This release was issued under a previous government.

Canadian creativity, resourcefulness and innovation define us as a nation. Innovation helps create jobs, drive growth and improve the lives of all Canadians. This is how we make our living, compete and provide solutions to the world.

The Honourable Marc Garneau, Federal Minister of Transport; the Honourable Brian Mason, Alberta’s Minister of Transportation and Minister of Infrastructure; His Worship Don Iveson, Mayor of Edmonton, and Dr. Larry Kostiuk, Associate Vice-President (Research) at the University of Alberta, today announced that the ACTIVE-AURORA project is now testing a variety of connected vehicle applications on roads in Edmonton, as part of the ACTIVE Test-Bed. The announcement of this project milestone took place during the second International Conference on Transportation Innovation at the University of Alberta, where conference attendees had the opportunity to participate in an on-road demonstration of connected vehicle applications.

ACTIVE-AURORA represents a unique partnership among three levels of government: the Government of Canada (Transport Canada), the Government of Alberta (Alberta Transportation) and the City of Edmonton, academic institutions, and several industry partners.

As the first connected vehicle test-bed network in Canada, ACTIVE-AURORA signifies a major collaborative effort and push in innovation toward achieving increased safety and efficiency in transportation.

“As an engineer, I am pleased that the Government of Canada is involved in funding our country’s first connected vehicle technology test-bed network. This innovative technology has the potential to make Canada’s transportation system safer, more efficient, and secure for passenger and commercial traffic throughout the country.”

The Honourable Marc Garneau, Federal Minister of Transport

“Alberta is a leader in seeking out, testing and adopting new and innovative technologies, like the ACTIVE-AURORA project, that improve the safety and efficiency of travel on our highways for both personal and commercial drivers. Our government is proud to be a partner in this cutting-edge project which could ultimately support Alberta’s economic diversification and create jobs by fostering local expertise and attracting new talent and employing the engineers, specialists and researchers needed to design, install and operate this technology.”

The Honourable Brian Mason, Minister of Transportation and Minister of Infrastructure

“The City of Edmonton is proud to participate in a project that is cutting-edge and has the potential to make our roads safer for our citizens. We eagerly anticipate the results from the testing on our streets.”

His Worship Don Iveson, Mayor, City of Edmonton

Quick facts

  • The Government of Canada is investing $1.3 million in this project from the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Transportation Infrastructure Fund.
  • Several public and private partners are also providing funding and in-kind support totalling $2.36 million, including: the Government of Alberta, the City of Edmonton, the University of Alberta, the University of British Columbia, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
  • The ACTIVE-AURORA project consists of four test-beds and two laboratory test environments, with ACTIVE representing the Edmonton component and AURORA representing the Vancouver component.
    • Three on-road Alberta Co-operative Transportation Infrastructure and Vehicular Environment (ACTIVE) test-beds are located on Whitemud Drive, 23 Avenue and Anthony Henday Drive in Edmonton. Research on these test beds will primarily evaluate how connected vehicle technology can be applied to transportation safety, traffic demand management and increase peak capacity and smooth traffic flow on busy roads.
    • One on-road Automotive Test-bed for Reconfigurable and Optimized Radio Access (AURORA) will develop, test, demonstrate and commercialize innovations in Vancouver, with particular emphasis on wireless communications for freight security and efficiency.