Happy 2021!  There are many of us who breathed a collective sigh of relief as the first day of 2021 began.  While we continue to face significant challenges, there is much hope that the months ahead will start to bring greater normalcy, health and well-being, and a path to economic recovery. I am finding that this January, even more so than usual, is bringing with it many conversations about what we have learned in 2020 about ourselves, about each other and about the world around us and how to move forward while still navigating many uncertainties.

This January is an exciting one in the global ocean economy.  This year marks the official start of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development which offers a common framework for countries to sustainably manage oceans. This is critically important as countries around the world, Canada included, consider their strategies for the blue economy and prepare for their role in it.

In December 2020, the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, bringing together fourteen countries with a common goal to protect the ocean, issued its ocean action agenda: Transformations for a Sustainable Ocean Economy – A vision for Production, Protection and Prosperity. As a member of this panel, our Prime Minister shared, “Having the world’s longest coastline, Canada recognizes that our economy and our well-being are deeply connected with the health of our oceans, and that we have a responsibility to protect them.”

While there are many opportunities for growth in our ocean economy, the ocean is also facing tremendous pressure.  This week was another reminder of this as Fisheries and Oceans Canada released a report on rising temperatures in the deep waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence that poses a significant risk to a variety of species, and points to the kinds of the challenges we are seeing in ocean, not off in the future, but here and now.

This year will also be an important one for the Canadian ocean economy.  Its priority further reinforced in the recent updated mandate letters to Federal Ministers that maintained the delivery of Canada’s Blue Economy Strategy as a key priority. I look forward to being able to support its development as the Government of Canada begins public consultations in the coming weeks.

So in amongst all this, what does 2021 look like for Canada’s Ocean Supercluster?  We continue to focus on changing the way ocean business is done.  We are excited to be working with organizations rolling out projects from across the country.  As an industry-led organization, we have seen increased investments in key areas in 2020 that we will continue to build upon in 2021:

An increasingly digital ocean economy: developing scalable, innovative solutions to digitize ocean operations, accelerate ocean product development and increase remote and autonomous capabilities.  This includes the use of sensors and autonomous vehicles to increase data collection supporting better decision making and increased safety with projects like: Ocean Vision, the very first OSC project to be announced that is heading into its second year building robotics-as-a-service, Digital Ship In Service Support, our first BC-led OSC project building digital twin capability in shipbuilding, and Digital Offshore Canada, our most recently announced project focused on digital twins in the offshore.

An increasingly sustainable ocean economy: developing solutions that provide alternative sources of energy or fuel, developing supply chains that focus on waste re-utilization and building a circular economy and reducing green house gas emissions, projects like: Ocean Aware Project that focuses on fish tracking and environmental monitoring, or the Ocean Energy Smart Grid Integration Project which provides a solution to get more communities off diesel power, or the GIT Smart Protective Coatings Project bringing to market a non-toxic, graphene-based protective coating for vessels that reduces fuel consumption and underwater radiant noise.

An increasingly inclusive ocean economy: while many of our projects create opportunities for under-represented groups, we have several projects specifically focused on increasing our knowledge of our current workforce including: Ocean Allies Project which is developing strategies to access, engage, and support greater diversity in ocean; the Indigenous Career Pivot Pilot Project which is helping mid-career Indigenous peoples pivot to a career in ocean; and the Inclusive Workforce for Arctic Ocean Technologies Project addressing the barriers faced by Inuit in remote northern communities to promote their participation in the ocean economy.

All of this project activity has attracted international interest where Canada has a key role to play in an increasingly global ocean conversation. Just this morning I had the opportunity for the first time to participate in an event hosted by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry as they explore their challenges and opportunities in the blue economy.  For Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, international engagement is important and certainly allows us to provide leadership not only in the global conversation on the blue economy, but also in the delivery of solutions and creating the economic benefits for Canadians that come as a result.

In 2020, we focused on building our momentum, recognizing the ocean economy would play a key role in our long-term economic recovery despite the impacts of the pandemic.  In 2021, our focus will be on project impacts, and sharing our stories with all Canadians and the world.  We have every reason to emerge as a leader in ocean globally and build back bluer.

Kendra MacDonald
CEO, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster  

 

 

Earlier this month marked 2 years since Canada’s Ocean Supercluster announced its contribution agreement. To mark the occasion,
the senior management team provides some reflections on the journey so far.

The pivotal event in our understanding of the urgency of prioritizing Cybersecurity is surely the attack that struck Maersk shipping in 2017. A.P. Moller-Maersk is the largest shipping company in the world. It is responsible for 20% of the world trade in containers.  Every 15 minutes on average a Maersk ship will come to port somewhere in the world with upwards of 20,000 containers on board. On June 27, 2017, Maersk was hit by the NotPetya virus.  It was not targeted; it was collateral damage in a cyberwar between Russia and the Ukraine.  Maersk was only one of hundreds of companies globally that were devastated by an attack that was spread through its accounting software.  The result – the company operated for 10 days without IT.  The shipping company that operated over 800 vessels and 76 ports around the world was dead in the water – and so were its customers. Maersk was forced to reinstall an entire infrastructure – 45,000 pc’s, 4000 servers, 2,500 applications.  Only through a heroic effort by its staff was it able to get back on-line.  The estimated cost to Maersk $300MM and globally the cost was estimated to be in excess of $10BB. Maersk was an organization that had the capacity to recover from this incident. It begs the question, what hope is there for any organization large or small without the financial wherewithal to recover? First, some unassailable facts:  there remains a fundamental misunderstanding of the magnitude of the stakes in this game. And, it is a moving target. As digitalization has progressed, it has created much better technology for protection but also an exponential increase in the sophistication of the tools of the cybercriminals.   Being “woke” to this issue is critically important if we are to adopt the measures necessary for our defense. The timelines are getting compressed.  In the first decade of this century we saw the emergence of cybersecurity, privacy and data protection as mainstream topics.  The conflict between the consideration of “data as the new oil” – something to be shared – versus something to be protected at all costs began.  Over that period, cybersecurity became weaponized. Ransomware and cyberweapons became a plague on business and government. This pace will quicken.  As new technologies ramp-up, including many critical to our Ocean Supercluster projects – edge computing, autonomous vehicles, digital twins, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and more, success will depend on vigilance and protection on every dimension of operations. Every sector has its own unique set of challenges and oceans industries are no different.  They are unique in their dependency on many platforms that share data remotely and widely. Whether it’s communications, navigation aids, radar, on-board controls and more, the necessity for these systems to talk to one another presents a whole host of opportunities for intrusion. In addition, the proliferation of sensors of every conceivable description (especially in the oceans) and the dependencies and security risks inherent in this growth moves the problem into a whole new realm. But. the top security risks do not stem from technology but from the lack of awareness and knowledge of the risks and plans to mitigate and respond accordingly.  The good news is that many of these risks are eminently addressable. Even the smallest player can have the same protection as the largest enterprise if properly prepared. So, what is to be done?  With the firm understanding that Cyber risks are constantly evolving, here are some questions to consider: Have you completed any kind of cyber security maturity assessment to determine weakness? How are you prioritizing budget & resources against these risks? Are you testing for potential exposure by engaging cyber security professionals to test your vulnerabilities? Are you deploying cyber security & fraud training, practices and procedures? Are you making it personal? Do your staff know that BYOD comes with responsibilities? Do you have a clear understanding of your Supply Chain (Vendors/Third Parties) Contracts? Do you have a Cyber Security Incidence Response Plan which enables you to respond to a breach appropriately? Have you engaged with a security solutions provider to deliver ongoing security management and are they on retainer for critical incident response? Of course, this goes much deeper. At the time of the incident in 2017, Maersk was 90% digital.  It is moving quickly to 100% and fully autonomous shipping Is on the horizon. Cybersecurity is a priority issue for boards and owners not only from a risk perspective. Building security into the design of products and services and delivering the processes for secure operations will be a source of significant competitive advantage now and in the future. Geoff Flood OSC Board Director

Technology innovators and investors are no strangers to the label unicorn, which is what Silicon Valley calls small, high-growth tech companies when they reach $1-billion valuations. In Canada, those same high-growth firms are dubbed narwhals—after our ocean-dwelling unicorns.

I see much enthusiasm and tremendous potential for narwhals in Canada’s ocean economy. Even with economic uncertainties from the global pandemic, the ocean economy remains a sector with massive opportunities for startups to influence the transformation of traditional ocean-related industries like fisheries and transportation, while finding more sustainable and healthier ways to provide energy, food, therapeutics, and other in-demand products.

When I say that Canada has the potential to be the best place in the world for startups in ocean technology, that is not misplaced enthusiasm. We already have startups leading the way and we have countless generations of experience in ocean industries. Plus, every year our universities and colleges turn out new talent to bring fresh approaches to long-standing challenges, to create startups that develop and apply new technologies, and to disrupt traditional ways of doing business. We have a renewed focus on the ocean.

But not at any cost. As a Maritimer, I know that having three oceans bordering our nation presents us with both great opportunities and equally important responsibilities. For the sake of our planet and a healthy future for today’s youth, I am pleased to see a surge of ocean startups on the horizon, many of them with an appetite to help businesses be better stewards through sustainable practices.

And increasingly investors want to invest in businesses with a sustainability focus. In the shipping industry, global banks and lending institutions are using their money to show they are on board. In what they call the Poseidon Principles, the banks are tying investments and loans directly to their clients’ decarbonization activities and environmental stewardship. And in a summer 2020 peer-reviewed report, economists and analysts presented the benefits and costs of ocean sustainability for 2020 to 2050, calculating that investors will see 5-to-1 returns for dollars spent on the sustainable ocean economy.* Philanthropic organizations are also creating impact funds to grow commercial ventures that improve ocean heath and sustainability. The triple bottom line is an appreciated concept by investors and customers alike in the ocean industry.

Through our recent Ocean Startup Challenge, we received three times more applications than we had anticipated receiving from innovators located across Canada and around the world. It was inspiring to see how many of those applicants proposed solutions to issues threatening healthy oceans and to our fisheries and aquaculture industries. Not surprisingly, another popular category involved leveraging enabling technologies like artificial intelligence, sensors, and data analytics for outcomes like achieving efficiencies, safer work environments and more-informed decision-making.

Here at the Ocean Startup Project, I am truly fortunate to interact with diverse innovators who are focused on ocean technologies, including those who are looking to pivot proven land-based technologies over to ocean applications. This includes highly qualified, mid-career professionals from large companies re-evaluating their options in light of the pandemic and choosing to start new companies. I am already seeing partnerships start to form between talented Millennials and open-minded Gen Xers and Boomers, groups with decades of knowledge and extensive networks.

Canada’s ocean ecosystem has much to offer and now is the time to take risks, collaborate and explore opportunities. Ocean tech startups are well served by Canada’s abundance of incubators and accelerators, engaged mentors who have founded and scaled companies, research teams at post-secondary institutions, and economic and technology development support organizations from municipal through to federal levels.

Consider Canada a nursery for narwhals that can be nurtured by Canada’s Ocean Supercluster and collaborative regional ecosystems like we have here in Atlantic Canada and in pockets across the country. I want to see pods of narwhals.

Donald Grant
Executive Director
Ocean Startup Project

*A Sustainable Ocean Economy for 2050. Secretariat of the High Level Panel on Ocean Sustainability. World Resources Institute. July 2020

I am fortunate to call Canada home. As a Canadian, I think we often forget how inherently diverse we are as a population. I’m often telling international clients that in some of our larger cities, we can eat from a variety of cultures and for many of us – this is the new normal. But I’m very cognizant that it hasn’t always been this way.

I myself grew up in a small town of 19,000 people in Southern Ontario that was predominantly white. Born to immigrant parents that moved to Canada a few years before I was born, in my high school of 1800 students, the total number of “non-white” kids could be counted amongst two hands. Our family vacations consisted of road trips to various technical conferences around North America (hello family business) and a trip to India every 2 years to visit grandparents and cousins. As a businessman in small-town Ontario, my father insisted that we integrate as much as possible, while my mother maintained certain Indian traditions as well as the link to family in India. I started travelling at 16 – first on exchange to Switzerland and then to various internships all over the world. As travelling does, my eyes and mind opened drastically in those formative years and I believe it has made me the leader I am today.

I’m often asked if we have a diversity strategy at SensorTech, as we have an incredibly diverse workforce (and we always have). Bashfully, I always respond no – because frankly we don’t need it.

Diversity occurs naturally when you hire the best candidate for the job.

SensorTech has become a world leader in custom piezoceramics and underwater acoustics as a result of our world class products, cutting edge technology and experienced personnel – however we have no doubt benefited from our diversity.  From the very beginning, SensorTech has been a diverse company, hiring the best candidate for each position, regardless of background.  Today we still believe that diversity occurs naturally within any organization when you hire the best candidate for the job.  Having a diverse workforce has allowed us to make connections and establish ourselves in global markets which may have otherwise been difficult to penetrate.  We have been able to develop products we may not have otherwise envisioned due to not only of cultural background but also of diversity in experience and ideas.  As a visible minority female CEO of a company that operates primarily in the defence market, diversity is something I am faced with on a daily basis.

I also feel it is critically important to support underrepresented groups so we can get to the point where they are among the best candidates applying for jobs; to ensure that women and visible minorities are afforded the opportunity to see themselves as industry leaders in this and all sectors.

Over the years, we have always supported local students who want to pursue Science and Engineering. We have recently sponsored an entrance bursary at the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) which will be awarded annually to a female or person who identifies as a visible minority who enrols in the Ocean Technology program.

My challenge to other Ocean Tech companies is to see what they can do – whether it’s a co-op position, or a bursary, or even a mentorship. Small efforts can make big impacts, not only for the student but for an organization as well.

Ultimately diversity and inclusion shouldn’t be a strategy. They should be part of the fabric of your organization. When we stop worrying about race and language barriers, we can start focusing on the technology that will help us better understand the Oceans.

Niru Somayajula

President & CEO at Sensor Technology Ltd

Oceans are not only an important part of our lives, but our livelihood. As we look to build the ocean economy for the benefit of all Canadians, there is a balance we must achieve, a respect we must demonstrate, and a commitment to sustainability we must employ.

The ocean has helped sustain us for generations. As we build our ocean economy, it’s up to us to do it in a way that helps mitigate risks and allows us to contribute to ocean health, so it continues to sustain those generations to come.

From time immemorial, Indigenous communities have had a strong presence and bond to the Oceans. This relationship is all encompassing and cannot be described with traditional boundaries. For instance, the Mi’kmaq are stewards of the marine environment for their ancestral home of Mi’kma’ki (the entire Atlantic region in Canada).

By referring to the ways of Msit-No’kmaw (“All my Relations”), it is understood that every living and non-living being must be treated with respect. All beings whether they are on land, freshwater or oceans are interconnected. This can be explained by observing the life cycle of diadromous fish, such as the Atlantic Salmon and the American Eel, which are an important species for the Mi’kmaq.
Indigenous involvement in fisheries, whether it be for commercial or ceremonial purposes are important for sustaining communities and livelihoods.

However, it is also understood that a balanced approach is needed to ensure this relationship between people and the marine environment can continue in the future. By practicing Netukulimk, the Mi’kmaq take only what is needed from the environment. Integral to this worldview is the responsibility of not harming or damaging the environment for the sake of the next seven generations. Netukulimk is not only a way of being, it serves as guiding principle for practicing sustainability.

The oceans also have a great cultural significance to Indigenous peoples. Legends and stories passed down orally from generation to generation offer knowledge about the marine environment. From the Mi’kmaq creation story to travel routes providing access to the Bay of Fundy, there are lessons and cultural practices that revolve around the oceans. Indigenous Knowledge offers a wholistic perspective, one that supports sustainability.

By practicing Etuaptmumk (“Two-Eyed Seeing”), two worldviews, western science and Indigenous Knowledge, can be brought together to develop best practices. The “Two-Eyed Seeing” approach gives the opportunity to build relationships, as well as integrate wholistic perspectives with science-based techniques.

We know when we come together and collaborate we may bring together different ideas, insights, and experience, but this only increases the opportunity for innovation. I look forward to continued, and even more, “Two Eyed Seeing” as we begin to realize this kind of collaborative innovation and work together toward sustainable ocean growth.

Angeline Gillis, B.A., LL.B

Associate Executive Director – OSC Board Director

Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq

Three weeks ago, I returned home after spending some time in British Columbia, energized with exciting ideas that would bring together our capabilities in ocean from coast to coast to coast, bringing us a step further in growing Canada’s leadership in sustainable ocean economic development. This was to be the focal point of this article – the incredible insights, activities, and people on our west coast and how the supercluster could help support, accelerate, and amplify the impacts they deliver. However, since my return home to St. John’s, the world around us has changed, and while my excitement off the heels of my time in BC remains – I want to first address COVID-19 and how we weather the storm.

The way we do business and the way we live our lives looks nothing like it did as we embarked upon the New Year just a few months back. As we all carry on the best way we can during these challenging times, keeping each other healthy and safe is, above all, the most important thing we need to do. We do not know what the long-term impacts of the virus will be, but we know there are actions we can take now to help mitigate them. In tandem with the tremendous work happening by governments, health care providers, employers, communities, and others on the front line taking the necessary measures to protect us all, there is also work happening to keep the economy moving as much as possible.

I see the role of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster (OSC) as an integral one in not only continuing to advance the kinds of transformational growth opportunities we know are possible in ocean, but also finding ways to accelerate additional opportunities to grow the ocean economy as we eventually return to a more regular business environment and find our new normal.

From an operational standpoint, OSC has put measures into place to allow our day-to-day activities to continue virtually, leveraging the technology available to us to remain connected and to promote collaboration. Despite changing the way we do things, our focus has not wavered. There are incredible capabilities, ideas, and opportunity in ocean for Canadians, and this will be more important than ever when we emerge from the pandemic.

My time in BC certainly illustrated the significant role our west coast has to play in delivering on Canada’s ocean growth potential. In an effort to maximize my time in any region, I always try to connect with as many members as possible and this time had the opportunity to spend some time with OFG and Cellula. In addition to those meetings I was also invited to participate in a number of different events and presentations including the UBC Future Ship Industry workshop, where Paul Blomerus, an internationally-experienced expert in clean energy and power systems technology, was a part of their Centre of Excellence (and someone we had speak at our OSC member event last November). Paul is now the Executive Director at the Clear Seas Centre for Responsible Marine Shipping.

I attended the Western Innovation Forum led by Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) promoting western capabilities in aerospace, marine, and defense. Through various presentations, I heard about the key areas of focus for the Royal Canadian Navy, and learned about some interesting companies to watch including Current Scientific Corporation and Barnacle Systems.

I got the latest update on the great things planned for Victoria’s ocean economy in Victoria 3.0, and was excited to see that the Association of British Columbia Marine Industries (ABCMI) had doubled their membership since I attended their conference in November 2018. There is a clear momentum happening in the sector and ABCMI is consistently hosting sold-out events. Congratulations to the ABCMI team!

If you haven’t yet checked out Canada’s Ocean Asset Map, I encourage you to do so – it’s an evergreen tool to showcase and connect Canada’s ocean capabilities.  So far we have more than 3,000 companies captured with more than 900 from BC listed on the map. And, if you’re a Canadian ocean company that’s not listed, but would like to be, the OSC team can help you with that.

My three key takeaways:

❶  This is an uncertain time that will lead to a period of economic recovery and the ocean economy has a role to play. In Canada, there is an opportunity to increase the connectivity between eastern, northern, central and western parts of the country to be able to effectively drive Canada’s leadership position in ocean growth.

❷  There is a lot happening on the west coast – there are opportunities to leverage the strengths of different regions and learn from each other. We are working to increase awareness, foster collaboration, and build partnerships across the country.

❸  As we head towards a digitized ocean, issues around security need to stay top of mind. To manage the new risks of remote operations and increasingly autonomous vehicles, we have to be ready to put the measures in place to protect us and our information.

Take care! Stay healthy & safe.