Watch BlackBerry QNX's autonomous vehicle drive on Canadian public roads for the first time!

Sticking to their plans to have autonomous vehicles officially hit the road in Ontario in 2017 following the launch of the automated vehicle (AV) pilot program in Canada, BlackBerry QNX's autonomous vehicle has now hit public roads in Ottawa for the first time while also being connected to public infrastructure. The vehicle used for the occasion was BlackBerry QNX's self-driving Lincoln MKZ, which was previously used at CES on test tracks.

On hand for the event was Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, Councilor Marianne Wilkinson, and John Wall, General Manager at BlackBerry QNX. On Jan. 1, 2016, Ontario became the first province in Canada to create a pilot regulatory framework to test automated vehicles on its roads and BlackBerry QNX, along with many partners such as The University of Waterloo, PolySync, Erwin Hymer Group, Renesas Electronics and more have heavily invested in autonomous vehicle research through such initiatives as the BlackBerry QNX Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Centre (AVIC).

Before the event took place, Techopia Live spoke with Jenna Sudds, the executive director of the Kanata North Business Association, BlackBerry QNX's Grant Courville and Invest Ottawa's Blair Patacairk about the significance of the demo, be sure to watch the interview!