The federal government claims that “Canada is at a pivotal moment in history,” stating that the country needs to both strengthen the national economy while also lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
Canada believes one solution hails from TerraFixing, an Ottawa-based developer of carbon management technology.
TerraFixing was founded in 2021 by two PhD Chemical Engineers from the University of Ottawa, Sean Wilson and Vida Gabriel.
The pair believe that the frozen, dry, windswept regions of the Far North provide optimal conditions for direct air capture.
Canada’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources announced an investment of $2.5 million from the Energy Innovation Program to support a project from TerraFixing which aims to advance direct air capture technology designed for cold climates.
“By investing in made-in-Canada clean energy projects, we’re creating good jobs, reducing pollution, and positioning our economy to thrive at home and abroad,” stated natural resources minister Tim Hodgson.
As part of Budget 2021, the government is investing $319 million over seven years into research, development, and demonstrations to advance the commercial viability of carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies.
“This is how we protect the environment, grow our economy. and deliver real opportunities for Canadians today and for generations to come,” Hodgson said.
Gabriel, who serves her company as chief executive officer, says that the funding has enabled TerraFixing to built a state-of-the-art lab and expand their workforce.
“The program’s support is helping us keep innovative technology and IP in Canada, create supply chain independence from the US, and stimulate the creation of hundreds of high-skilled jobs on the path of making Canada a global leader in carbon capture, utilization, and storage,” stated Gabriel, a member of the MaRS’ RBC Women in Cleantech Accelerator.
In 2024, TerraFixing secured a $1.6M Seed Round of capital and sold carbon removal credits to MaRS.
That same year, TerraFixing also collected accolades, including being named to XPRIZE’s top 100, The Cleantech Group’s latest annual Cleantech 50 to Watch list, and the annual Foresight 50.