television programming available in that country, are strongly influenced by the American media, perhaps...
- Digital television in CanadaDigital television in CanadaDigital television in Canada is transmitted using the ATSC standards developed for and in use in the United States. Because Canada and the U.S...
- Nuclear power in CanadaNuclear power in CanadaNuclear power in Canada produces about 15% of Canada's electricity as of 2009.-History:The nuclear industry in Canada dates back to 1942 when a joint British-Canadian laboratory, the Montreal Laboratory, was set up in Montreal, Quebec, under the administration of the National Research Council of...
- History of the petroleum industry in CanadaHistory of the petroleum industry in CanadaThe Canadian petroleum industry arose in parallel with that of the United States. Because of Canada's unique geography, geology, resources and patterns of settlement, however, it developed in different ways...
- Canadian Mining Hall of FameCanadian Mining Hall of FameThe Canadian Mining Hall of Fame aims to recognize the accomplishments of leaders in the mining industry.It was conceived by Maurice R. Brown as a way to recognize and honor the legendary mine finders and builders of this Canadian industry. The Hall was established in 1988...
- List of bridges in Canada
- Former tallest buildings in Canada by province and territory
- Group of Thirteen (Canadian universities)Group of Thirteen (Canadian universities)The U15 is a group of 15 leading research-intensive universities in Canada. The U15 was formed in 1991 as an informal biannual meeting of university executive heads, although the group has yet to incorporate. The U15's primary activity is in joint research programs. The chairmanship of the U15...
- Canada Research Chair
- Energy policy of CanadaEnergy policy of CanadaCanada is the 5th largest producer of energy in the world, producing about 6% of global energy supplies. It is the world's largest producer of natural uranium, producing one-third of global supply, and is also the world's leading producer of hydro-electricity, accounting for 13% of global...
- List of airlines of Canada
- List of airports in Canada
- Internet in CanadaInternet in Canada-Web use:Canadian web users are similar to those in the other countries. The most popular sites in Canada are the major international ones, such as Google, Yahoo!, and MSN....
- Canadian beerCanadian beerBeer in Canada was introduced by European settlers in the seventeenth century, and a number of commercial brewers thrived until Prohibition in Canada. Though short-lived, very few brewers survived, and it was only in the late twentieth century that new breweries opened up...
- List of reservoirs and dams in Canada
- List of botanical gardens in Canada
- List of CAZA member zoos and aquariums
- Economic history of CanadaEconomic history of CanadaCanadian historians until the 1980s tended to focus on economic history, including labour history. In part this is because Canada has had far fewer political or military conflicts than other societies. This was especially true in the first half of the twentieth century when economic history was...