Windsor, Ontario (May 11, 2011)   

OTTAWA ECONOMIC MISSION

After welcoming remarks to the Heads of Mission by Chief of Protocol, Ms. Margaret Huber; Assistant Deputy Minister & Chief Trade Commissioner, Peter McGovern, an overview of the Program was given by Mr. Claude Haw, President of OCRI.

The first stop of the Economic Mission Program was Secure City Technology Alliance (www.securecitytechalliance.com) at March Networks Corporation on Terry Fox Drive in Ottawa’s high tech centre in Kanata.

SCTA is a group of Canadian companies which include BelAir Networks, March Networks, DragonWave, Mitel, Solace Systems, Bridgewater, Magor, Teldio, Benbria and Wesley Clover. These companies provide capabilities to address wide area video surveillance and sensor monitoring; infrastructure protection and management; and unified communications for emergency responders for cities, municipalities and even states; or for business concerns, such as industrial campuses, utilities, airports, rail systems and ports.

Following this remarkable facility, the next visit took place at the largest Eastern Ontario manufacturing plant of Best Theratronics Ltd. (www.theratronics.ca), who make life-saving medical equipment which is sold world-wide. These cobalt-based cancer therapy systems and blood irradiators have been produced by this company for 50 years. The company, which employs 150 highly skilled individuals whose expertise, includes engineering, design, radiation physics, dosimetry, manufacturing and worldwide logistics, is located in Kanata and began as a division of Atomic Energy of Canada.

The keynote lunch was hosted by world-famous Research in Motion (www.rim.com) at Brookstreet. It is one of the globe’s leading designers, manufacturers and marketers of wireless solutions for the mobile communications market. RIM provides solutions for access to e-mail, messaging, internet and intranet based applications available to countless developers and manufacturers in North America to enhance their products and services with wireless connectivity.

The afternoon program began with a visit to Logen Corp (www.logen.ca), where diplomats enjoyed a tour of the enzyme production facility followed by an interactive technology presentation. As one of Canada’s leading biotechnology firms, Logen Corporation is an industrial manufacturer of enzyme products for the grain processing, pulp and paper; textiles and animal feed industries. It is also a leading developer of technology to produce clean biofuels from agricultural waste. Founded in the 1970’s its enzyme products have drastically improved the way fibre is processed, improving operations and product properties while reducing polluting effluents.

The final visit of the day was Telesat (www.telesat.com), which is the fourth largest fixed satellite service operator in the world. From its headquarters in Ottawa, it flies 25 satellites, with three more planned for launch in the next 18 months. It provides services to the broadcasting industry, telephone companies, enterprise customers and governments, and has been a pioneer in the delivery of television, telephone and internet service via satellite since1969. It provides integrated satellite facilities and services via ground stations, satellites and human resources all over the world.

The grand finale of the evening was a cocktail reception at the brand new Ottawa Convention Centre, attended by an array of VIPs including Mike Darch, Executive Director and Master of Ceremonies for OCRI; Mr. Louis Levesque, the Deputy Minister of International Trade and Mr. Patrick Kelly, President of the Ottawa Convention Centre.

As always, the Office of Protocol excels in its commitment to provide programs that are superlative, and certainly this exceptional program provided stunning evidence to all who attended, of Canada’s foremost position as one of the leaders in cutting edge technology for today and far into the future.