Source: York Region
A Markham company is getting a boost from the federal government to help its clean technology reach the global market.
Canada’s National Resources Minister, Joe Oliver, was in Markham this week highlighting four Ontario investments that support the development of innovative clean technologies.
The $14.7 million cash infusion, made through Sustainable Development Technology Canada, includes clean technology companies in Kingston, Ottawa, Markham and Toronto.
Macrotek in Markham was awarded $2 million to develop factory exhaust cleaning technology.
Meanwhile, $3.7 million was awarded to Vive Crop Protection Inc. in Toronto for targeted agricultural crop protection technology, $5.2 million went to Kingston’s Switchable Solutions to develop a solvent based bitumen extraction process for Canada’s oil sands and $3.8 million was awarded to Solantro Semiconductor Inc. in Ottawa to develop microchip technology for improving solar power generation to the power grid.
The clean technology industry is a Canadian success story, Mr. Oliver said.
The companies have one thing in common. “They began with a spark of imagination and they demonstrate the vital importance of collaboration between entrepreneurs, government and organizations,” he said.
Canadian innovation can help shape the next generation of clean technology and move Canada’s new innovation-based economy forward, he added.
Macrotek developed a technology that cleans emissions before they are released to the atmosphere.
“In the old days, those poisonous gases were vented out into the air,” Macrotek president Peter Ristevski said.
“Now, we can clean and remove those poisons.”
Macrotek focuses on custom-built air pollution control systems designed and engineered to the highest international environmental standards, he said.
Each emissions control system is custom built to fit the plant’s size and the different combinations of emissions it puts out. The complex process is designed to recycle and reuse chemicals which also helps reduce the amount of waste water that needs to be treated.
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The Regional Municipality of York is located in the heart of the Greater Toronto Area and is home to 1.1 million residents and 42,000 business establishments, making it one of Canada’s largest municipalities and the second largest business centre in the Province of Ontario.
Comprised of nine local municipalities, York Region is a premier business location in Canada. The Region is home to operations of 14 Fortune 100 companies, four of Canada’s top 10 corporate R&D investors, Canada’s second largest Information & Communications Technology (ICT) cluster and global industry leaders in Life Sciences, CleanTech, Financial Services and Advanced Manufacturing.
As Canada’s fastest growing large municipality, York Region has one of the most educated and diverse workforces in North America, the lowest commercial property taxes in greater Toronto and an exceptional quality of life attracting top global talent.
York Region’s local municipalities include the City of Markham, the City of Vaughan, the Town of Richmond Hill, the Town of Newmarket, the Town of Aurora, the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville, the Town of East Gwillimbury, the Town of Georgina and the Township of King.