Canada backs NORCAT underground centre expansion with $4.5 million

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Canada backs NORCAT expansion

Highlights

The Government of Canada is investing $4.5 million to expand NORCAT’s underground testing facility for advanced mining and defence technology validation.
NORCAT’s upgraded site will enable 50 percent more annual projects, focus on dual-use technologies, and enhance commercialization and workforce training capabilities.
The expansion aligns with Ottawa’s $6.6 billion Defence Investment Strategy aiming to boost domestic capacity, reduce U.S. reliance, and add up to 125,000 jobs over ten years.

Expansion plan for underground testing site

As reported by Canada.ca, citing the Government of Canada, the funding will support a major expansion of NORCAT’s underground facility, which is being developed to replicate complex mining and defence-related environments for technology testing and validation.

Viviane Lapointe, Member of Parliament for Sudbury, made the announcement on behalf of Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for FedNor. The project is funded through the Regional Defence Investment Initiative and is aimed at strengthening NORCAT’s existing underground infrastructure for Canadian entrepreneurs and mining technology companies.

Once completed, the expanded site will support work on autonomous systems, advanced communications, sensing technologies, robotics, AI-enabled analytics, GPS-denied navigation and other dual-use technologies. NORCAT is also expected to gain greater capacity to support commercialization efforts and to pursue future work as a testing and validation site for the Canadian Armed Forces and NATO-aligned defence partners.

Regional industry impact and domestic capacity goals

The expansion is expected to let NORCAT generate new revenue, support up to 50 percent more projects each year and provide hands-on training to help build a skilled workforce across the defence, mining and industrial sectors.

The investment also fits into Ottawa’s broader push to strengthen Canadian business capacity and reduce reliance on U.S. suppliers in defence manufacturing and services. The federal government says the initiative aligns with its $6.6 billion Defence Investment Strategy, which is designed to expand domestic production, increase the share of defence contracts awarded to Canadian firms and add up to 125,000 jobs over the next decade.

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