Québec: A Tech Hub
Full-Stack Mining Innovation
Within Canada, Québec is recognized as a key hub for the development of high value-added technology. The Information Communications and Technology Council’s 2030 outlook projected that by 2030, Québec’s tech workforce would comprise a quarter of all tech jobs in Canada, with Montréal at its epicenter. The province boasts top universities for information technology studies, like McGill, HEC Montréal and Université de Sherbrooke, as well as ample public and private innovation funding schemes supporting R&D.
As became clear during GBR’s research for this report, Québec’s technology-forward economy also extends to its mining sector. The province’s equipment and service providers are innovating across hardware and software, offering solutions for virtually every stage of the mining process, making mine planning and logistics more effective, discovering new resources, and improving the industry’s environmental sustainability.
It begins before a potential mine has even been found. Geophysics has become an integral part of the modern explorer’s toolkit, and in Québec, many companies offer a variety of techniques and technologies. “Here, it is not a question of whether to use geophysics,” explained Gabriel McCrory, co-owner of Géophysique TMC, “It is about choosing the right method. Everyone understands that spending a little on geophysics can save significantly on drilling costs. As a result, geophysics is a standard part of exploration planning from day one.”
That makes for a highly competitive and dynamic sub-sector, with its continued technological development exemplified by Abitibi Geophysics. The company’s DasVision 3D IP Pro, currently in prototyping and expected to enter production in 2025, will provide users with day-by-day previews of their induced polarization (IP) survey results. Prior systems could only provide a final result once the survey was complete and the hardware collected from the field, meaning opportunities to amend or extend a survey could be missed. “We are seeing the payoff from years of research, development and innovation. For our IP surveys, we have pushed to new depths while maintaining a high-resolution output,” said Nadine Veillette, the company’s president until her stepping down in May 2025.
"Because of the French language and limited interaction with the English-speaking tech ecosystem, developers in Québec often do not follow predefined ways of doing things. That forces us to think differently and create our own solutions." Yvan Dionne, President, Promine
CAUR Technologies is another Québecois geophysical technology company seeking to peer deeper beneath the surface. Utilizing proprietary seismic-sensing hardware, ambient noise tomography and AI, CAUR’s solution can offer substantial savings over traditional seismic exploration methods, while also offering rapid turnaround and high-resolution imagery. “Our method can detect deeper deposits that would otherwise be invisible,” asserted André Gauthier, VP business development and exploration.
CAUR’s technology can sense and interpret seismic noise multiple kilometers underground. The company has ambitions for international expansion and has benefitted from Québec’s governmental innovation funding. However, Jean-Philippe Mercier, CAUR’s president, believes that for companies like CAUR to grow beyond Canada, the province’s VC investment environment must increase its appetite for risk: “We need a more robust VC ecosystem in Québec if we want to see technology companies scale globally from here,” he reasoned.
Once a resource has been discovered and explored, a crucial next step is to create a plan of the future mine and its ore extraction. Traditional linear planning methodology, argued Benny Cohen and Bartira Carvalho from Québec-based KPI Mining, can result in lost value due to a lack of flexibility and “risky” decision-making. In what they called a “long-awaited breakthrough,” based on more than a decade of research at McGill and collaboration with major mining companies, KPI has brought to market a user-friendly stochastic mine planning solution. KPI’s technology generates many geological and operational simulations to optimize the mining value chain, with implications for value extraction, waste management, sustainability and beyond: “Optimized planning can delay or avoid disturbing communities and ecosystems. In one case, our solution allowed a company to delay the relocation of a village by 20 years,” said Carvalho, KPI’s director of corporate sales.
Operating mines often employ hundreds of people. Amid a widespread Canadian mining labour shortage, that often implies a need to source work from far-flung places – especially in a jurisdiction like Québec, where many mines are located in remote areas. That can entail a complex, fragile multimodal chain involving multiple journeys and perhaps even accommodation. Nomadis, a Montréal-based ‘human logistics’ software developer, offers clients an integrated platform to plan, book and track their workforce on the move and on-site. “With most new projects located in remote regions, effective workforce logistics has become a strategic advantage. Increasingly, companies are flying in personnel from provinces such as Newfoundland and Labrador or British Columbia, underscoring a challenge we help address daily,” affirmed Jean-Philippe Lavallée, Nomadis’ founder.
"Our stochastic mine planning solution uses multiple geological simulations and simultaneously optimizes the entire mining value chain, enabling better risk management, improved value capture, and more confident decision-making." Benny Cohen, President, KPI Mining Solutions
Cutting-edge Québecois technology extends to the equipment used in day-to-day mining operations, too. In 2024, Arlyx launched its autonomous, electric, modular mining vehicle platform, following a grant from Québecois innovation funder Groupe MISA and collaboration with major mining companies. The vehicle offers benefits including time savings, safety, and zero-emissions operations. Yet Michael Samard, Arlyx’s CEO, argued that despite strong technical knowledge of robotics and AI, Canada’s mining sector can remain a difficult market for innovators to break into: “There is a cultural reluctance to adopt new robotics solutions domestically. Many Canadian robotics startups find their first clients abroad,” explained Samard.
Once materials are extracted, material handling and refining process come into play. EPIQ Machinery’s solutions provides solutions specialized for material handling and refining. EPIQ’s fully- customized, automated and electrified systems were further enhanced by the company’s 2024 addition of a new division, EPIQ Digital, which CEO Éloïse Harvey described as presenting multi-faceted benefits: “Our technology can fully remove human operators from certain plant areas, significantly enhancing both safety and productivity. These smart, connected systems enable faster and more informed decision-making, while also improving energy efficiency by ensuring equipment operates at optimal capacity.”
While not based in Québec, demand for CGIS’ cutting-edge valve solutions in the province is illustrative of its appetite for the latest and greatest in all aspects of the value chain. CGIS’ chairman, Ross Waters, explained how it continues to generate innovative solutions in the valve industry: “Advances in coatings and metallurgy are helping extend valve life, particularly in severe service applications. While some developments have improved abrasion resistance, challenges like erosion from turbulent flow remain areas of ongoing research and development.” The company has also implemented AI-based anomaly detection and failure prediction. CGIS distributes its severe services valves in Québec through its partner DHB Valve and is considering expansions into Atlantic Canada.
Taken together, these life cycle–spanning innovations underscore the depth and dynamism of Québec’s mining technology ecosystem. Anchored by world-class academic institutions, a supportive public funding landscape, and a growing base of entrepreneurial talent, the province provides fertile ground for the development of both hardware and software solutions tailored to the evolving needs of the mining sector. Yet if Québec is to consolidate its position as a global leader in mining innovation, it must not only nurture its technological strengths but also ensure that its most promising ideas are championed and scaled. The success stories outlined above offer a compelling blueprint.
Article header image by Cyrill at Unsplash