BUILDING THE CITY OF THE FUTURE

By Melanie Coulson

If the Jetsons were around today, they’d probably choose to live and work in Kanata North.

While flying cars and talking robots may still be a few years away,

Canada’s largest technology park is making strides to turn Ottawa into the city of the future.

With innovations in several ground breaking areas including 5G connectivity, autonomous vehicles and med-tech, Kanata North is shaping what the future holds and setting the stage for Ottawa to be a leading force in the journey forward.

The community is one of early adopters and leaders when it comes to these next-gen technologies thanks to the abundance of tech workers and concentration of companies in Kanata

North, says Leo Lax, executive managing director of local accelerator L-SPARK.

“In a sense, Kanata North is a living lab for leading edge applications,” he explains.

“Companies in the tech campus use leading edge products to leverage the new 5G network and enable the transformation we are all seeing today.”

Lax points to Kanata’s Calian as a key example of a company utilizing the technology we have to improve other areas – specifically the healthcare sector, which is a growing area of interest within the tech park.

The L-SPARK-Calian MedTech accelerator – which concluded this past June – supports startups who are developing innovative connected medical services and devices by integrating their new technologies with Calian’s existing digital health platform, all with the goal of fostering stronger user experience and better patient management.

At the same time, L-SPARK is also working closely with TELUS, BlackBerry, Solace and CIRA on a separate accelerator program geared towards companies in the medical and wellness device space, hoping to transform the opportunities available in remote patient monitoring and technology to support aging in place.

Other companies in the park such as Cliniconex and Semtech are continuing to innovate in the medical technology space, oftentimes relying on other key technologies such as 5G to get the job done.

And now, thanks to the tech park’s designation as a TELUS 5G innovation zone, Kanata North is not only enabling technological breakthroughs, it is powering Canada’s fastest 5G network.

“Partnering with TELUS and supporting their vision of building a 5G innovation zone will help fuel and expand the entire park, because 5G is an essential step in guiding people and companies into the future,” says Jamie Petten, executive director of the Kanata North Business Association.

A key driving factor for the city of the future is of course Hub350, the community’s physical gateway to Canada’s largest technology park. The world-leading tech centre is dedicated to fostering an ecosystem of innovation, collaboration and creativity, and is designed to attract talent and fuel growth in the region.

Petten explains that not only is Hub350 ideally placed to capture emerging 5G breakthroughs in a variety of industries, but it also has a lock on research and innovation via its unparalleled relationships with leading academic institutions like uOttawa, Carleton University and Queen’s University.

Students from these schools bring energy, enthusiasm and the “future proof” thinking of the next generation directly into the tech park, Lax adds, giving company’s and future talent the opportunity to connect and collaborate.

Innovation isn’t a new idea for Kanata North – in fact the community has been transforming Ottawa into a smarter, more connected city for decades. In the early 1970s, successful companies like Mitel, Newbridge and other start-ups that became part of global powerhouses like Nokia, Ciena and BlackBerry all called Kanata North home.

“Kanata is home to some of the most innovative minds in communication, cyber, artificial intelligence and leadingedge enterprise software,” Lax says.

And that is no different today.

In fact, the tech park is helping lead not only the city, but the country forward in several areas, including the creation and adoption of autonomous vehicles.

On top of L-SPARK and BlackBerry’s Connected Car Accelerator Program which launched in 2018, companies such as Ericsson, Nokia, Kongsberg Geospatial and TÜV SÜD are collaborating to bring us one step closer to a future with fully autonomous vehicles.

The KNBA team is dedicated to the goal of an autonomous vehicle transit network to serve Kanata North, as well as federal facilities in the area including the DND Carling and Shirley’s Bay campuses. This will be integrated into

the City of Ottawa’s plans for a rapid transit network, Petten says.

“This will allow us to showcase how autonomous vehicle technology can serve as a complement to conventional transit.”

While the hundreds of tech companies within the park may operate within their own verticals, collaboration is just as important in the ‘city of the future’ as technology is, adds Petten – and the team is seeing that collaborative energy first-hand.

Building a fully functional, thriving community for tech park employees and their families to live, work, play and learn in will be a key pillar as the park grows. Part of that vision is already unfolding with two major development applications on the horizon – one that will turn Nokia’s existing campus into a 500,000-square-foot office complex and a number of residential highrises, and the other that will see a 30-storey residential tower constructed next to the Brookstreet Hotel.

The KNBA has also seen huge growth in engagement levels with executives across the park as teams return post-pandemic. In addition to its HR Leaders’ Council, the association launched new CEO, R&D, CFO and CIO councils, creating a space for leaders from multiple companies to collaborate, share, learn and support each other on the road to success.

Amanda Gordon, KNBA’s chief of staff, recently returned from a conference in Silicon Valley and said she could see the parallels between the California tech hub and Kanata North. The level of partnership in our local tech park is reaching new heights, and by connecting startups to industry veterans, the KNBA and its partners are creating a real value-add for existing and new members to the area.

But, being on the vanguard of innovation also means being ready to adapt.

While tech companies may have turned to home offices and Zoom screens during the pandemic, Gordon says she sees them returning to the park, ready to make their next move.

“We see teams gathering again, conferences are back on, and people are reconnecting in person,” Gordon says. “It’s the start of fiscal year planning cycles for our tech community, and our meeting rooms are often overflowing with flip charts and sticky notes, all planning for the future and what’s yet to come.”