We caught up with Andy Forrest, Executive Director and Chief Instigator at Toronto makerspace STEAMLabs to discuss the burgeoning Canadian maker scene and what his exciting projects STEAMLabs has in the works.
Makerspaces are places for people who make stuff. From woodworking, to 3D printing, to welding, these are spaces for creation and construction. Maker communities are popping up all over Canada, and one of the more vibrant hubs of makerspace activity is in Toronto.
CIRA Community Investment Program recipient STEAMLabs is at the forefront of the high-tech maker scene in Toronto. We caught up with Andy Forrest, Executive Director and Chief Instigator at STEAMLabs, at the construction site of SteamLabs upcoming makerspace at the Centre for Social Innovation to record the latest edition of the .CA Voice podcast. We discussed the burgeoning Canadian maker scene, how these spaces help address frustrations regarding tech education within the traditional school systems, trends in the Canadian maker culture, and STEAMLabs upcoming work in innovation and skills development with Zero to Startup.
You can listen to the podcast on SoundCloud.
Andy Forrest, Executive Director and Chief Instigator at STEAMLabs
Ryan Saxby Hill is an expert in communications and digital marketing. He is served as the communications manager at CIRA from 2014-2017. Previously, Ryan led media relations and online engagement efforts at the Canada Foundation for Innovation and has held positions handling global communications and PR programs for Ciena Corporation and Nortel Networks.
Ryan is a founder of Apartment613, an award winning Ottawa-based digital community media organization and serves on the board of directors for the Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation, one of Canada’s most innovative non-profit housing providers.
