This is a guest post from Bureau du Québec dans les Provinces atlantiques
(Member since 2021)
As Nova Scotia moves forward with its goal of becoming Canada’s first carbon neutral province by 2050, Québec innovators and entrepreneurs are poised to assist their Maritime neighbours in meeting their ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets. With a large percentage of current GHG emissions in Nova Scotia attributable to the transportation sector, Québec’s thriving electric transport mobility sector offers a smorgasbord of partnership opportunities that may hold the key to transitioning to an electrified future.
In May 2022, that future was brought into focus when Québec’s Nova Bus announced it had entered a contract with Halifax Transit for the purchase of up to 60 new electric buses. The new 100% battery electric buses will replace up to 60 diesel-powered buses by 2024, helping to advance the City of Halifax’s pursuit of its 2050 goals.
Dressed for success
In recent years, Québec expertise in the electrification of transport has matured to a level where the province enjoys a reputation as an emerging North American leader. Québec’s concentrated efforts to continue developing innovative technologies and manufacturing capabilities positions the province as a global force in the electrification of transportation. From the manufacture of electric school and public transportation buses to 100% electrified commercial vehicles and sidewalk sweepers, Québec has developed an eye-opening ecosystem of ingenuity and expertise in the sector.
In total, Québec’s electric transport sector accounts for $1.3 billion of the province’s annual GDP, with 147 businesses actively engaged in exporting an estimated $830 million of related goods and services. Beyond the provision of electric vehicles, Québec’s thriving ecosystem extends to infrastructure expertise for the maintenance of vehicles, the installation of electric terminal stations, and the storing of heavy electric vehicles. Additionally, Québec is home to more than 80 players dedicated to every facet of lithium-ion battery production and battery recycling processes. With Lion Electric’s announcement of a new $185 million battery manufacturing plant and innovation centre set to open in Québec in 2023, the sector continues to expand at a rapid pace as invaluable links in the supply chain continue to close.
Fostering collaboration
The Bureau du Québec dans les Provinces atlantiques (Québec Office in the Atlantic Provinces) is a gateway to Québec expertise and business opportunities. Since 1980, the office has represented the gouvernement du Québec in intergovernmental and institutional relations, cultural partnerships, and economic and commercial development — first in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, and then in Newfoundland and Labrador. As part of its mandate, the office’s economic Attachés promote Québec innovation and know-how in the Atlantic provinces. They also provide strategic market intelligence to Québec businesses looking to expand into those markets, as well as to Atlantic businesses interested in partnering and investing in Québec.
Under the guidance of Maud-Andrée Lefebvre, Chief Representative, the office has organized hundreds of meetings, in a variety of economic sectors, between Québec and Atlantic province businesses. As a result, a growing array of Atlantic municipalities have expressed interest in tapping into Québec’s transport electrification ecosystem. The Québec Office’s introductions have included collaborations with Propulsion Québec, an organization comprising more than 260 startups, established companies, institutions, research centres, and mobility operators tasked with consolidating Québec’s industrial cluster of electric and smart vehicle expertise.
The road ahead
The future is brightly illuminated with electrified visions of mobility hubs featuring high concentrations of transportation modes, including public transit, bike sharing, ride sharing, electric vehicle charging stations, and much more. As Nova Scotia pursues its ambitious NetZero goals, Québec’s innovative entrepreneurs are willing and able to share their expertise to help pave the road to a better world.
Learn more at:
sqrc.gouv.qc.ca
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