OSPE - The Voice - Fall 2019 - 28

CAREERS

Tech Hub...North?

TECH FIRMS ARE FORMING A CRITICAL MASS IN SOUTH GEORGIAN BAY
This article was written by Patrick Marshall, B.M.E. (undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Australia),
Vice President of Product Management, MacLean Engineering

hen I moved to Collingwood, Ontario in September
2018 I was excited. Both for the job I had signed up
for at MacLean Engineering and to get back into the outdoor
activities I love, like downhill mountain biking and skiing. I
didn't think much of a substantial company like MacLean
being located up in a little town like Collingwood, but as I got
to know the area better I was surprised. Looking at the number
of local companies serving the mining industry, you might
be tempted to think South Georgian Bay is a major centre for
mining technology in Canada: MacLean Engineering, Breaker
Technology, MEDATech, Masaba Canada and other specialized
manufacturers form a veritable mining technology hub,
hundreds of kilometres from the nearest mine.

Rob says that MEDATech itself is a more quickly-moving
snowball, much like MacLean, doubling in size last year and set
to do so again this year. They conduct research & development
work for some of North America's largest heavy equipment
manufacturers. A big deal for them right now is AltDrive,
an industry-leading electric propulsion solution for heavy
equipment.
Predictably, there is quite a bit of cross-pollination between
mining companies in the area. At Maclean, we use MEDATech's
innovative electric vehicle (EV) powertrain for our battery
electric hard rock mining fleet. This has enabled us to connect
the battery cycle to the mining cycle in a bid to electrify entire
fleets of vehicles at mines.

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR
I came to MacLean from Barrick Gold's head office in Toronto,
where I was most recently in charge of autonomous and
electrification projects. It was rewarding work: we were building
out the initiatives required to design and implement a fully
autonomous electric mine. 'Autonomous electric' is the highest
aspiration of current and developing hard rock underground
mines today. But after many years living in big cities - Brisbane
and Toronto - my girlfriend and I wanted a change. I was
presented with opportunities across Canada, in the US, in
Sweden and back home in Australia. However, the MacLean
offer was too good to pass up, in large part because it would land
me in Collingwood. This is a place that has most of the urban
amenities and all the outdoor activities that got me excited to
move from Australia to Canada in the first place.

TECH HUB NORTH
The more I learn about my new home, the more I realize that
the area isn't just a mining hub; it's a tech hub in general. Martin
Rydlo, Director of Marketing and Business Development for
the Town of Collingwood, ticked off a few local companies as
we talked: There's Agnora, fabricator of the largest architectural
glass in North America (including all Apple stores). There's
Jentü, whose network solution addresses all 20 SysAdmin, Audit,
Network and Security (SANS) vulnerabilities and mitigates any
data breach in minutes. There's AdBank, a blockchain-based
digital ad brokerage platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI)
to combat fraud. There's Greenland Engineering & Technologies
Group, a company that's spearheading a local water technology
cluster. And the list goes on.
Greenland's story is interesting-they are focused on
improving water management globally. Aside from traditional
engineering services and many other things, they build software
for flood forecasting / mapping (ISWMS™) and water quality
protection (CANWET™).
When I spoke with Mark Palmer, P.Eng., Greenland's
President, he was more excited than usual about the area's
growth. "We're building an innovation hub here, a kind of
mini Communitech with Internet-of-Things health & wellness
business priorities. One theme is 'smart' water technologies-
not surprising considering what Greenland does-but there's
enough critical mass here technology-wise for a broader
spectrum."

MINING HUB...IN COLLINGWOOD?
Collingwood has four manufacturers that build equipment for
mines, yet the population is just over 21,000. The population of
greater South Georgian Bay area barely crests 100,000. It makes
you scratch your head. What's going on here?
I talked with Rob Rennie, P.Eng., President at MEDATech
Engineering, who offered this explanation: "Smart people move
here on purpose for the lifestyle. But if you're smart, moving
somewhere shouldn't preclude you from working in your field.
So people bring businesses with them, or start businesses, and
good people flock to good jobs. It's a very slow-moving snowball."
28

THE VOICE

Fall 2019

OSPE - The Voice - Fall 2019

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