Dear stakeholders,
As the Chair of the Space Advisory Board, I want you to know that the Board is active and continues to engage with Canada's space sector. As you know, the Space Advisory Board membership was renewed last year, and we were given the mandate to provide advice to Minister Bains for the development of a new vision for the Canadian space sector. It has now been one year since our appointment and we are eager, with your support, to continue to push the space agenda forward.
More specifically, since our last update, Members of the Board have participated in the following events:
- CANADIAN SMALLSAT SYMPOSIUM 2018 - Board Members participated in a panel discussion for the Commercial Space 101 Workshop. The Board provided an overview of the space sector and how it impacts all sectors.
- GLOBE AND MAIL ARTICLE - Many of the Board Members were interviewed for the Globe and Mail article, Lost in space: Why Canada's diminishing role in the heavens is a problem. The article discussed Budget 2018 and the lack of future flagship mission in Canada but also, highlighted that the Government of Canada does see space as important.
- SPACE Q PODCAST – Kate Howells and I participated in separate podcasts for Space Q where we discussed our careers in the space sector and work on the Board.
As communicated to you in our previous message, a number of important milestones for Canada in space are on the horizon, and the Board sees these as opportunities to engage the Canadian public on the importance of space. The Board participated in the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute Conference ASTRO18 and will be participating in the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries tradeshow (CANSEC) to showcase Canada's space expertise.
The Board will meet later this month to discuss how to best leverage these events and continue doing outreach activities to highlight the benefits of space to Canadians. This meeting will also provide the Board members with an opportunity to meet and hear from various government departments to better understand their use of space.
Finally, we will remain engaged with the public on Canada's future in space and welcome input through contact with members of the Board or e-mail to ic.sab-cce.ic@canada.ca
Best regards,
Lucy Stojak, Chair
Space Advisory Board