Canadian Chat → Re: Canada's Tech Sector, straight into the ground.

Very true. We have a company in this city with 600 employees world-wide who are global leaders in mining equipment technology. They also own some interesting environmental technology patents which enable 100% recovery and recycling of aerosol cans and paints. They are literally "boring", but they are also expanding and innovating.

They aren't all boring, but a lot also have a tendency to stay out of the spotlight, or just not getting credit.

I can't think of a single huge space mission that did not involve Canada in a long while. The famous Apollo missions? Canada was there. The famous space station? Canada was there. Even the recent Mars mission? Again. Canada was there.

Our scientists are doing a lot. They just rarely get the credit they deserve.

The other problem is that while we do have companies, and people, who are amazing at it and are doing a lot more than people think, the final projects for which they end up working for aren't Canadian, so we get zero credit for it at the end. Had our governments been more open to this, rather than sticking to raw materials, we could easily be up there with the US, Japan, etc. but cutting trees and digging for oil is so much easier and with a lot less risk... so we'll just keep being known as lumberjacks while our scientists and our companies continue to do R&D work for other countries, who will get all the credit.

No, they're not boring to the people involved with it. But as DKS was talking about a technology patent that enable 100% recovery and recycling of aerosol and can and paint, don't exactly make headlines around the world, nor are they watercooler talk.

I remember for years (and even today) CNN anchors talking about their BlackBerries. It was something people wanted, and eventually, they could get.

One of the other companies here, as I mentioned earlier, is Christie Digital, and most likely many have not heard of them, although likely they have felt their affects if they go to the movies at all. However, if they start making systems for peoples home, and become the leading source to go to for home theatres, then they might become a household name...