Bombardier Inc. has announced that it will invest millions of dollars to support academic research and a new aerospace hub to be located in Toronto’s Downsview area.
The plane and train manufacturer said in a news release that it will provide $1.5-million for the Toronto Aeromaterials Research Centre to support work on aircraft noise reduction, advanced cabin development and other manufacturing research. The company will also invest $1 million in the Downsview Aerospace Innovation and Research Consortium’s (DAIR) Innovation Centre, where the aerospace industry and academics can collaborate on projects.
And, Bombardier will provide $1 million over five years towards the creation of two Aerospace Research Centres at Ryerson University and the University of Toronto, and $2.5 million to refurbish a heritage building at Downsview. The funding announcement comes after Bombardier announced that it is selling its Downsview manufacturing facility, a move that bolstered the company’s cash position but raised questions about where some of its aerospace operations would be located in the future.
In May, Bombardier announced that it had entered a definitive agreement to sell the Downsview aerospace facility, located in northwest Toronto, for US$635 million to the Public Sector Pension Investment Board. Bombardier completes the final assembly of its business jets at Downsview, as well as its Q400 turboprop planes. The company has a long-term lease with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority for a final assembly plant for its business jet program at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Bombardier has said it will continue to operate at its Downsview facility for up to three years after the deal with the Public Sector Pension Investment Board closes, with the option of two one-year extensions.
