Calgary advanced technology firm Exergy Solutions designed and built the ventilators. Suncor Energy provided financial support to make the donation possible. A cross-industry team of partners from across the province worked together to ensure the success of the project.

The ventilators, named Alberta E-Vent and nicknamed “Bertie,” were built in part through 3D printing technology. They are intended to provide short-term respiratory support, monitoring, and treatment for adult patients if a conventional ventilator is unavailable.

Should the need arise, Alberta E-Vent will allow hospitals to expand their patient care capacity and reallocate conventional ventilators to patients with more complex needs.

“Alberta is incredibly fortunate to have private-sector firms like Exergy and Suncor step in to make sure its health system is well supplied with critical medical technology. The creation of the Alberta E-Vent ventilator shows what’s possible when Albertans collaborate and focus their expertise on a common goal.”

Tyler Shandro, Minister of Health

The 200 ventilators are approved by Health Canada and are expected to be donated this week. Exergy and Suncor are exploring the possibility of expanding production to help fight the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.

“This pandemic has reinforced that when we work together across governments and industries we can accomplish much more than we can do when we work alone. The support we’ve provided to this project is another example of how we’re working with partners in the fight against COVID-19.” 

Mike MacSween, executive vice-president, Suncor Energy

“The Exergy team had the technology and agile engineering to develop the ventilator quickly, but we needed help, so we reached out and engaged with experts from other organizations to get the design right. I am proud to work with a team that was able to execute a year-long project in six weeks and to do so with passion and tenacity. The Bertie is truly a ‘made-in-Alberta solution.’”

Ian Buchanan, vice-president technical services, Exergy Solutions

Quick facts

  • Alberta Health Services (AHS) is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for Albertans.
  • AHS facilitated this project through its Ventilator Collaborative, which brings together clinicians, industry representatives, volunteers and collaborators.
    • Teams from the University of Calgary supported the mechanical design and testing of the project.
    • Logican Technologies in Edmonton are doing final assembly of the ventilators.
    • Many other companies played pivotal roles in the collaboration, including Catch Engineering, PLC Electronic Solutions from Vancouver, Global Power Technologies and Laser Equation.