TORONTO, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Ontario will be the first
Canadian province to allow self-driving cars to be tested on its
roads, the transport ministry said on Tuesday, announcing a
pilot program to start next year.
The provincial government also announced C$500,000
($380,000) in new funding for researchers and businesses working
on connected vehicle and automated vehicle technology.
The province said nearly 100 companies and other
organizations are already working in the area in Ontario.
"The pilot will enable those companies to conduct research
and development in Ontario rather than in competing
jurisdictions, as well as support opportunities to bring
automated vehicles to market," said the ministry in a release.
The program will launch Jan. 1, 2016, and information on how
to participate should be available from late November, the
ministry said.
Southern Ontario has long been home to a significant
automotive industry, though in recent years the sector suffered
heavy job losses as automakers built plants in cheaper
jurisdictions, especially Mexico.
In April, General Motors (N:GM) Canada GM.N said it would hire
more than 100 software and controls engineers for its
engineering center in Oshawa, Ontario, as it expands to work on
"the next major phase of automotive innovation and change."
Alphabet Inc GOOGL.O , formerly Google Inc , has been
testing self-driving prototypes since 2009 and has said the
technology needed to produce the cars should be ready by 2020.
($1 = $1.30 Canadian)