Supportive budget has reinvigorated NRC: memo
The National Research Council is expecting the coming year to be a lot better than its disaster-ridden 2016, thanks to a supportive federal budget.
An internal email to employees from new president Iain Stewart says that “in particular the renewed $59.6M for the NRC, demonstrates the Government’s confidence in the organization.” (This is for research in partnership with businesses.)
Stewart also singled out new funding for NRC that includes:
$6 million to develop information technology to preserve oral histories of indigenous people by converting speech to text, and creating other interactive educational materials.
$8 million over four years, starting in 2018-19, “to continue to take action to address air pollution and undertake activities such as indoor air pollution mitigation.”
$20 million has also been allocated for the NRC’s Industrial Research Assistance Program for its Youth Employment — Green Jobs initiative.
Stewart also says the NRC could play a role in the “collaboration with the new Impact Canada Fund. The Impact Canada Fund will introduce a ‘challenge’-based approach for the federal government and help focus and accelerate efforts toward solving Canada’s big challenges.
It will focus on clean technology and smart cities streams.”
The Impact Canada Fund also draws in other departments and agencies including Natural Resources Canada, Agriculture Canada and the Canadian Space Agency.
The previous year had been difficult for NRC.
It was exposed for not telling rural neighbours with wells about groundwater pollution caused by NRC chemicals; its former president suddenly went on leave with no explanation and then retired; and planned restructuring and “rebranding” were abandoned.
Stewart also noted that the budget “confirmed the establishment of a Chief Science Advisor and related secretariat.”
The president’s email stressed that the new Chief Science Advisor will ensure, among other things, that federal scientists are free to talk about their work.