Canada’s ITS sector looks to boost exports

A mission to Hong Kong and Shenzhen in China marks the start of a series of export visits planned within ITS Canada’s new International Business Development (IBD) strategy, the only one open to all members, including SMEs, across the country’s transportation industry.
December 11, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Association chair Chris Philp.
A mission to Hong Kong and Shenzhen in China marks the start of a series of export visits planned within 74 ITS Canada’s new International Business Development (IBD) strategy, the only one open to all members, including SMEs, across the country’s transportation industry.


The association is receiving funding from Global Affairs Canada, which promotes SMEs abroad, to cover up to half of members’ travel costs.

Association chair Chris Philp told ITS International: “Many of our members must market abroad to remain sustainable.” He anticipates a “significant increase” in numbers of Canadian software firms making transportation-related apps for mobile devices and in-vehicle applications.

Since these companies typically don’t market their products along geographic lines, but sell through channels such as app stores, automotive OEMs and public transportation agencies, the association aims to strengthen links with global supply chains in target areas.

It is emphasising sustainable elements in ITS technologies that are important for rapidly developing economies with congestion and environmental issues. There will also be a continued drive into the US, the Canadian industry’s largest single market.

In the reverse direction, 8082 ITS France and national economic development agency Business France staged a May 2017 briefing in Paris on ITS opportunities in Canada.

This highlighted the country’s 2015 legislation enabling a national ITS architecture which is designed to ensure full compatibility of ITS products and services in integrated systems.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Investing in ITS: Show us the money
    April 8, 2022
    The ITS industry is currently attracting a lot of interest from private equity and venture capital providers. Adam Hill asks some of the people who have their eyes on the market what makes it such a good bet
    Read More
  • UK Government fast tracks driverless cars
    July 30, 2014
    UK business secretary Vince Cable has announced two new measures today that give the green light for driverless cars to take to UK roads from January 2015. UK cities can now bid for a share of a US$16.9 million competition to host a driverless cars trial. The government is calling on cities to join together with businesses and research organisations to put forward proposals to become a test location. Up to three cities will be selected to host the trials from 2015 and each project is expected to last
    Read More
  • Calculating the cost of stellar solutions
    August 10, 2016
    The increasing availability and accuracy of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is opening up low-cost options in many areas as David Crawford finds out. Boosting commercialisation of European global navigation satellite system (EGNSS) technologies for ITS initially depends heavily on demonstrating competitive and cost/benefit advantages obtainable from the deployment of EGNOS (the current European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service), and ultimately the EU’s Galileo constellation (see box). So,
    Read More
  • ITS will help ‘fifth generation’ roads offer pan-European solution
    December 21, 2018
    The next generation of roads - the ‘fifth generation’ - will provide the world’s highway authorities with a big leap forward, delegates to the recent European Road Conference heard. Adewole Adesiyun, deputy secretary general at the Brussels-based Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories (FEHRL), said a paradigm shift is taking place, offering “solutions to existing and future problems with new ways to use smart, intelligent and dynamic technologies”. The first four generations of roa
    Read More

Highlighted Content