Canada

Earlier this month, the federal government announced billions in funding for its Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) to help reindustrialize and reinvigorate Canada’s military and defence supply chains. Now, a group of Edmonton organizations is looking to make the city a hub for security and defence.

The Edmonton Region Defence Alliance (ERDA) is a newly formed, partner-led consortium of leaders across innovation, aviation, workforce, and economic development based in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region (EMR). Led by a steering committee that includes the University of Alberta, the Northern Institute of Technology (NAIT), Alberta’s Industrial Heartland, the Edmonton International Airport, and Edmonton Global, the ERDA’s purpose is to advocate for the EMR as a defence hub and to serve as a bridge between regional organizations and the federal government’s DIS needs.