Boeing in Canada
In March 1919, as part of the Canadian Exposition, William “Bill” Boeing and pilot Eddie Hubbard flew 60 letters from Vancouver, B.C., to Seattle, Wash., in Boeing’s C-700. It was the first international airmail to reach the United States. Since then, Canada has become a customer, a supplier and a partner to The Boeing Company in both the defense and commercial sectors.
Boeing Sites in Canada
As of 2016, Boeing directly employs approximately 2,000 highly skilled Canadian workers at the following locations:
Boeing Winnipeg in Manitoba.
Boeing Vancouver (formerly AeroInfo Systems) in Richmond, B.C.
Vancouver Labs, focused on data analytics–driven software solutions, in Vancouver, B.C.
Carmen Systems, a division of Jeppesen, located in Montreal, Québec.
Aviall (five customer service centers across Canada).
C-17 field service support in Trenton, Ontario.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes field service offices in Montreal; Toronto, Ontario; and Calgary, Alberta.
Medium-to-heavy-lift helicopter (MHLH) field service support in Petawawa, Ontario.
MHLH parts warehouse in Renfrew, Ontario.
Boeing Defense, Space & Security Global Sales & Marketing and MHLH program office in Ottawa, Ontario.
Boeing facilities in Canada produce parts, components, assemblies and software applications for all of the company’s commercial jets. Boeing Winnipeg, part of Boeing Fabrication, is the largest aerospace composite manufacturing center in Canada, employing nearly 1,500 people. The site helps to sustain Commercial Airplanes production by being responsible for 541 unique composite parts and assemblies for all current 7-series jetliners. Major products include the inner barrel, wing-body fairings, engine strut forward and aft fairings, and landing gear doors. This Boeing Fabrication business unit is a tier-1 supplier to the 787 Dreamliner, responsible for the engineering design and manufacturing of the wing-to-body fairing and main landing-gear doors for this breakthrough airplane.
In Richmond, B.C., Boeing Vancouver, part of the Boeing Commercial Aviation Services organization, is a leading provider of advanced maintenance software to the airline industry and has more than 200 employees. Boeing Vancouver’s Solutions Delivery group has been a key contributor to the design and development of several strategic Boeing products and services, including Maintenance Performance Toolbox and 787 GoldCare support solutions. Current programs include the delivery of mobile and cloud-based applications to support future airline maintenance solutions. Boeing Vancouver’s Defence group provides products and services to Boeing defense programs in Canada and directly to the Department of National Defence. Programs include a performance management system for the Canadian CH-47 program.
Vancouver Labs, which opened in September 2016, houses 50 data science, consulting and software development professionals. The labs are an extension of Boeing Vancouver’s existing facility in Richmond, B.C.
Approximately 40 employees of the Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen are based in Montreal, providing crew management and logistics software solutions for the aviation industry.
Boeing subsidiary Aviall has five customer service centers and stocking locations in Canada: Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal. Aviall provides global market coverage for general aviation, airlines and military customers and is the largest diversified aircraft parts distributor in the world. It provides industry-leading global operations services and support. Key accounts include Air Canada Express, Canadian Helicopters, StandardAero, WestJet, CanJet, Bombardier and Bell Helicopter.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes in Canada
More than a dozen Canadian carriers operate Boeing airplanes, including Canada’s leading airlines Air Canada and WestJet.
Air Canada, along with its low-cost carrier Rouge, operate the 787 Dreamliner, 767-300ER, 777-200LR and 777-300ER. Air Canada has 84 Boeing airplanes in its current fleet and 73 more on order, including 61 of Boeing’s newest family of single-aisle airplanes, the 737 MAX.
WestJet continues to grow with its all-Boeing fleet of Next-Generation 737-700s and -800s. The Calgary-based carrier added its 100th Next-Generation 737 to its fleet in late 2012 and in 2013 finalized an order for 65 737 MAX airplanes. WestJet also leases four 767 airplanes to fly to Hawaii and London. WestJet has ordered 65 of the 737 MAX planes from Boeing, including 25 of the smaller MAX 7 jets, with delivery starting in 2019. Deliveries of the remaining 40 orders of the larger 737 MAX 8 aircraft are to begin in 2017WestJet has ordered 65 of the 737 MAX planes from Boeing, including 25 of the smaller MAX 7 jets, with delivery starting in 2019. Deliveries of the remaining 40 orders of the larger 737 MAX 8 aircraft are to begin in 2017WestJet has ordered 65 of the 737 MAX planes from Boeing, including 25 of the smaller MAX 7 jets, with delivery starting in 2019. Deliveries of the remaining 40 orders of the larger 737 MAX 8 aircraft are to begin in 2017.
In addition, the newly formed low-cost carrier Jetlines, headquartered in Vancouver, started building its fleet in December 2014 with an order for five 737 MAXs.
Boeing Defense, Space & Security in Canada
In a letter of request submitted to the U.S. government, the Canadian government outlined its requirements for capabilities, schedule and economic benefits for 18 Super Hornet aircraft. Boeing, along with the Department of Defense and other suppliers, will develop an official proposal to provide an interim solution to supplement the current CF-18 fleet until an open and transparent competition can be completed to replace the legacy Hornet fleet.
Boeing is vying to have the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet be considered to fully replace Canada’s CF-18 fighter fleet. Boeing is positioned to offer products and services to satisfy a range of Canadian civil, defense and security requirements. Substantial opportunities also exist in nontraditional markets, including remote area logistics, information solutions and the commercial use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).
Boeing played a major role in the transformation of the Canadian Forces by modernizing 77 of Canada’s CF-18 fighter jets with a two-phase avionics upgrade program completed in January 2014. L-3 Communications MAS was the prime contractor to Boeing and carried out the installation process for this program at its facility in Mirabel, Québec, and Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake (Cold Lake, Alberta). Boeing also provides the Canadian Navy’s all-weather Harpoon missiles, several of the Anik series satellites, and supply chain services to fleet support programs.
In March 2017, the Boeing-built Wideband Global Satcom (WGS-9) was launched on top of a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket. In addition to the U.S. Air Force, Canada was a major contributor to WGS-9 along with Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and New Zealand. WGS-9 provides Canada and the international partners with enhanced communications capabilities and increased coverage to help ensure that forces at home and abroad can communicate effectively to enable successful operations.
In February 2007, Defense, Space & Security signed a contract with the Canadian Department of National Defence to supply four Boeing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft to modernize the country’s defense forces airlift fleet. Boeing delivered all four C-17s to the Royal Canadian Air Force within 15 months of the contract signature. The aircraft were immediately put into service for military and humanitarian missions, including evacuation flights in Libya in 2011; transporting humanitarian aid, vehicles and medical patients following the Haiti earthquake in 2010; and delivery of emergency relief supplies to the people of Jamaica in the wake of Hurricane Dean in 2007. Canada’s C-17s also have supported Operation Athena in Afghanistan and in the Philippines with the recent typhoons. In December 2014, Defense, Space & Security signed a contract with the government of Canada for a fifth C-17, which was delivered in March 2015.
In August 2009, the Canadian Department of National Defence awarded Boeing a contract for 15 Boeing CH-47F Chinooks, designated CH-147, to meet Canada’s domestic and international missions requiring medium-to-heavy-lift helicopters. The Canadian Armed Forces received the 15th and final CH-147F Chinook helicopter in Petawawa, Ontario, in June 2014. The CH-147F Chinook is an advanced, multi-mission helicopter. Its primary mission is to transport equipment and personnel during both domestic and deployed operations, but it also provides a vital capability to respond to humanitarian emergencies, such as fire, floods and earthquakes. In May 2016, a Chinook was deployed for the first time on a domestic operation to support fighting the Fort McMurray, Alberta, wildfires.
Canadian industry is directly contributing to the mission-ready capability of the C-17 and CH-147 through separate 20-year in-service support contracts for the aircraft.
Canada announced in August 2016 that Canadian Forces became the first international customer of the Insitu RQ-21A Blackjack unmanned air vehicle system. The Blackjack system, which will be operational in 2017, provides Canadian Forces greater situational awareness through aerial reconnaissance and surveillance to help conduct their missions effectively. This award is a follow-on to the May 2008 announcement when Canada awarded Boeing a $14 million interim contract to provide the Canadian Army with Insitu ScanEagle UAV services, including launch, recovery, maintenance, service support and training. The contract was extended to include installation of UAV capability on Royal Canadian Navy vessels, and all work was completed as of March 2015.
In April 2013, the Boeing office in Ottawa was relocated to a larger space. The larger office is the Canadian headquarters for execution and program leadership for Boeing’s in-service support of the CH-147F and the company’s primary Global Sales & Marketing office in the country.
Boeing Partnerships in Canada
Canada is home to one of the largest international supplier bases for Boeing — including more than 560 major suppliers spanning every region of the country. Canadian partners provide aerospace parts for all Boeing commercial airplane models and nearly all defense programs, including the AH-64 Apache, V-22 Osprey and CH-47 rotorcraft, F/A-18 and F-15 fighter aircraft, P-8A maritime patrol aircraft, the C-17 Globemaster III airlifter and aircraft trainers. According to a Boeing study, combined with the Boeing facilities, this supply network significantly contributes to the Canadian economy by generating more than US$3 billion in economic benefits annually. Boeing is a global leader in developing and implementing industrial partnership programs in more than 40 countries worldwide, including Canada. Boeing has worked with Canadian companies under the government’s Industrial and Technological Benefits (formerly Industrial and Regional Benefits) program to perform business worth more than $6.7 billion in Canada, with another $2.9 billion in high-value programs currently under way.
Boeing is also partnering with Canada to develop new technology. In 2002, Boeing initiated the process that led to the creation of the successful Composites Innovation Centre (CIC) in Winnipeg, a not-for-profit composite materials research organization that develops new materials and processes for the industry. Through engagement with the CIC, Boeing has provided funding to support the Canadian Composites Manufacturing Research and Development consortium, a teaming of industrial and research organizations across Canada seeking to develop new composite manufacturing processes. In February 2013, Boeing became the founding industrial member of the University of British Columbia’s Composites Research Network, a group working with Canadian scientists to create practical applications of new composite manufacturing discoveries.
Boeing in the Community
Boeing’s corporate citizenship reflects its impact on communities by producing value-added products and services as well as through responsible business practices and by addressing social issues. Boeing employees are generous; they use their time, talent and personal resources to help maintain the success and health of communities around the world. Boeing has created partnerships that offer opportunities to inspire, inform and engage others, including employees, as part of its Global Corporate Citizenship (GCC) program.
Boeing Winnipeg, Boeing Canada and Boeing Vancouver partner with many organizations. Boeing Winnipeg’s partners include the United Way of Winnipeg and Siloam Mission, whose Building Futures/MOST program offers employment training to transition the less fortunate off the streets. Boeing Vancouver (previously Aeroinfo) partners in 2015 included: ArtStarts in Schools, which provided interactive art activities to innercity children through its Making Creative Connections program; and Frontier College, whose Indigenous Summer Literacy Camp program builds literacy and general learning skills among children and youth in First Nation communities where support and resources are limited. Boeing Ottawa’s partners in 2016 were Prince’s Operation Entrepreneur and Veterans Transition Network (continuing from a successful partnership in 2015), which assists veterans and their families with the transition from military life to civilian lifestyle. In 2016, we also supported Mealshare, a program that partners with local restaurants. When a customer orders an item that has the Mealshare logo by it, Mealshare provides one meal to a youth in need.
Boeing Winnipeg was awarded the first Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters Community Contribution Award in 2015. This award is presented to a Manitoba company that has demonstrated a commitment to supporting and building the community. This was evidenced through financial support, volunteering, participating in and organizing improvements, and being involved in initiatives that develop the social and economic landscape. Boeing Winnipeg is considered a role model in creating a positive image for the manufacturing sector.
