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Skills Development Minister McNaughton visits small business leading R&D with emerging local talent in support of the future of innovation in the province
Toronto, ON — The world’s first end-to-end Textile ComputingTM company, Myant, welcomed Ontario Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development Monte McNaughton to its manufacturing facility in Etobicoke to showcase their R&D and next generation of manufacturing to support the province’s health and economic development priorities.
Myant recently received funding from Mitacs, a not-for-profit organization that is supported by governments to foster growth in Canada by solving business challenges with talent from post-secondary institutions.
This year, Mitacs received $2.5 million from the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development to support innovation and future skills and talent development in the province, including the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, such as that being carried out at Myant.
Myant demonstrated for Minister McNaughton, as part of the tour of their 80,000-square-foot R&D and manufacturing facility, textile-based solutions for symptom monitoring (including those related to COVID-19) and remotely connecting people to care, along with the development of various textile face masks that meet N95 standards. Myant’s work leverages talent from both colleges and universities through Mitacs, specifically from the University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, Ryerson University, OCAD University, and others. The total value of the project, including matching funds from Myant, is $435,000.
Quotes:
The Honourable Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, Ontario
“As we continue to combat COVID-19, we need innovative partners like Myant and Mitacs in this fight. Our government is focused on constantly improving workplace safety. Myant and Mitacs are doing important work to foster and develop solutions that assist in that effort.”
Tony Chahine, Founder and CEO, Myant
“Myant is changing the way people connect to care through textiles that can sense and react to the body, but this type of innovation is only possible if we can continue to find the brightest talents across disciplines such as design, engineering, and manufacturing. Mitacs has been a critical enabler in connecting us with world-class talent and we are grateful for Minister McNaughton’s vision and continued support on this front.”
John Hepburn, CEO and Scientific Director, Mitacs
“We are grateful for Minister McNaughton and Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development’s investment in innovation, which will enable meaningful opportunities, like those at Myant. Mitacs is proud to partner with and provide talent to Myant — a pioneer in the field of textile computing — because of its commitment to R&D and its support fighting COVID-19.”
About Mitacs:
- Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving business challenges with research solutions from the best academic institutions at home and around the world.
- Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario as well as every other province, a territory, post-secondary partners, and industry and not-for-profit partners.
- For information about Mitacs and the programs, see mitacs.ca/newsroom.
About Myant:
- Myant, based in Etobicoke, Ontario, is the world’s pioneer in Textile ComputingTM, developing textiles that can sense and react to the human body and connecting all people to care.
- This award-winning, innovative company is empowering people to proactively create positive health outcomes and enabling access to world-class care whether they live in urban centres, like the Greater Toronto Area, or in more remote areas like Northern Ontario.
- To learn about Myant, visit https://myant.ca/.
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