On May 4, Ambassador Monji visited Invest Ottawa and BlackBerry QNX. to tour the facilities and exchange opinions. Representatives of the Government of Canada (Global Affairs Canada) also participated in those visits.

Invest Ottawa is the city of Ottawa’s investment promotion organization. In November 2016, the organization relocated to a new building, where it currently provides its incubation facilities, or incubator, to startups at low cost. Its meeting spaces and halls are open to the startup companies, and the bright, open space it offers is designed to be shared by multiple companies to facilitate exchanges of ideas and experiences among them. At the meeting, Invest Ottawa expressed hope for deeper cooperation with Japanese companies and venture capital firms.

Subsequently, Ambassador Monji visited BlackBerry QNX in Kanata (in the western part of the city) to see how autonomous-driving systems are being developed. Building on its years of experience in developing software for BlackBerry communications devices BlackBerry QNX is currently developing safety-critical autonomous-driving systems. The company says it has built and is testing prototypes mounted with self-driving systems that include cameras and sensors on the premises. As it already has the license to test their self-driving vehicles on public roads, it may not be long before we come across BlackBerry QNX’s prototype vehicles on the road, according to the company.

Visit to Invest Ottawa

Michael Tremblay, President and CEO of Invest Ottawa (the front row in the center) and Ambassador Monji (the front row in the right)

Listening to the briefing on the incubation facilities of Invest Ottawa, along with the representatives of Global Affairs Canada

The incubation facilities of Invest Ottawa

Exchanging opinions with the representatives of Invest Ottawa

Visit to BlackBerry QNX.

Listening to the briefing on various subjects including BlackBerry QNX’s autonomous-driving systems

Listening to the briefing on the autonomous-driving systems
and the prototype currently under development

Ambassador Monji with BlackBerry QNX executives and Global Affairs Canada officials in front of a prototype