okay um let's get started here uh good afternoon everyone my name is Akash Rao I'm the manager of project development at ngen Canada short for Next Generation manufacturing Canada um thanks so much for taking the time to join us for joining us today I'm honored to be on this webinar with our partners from the city of Maple Ridge Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows Chamber of Commerce and in West Vancouver you'll hear from them about why companies should invest in Maple Ridge Pet Meadows and Vancouver Metro regions and also learn more about the resources and services that these regions have to offer following that you'll hear from engine about our current open funding programs in particular our open funding program the EV manufacturing value chain program or evmp for short in your journey to explore opportunities to invest and continue to grow here in BC and the Greater Vancouver region engine and our evmp program are one of the many tools in the toolbox you can take advantage of time permitting we're happy to take any questions at the end of this presentation that being said I'll hand it over to one of our panelists Tyler to walk you through some of the slides from one of our partners in West Vancouver thanks very much Akash hello everybody my name is Tyler Westover I'm the director of Economic Development with the city of Maple Ridge as well as the vice chair of invest Vancouver's advisory committee I did want to acknowledge that we were situated a city of Maple Ridge is situated on the traditional and unseated territories of both the KC First Nation and the quantum First Nation uh it's important for us that we do respect uh those that have come before us and that are here still uh as active community members and partners as we're moving forward uh invest Vancouver I wanted to speak about for a minute here just to provide some context about some of the ecosystem that's here some of the focus of this organization it is a foreign direct investment uh agency um so one that's looking for investment coming into the area as well as working with uh domestic investors that are here as well and a lot of supports for folks like yourselves that are on the call here today or on the webinar cash if you'd be able to go to the next slide um just to provide a little bit of context um there's a focus on global audience there's a focus on policy analysis there's a focus on uh really ensuring that we are advancing shared prosperity and competitiveness here within the Vancouver area as well as from British Columbia and ultimately Canada if you can move to the next um a little bit of context once again for the Vancouver Metro region um so looking at the GDP growth uh within the area here are GDP numbers here overall 149 billion nothing to sneeze at by any stretch it means one of the most Diversified economies in Canada uh 2.8 million people here as well as with 1.5 million workers if we can move to the next as well should note that we do act as uh one full region we are working together as municipalities understanding that there is a lot of opportunity as we start to collaborate with one another in the areas that we certainly can obviously there are Focus areas for each and each particularly as as they start to focus on what their vocational strengths are and the supports that they can provide to investors or companies like yourself we can move to the next please um wanted to talk a little bit more about some of the opportunities that are here in British Columbia and that we see here in the Vancouver Metro region so um items to be aware of and we have one of the the largest ports in Canada as well as one of the most Diversified in North America one of the top lovable cities cities and regions that are here in the Vancouver Metro region uh in Vancouver proper over 60 percent of GDP and 50 of BC's population is uh represented within this area and then of course we have some young diverse Talent from world-class institutions like UBC SFU a whole list of others that we'll go through in a minute if we can move to the next slide please um once again it's important to note that as companies are looking at this region as they're looking to grow that they can get their staff to where they need to go as well as the goods and Transportation uh system is strong enough for them to get to the markets that they need to so uh with having the International Airport a number of regional airports within the area post-secondaries that are here good Transit and connectivity throughout the region uh we're seeing more often that companies are able to have workers that are living throughout the region here uh and being able to work whether it be in the office or remote as well so having good systems in place to support them if we can move to the next please foreign wanted to speak about some of the academic and research institutions that we do have here those that folks would certainly know Simon Fraser University University of British Columbia uh well-renowned and well-respected organizations and institutions that are here continue to graduate great um uh brain power and talent into the rest of the country and internationally as well as we do have a number of the specialty schools and boot camp institutions so to speak so those like Lighthouse Labs that are here brain station core code boot camp linguero College Portland Polytechnic University or kpu BCIT is another one that folks would generally recognize within British Columbia as well as in western Canada we can move on to the next uh and we are in a strategic location so all of these opportunities that we see here within the Vancouver Metro region really make us a competitive location throughout uh the rest of the world so being able to connect into uh key and strategic areas like um the port and some of the trade advantages that come from that as well as those that are in Seattle or in Portland uh these major centers for those that are in digital systems or those that are in superclusters or the opportunity for those that could be in super clusters with manufacturing as well as with uh technology adoption into those areas are very critical for us I should note that there are a number of free trade agreements that Canada does have and we have a number of reps that are within uh the local area here the Vancouver Metro region and across Canada of course that can help you in trying to find ways to connect in with other markets if you're looking to export and increase that GDP growth so to speak for Canada overall massive opportunity for all of us here you can move to the next um you can actually go forward a couple more on this Akasha one thing that I wanted to show here is just some of the different um sectors that we are strong within and advanced manufacturing being a critical component all of this we do have a number of green building companies clean technology companies those that are focused on uh really the new energy Evolution and the new uh opportunities that are here with EV manufacturer or EVS themselves there was one that myself and another invest Vancouver uh representative had a chance to to tour over just this last week where they sell a lot of the or manufacture and then engage with those with component manufacturer for those with fuel cell technology so um and with EV technology so I certainly do have a cluster that you would be engaging with within this region here and the expertise is Here Local and Market as well we can move to the next um once again just really wanted to show that there is a fast and growing Transportation cluster that is um within the Vancouver Metro region so well represented across Vancouver Metro region itself from North Shore all the way through to uh Langley and um Maple Ridge itself uh low vision low and zero emission vehicle and component manufacturers within the area of renewable and low carbon fuels and charging infrastructure as well as that transferable technology and services piece uh well represented and use you can see that you really are plugging into an entire ecosystem of those that are looking to support and certainly make this an opportunity for all of us here in Canada as we move ahead next slide please uh those specializations that we have noted here we did want to highlight especially with this audience here and seeing if there are those that may want to uh interact or that we can further Connect into uh the ecosystem here so uh those that may be working on hydrogen fuel cell growth and production and storage that's going to be critical for us as we move ahead those that are serving Niche markets including electric motorcycles single occupant zero emission vehicles and electric drives for mining uh equipment is also something that is well represented here we do have a number of companies that are working on renewable natural gas and biogas and then just overall decarbonization of fuels uh is something that we see a number of companies that are focusing on here or have headquarters here in the Vancouver Metro region I know they're they're always aiming to connect with those censuses or purchasing area of growth and opportunity for the country we can move to the next uh ultimately what we're looking at is Talent The Innovation ecosystem and the the hydrogen and uh Advanced uh manufacturing cluster here for uh zero emission um Industries uh it's strong it's something that we certainly want to support and we do have a number of advisors that can be working with you uh not only from an investment Cooper proper uh side however uh also with each one of the member municipalities that sit around the table I know that they're always Keen to engage and we work very closely with each one of those member uh organizations and institutions that we have around the table as well to support you and what you need we can move to the next please uh so we really provide information data research policy we collaborate with you um have been working more so on trying to get uh more opportunities to speak with other orders of government on competitiveness on some of the key policy movements that we need to see across the country so if you do have some of those items that you would like to have us aware of even more so I do encourage to connect in a slide or two you're going to see a contact there from directly within West Vancouver certainly feel free to reach out to myself as well and I'm more than happy to to continue that forward but we do really need to make sure that we are fostering that that Economic Development potential throughout the entire region and that we're working with this changing economy as it's moving so quickly for us and the new opportunities are here we want to make sure you're supported in what you're doing uh next slide please uh so here is one of the contacts Brian buggy Executive Vice President please do feel free to feel very free to reach out to him I know he's quite responsive feel free to reach out to myself if you have any other questions on uh invest Vancouver and how we can support you as you're moving ahead and uh myself as as Vice co-chair of the advisory committee I'm very keen to understand what uh we can do to support you in and invest Vancouver perspective as well as within uh our own representative jurisdictions as well so I want to thank you for your time uh I'm going to provide the floor so to speak over to Christy Meyer the executive director to the rich Meadows Chambers of Commerce and um we'll be back to you shortly thanks much Tyler um and thank you for having me today uh so just a quick intro uh like Tyler said I'm Chrissy Meyer I'm the executive director of The Ridge Meadows Chamber of Commerce I'd also like to acknowledge that I'm currently Seated on the traditional territories at the quantly and Katie First Nations so I get this a lot what is a chamber um just in a snapshot a chamber of commerce is an organization that represents and advocates for the interests of business and business professionals within a specific geographical area we have our local Chambers our provincial Chambers and our federal chamber chamber of commerce are a membership-based non-profit organization and serve a hub for networking business support and economic development uh next slide please Akash perfect uh so these are our three pillars Advocate connect and educate I'm just going to go quickly into a little bit more um the key functions and activities of our chamber first is Advocate advocacy is a huge part of our chamber our local chamber lobbies on behalf of our members to promote pro-business policies and regulations at a local level I attended the BC Chamber of Commerce conference here in June and there were two days of policy work that we had developed and I look forward to attending the BC chamber conference in 2024 put forward some more policies another thing that we do is networking we provide opportunities for business owners and professionals to connect with one another we host our monthly event a networking event called business after hours and we have between 30 and 60 individuals attend these events they're extremely popular and it's a really a great way to grow your business is to network with other business owners or business professionals within your community business support we offer a range of resources and services to help businesses Thrive this includes Business Development workshops and educational programs Community engagement we play a role in the community overall in the community's overall development and well-being we feel extremely grateful to be representing two vibrant business communities and to be working alongside the city of Maple Ridge and the City of Pitt Meadows so we represent two communities being the Ridge Meadows chamber information and resources we provide members with information about local business opportunities economic Trends regular regulatory changes that may impact their operations member benefits um I won't get too much into that but with your membership you get member benefits one of them being our health plan or our group insurance plan the chambers Group insurance plan is number one in Canada and it is a pool plan so if you are interested in Group Insurance the chamber plan is a wonderful option uh Promotional and marketing uh promotion and marketing opportunities we promote our members through our online directory website and Publications helping businesses gain visibility in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows Market I'll move over to the next slide please great so manufacturing and Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows the chamber has a 148 members related to manufacturing Industries uh like Plumbing food Automotive Aviation and so much more Maple Ridge has over 300 hectares of industrial and um employment land available this is a huge draw for all manufacturing businesses of all sizes to conduct business in Maple Ridge just to get a little bit into Pitt Meadows the South Boston area of the city of Palmettos is home to both Pitt Meadows airport and Ani Golden Ears Business Park um that being 200 Acres of industrial land with approximately 4 million square feet of space before warehouse and light industrial I'm currently Pit Meadows has Amazon located in in their industrial and the golden years Business Park hosts like I said Amazon's operations 145 000 square foot delivery station one of um the reasons Amazon chose this business park is due to the access to key Transportation routes uh next slide please so one of the things that Chambers of Commerce and Board of Trade um trades offer uh their members and non-members are certificates of origin so a certificate of origin Co is a document issued by other buyer chambers that certifies the country of origin of a product this document is used in international trade to provide information about the place uh where a product has was manufactured produced and where it proceeds um certificates of origin play a critical role in trade transactions as they can affect customs duties trades or trade agreements and importations of goods into the particular country The Ridge Meadows chamber authorized over a hundred certificates of origin a year products consisting of metal Lumber tools and so much more next please great so that's all from me um the rich Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows is really a great they're wonderful communities to open a manufacturing business or any type of business for that matter um we are dedicated to economic growth and helping businesses grow Within These vibrant communities and if anyone has any questions about the chamber our local chamber or any chamber um I'm more than happy to take any emails I will be sending an email out just introducing myself in my information um following this presentation um and please feel free to reach out with any questions I will pass it back over to Tyler thanks very much Christy so I should also note that Christy uh and her team and myself and my team uh work very closely with one another as well as she's with our our mayor and Council quite often we have a great relationship she is absolutely correct these communities are very interested in good and transformational growth and are working towards it so she is a big part of that equation so thank you for for that information that you shared and for really the ongoing partnership cash if we can go through the next uh slide please um city of Maple ridges within Vancouver Metro region wanted to speak with you really briefly um since this is a community that I representing we are a very active member of invest Vancouver um we're an opportunity for those that are looking at establishing a location within Vancouver Metro region or into the Fraser Valley itself uh so we've been seeing transformational growth uh 10.6 do have good connectivity into the rest of the region as well as out to the United States border uh and are working closely more closely with our partners within the Pacific Northwest region which allows immediate access for about 13 million people which is oftentimes something that folks forget within the Vancouver Metro region you can go to the next please foreign Target growth sectors so you can see squarely within their the manufacturing and advanced manufacturing is something we're very keen on we do see a number of advanced manufacturers that are within Maple Ridge uh as well as on the green economy side so I know that's a pithy statement to be made it's one that's um maybe less particular than what folks would like to see but that really does encompass a number of of technology or manufacturing advancements that are focused on decarbonization or just on on green Innovation itself so certainly did want to make sure that folks were available aware that that is a key Target of ours as we grow ahead and we're just really proud that a number of companies make make their products in Maple Ridge and we want to continue to make it here so to speak and have others start to enter that Fray with us as well if we can go to the next slide please foreign these are the Salient facts here I just wanted to make sure that folks were aware we're a growing Community we have 90 990 people uh based on last census have seen 10.6 growth anticipate that to be the same as we go into the next census period uh we are very uh closely uh approaching growth targets that will hit 150 000 in a very short order um so we're so seeing substantial growth that's uh on an annual basis we do have a very high household income as well so one of the highest that's in the Vancouver Metro region uh as well as competing with major CMAs across Canada so we'll have a slide to be able to go through some of those pieces uh Christie is absolutely correct we are seeing good growth on our industrial front uh and non-residential front that's within Maple Ridge um certainly Pitt Meadows also has quite a few opportunities that are there and new developments coming in uh right now we certainly do have about 160 Acres that are actively being developed of industrial lands so those will be be able to accommodate folks likely within the next couple of years or so uh and then others that we are working diligently towards on our next growth areas so to speak and a few really interesting projects that we'll talk about in a second and then once again we do have a New Economic Development strategy that is focused on non-residential growth uh and those being within Advanced manufacturing Manufacturing we can go to the next please uh so actually Akash if you can just take a couple of seconds and go through probably the next four uh five slides on these really quickly what I wanted to be able to show uh and you will get these slides after the fact uh just wanted to make sure that you're aware of it is we do have Regional assets within Maple Ridge that connect us very uh tightly and easily throughout the entire Vancouver Metro region so uh Regional Airport some of these Regional bridges that are here by and large would I want you to pay attention to is the bolded uh times that are there you're approximately 30 minutes to each one of these different areas whether that be to Vancouver itself whether it be to the U.S border whether it be to the ports themselves and being able to get folks really through the entire region itself um Akasha can go through the next two as well that would be great um so we have a commuter train that's here we see a ton of folks that are going right into downtown Vancouver and recently we have launched Maple Ridge moves uh that is focused on bus Rapid Transit so uh having faster than than even you know just regular kind of Rapid Transit that we would see already existing in Maple Ridge but effectively like a light rail or SkyTrain um but with buses so having dedicated lanes and anticipating uh that we're going to see good service starting to move forward um with translink's 2025 investment plan so we're diligent and underway right now with a number of plans on that side and working with them uh if we can move on through the next please um we're also a port community so for those that are wanting to ship uh products with whether it be a likely barge up through the area it does seem like it's a bit of a waste to the ocean but really it's not all that long and it's fairly underutilized so we've been having regular discussions with the port on how we can better uh utilize appraiser Fraser River um really to see some of these barges coming through and transporting uh good to end or services in some of the cases as well which is having some good reception we're going to have some uh some more to share as we go through the coming years I'm sure uh next slide please uh same thing with rail um so class one railroad right in our community and having access throughout the entire Vancouver Metro region as well as through other key and substantial courts in western Canada and having those costs Advantage from our side as well is something that is critical for any company that is utilizing um manufacturing inputs or otherwise and we want to make sure that folks are aware of that next slide actually cash you could probably go through uh probably about five seconds for for each over the next 10 or so um really a lot of this is going to be about some of the regional infrastructure and the investment that is coming into our community um and things like having our electrical transmission here ready for yourself for companies that are coming in um oftentimes three-phase power or others are not an issue for us um continuing on from invest Vancouver and some of the discussion that we had on post-secondaries we do have a number of those that are represented well within Maple Ridge as well as some private institutions so for those companies that are looking at additional training micro credentialing we do have that opportunity that's within Maple Ridge and do have a Consortium that is working on additional services that are potential to come into Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows as well next slide I wanted to speak with you just broadly a lot of these are meant to show optionality of choice for those that are looking to develop a new area this is kind of a rough map of Maple Ridge it does substantially go to the north uh we do have one uh key asset the golden years Park uh Provincial Park so for those that are outdoor enthusiasts we oftentimes see them go in there we've cut that off from the map here because it does make it even harder to believe it or not um but really what we wanted to show is that there is and certainly an urban node that we have an urban service area as well as rural areas so for those that may would or would prefer to have their locations for a business go within more of a rural area that's something that we can also accommodate here in Maple Ridge which is um I think fairly unique fairly special and provides once again a different option for folks the same over the head next slide please um another opportunity here is just you have so many different neighborhoods to be able to choose from it's a very connected Community um we are very much focused on Industrial and Commercial growth so that is something that I focused on here in this presentation um lots of opportunities for folks as they are starting to look at new locations uh and being able to capture some new Talent into their organizations as well so something that we're seeing some substantial densification in especially Hammond West Maple Ridge and Central Maple Ridge you know into our downtown um we're seeing substantial Investments that are coming into those areas which we'll have a chance to show in a second you can move on to the next two please um so just a little bit more detail there once again uh the town center and then on the next as well um just where we're focusing some of our our development timelines so to speak for non-residentials so you can see on the west side with the red and the blue those are areas that the red is effectively built out right now it's it's ending uh sort of speaker or filling up and hitting completion um those areas in the tealish blue um are certainly under development right now and we're working with those proponents uh and then you can see along the foreshore and others the other key for us is as those start to build out now where are we starting to look additionally and you can see that green area towards the north uh we have a number of items that Maple Ridge moves also connect in with so economic super highways that we're working on uh to connect East West as well as into Highway 7 that just a butts next to the river to make sure that companies that do invest into the area are having good Transportation access for all of their goods and services um we can go on to the next please um didn't want to share just give a little bit of context of what Maple Ridge is about from a statistics and or um kind of a process standpoint how many how many permits do we go through what does our community like next slide please uh you can see that we're an affluent community so I said before in comparison to some of those CMAs across the country whether that be Montreal Halifax Toronto or others Calgary uh or others we are stacking up very uh well in comparison to them so these are 2020 after tax median household incomes uh and even for those that may be aware of in the in the British Columbian or in the west uh or in the Metro Vancouver area being able to see British Columbia's average uh or median after tax household incomes as well as West Vancouver and Maple Ridge a little bit further than those uh is oftentimes surprising for them but does present some very interesting opportunities for those that are wanting to to have very qualified folks uh folks to invest into their companies any of those types of things as well all right next slide please um once again good growth when we compare across uh the country and into uh the region into the province uh Head and Shoulders above some of those other areas that comes with its own set of challenges which we were catching up from rec centers and the like um but certainly our Council and ourselves are investing into those uh and ensuring that we're meeting the community need here next please um see roughly about 500 building permits issued annually that is going to continue to take up as we move ahead um next slide um we can go through these next four pretty quickly there are cash just so we can keep on time um so just wanted to give you a sense of some of the development that's coming in we do have those uh that are looking at mixed office and uh retail next slide please um mixed use once again for some of the new residential along uh one of our major corridors as well as with ground floor commercial and then one of the crown jewels here E1 Molly energy uh has a proposed development that is within the area this was from their development information meeting and public meeting uh to share some of the concepts that they're working on so this is really exciting for us something that uh we're certainly proud of them for moving forward with and that they're squarely within Advanced manufacture that we're just so happy and proud that they're within our community here and uh within the region next slide please uh and then Economic Development ultimately what do we do I've talked your ear off on a lot of these items if we can go to the next that'll give you a bit of an idea um we personalize our service to you whatever you may need whether that's connections into the area if you need to find lands if you're looking for different granting those types of items um certainly want to be able to connect with yourself and tie you into these networks here and make sure that you're really successful as you're investing into Maple Ridge and into the region uh and supplying you with really good data so the other thing that we do are the department which I want to make sure that we touch on very very briefly as we do tourism promotion as well as film development and permits so if we go to the next couple please um number of partners partners and ecosystems that are in the system um but film is something that is a surprise and actually has been a bit of an attractor for some of the companies that are coming in uh those that may want to engage with film or those that really just kind of love the the magic behind um behind the the Glitz and Glam of it all when when you're seeing a movie uh they like seeing the stuff and have a chance to get involved with film industry as well so oftentimes in the off times um for a lot of employees they may get involved as extras or background workers and those types of things so we've seen quite a few shoot days within May Bridge some interesting um films that have been here as well and more that will be able to announce in the coming year uh next slide and as I noted with Golden Ears Provincial Park we see a ton of visitors into this area just breathtaking views so uh when you're done your workday uh release some interesting opportunities to get out in a kayak to go hiking to go mountain biking to go camping uh to hit a day use Park any of those types of things with uh really some of these world-class views that are here uh next slide uh and we have some upcoming events where V reactive group we want to make sure that companies are supported so you can see things here we're celebrating along with our um uh friends at the chamber here a lot of work going into celebrating women in business we have an Innovation Challenge on right now there's an economic development Summit that will be hosted in Maple Ridge October 11th and uh next year is also our 150th anniversary so we're well underway with the planning on that side as well as hosting BC Summer Games in 2024 as well so a lot of work with all of our partners our friends certainly want you all to be able to come into the area if you're interested or in the Vancouver Metro region uh and really want to thank you for your time here so uh cash on to the last slide and to yourself I want to thank you once again for the opportunity to chat here today thanks so much Tyler and Christy for um you know presentations and showing us all the various opportunities and developments happening in our regions here it's truly an exciting time and we're glad you guys could showcase some of the some of the the upcoming work that's happening in your regions that all our participants can benefit from uh to complement and support your company's growth um engine provides funding opportunities in the advanced manufacturing space that's one of the um one of the areas we focus on within Canada today I'll be speaking to you in detail about one of our current open funding challenges which is the electric vehicle manufacturing value chain program or evmp again uh these slides will be shared externally but and if you have any questions after this as well feel free to reach out to us at ev.challenge ngen.ca and we'll be happy to talk to you further for those of you who are not aware of who we are so engine is an industry-led not-for-profit Corporation and we have a mandate to lead Canada's Advanced Manufacturing sector engine has a mandate to build World leading Advanced manufacturing capabilities in Canada and we do that by enabling the development scale up and deployment of Technologies Advanced Technologies in Canadian Manufacturing since our Inception in 2017 we've always abided by our five core elements or five pillars the first being promoting Canadian capabilities I think that's self-explanatory uh our mandate is to promote Canadian capabilities through and through uh we also work on making connections whether that is making connections between industry to Industry Partners industry to research Partners helping build consortiums that can establish successful projects or just in general networking opportunities another arm of engine focuses on building Workforce and management capacity I'll speak a little more about that towards the tail end of my presentation and the fourth one being modernizing manufacturing footprint so that's really amalgamating industry 4.0 Technologies along with your manufacturing skill sets for your conventional and traditional Manufacturing and finally the fifth one being funding collaborative Innovation this is where our team the project development team fits in and part of the uh and and we'll go over a funding collaborative Innovation opportunity in the next few slides here and for any other information as well as a refresher and any of this information feel free to go to our website engine.ca uh you'll see a lot more information there and and you can always reach out to us so why are we here today in 2021 engine launched our first EV manufacturing related program uh in that we received over 180 million dollars worth of applications that was across 80 industry partners we ended up funding 76 million dollars worth of projects across 34 Partners across 15 projects and to note seven of those 15 projects were inter-provincial collaborations overall at engine we've cumulatively funded over 140 million dollars in EV manufacturing Innovation from across 100 industry Partners through Canada and across TV value chain from from processing of critical minerals all the way to battery and vehicle Manufacturing of course A lot has changed in Canada's automotive industry since our last 2021 EV manufacturing program we've seen billions of dollars of anchor Investments being made across Canada from the Concord Quebec to the Volkswagen Powerco battery plant in St Thomas to stalantis LG Solutions plant in Windsor among the various other recent announcements all of these will need to be supported by a robust Automotive Innovation ecosystem Federal industry Minister Francois Philip champagne calls these Investments a generational opportunity and one of the biggest Transformations that we've seen in the industrial landscape in modern times our objective at engine is to use our funding to complement and support these anchor Investments and help build out the emerging EV value chains here in Canada with made in Canada Manufacturing Technologies and capabilities the cvmp challenge will focus on the scale up and commercialization of transformative collaborative business-led projects that Target the value chain of battery EDS and Fuel Cell evils EVS in terms of key dates we're looking at a screening or expression of Interest deadline of October 11 2023 so coming up quickly here in a few weeks now let's take a look at eligible project types for engine and specific evalu chain areas that we want to be focusing on we're looking at projects that focus on the development of either an advanced manufacturing technology a novel manufacturing process or circular economy processes and capabilities so first and foremost our projects have to be driven by process innovation uh the second thing is all our projects must be transformative in nature I.E that they must have material impact on manufacturing performance and Conference significant Global advantage to the Canadian industry all engine projects must be collaborative in nature and they should be demonstrating meaningful collaboration by a minimum of two Canadian industry partners all our projects need to be applied that they need to generate significant commercial and economic benefits including jobs maintenance and creation and lastly all engine projects need to be enduring to provide broader economic benefits to Canada's Advanced manufacturing ecosystem specifically targeting the following eligible areas or road-based evalu chains processing of critical minerals traction batteries their components and subsystems fuel cells their components and systems Power Electronics electric machines including e-motors and gearboxes and significant vehicle lightweighting directed at EVS and just a note manufacturing of hybrid powertrains are in scope but only for the electric and or zero emission aspects of the architecture just a few examples of projects out of scope projects that Focus primarily on product development as opposed to process innovation projects that do not contribute to the development of Ed value stream projects related to off-road vehicles projects related to internal combustion engine based powertrains and internal combustion based aspects of hybrid powertrains projects related to EV charging infrastructure related to extraction of raw or projects that subsidize full-scale commercial production projects related to experimental work without any Direct commercial application projects are where benefits accrue to a single firm or organization and finally any routine or period changes made to existing products production lines or other operations so as you can see these these sort of counter the five key pillars that all our projects are based on again if you do have a project in mind and you're unsure if it's within or without scope uh within our out of scope feel free to reach out to us and we can happily chat with you further as I noted before all our engine projects must be collaborative in nature and will need to apply as a project Consortium what is a project consortia it must include at least two unassociated industry Partners uh termed a lead and a partner and the formal collaborative partner is one that contributes funding in the form of cash background IP to the project and collaborates on the development of foreground IP and will receive funding from engine the Consortium must include at least one small to medium Enterprise as a partner and that's defined as some you know entity less than 500 employees globally and finally for this challenge the Consortium must demonstrate a clear path to commercialization they must demonstrate the involvement and or support in the form of an industry-based Market poll company that is a potential customer or a Vehicle Manufacturer or a tier one business involvement would typically or ideally be in the form of a collaborative partner or the provision of in-kind support if neither of those are feasible then at minimum a strong and credible letter of support demonstrating an agreement to commercializing the project outcomes will be required to be provided going into the finer details of the eligibility criteria for this challenge all applicants these are the eligible applicant types it could be for for-profit organizations that are Incorporated with value-added presence in Canada not-for-profit organizations that facilitate r d but who's funding uh our revenue is primarily received from the private sector non-federal Crown corporations whose funding is derived from commercial activities and Indigenous organizations we look at projects with the value of roughly one and a half to eight million dollars engine works on a reimbursement model so we would reimburse up to 37 percent of eligible expenses eligible expenses include categories such as laborers subcontractor capital and Equipment material and supplies travel other costs such as IP related costs so as you can see it's not just labor there are other categories we look to reimburse with uh to make it collaborative in nature any one partner cannot receive more than 70 off the engine funding amount there is an admin fee uh three and a half percent of the total project value which is paid uh further down the line during the Contracting phase if your project does get selected for funding uh the duration of the projects project terms cannot last beyond March 31st 2028 and at engine we allow a stacking limit of 100 here now let's take a look at the application process and some of the key dates the two major gateways we've bolded here applicants must have to submit their project for screening by October 11 2023 at 5 PM eastern time we'll go over this in a second here once the project development team has assessed the applications to ensure that they are in scope applicants will gain access to the full application which is then due by November 15th 5 PM Eastern again the full application is the bulk of the work so we highly recommend applicants to submit their projects to screening earlier rather than later the application portal is open to accept applications um and we can go over that again in the next slide here once the full application is then submitted it will be passed into an assessment stage where an independent panel of experts will grade each project and assess and score each application if a project is successful and recommended for funding they will then enter the Contracting phase or the Contracting stage where documents are brought up to a certain standard and quality where and we're legally binding documents will be developed and executed such as a collaboration agreement between partners of the Consortium and a master project agreement between the Consortium and India once the Contracting period is complete then projects can commence and start incurring eligible expenses uh what are the requirements for project screening so this is the first gateway here coming up October 11th for that you require a description of a project proposal thousand words maximum contact information for all Partners a case one lead contact and one Finance contact per partner you need a signed engine application agreement by all Partners a high level Financial proposal which is a breakdown of the funding sought by engine the cash contributions in-kind contributions and any other sources of government funding and at that point engine will commence Financial due diligence where we will assess each partner's ability to support their financial commitment to the project um and we'll evaluate criteria such as profitability liquidity I'll leverage indebtedness and cash flow again as I mentioned earlier we're highly encouraging applicants to submit projects for screening as early as possible don't wait until the deadline uh this allows you sufficient time to complete the full application once you've passed through screening by our team requirements to go to a full application this is the deadline by November 15th there will be 10 application assessment questions which have a character count of seven thousand words uh seven thousand character count you'll submit a project plan a detailed project plan a risk register an IP plan each partner will submit a financial workbook and any additional attachments that we require such as the level letters of support that we had spoken about earlier so in a nutshell that's uh the application process now of course if you need collaborative project Partners if you're unsure if your project idea is in scope or not or if you have any other general questions about this challenge we are here to support you and walk you through your project and walk you through uh your Consortium and understand what makes sense and how to build a good application reach us reach us at EV challenge at engine.ca apart from that uh engine also has a virtual matchmaking platform uh you can post a project idea match and just generally connect with potential Partners to help form a Consortium you can find that at our website engine.ca vmp-collaboration Dash portal again these slides will go out after the presentation so you'll have a chance to get to the link as well you can go to that and browse for existing projects existing companies who are looking for expertise you can publish your expertise and just generally Network and connect with others for this challenge after this event we have two other upcoming events uh specific to this funding stream the evmp uh the first one being tomorrow so if anyone is interested to gain further information about their application uh so it doesn't know where to start uh I would highly encourage you to register for the project development Workshop that's happening tomorrow once screening has passed and the set number of projects have been pushed into application development we will conduct another project development Workshop which will be virtually done October 19th uh watch out for our social media Pages for how to register and if you have any questions on how to register don't hesitate to reach out to us and we can help you with that as well um apart from this evmp challenge we are looking at various other sectors in the advanced manufacturing um area over the summer we closed on our first challenge the general Advanced manufacturing challenge this year um we're currently in the Contracting phase of um working with those consortiums to get through and get their projects kicked off and executed uh the second pillar here is the evmp challenge which I spoke about um we've also recently launched an advanced manufacturing commercialization of quantum Technologies in partnership with the digital cluster again reach out to us at project engine.ca if you'd like to chat further about that specific funding Channel and uh likely in 2024 we will uh you'll start seeing further information about our industrial decarbonization and circular Manufacturing funding stream that is currently undergoing subject matter expert consultation at this point separate from Project funding engine also has a Workforce Development arm of our organization namely our future ready initiative we're helping Canadian manufacturing footprint modernize and upskiller Workforce it's made up of two programs the first one being transformational leadership program TLP is a 12-week program which will provide leadership teams of SME manufacturers with the tools to self-assess their businesses and find areas that can be matured to be globally competitive and develop a roadmap to correct areas that may hamper success and in process strategically align their businesses to the needs of their customers an astonishing figure is 97 of companies don't Benchmark 97 of companies don't know what their competitors are doing the participating organizations here in the TLP will only pay fifteen hundred dollars for the for the program which normally costs upward of 7 500 for such a program based on those gaps and opportunities that were identified in the TLP companies then have an option to take part in the second initiative the ampup program here's where companies can select employees for upskilling and working with an engine training liaison to undergo assessments and to create upskilling uh plans personalized upskilling plans through the ampa program companies will get 80 reimbursement on upskilling their selected employees up to a maximum reimbursement amount of four thousand dollars this also includes skill assessments and upskilling support worth an additional three thousand dollars so all together this fifteen thousand five hundred dollar package will cost an organization only two thousand five hundred dollars to take part funding is available on a first come first serve basis for up to 300 manufacturers across Canada do register for future ready if you are interested in building your company's strategic transformation plan and developing the workforce uh you'll need to support it if you have any more questions specific to the Future Ready do not hesitate to reach out to our colleagues at transform engine.ca and one of our team members will be more than happy to pick up the phone and discuss anything about this program with you in more detail and uh with that that's the last slide of my presentation here again related to the evmp if you have any general inquiries or questions feel free to reach out to us at EV challenge at engine.ca all of our official guides resources and templates can be found on our website under our funding page for challenges and you go to our open funding opportunities being the EV manufacturing value chain program uh my name is Akash Rao my email will be with this presentation when I send it out don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions about engine and how we can support you uh with that I will end my slides here and we have about um eight minutes here and we'll definitely open up the floor for any questions uh from any of the attendees here gosh maybe I'll ask just a general one just for the benefit of the entire group here um if a company is is really truly yet a bit of an ideation phase for this right now is this an opportunity for them here today or this week to reach out to folks from engine to start to see if this is the right opportunity for them to go with or if that's later on down the road absolutely and we we're encouraging companies um to reach out to us regardless of the challenge we're open to talking not just if they fit within the cvmp challenge per se but there could be other avenues that we could help them out with whether that could be making connections collaborations maybe they don't fit within the context of this challenge they could be better suited for another challenge or maybe they want to discuss Workforce Development and transformation so regardless of the circumstance do you reach out to us um at our general line project at ngen.ca and we're happy to initiate any sort of conversation at any given level with you and that's regardless of where they may be in Canada at this point correct absolutely yeah yeah um this is a pan Canadian challenge um we're looking for collaborations and companies to come up from all all parts of the country there's no limitation for you have to have a Consortium restricted to certain geographical areas um and uh I think I'd mentioned this a Consortium must be a minimum of two companies so it can be more than two as well if need be okay um I think we're um we don't have any live questions going on at this time uh once again I do want to highly thank Tyler and Christy and Brian who isn't here but thank you very much for um showcasing what this region has to offer uh I hope I speak for all the attendees here there's a lot of work going on locally within BC and there's a lot of opportunities for companies to explore where engine we are trying to complement those companies by providing whatever we can in our capacity here to help each company grow and succeed within Canada and promote that advanced manufacturing capability um so with that uh thank you very much to all our attendees for participating uh Tyler Christie anything to add from your end just a big thank you from RN both from investment Cooper in the city of Maple Ridge um certainly do appreciate the opportunity to speak with you all here and um look forward to seeing this a very robust challenge with a lot of folks that are going into it yes thank you thanks everyone