Satellites built in Quebec | Three and a half years later, the promises are coming

Three and a half years later, Quebec’s promises of a communications satellite constellation project – heavily financed by Quebec and Ottawa – finally seem to be materializing, with more jobs created than expected.

Telesat and MDA, which will receive $400 million and $75 million respectively from the Legault government, are expected to create 967 jobs – 317 more than what was announced in winter 2021. The average annual salary is $90,000, according to Quebec.

“This is good news for our economy, not only are we consolidating 650 existing jobs, but we are creating 967 paying jobs in a leading sector,” stressed Prime Minister François Legault on Friday, accompanied in particular by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

They were participating in a press conference at the facilities of MDA – Telesat’s main supplier – located in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, on the island of Montreal.

Telesat wants to deploy satellites in low orbit – more than 1,000 kilometres above the Earth – to provide high-speed Internet access in remote areas, among other places. Delays and skyrocketing costs had forced the Ontario company to moderate its ambitions.

The Lightspeed project’s bill is estimated at around $4.7 billion.

Quebec had announced its intention to contribute to the project in February 2021, but the money had not yet been disbursed given Telesat’s difficulties. The first satellites are to be sent into orbit in 2026 with a view to offering commercial service the following year. The initial schedule for the first launch had been set for 2023.

In exchange for the $400 million loan from Quebec, Telesat must build half a dozen facilities in Gatineau, notably for the management and monitoring of operations. For its part, Ottawa will inject $2.14 billion into the adventure – sums already announced.

“This agreement with Telesat Lightspeed, which represents the most significant space technology program ever designed and built in Canada,” said the federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne.

MDA must, among other things, supply 198 telecommunications satellites to Telesat as part of its constellations project – a project marked by significant delays despite the significant funding promised by Quebec and Ottawa – as part of a $2.1 billion contract obtained last year.

Manufacturing is carried out in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, on the island of Montreal. The company obtained 75 million from Quebec.

By winning the largest contract in its history, MDA, whose head office is in Ontario, was to hire 350 technicians, engineers and other specialized workers in its Montreal facilities.

The place already has more than 1,000 employees.