FIBA Canning Inc. Awards

The Michael Grant Technology Award recognizes outstanding contributions that an individual has made to the technical development of the Canadian Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV) industry. On the 7th of May 1998 Nick White, on behalf of the Gas Technology Canada NGV Committee, presented the 1998 award to Hugh Canning at a dinner held in Toronto.

Hugh has a long standing background in the fuel business. He established Mobile Tank Industries in 1969 making tanks for home oil delivery trucks and trailers for the delivering of petroleum products and gasoline. In 1974 he started a truck dealership Canning GMC which he operated until 1981, specializing in a new alternative fuel - diesel. By the mid-1970's he had parts delivery trucks operating on an alternative - natural gas, refuelling at his own NGV station. In 1975 he started HCI industries to rehabilitate and recertify tube trailers for specialty gases such as hydrogen and manufacturing tube trailers for companies such as Liquid Carbonic, Soquip and Ontario Hydro. In 1981 HCI & MTI were combined into the familiar, Fiba Canning Inc. This company has specialized in the testing and manufacturing of tube trailers, repairing of oil tanker trailers, the repair and manufacture of cryogenic gas trailers and the conversion and maintenance of natural gas vehicles.

In 1985 Hugh became involved with natural gas transit vehicles when he converted buses to operate on natural gas for demonstration to transit operators. As there were no natural gas fuelled heavy duty engines, these vehicles used converted gasoline engines. Using GM 427 or 454 engines, power was produced through turbo-charging a stoichiometric fuel mixture. On the 454 engine the stainless steel exhaust manifold glowed a dull red on cloudy days, but with the super catalyst, emissions were virtually non-existent. Before North American engines were available his company installed Iveco engines in transit buses which were operated by Hamilton Street Railway. These buses are still in operating service. In 1985 the first "OEM" natural gas fuelled bus from Ontario Bus Industries (with a Ford Pinto natural gas engine mounted under the belly for the air-conditioning load) was shipped to Brooklyn Union Gas for demonstration at Command Bus Lines.

Hugh has also been very active in the community of Scarborough. In the late 1970's Hugh was Chairman of the Board of Governors of Scarborough General Hospital. His brother, Eddie Canning, was on the Board of Scarborough Centennial Hospital and was named as Scarborough citizen of the year. He has been a long standing resident of Scarborough and has raised a family of 3 daughters and 4 sons there. His wife Sylvia , has been a strong supporter of Hugh's activities and works with Hugh at Fiba Canning.

Recently Hugh designed and constructed a natural gas powered recycling vehicle which was used in the Town of Markham's green community project. He has been one of the first major users of Dynetek cylinders in Canada. These were used to replace the 5 year life Alusuisse cylinders on the Hamilton Street Railway buses and the EDO cylinders with Dynetek cylinders on the Toronto Transit Commission buses. Fiba Canning Inc remains active with natural gas vehicles, at the present time they are managing a pilot project that will see the introduction of five Verspeeten Cartage dual fuel line haul tractors operating between Toronto and Detroit as part of the "Clean Air Truck Program".

CANMET Technology Transfer Award

The award presented reads:

"The Energy Technology Branch of Natural Resources Canada is honoured to present Hugh Canning this CANMET Technology Transfer Award for an exceptional and distinguished contribution to technology transfer of benefit to the Alternative Transportation Industry.

Signed, The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Natural Resources Canada June 1998"

Presented to Hugh Canning by Assistant Deputy Minster of Natural Resources of Canada, Michael Cleland on June 8, 1998 at the 1998 Windsor Workshop for Alternative Transportation Fuels, sponsored by NRCan and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Picture: Tom Smyth, P. Eng., Manager, Vehicle Technologies of CANMET Energy Technology Centre (CETC) of NRCan is shown with Fiba Canning Inc. President, Hugh Canning on the occasion of his reception of the CANMET Technology Transfer Award.

Excerpts from the Speech of Michael Cleland, Assistant Deputy Minister, Natural Resources Canada

". . . We are engaged in a different type of partnership with our colleagues from the U.S. Department of Energy. For example, the Detroit-Toronto Clean Cities Corridor Program links our respective automotive industries and represents the first international corridor in the U.S. Clean Cities Program. Under the program, five line haul tractor trailers are making regular runs between Toronto and Detroit to demonstrate that natural gas is a viable and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional fuels. The annual fuel savings from using natural gas are estimated at $28,500 Canadian per truck, with additional savings in maintenance costs. Carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced by at least 20 percent or 70 tonnes per truck per year.

". . .And I return to one of my earlier points – the need to change attitudes. Consumers need to be made aware that alternative transportation fuels are an important part of the solution to climate change. They need to know that they can make a difference not only by changing their driving habits, but also by changing their fuel of choice.

"In this spirit of partnership and innovation, it is now my pleasure to present the 1998 CANMET Technology Transfer Award. This year’s award goes to Mr. Hugh Canning, President of Fiba Canning Incorporated of Scarborough.

"Mr. Canning is a distinguished member of Canada’s alternative fuels community – a leader in the natural gas vehicle industry. His involvement with alternative fuels goes back to the mid-1970s, when he owned a truck dealership that not only specialized in new alternative fuel vehicles but also used natural gas in its parts delivery trucks. In 1985, Mr. Canning’s current business became involved in a project to convert Toronto city buses to natural gas. More recently, he designed and constructed a natural gas-powered recycling vehicle used in the Town of Markham’s green community project.

"Mr. Canning’s firm is also helping manage the Clean Cities Corridor project I mentioned earlier. And it’s worth noting that the CANMET award is Mr. Canning’s second major award this year. He also received the 1998 Michael Grant Technology Award for outstanding contributions in the Canadian natural gas vehicle industry.

"It is through the efforts of people like Hugh Canning that your industry is where it is today – and why it has such a bright future. Please join me in recognizing his contributions and wishing him continued success in the alternative fuels field."

The 1998 Ministry of the Environment Award of Excellence: New Technology Development

Left to Right: Michael Canning, Manager, Operations; Hugh Canning, FIBA Canning Inc. President; the Honourable Norm Sterling, Minister of the Environment; Ken Canning, Manager, Marketing and Information Systems.

The above award was presented to FIBA Canning Inc. in recognition of the "World's Cleanest, Viable, Urban Bus in Operational Service in the World Today" on November 24, 1998.

The bus uses a regenerative braking energy system, along with CNG fuel to reduce GHG's by more than 50%, toxic emissions by more than 90%, fuel costs by 70%, brake costs by 80%, and achieve approximately 9 miles per imperial gallon equivalent in urban operation.

Principal sponsor of this project was Natural Resources Canada.