TOA Japan was importing audio electronics all the way back in the 1960s into Canada.  The first major milestone for us here would be the first satellite office opened in the Alberta, Canada, in the early 1980’s, working as an extension of our sister branch in the United States, these precursory years were pivotal in both growing our brand recognition and providing proof of a substantial market for our audio sound solutions in the country.

The next major milestone would be our official incorporation date and the grand opening of our office in Mississauga, Ontario. In the summer of 1990, TOA Canada Corporation was officially established, and doors were open for business. It was quite the move to transfer from Western Canada to the Greater Toronto Area, but this shift allowed us to better position ourselves for growth within one of the most rapidly expanding landscapes in the country. That said, the concept of a team capable of delivering audio solutions across the country stuck with us long after the move, as to this day, we have team members positioned across the country to ensure that all Canadians have reliable local service!

Fast forwarding once again, the years leading into the mid-2010s served as a period of continuous growth within the Canadian market, expanding our offerings as well as the markets we were able to supply sound solutions for! These years would culminate in the creation of TOA Canada Corporation Product Development Department, part of the TOA Canada team that’s dedicated to researching and developing the sound solutions that the Canadian market needs. I can’t emphasize just how much pride we take in the ability to engage with the market on a personable level, take in that feedback, and then be able to create unique systems and components for Canadian customers.

Focusing on us here at TOA Canada specifically, we are passionate about empowering professionals in the field of audio technology and sound engineering. With technical support and customer service all under one roof here in Ontario, our team of audio experts is here to make projects easier, from start to finish. We offer free project design and recommended BOM for all Canadian customers, so that our team of designers can remove the burden of designing the initial project plan as well as assist along the way. Our tech team works diligently, providing clients with exhaustive and comprehensive documents of how the recommended systems will provide efficient coverage and high-quality sound. Even well after the sale, we’re committed to supporting our clients for the many years that the TOA will be providing crisp, clear sound. Whether it's a digital chat, a phone call, or even stopping by our office, we provide multiple affordances for timely and effective support and service.

The first one I’d want to touch on would be our Infrared Voicelift classroom series. I don’t think it's possible to really overemphasize just how important education is—and at its core, our IR Voicelift series was designed to elevate a teacher or instructor’s ability to both teach and engage. Developed in Japan by TOA Corporation HQ, these systems ensure that each and every student has the opportunity to learn, dispersing the speaker's voice clearly and evenly throughout the room without said speaker putting unnecessary strain on their voice. We’ve seen tremendous levels of success with this series, but over the years of seeing more and more of these systems in classrooms across the country. Education aside, alongside TOA globally we thrive on providing users the ability to communicate with one another, and I don’t think any of our series encapsulates that quite as well as the IP-A1 network paging series. I like to look at the adoption of IP protocols as a revolutionary moment in TOA’s history, modernizing facility-wide systems and removing hundreds, if not thousands, of meters of cable. With it being quite the extensive series, we’ve got components in form factors for just about everything. Whether that be schools, offices, commercial buildings, sports complexes, the list just goes on. Not to mention that the system carries the functionality to incorporate non-IP-A1 series components, meaning both existing systems and non-IP-A1 components alike can be utilized.

Alongside making communication more accessible, TOA has always held security and safety in high regard. That said, naturally, one of our largest series would be our N-8000 IP intercom series. With over 50 components in the series, day-to-day applications range from conversation, paging, broadcasting, or even BGM broadcasting. As for security and control functions, emergency paging and emergency broadcasting, audio triggering, access control, and other security functions dependant on specific installation requirements. This series has been a staple of our safety and security offerings for many years, but I’d just like to say now that Canadians should keep an eye on the horizon for what the near future brings in regard to TOA intercom solutions. In terms of markets, I’d say that there are about half a dozen sectors that are our 'bread and butter', those being: Education, Hospitality, Retail, Sports Complex or Arenas, Transportation Hubs, Government Buildings, Healthcare Facilities, and Offices or other Commercial Spaces. And while there is a bit of overlap between one sector to the next, depending on which you’d want to compare, over the years we’ve been able to create series or offerings dedicated to these specific sectors — even more so since the introduction of our product development department.

4. TOA's development of the world's first electric megaphone in 1954 was a groundbreaking innovation. How has that spirit of innovation continued to drive TOA's product development over the decades?

Ahh yes, the ER-57 if memory serves. I think that the development of that megaphone captures the nature in which we conduct ourselves and take what we are best at to develop products that the market desires quite well, actually. Back when that megaphone was developed, TOA took advantage of the technology of the day, re-tooled it within this new form-factor, and surprised the world with a lightweight, compact design that packed a punch. And it’s this philosophy of seeing what is out there right now and seeing how we can elevate it that propels our research and development to this day. We watch the ways in which the market is shifting, what new pathways are emerging, and most importantly, investigate every possibility to enhance the user experience. From there, we focus on a new way to deliver high-quality sound to users or upgrade an existing system to expand what was previously possible, and we don’t let that momentum stop until we’ve brought this new solution to the world!