Boeing, an aircraft manufacturing giant, is investing $240 million in a partnership with the Quebec government to create an aerospace innovation zone in the Montreal area.
The total investment for the project amounts to 415 million dollars. The government of Quebec is contributing 85 million dollars.
Prime Minister François Legault and Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon presented the project on Tuesday during an annual international aerospace forum in Montreal.
“It benefits society as a whole because we are creating very well-paid jobs,” Legault said.
But it’s not about creating jobs just for the sake of creating them, he said. “If we want to create prosperity, we have to replace low-paying jobs with better-paying ones.”
Quebec Premier François Legault speaks at the International Aerospace Innovation Forum in Montreal on Tuesday. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)
Boeing Co. is expanding its significant presence in Canada by becoming the lead tenant of this project, strengthening its presence in a country where the company already has more than 500 suppliers.
Boeing’s $240 million investment represents the bulk of the $330 million coming from several private companies, including Pratt & Whitney Canada, Airbus, Bombardier, Flying Whales Québec and Thales Canada.
Brendan Nelson, global president of Boeing, said Montreal has the world’s leading aerospace research and development district.
“That’s why we’re here,” he said.
The announcement comes as Boeing is facing problems with its 737 Max aircraft program. Technical problems with its 737 Max aircraft have made headlines this year.
In March, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun announced that he would be leaving the company at the end of the year as part of a major restructuring of the management team. This brought to an end more than five turbulent years in which confidence in one of the most renowned US manufacturers was shaken.
Boeing said it was working with regulators to resolve these issues, and the premier of Quebec said he had confidence in the company.
Quebec Premier François Legault (right) arrives to make an announcement at the International Aerospace Innovation Forum in Montreal on Tuesday. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)
John Gradek, a lecturer at McGill University and an expert on commercial aviation management issues, said activities in Quebec would focus primarily on research and development.
“The problems they have with the safety and quality of their production line have nothing to do with what they do in Quebec,” he said.
The plan, announced on Tuesday, is part of the Quebec government’s initiative to make the province a leader in aerospace technology.
The innovation zone will be located in Montreal’s Saint-Laurent district and in the cities of Longueuil and Mirabel. It will be called Espace Aéro and will be managed by Aéro Montréal, a strategic aerospace centre aimed at developing the industry in Quebec. It will include a development centre and aircraft research and training programs.
“It’s a perfect fit not only for industrial commercialization but also for research and development, so we’re very pleased that this aircraft has finally landed,” said Alan DeSousa, mayor of the Saint-Laurent district.
Espace Aéro will be tasked with “increasing Quebec’s attractiveness in the aerospace sector” and making the country a “world leader in decarbonization and advanced air mobility,” according to a press release on Tuesday.
The innovation zone would also be the fourth in the province. Here are the other three:
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Sherbrooke: Quantum information.
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Bromont: Digital Technologies.
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Bécancour, Shawanigan and Trois-Rivières: Energy transition for batteries.
