GOVERNMENT FUNDING & NEWS

Federal government introduces legislation to identify and accelerate construction of major national projects

The Government of Canada – responding to U.S. tariffs – introduced Bill C-5, new legislation aimed at building a stronger, more competitive and more resilient Canadian economy.

The One Canadian Economy: An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act will remove federal barriers to internal trade and labour mobility, and advance nation-building projects crucial for driving Canadian productivity growth, energy security, and economic competitiveness, the government said.

The proposed legislation will accelerate the realization of major, nation-building projects that will help Canada become the strongest economy in the G7, deepen Canada’s trade relationships with reliable partners, and create good Canadian jobs, Ottawa said.

The federal government will determine whether a major project is in the national interest based on consultations with provinces, territories and Indigenous Peoples. Ottawa would consider major projects brought forward by provinces, territories and Indigenous partners.

Projects will be evaluated in accordance with these criteria:

• Strengthen Canada’s autonomy, resilience and security.
• Provide economic or other benefits to Canada.
• Have a high likelihood of successful execution.
• Advance the interests of Indigenous Peoples.
• Contribute to clean growth and to Canada’s objectives with respect to climate change.

Projects will only be designated following full consultation with affected Indigenous Peoples.

When a project is designated, it is conditionally approved upfront, subject to conditions that will be established by a designated federal minister.

The project will go through existing review processes, with a focus on “how” the project will be built as opposed to “whether” it can be. The new federal major projects office will coordinate and expedite these reviews.

Project proponents would still be required to provide the requisite information to federal agencies and departments, including the Impact Assessment Agency.

Instead of multiple ministers rendering individual regulatory decisions pursuant to their statutory authorities, those ministers would inform the designated minister, who would then issue a single “conditions document.” That document, once published, would constitute a permit, decision or authorization under all applicable statutes.

The results, along with consultation with Indigenous Peoples, will inform a single set of binding federal conditions for the project. These conditions would include mitigation and accommodation measures to protect the environment and to respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The federal major projects office will include an Indigenous Advisory Council with First Nation, Inuit, and Métis representatives. The federal government will also allocate capacity funding to strengthen Indigenous Peoples’ participation in this process.

Ottawa also has doubled the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program to $10 billion from $5 billion, enabling more First Nation, Inuit, and Métis communities to become owners of major projects.

This new legislation aligns with the federal government’s commitment to a “one project, one review” approach, which means realizing a single assessment for projects and better coordination of permitting processes with the provinces and territories.

The ultimate objective is to reduce decision timelines on major projects from five years down to two years.

Canada will uphold its constitutional obligations to consult Indigenous groups to ensure projects proceed in ways that respect and protect Indigenous rights, including respecting the government’s United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and the principles of reconciliation, including economic reconciliation.

In cases where there is a federal barrier to internal trade, the legislation will allow a good or service that meets comparable provincial or territorial rules to be considered to have met federal requirements for internal trade. “For Canadian businesses, this will make it easier to buy, sell and transport goods and services across the country.”

On labour mobility, the new legislation will provide a framework to recognize provincial and territorial licenses and certifications for workers. This means that a worker authorized in provincial or territorial jurisdiction can more quickly and easily work in the same occupation in federal jurisdiction.

“This new legislation will make it easier to do business across Canada by removing regulatory duplication and cutting federal red tape. It will also reduce costs or delays for Canadian businesses who follow comparable provincial and territorial rules.”

The House of Commons is scheduled to stop sitting on June 20 for the summer break. But Prime Minister Mark Carney said it should sit longer, if necessary, to pass Bill C-5 before the summer.

The Assembly of First Nations responded to a request from the federal government to comment on the outline for Bill C-5.

“While we support efforts to protect Canada from geopolitical and economic uncertainty, First Nations are very concerned that this federal proposal has the potential to violate many collective rights of First Nations respecting lands, water, resources, inherent title, rights, jurisdiction and Treaty,” AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said in a statement.

“First Nations will require clarification regarding the design of Crown-First Nations engagement and consultation, timelines and how rights holders will be invited to respond to the Crown on this matter.”

The AFN is preparing a full response to Bill C-5 and will hold an online emergency meeting on June 16 to discuss the proposed legislation, with all 634 chiefs invited to participate. Intergovernmental Affairs

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Coalition of business leaders urges Prime Minister Mark Carney to endorse and launch the Canada Trade Infrastructure Plan

A coalition of leaders from business, agriculture, manufacturing and construction sent a joint letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, urging him to endorse the Canada Trade Infrastructure Plan (CTIP), which the coalition calls “a blueprint for long-term, strategic investment in the trade infrastructure Canada’s economy urgently needs.”

With interprovincial trade barriers under pressure and global competition intensifying, the coalition said the CTIP is a nation-building opportunity that will deliver:

• An efficient network of trade infrastructure, with gateways and corridors to get Canadian goods to domestic and international markets and support sustained, trade-based economic growth.
• Measurable greenhouse gas emission reductions across the entire trade transportation system.
• The infrastructure to support trade diversification, shielding Canada’s economy from over-reliance on any single market.
• A restored global reputation for Canada as a reliable trading partner and desirable market in which to invest.

The CTIP would adopt globally recognized best practices and harness recommendations in the Canada West Foundation’s report, From Shovel Ready to Shovel Worthy, which recommends:

• Define Canada’s national trade infrastructure network to put all levels of government and industry on the same page.
• Bring the private sector to the table as an ongoing contributor of sophisticated supply-chain expertise and frontline operational experience to complement the best features of public-sector policy.
• Apply criteria of national significance to guide the planning process and decision-making.
• Develop an “evergreen,” decades-long inventory of national infrastructure projects.
• Undertake regular assessments of infrastructure projects in relation to established criteria.
• Begin a new, forward-looking approach to the collection of data and use of forecasting and modelling tools.
• Coordinate the communications of domestic infrastructure working groups and aggressively share progress on the above recommendations with industry and foreign customers.

Signatories to the letter include the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, Canadian Construction Association, Canada West Foundation, Canadian Federation of Agriculture, Western Canada Roadbuilders & Heavy Construction Association, and the Civil Infrastructure Council Corporation. Canada West Foundation

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The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and the Conference Board of Canada released new findings highlighting the significant socio-economic benefits of closing the First Nations infrastructure gap. Previous analyses confirmed that a federal investment of $349.2 billion to close this gap would contribute more than $635 billion to the Canadian economy and create 300,000 jobs. “Based on the findings in Benefits for All Canadians (Part 2), we propose that the new government begin by closing the First Nations infrastructure gap, which has perpetuated deep-rooted inequality in Canada,” said AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak. “This blueprint not only positions Canada as a G7 leader and mitigates the impact of U.S. tariffs but also significantly improves quality of life for First Nations people, particularly in housing, education and clean water.” Among its 16 findings, the report highlights that investments in housing are critical to strengthening social cohesion, reducing overcrowding and supporting land reclamation. As of 2021, 37 percent of First Nations people lived in homes requiring major repairs, and 35 percent lived in overcrowded conditions on-reserve. Assembly of First Nations

Prime Minister Mark Carney said the federal government is readying further retaliation measures if negotiations with the U.S. to end the recently doubled tariffs – to 50 percent – on steel and aluminum fail. Carney called the move to double levies on steel and aluminum imports “illogical” and "unjustified," saying the tariffs are "bad for American workers, bad for American industry and, of course, for Canadian industry as well." Carney's office said all funds collected from Canada's retaliatory tariffs on over $90 billion, before remissions, of U.S. imports will go to supporting Canadian workers and businesses impacted by the U.S. tariffs. Speaking to reporters at Queen's Park, Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he will "be all over" the federal government to "slap another 25 per cent on their steel." Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, said 23,000 steel jobs and another 9,500 aluminum jobs will be impacted within days. "We know within the next couple of days and weeks, job losses will start to accumulate," she said. Canada’s overall merchandise trade deficit grew to a record high of $7.1 billion in April, from $2.3 billion in March, due to a “significant, widespread decline in exports,” Statistics Canada reported. Exports of automobiles and auto parts fell 17.4 percent, the largest decrease in any category in April. Big declines in other categories included a 22.5-percent drop in industrial machinery, equipment and parts; an 18.5-percent drop in forestry products, building and packaging products; and an 8.8 percent decrease in metal and non-metallic mineral products. CBC News

The Government of Canada announced a plan to increase and accelerate Canada’s investments in defence to meet NATO’s spending target of two-per-cent of GDP this fiscal year. The plan includes a cash increase of 9.3 billion in defence investment this fiscal year (2025-26). The government said it will make foundational investments in the Canadian Armed Forces, expand and enhance existing and emerging military capabilities, strengthen Canada’s relationship with the defence industry, and diversify Canada’s defence partnerships. The planned investments include:

• $2.6 billion to empower the military to recruit and retain the personnel needed to carry out its mandate.

• $844 million to repair and sustain Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) capabilities and invest in revitalizing and optimizing key infrastructure.

• $560 million to strengthen the Department of National Defence and the CAF’s digital foundations to ensure that the Defence Team is a relevant and modern workforce in today’s technological era

• $1 billion to grow existing and introduce emerging military capabilities that will allow Canada to become increasingly self-sufficient in fulfilling its responsibility to defend its territory and citizens, especially in the Arctic.
• $2.1 billion to strengthen the government’s relationship with Canada’s defence industry to lay the groundwork for a comprehensive Defence Industrial Strategy.

• $2 billion to diversify Canada’s defence partnerships beyond the U.S.

Planned spending for 2025-26 also includes $135 million ($20 million on an accrual basis) for defence-related investments of other government departments and agencies. National Defence

Ontario’s lieutenant governor granted royal assent to the Government of Ontario’s Bill 5, aimed at fast-tracking critical minerals development and other natural resource projects in the province. The Unleashing our Economy Act will create so-called special economic zones where projects can bypass various provincial laws. The legislation has sparked a storm of backlash from First Nations leaders who are promising a summer of disruption and protests in response to a law they say infringes on their treaty rights. The government has promised to consult with Indigenous leaders over the summer and not designate any areas as special economic zones until that process is complete. As Progressive Conservative MPPs gave Bill 5 approval on its final reading, the galleries erupted with opposition, mainly from First Nations members who travelled to Toronto to watch. “This fight is not over – we will meet you on the ground,” Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler told reporters after the bill passed third reading. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said his government would designate the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario a special economic zone “as quickly as possible,” but pledged to consult Indigenous leaders. Global News

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Competition Bureau releases final guidelines on “greenwashing” provisions in Competition Act

Canada’s Competition Bureau released its final guidelines on environmental claims following two rounds of public consultations conducted throughout the past year.

The guidelines were designed to help businesses ensure compliance with the Competition Act when making environmental claims. This includes the new greenwashing provisions added to the Act through a series of amendments that became law on June 20, 2024.

The guidelines do not prescribe when or how businesses can make environmental claims. Companies are free to make any environmental claims they wish, as long as they are not false or misleading, and have been adequately and properly tested or substantiated where required, the Competition Bureau said.

After carefully considering all of the over 400 submissions, the Competition Bureau finalized its guidelines and said it is ultimately up to the courts to interpret the language of the law.

The Competition Act contains two new provisions that explicitly target greenwashing. They require that:

• certain claims about the environmental benefits of a product be based on adequate and proper testing.
• certain claims about the environmental benefits of a business or business activity be based on adequate and proper substantiation in accordance with an internationally recognized methodology. 

The Competition Bureau has taken enforcement action in two environmental claims cases under the deceptive marketing practices provisions of the Competition Act over the past few years: Keurig and Volkswagen.

Under the civil deceptive marketing provisions, for corporations the penalty for a first-time violation is up to the greater of:

• $10 million ($15 million for each subsequent violation).
• three times the value of the benefit derived from the deceptive conduct, or, if that amount cannot be reasonably determined, three percent of the corporation’s annual worldwide gross revenue.

“The Competition Bureau has moved forward on unleashing extreme, ideological guidelines that will hurt Canada's economy, silence our hard-working businesses and punish families from coast to coast to coast,” Rebecca Schulz, Alberta’s minister of Environment and Protected Areas, said in a statement.

“The guidelines will not reduce emissions or improve environmental performance, but they will make it harder for companies to attract investment and make our country less globally competitive, once again,” she said.

Despite detailed submissions and calls for changes from provinces, businesses and Canadians, the guidelines continue to hold companies to international standards that don’t even exist, and which the Competition Bureau is not qualified to dictate or able to assess, Schulz said.  

“If Prime Minister Mark Carney is serious about attracting investment, building major projects and truly improving Canadians' way of life, he should take steps to scrap these guidelines immediately,” she said.

The Pathways Alliance oilsands consortium and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers removed environmental marketing information from their websites after the law passed last year.

In April, RBC abandoned its pledge to facilitate $500 billion in sustainable finance, and said it wouldn’t disclose how much it finances high-carbon energy assets compared to low-carbon alternatives.

In May, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board removed its target to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, citing legal risks associated with the pledge. Competition Bureau

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Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Canada’s G7 priorities ahead of the 2025 G7 Leaders’ Summit, to be held in Kananaskis, Alberta, from June 15 to 17, 2025. Anchored in building stronger economies, Canada will seek agreements and coordinated action in three core missions:

• Protecting our communities and the world: strengthening peace and security, countering foreign interference and transnational crime, and improving joint responses to wildfires.
• Building energy security and accelerating the digital transition: fortifying critical mineral supply chains and using artificial intelligence and quantum to unleash economic growth.
• Securing the partnerships of the future: catalyzing enormous private investment to build stronger infrastructure, create higher-paying jobs, and open dynamic markets where businesses can compete and succeed.

Other discussions will include a just and lasting peace for Ukraine and other areas of conflict around the world, and a forward-looking agenda that engages partners beyond the G7, recognizing that Canada’s long-term security and prosperity will depend on building coalitions with reliable partners and common values, according to the PMO. A group of Indigenous leaders, in an open letter, called on Carney to showcase the opportunity to expand Canadian liquified natural gas development at the G7 meeting and in the subsequent communique. Prime Minister of Canada

The Government of British Columbia’s Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) determined that the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) natural gas pipeline project has been substantially started and can proceed. The decision means the EAO’s certificate remains in effect for the life of the project, unless it is cancelled or suspended under the Environmental Assessment Act. The PRGT, a 50-50 partnership between the Nisga’a Nation in B.C. and Houston-based Western LNG, is a 900-kilometre pipeline between natural gas fields in northeastern B.C. and the proposed Ksi Lisims export facility on Pearse Island on B.C.’s northern coast. The environmental assessment certificate approving the PRGT project was issued in 2014, following the EAO'’s environmental assessment. The certificate required the project to have been substantially started by Nov. 25, 2024 for it to remain valid. The EAO developed a report on its findings from a field assessment of the project site, documentation from Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Ltd. and information from First Nations, Gitanyow hereditary chiefs, Gitxsan Wilps, and members of the public. The government’s chief executive assessment officer determined that the physical work completed is consistent with standard pipeline development, and together with other activities and investments undertaken, the company demonstrated a strong intention to advance the project in the near term. Groups opposed to the PRGT include the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition, Wilderness Committee, David Suzuki Foundation, Dogwood, Stand.earth, Sierra Club BC and Northwest Institute. Gitanyow hereditary chiefs and several Gitxsan Nation leaders are also opposed to the pipeline route, which would cross their traditional territories. Govt. of B.C.

Government of British Columbia Premier David Eby said he won’t be supporting a proposed new oil pipeline through the province. Eby said the publicly owned TMX pipeline from Alberta is already running through B.C. and the province doesn't support lifting the ban on oil tankers off B.C.’s northern coast. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is pushing for a new oil pipeline from Alberta to B.C.’s northern coast. Eby said it’s not his job to tell Smith her "vision" for a pipeline connecting Alberta and northern B.C. is "many, many years off" with no proponent in sight. Eby said his job instead is to protect the interests of British Columbia by bringing forward "shovel-ready" projects. The Canadian Press

Calgary-based Eavor Technologies Inc. will receive up to $138 million – upon completing undisclosed milestones – from the federally funded Canada Growth Fund Inc. to accelerate the development and commercial deployment of Eavor’s geothermal technology. Eavor has proven pilot versions of its proprietary closed-loop geothermal system (“Eavor-Loop™”) and a first commercial project is under construction in Geretsried, Germany. Canada Growth Fund (CGF) invested $90 million in Eavor in October 2023, through a direct commitment to its Series B preferred equity fundraise. CGF’s scaling capital will continue to facilitate Eavor’s Canadian presence by ensuring the majority of its leadership and employee base remain in Canada and leverage Canada’s drilling knowledge and know-how to catalyze the next generation of global geothermal innovation, the company said. Eavor has yet to announce a commercial facility based in Canada. Eavor Technologies

The Vancouver-based and federally funded DIGITAL global innovation cluster is investing $15 million with another $15 million from industry partners in workforce development and skilling programs focused on AI adoption, for more than 3,000 Canadians. DIGITAL said it has supported over 18,300 Canadians to develop AI and adjacent skills to advance their careers while accelerating the adoption of Canadian workforce development solutions. The innovation cluster listed 16 AI-focused initiatives and programs on its website in connection with the funding announcement. A project from Unity Health Toronto received the most support of the programs, with $1.4 million from DIGITAL. Unity’s Health AI Academy program will look to train 200 healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills required to make informed decisions about, and implement, new AI technologies. DIGITAL

The Government of Canada awarded a contract to Mississauga, Ont.-based Bird Construction Group Ltd. for construction management services for the new Transportation Safety and Technology Science hub, to be located at the main campus of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) on Montréal Road in Ottawa. The contract is expected to be valued at up to $410 million. The initial work package, covering advisory services and site preparation, has been issued at a value of $12.3 million. The new facility, being delivered through a collaborative approach under the $3.7-billion Laboratories Canada strategy, will serve as a shared space for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and the NRC to conduct in-depth investigations and advance scientific research in transportation safety. Engineers and scientists at the facility will work with industry partners to develop cutting-edge safety technologies and reduce risks in the air, marine, rail and pipeline sectors. The facility also will combine investigations with the design and testing of next-generation light materials for aerospace. Public Services and Procurement Canada

Public Services and Procurement Canada announced that GC Strategies, the company that worked on the ArriveCan app (but did not develop or manage the app) has been banned from entering into contracts or real property agreements with the government for seven years. Last year, the federal department suspended the security status of GC Strategies, which the auditor general says was awarded more than $19 million for the project. The government has also barred two other companies that contributed to the ArriveCan project, Dalian Enterprises and Coradix Technology Consulting, from participating in procurement opportunities. The federal government launched the app in April 2020 as a way to track health and contact information for people entering Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to digitize customs and immigration declarations. A report by Canada's Auditor General Karen Hogan found the government's record-keeping was poor and its reliance on outside contractors allowed the cost of the project to balloon to $60 million from an initial value of just $2.35 million. CBC News

The Government of Ontario’s proposed legislation, Protect Ontario by Securing Affordable Energy for Generations Act, 2025, will create a new authority to decide which new projects – including data centres – can have access to the province’s electricity grid. Electricity demand in Ontario is expected to rise 75 percent over the next 25 years – the equivalent of adding four-and-a-half cities the size of Toronto to the grid, the government said. One of the most significant drivers of long-term electricity demand growth is data centres that support AI development, cloud computing and digital services. The government is embracing data centres as a strategic opportunity to drive investment, innovation and job creation, particularly in northern and rural communities. With dozens of new data centre projects looking to connect to the grid – representing up to 6,500 megawatts of demand, the equivalent of nearly 30 percent of peak demand for the province – “Ontario is taking steps to manage connections in a way that supports long-term economic and energy system goals,” the government said. Current legislation requires utilities to connect all data centres indiscriminately, regardless of economic impact or energy intensity. As electricity demand grows into the 2040s, the government said it is creating an authority to prioritize projects that maximize benefit to the Ontario economy and workforce. Govt. of Ontario

The Government of Alberta implemented a temporary limit on connections for projects to the province’s electricity grid, aimed at maintaining reliability in the electricity systems. The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) said “large load projects,” such as data centres, will be limited to 1,200 megawatts shared among them from now to 2028. AESO said the move was in response to a “surge” in data centre proposals in the province, with 29 projects currently seeking approval. The proposed data centre projects represent more than 16,000 megawatts of demand for grid connections, far above the cap in place. For comparison, the City of Edmonton has a load of around 1,400 megawatts. Of the 29 projects proposed, 15 have met AESO’s criteria. However, the applicable projects will be subject to a further qualification process to be eligible for their share of the 1,200 megawatts. AESO

The Government of Canada and the Government of Saskatchewan announced more than $1.4 million for 32 Agriculture Demonstration of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT) projects and six Strategic Field Program (SFP) projects under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The ADOPT program provides funding to assist producer groups and First Nations communities to evaluate and demonstrate new agricultural practices and technologies at the local level that can be applied by producers soon after completion. The SFP provides funding for relevant and timely field-level studies to support agriculture producers and processors in Saskatchewan and helps to develop new best practices. Several projects will be demonstrated at Agri-ARM (Agriculture-Applied Research Management) sites throughout the province this year for producers to take part in learning first-hand about the new technologies and production practices. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan) announced an investment of $466,956 in the Canadian Hydrogen Association to expand B.C. hydrogen and fuel cell companies into markets around the world. The industry association will help B.C. companies attract investment, seize export opportunities, grow here at home, and showcase B.C. companies on international platforms. This investment, provided through PacifiCan’s Regional Innovation Ecosystem program, will support 40 small and medium-sized businesses. In May 2024, PacifiCan announced an investment of more than $9.4 million to launch the Clean Hydrogen Hub at Simon Fraser University. The Hub works with partners, including the Canadian Hydrogen Association, to advance hydrogen production and technologies both at home and abroad. PacifiCan

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) signed a joint statement reaffirming Canada and ESA's unique, proven and productive partnership. This signature marks a key milestone in the mid-term review of the Canada-ESA Cooperation Agreement. For nearly 50 years, the Canada-ESA Cooperation Agreement has advanced Canadian innovation and expertise on the world stage. Canada's unique status as ESA's only non-European cooperating state gives Canadian companies privileged access to the European space market. Every dollar awarded to Canadian companies through ESA contracts generates nearly three dollars in return, benefitting Canadian businesses and injecting value into the Canadian economy. Between January 2018 and December 2024, this collaboration led to 233 ESA-funded contracts to 82 Canadian entities, valued at approximately $192 million. Canadian Space Agency

In advance of the G7 meeting this month in Kananaskis, Alberta, the Science Academies of the G7 issued a joint declaration emphasizing the importance of academic freedom, institutional autonomy, the integrity of research, research security, and the responsible conduct of research in support of the public good. The G7 countries have seen particular benefit from the investments in research, the mobility of researchers and the collaborations across borders that have accelerated discovery, knowledge creation and innovation, the declaration says. “Together, we have established a system of science based on transparency, meritocracy and openness that has provided the normative framework for science around the globe.” A communique from the science academies includes a set of policy-specific documents focused on technologies and data security, climate action and health resilience, and sustainable migration. Science Academies of the G7

RESEARCH, INNOVATION & COLLABORATION

Four Canadian universities made it into the top 100 in the Center for World University Rankings’ (CWUR) 2025 Global Rankings. They are: the University of Toronto (#23), McGill University (#27), the University of British Columbia (#48), and the University of Alberta (#81). CWUR saw 28 Canadian universities drop down in the rankings this year, which the organization attributed to lower performance in research. The rankings assessed over 21,000 institutions according to criteria related to the academic and professional success of each university’s alumni, the number of faculty members with top academic distinctions, and research metrics such as influence and citations. The global rankings for 2025 feature the top 2,000 institutions from around the world, including 38 Canadian institutions. Eight of the top 10 universities are in the U.S. CWUR

Five Canadian business schools rank among the leaders in the Financial Times 2025 Executive Education Rankings. This pair of rankings evaluates the custom and open-enrolment programs at 119 business schools with either AACSB or Equis accreditation from around the world. Four Canadian business schools appeared in the Custom program rankings: Western University’s Ivey School of Business (#37), York University Schulich School of Business (#58), University of British Columbia Sauder School of Business (#70), and HEC Montréal (#85). For Open programs, five Canadian business schools appeared: HEC Montréal (tied for #30), Western Ivey (#32), York Schulich (#34), the University of Saskatchewan Edwards School of Business (#77), and UBC Sauder (#78). Financial Times

Google Canada announced an AI Opportunity Fund, which will provide $13 million to four Canadian organizations providing AI skills development and training across the country. The AI Opportunity Fund is providing support to the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute, the First Nations Technology Council, Skills for Change, and the Toronto Public Library, to scale their best-in-class workforce development programs. Together, these organizations will reach more than two million Canadians with AI training, helping ensure they are equipped to succeed in an AI-powered economy. The AI Opportunity Fund will include:

• Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute will provide post-secondary students across Canada with foundational AI skills to better adapt to emerging technologies and address the growing AI skills gap in Canada's workforce.
• First Nations Technology Council will train Indigenous students and provide AI resources to Indigenous community members, with the goal of increasing the number of Indigenous workers in technology.
• Skills for Change will develop AI skills programs to train individuals from communities facing high unemployment. This initiative will equip participants with foundational AI literacy through hands-on, industry-relevant curriculum, creating pathways to meaningful employment.
• Toronto Public Library will address the digital divide by launching a city-wide AI upskilling initiative to provide community members with access to free tools, AI skills training and programming to support employment, boost productivity and encourage safe, informed use of AI. Google Canada

The Vancouver-based, federally funded DIGITAL global innovation cluster, Toronto Metropolitan University’s the Dais think tank, Creative Destruction Lab and the Human Feedback Foundation launched a nationwide initiative to foster the ethical use of artificial intelligence by non-profit organizations. DIGITAL is investing $650,000 in the initiative while the partners will also invest a combined $650,000. The Responsible AI Adoption for Social Impact (RAISE) program will develop a framework for AI governance with the Human Feedback Foundation’s help. The framework will focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as ethics and “measurable outcomes." The Dais will provide AI training for 500 non-profit staffers in areas like data management, policy and service delivery. A one-year “AI Adoption Accelerator” from Creative Destruction Lab will help five major non-profits (the CAMH Foundation, Canadian Cancer Society, CanadaHelps, Achēv, and Furniture Bank) integrate AI in line with their goals. Human Feedback

Web Summit Vancouver wrapped up last month with its first pitch competition, and all three early-stage startups on stage were founded or co-founded by women based in Vancouver. The winners included sustainable colourants developer Lite-1, launched in 2021 with co-founders Roya Aghighi and Sarah Graham at the helm. GlüxKind, a hard tech firm responsible for an AI-enabled smart stroller, was created in 2020 after co-founders Anne Hunger and Kevin Huang became parents. VodaSafe is developing aquatic rescue tech for first responders and was founded by Carlyn Loncaric in 2014. Web Summit’s organizers said the competition reflected a “remarkable rise” in women’s involvement since its women in tech program launched in 2015. Forty-four percent of participating startups this year had one or more female founders. BetaKit

Following a successful first edition last summer, Mila – Quebec AI Institute welcomed the 21 participants of the second cohort of the Indigenous Pathfinders in AI for the launch of the summer program. Indigenous Pathfinders in AI is a career pathway program designed to inspire Indigenous talent to learn, develop and lead the evolution of artificial intelligence. Through hands-on workshops and collaborative activities, participants design real-world projects that leverage AI to address meaningful, community-driven challenges. Mila

Canadian AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio launched a new non-profit AI safety research organization, LawZero, to prioritize safety over commercial imperatives. Bengio said this organization was created in response to evidence that today’s frontier AI models have growing and dangerous capabilities and behaviours, including deception, cheating, lying, hacking, self-preservation, and more generally, goal misalignment. He pointed to one experiment, in which an AI model upon learning it was about to be replaced, covertly embedded its code into the system where the new version would run, effectively securing its own continuation. More recently, Anthropic’s Claude 4’s system card showed it can choose to blackmail an engineer to avoid being replaced by a new version. In another case, when faced with inevitable defeat in a game of chess, an AI model responded not by accepting the loss but by hacking the computer to ensure a win. “These incidents are early warning signs of the kinds of unintended and potentially dangerous strategies AI may pursue if left unchecked,” Bengio said. LawZero’s research will help to unlock the immense potential of AI in ways that reduce the likelihood of a range of known dangers, including algorithmic bias, intentional misuse and loss of human control, said Bengio, a professor at Université de Montréal and founder of and scientific advisor at Mila – Quebec AI Institute. Yoshua Bengio's blog post

Toronto-based Xanadu Quantum Technologies Inc. announced another advancement toward scalable quantum computing hardware by generating error-resistant photonic quantum bits (qubits) on an integrated chip platform. A foundational result in Xanadu's roadmap, this first-ever demonstration of such qubits on a chip is published in Nature. The breakthrough builds on Xanadu's recent announcement of the Aurora system, which demonstrated – for the first time – all key components required to build a modular, networked and scalable photonic quantum computer. With this latest demonstration of robust qubit generation using silicon-based photonic chips, Xanadu said it further strengthens the scalability pillar of its architecture. The quantum states produced in this experiment, known as GKP states, consist of superpositions of many photons to encode information in an error-resistant manner – an essential requirement for future fault-tolerant quantum computers. These states allow logic operations to be performed using deterministic, room-temperature-compatible techniques, and they are uniquely well-suited for networking across chips using standard fibre connections. Xanadu Quantum Technologies

Montreal-based waste-to-energy company Enerkem filed for creditor protection, with assets of $31.5 million against liabilities of about $399.5 million and running out of cash. The Quebec government has injected more than $84 million of public funds into the company. The government invested $64.3 million to buy Enerkem shares and convertible notes, which will be cancelled if the plan proposed by the comptroller, Deloitte, goes ahead. The Fonds de solidarité FTQ and Fondaction will lose the $32.6 million they invested in company shares, which have been under the protection of the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act since May 12. According to court filings, Enerkem recorded a loss of $212 million in 2023. Spain-based Repsol – an Enerkem shareholder – along with U.S.-based funds Monarch and Eyre Street are seeking to acquire Enerkem for $305 million, according to court documents. This sum includes their secured debts of nearly $218 million and a short-term and interim financing plan totalling $87 million. Enerkem provides the technology at the heart of the Varennes Carbon Recycling plant, a $1.5-billion project largely funded by the Quebec government that has also filed for creditor protection. Enerkem’s $80-million waste-to-energy biofuels plan in Edmonton shut down production last year, 14 years after the City of Edmonton and Enerkem Alberta Biofuels struck a 25-year deal to turn waste into ethanol. When it closed, the plant had produced five million litres of biofuels, far less than the 36 million litres per year Enerkem had projected it would generate. Advanced Biofuels USA

Vancouver-based Graphite One announced that as part of its plan to build a complete U.S. supply chain for advanced graphite materials, the company has secured a second non-binding supply agreement for anode active materials with California-based electric vehicles maker Lucid Group Inc. Over the next five years, Graphite One will supply graphite from its mine near Nome, Alaska and processing plant in Warren, Ohio for Lucid’s luxury electric cars. The previous agreement with Lucid, announced in July 2024, involved synthetic graphite AAM (Anode Active Material), whereas the new agreement covers natural graphite AAM which will be supplied to Lucid and its battery cell suppliers for use in future vehicles. The U.S. Defense Department awarded Graphite One’s wholly owned subsidiary, Graphite One (Alaska) Inc. US$37.5 million under former president Joe Biden’s administration, to do an accelerated feasibility study to modernize and expand domestic production capacity and supply for graphite battery anodes for EVs and alternative energy batteries. Graphite One

Five LNG projects in British Columbia are slowly making progress, the Vancouver Sun reported. They are:

• Ksi Lisims LNG project, backed by the Nisga’a First Nation. The B.C. government’s Environmental Assessment Office decided last week that the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission natural gas pipeline project, which would supply the LNG facility, has been substantially started and can proceed.
• LNG Canada in Kitimat received a shipment of imported LNG in April to use in testing equipment during the commissioning process of its $18-billion facility. The facility expects to be producing its first gas for export within a few months.
• Woodfibre LNG, which received environmental approval for its $5.1-billion LNG proposal in 2015, hit a construction milestone on May 24 with delivery of the first module of specialized piping by heavy-lift ship. All of the plant’s components are being constructed offshore. Woodfibre said a total of 19 modules, ranging from 126-tonne pipe racks to 11,000-tonne liquefaction units, will be delivered over 2025 and 2026 with an expected facility completion date of 2027. 
• Cedar LNG received environmental approval in 2023 to build a floating LNG production facility on the Douglas Channel south of LNG Canada’s project. The Cedar LNG joint venture has made its final investment decision for the US$4 billion construction of the facility. Contractors Black & Veatch and Samsung Heavy Industries will build the plant’s floating platform at shipyards in South Korea and transport it to the site, with an expected completion date in 2028.
• FortisBC’s original Tilbury LNG plant in Delta was opened in 1971 to produce LNG to be stored for times of peak demand in its domestic system. In 2018, a Phase 1 expansion increased its capacity to 250,000 tonnes of LNG a year to meet increasing domestic demand for the use of gas as transportation fuel in trucking and in shipping. A Phase 2 projects remains under review by the province's environmental assessment office. Vancouver Sun

Toronto-based Brookfield Asset Management announced up to US$10 billion of investment to support the development of artificial intelligence infrastructure in Sweden. This investment represents one of Brookfield’s largest AI investments in Europe and extends the partnership with the Swedish government, its public authorities, academia and businesses in the region. Brookfield’s investment will be centred on a new large AI center in Strängnäs, near Stockholm, Sweden, creating a strategic infrastructure asset to support the country’s national AI strategy. Brookfield will sign a land allocation agreement for about 3.77 million square feet of additional land, enabling the data centre site to more than double its capacity from 300 megawatts to 750 MW. The facility will be the first of its kind in Sweden and one of the first in Europe. Earlier this year, Brookfield announced a US$27-billion infrastructure investment program in France, which includes a more than US$13.5-million investment into the first AI factory in the country. This site will create one gigawatt of new capacity, making it Europe’s largest AI infrastructure cluster. Brookfield

Canso, Nova Scotia-based Maritime Launch Services announced that it obtained approval from the Government of Nova Scotia for approximately $10.5 million under the provincial Capital Investment Tax Credit (CITC). This approval will support the construction of a dedicated launch pad for small launch vehicles at Maritime Launch Services’ Spaceport Nova Scotia, the company said. Approximately $30.7 million in CITC funding has been authorized for qualified infrastructure projects at Spaceport Nova Scotia. Maritime Launch Services also announced a new collaboration with T-Minus Engineering B.V., an aerospace company based in the Netherlands, to launch the Barracuda, a hypersonic suborbital test platform, from Spaceport Nova Scotia in October 2025. Maritime Launch Services

Global accountancy and auditing firms are poised to launch a new type of audit that verifies the effectiveness of artificial intelligence tools as they seek to profit from clients’ demand for proof that their AI systems work and are safe. Deloitte, EY and PwC told the Financial Times they were preparing to launch AI assurance services as they hope to use reputations gained in financial audits to win work assessing whether AI systems, such as those in self-driving cars and cancer-detecting programs, perform as intended. On June 3, PwC announced the launch of Assurance for AI – a first-to-market set of services and solutions to provide independent assurance and other related services over AI systems. The new audits would open a revenue stream for auditors, similar to when the firms cashed in on the trend for companies to buy assurance for their environmental, social and governance metrics. The move comes as some insurers have begun offering cover for losses caused by malfunctioning AI tools such as customer service chatbots. Research by the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has found that demand for AI assurance was higher in sectors such as financial services, life sciences and pharmaceutical companies. Financial Times

Carbon capture projects in the U.S. sharply declined in the first quarter of 2025. U.S. authorities didn’t approve any permits to store carbon in the first quarter. The number of submitted Class VI well applications (Class VI wells are used to inject carbon dioxide into deep rock formations) plummeted by 55 percent to just four in the first quarter of 2025, compared with an average of nine applications per quarter over the last two years, according to data from Enverus Intelligence Research. The U.S. Department of Energy recently cancelled 24 carbon capture and decarbonization projects worth US$3.7 billion. Lengthy permitting times and the many unknowns regarding clean energy incentives and tax credits under the Trump Administration have cooled enthusiasm about carbon capture technology among U.S. companies. However, in a first-of-its-kind approval in April, Occidental and its subsidiary 1PointFive received Class VI permits from the Environmental Protection Agency to sequester carbon dioxide from their STRATOS direct air capture facility, currently under construction in Ector County, Texas. That facility uses technology developed by former University of Calgary professor David Keith (now at the University of Chicago), who founded the Squamish, B.C.-based company Carbon Engineering, which Occidental bought in 2023 for US$1.1 billion. Oilprice.com

Global oil investments are expected to drop six per cent in 2025, the first such decline in a decade excluding the year of the COVID-19 pandemic slump, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). “This decline in oil investment is driven by the economic uncertainties, the lower demand expectations, and lower prices,” Fatih Birol, the IEA’s executive director, said in an interview as the agency published its annual World Energy Investment report. The drop is mostly the result of a “sharp decline in spending on U.S. tight oil” in shale reservoirs, according to the report. Lower expenditure on oil brings IEA expectations for overall upstream oil and gas investment for 2025 to just under US$570 billion, a decline of about four percent. Global refinery investment in 2025 is set to fall to its lowest level in the past 10 years at around US$30 billion. Despite the decline in oil investments, capital flows to the overall global energy sector are expected to rise in 2025 to US$3.3 trillion, a two-percent rise in real terms compared with 2024. Around US$2.2 trillion is going collectively to renewables, nuclear, grids, storage, low-emissions fuels, efficiency and electrification – twice as much as the US$1.1 trillion going to oil, natural gas and coal. Bloomberg News, IEA

VC, PRIVATE INVESTMENT & ACQUISITIONS

 First Nations Bank of Canada (FNBC) and the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) announced a $100-million joint initiative to increase business acquisitions by Indigenous communities and economic development agencies across the country. FNBC will underwrite and issue the loans using its own capital and the BDC will cover up to 85 percent of the risk in the event of a default. The timing is crucial as a significant number of Canadian entrepreneurs will retire in the next few years and are actively looking to sell their businesses built over decades. The new joint financing initiative, with an expected average deal size of $5 million, will make business acquisitions much faster. The number of Indigenous business owners is expected to grow by 23 percent in the next decade, the BDC said. They are one of the fastest growing segments of entrepreneurs in Canada and more than double the 10-percent increase projected for other Canadian entrepreneurs. Fully engaging them could result in a significant annual increase in GDP of 1.5 percent. BDC

Elon Musk’s Neuralink raised US$650 million in a Series E funding round with participation from key investors including ARK Invest, DFJ Growth, Founders Fund, G42, Human Capital, Lightspeed, QIA, Sequoia Capital, Thrive Capital, Valor Equity Partners, and Vy Capital, among others. Neuralink said the funding will be used to accelerate efforts to expand patient access to its technology and innovate future devices that deepen the connection between biological and artificial intelligence. The company said five individuals with severe paralysis are now using Neuralink to control digital and physical devices with their thoughts. Neuralink

Toronto-based venture capital firm Portage joined a US$24-million Series A funding round for OatFi, a New York-based fintech startup that helps business-to-business payment firms offer their clients financing. The round was led by White Start Capital. OatFi embeds its underwriting, origination and funding capabilities directly into B2B payment platforms within their accounts payable, accounts receivable and commercial charge card workflows. OatFi said it will use this funding to accelerate product development and integrations. BusinessWire

Toronto-based shipping logistics startup Portless raised $24.7 million in a Series A funding round led by Commerce Ventures. The company provides an innovative shipping solution to direct-to-consumer retail clients, helping them navigate the complexities of trade wars and tariff policies. Portless said the funding will be used to expand the company’s operations with new fulfillment centers in Vietnam and India and to optimize its supply chain processes. Startup Ecosystem Canada

San Francisco-based AppDirect, a business-to-business commerce platform, acquired New York-based retail energy network Broker Online Exchange in a US$85-million deal. AppDirect said this acquisition will enable the company to broaden its portfolio of solutions – which currently includes cloud, telco, mobility, hardware, AI and now, energy – that its advisor community can offer their end-business clients. BOX will remain a separate unit of AppDirect, but the two companies will connect their software platforms. Suffern, N.Y.-based BOX’s 40-plus staff will all join AppDirect’s workforce of over 1,000, which includes a sizeable Montreal office. AppDirect

Toronto-based chipmaker Untether AI has shut down after its engineering team was acquired by California-based chipmaker AMD. AMD acquired Untether AI’s team of hardware and software engineers but not any other assets in the deal. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. According to PitchBook data, Untether AI had raised US$168 million from backers including CPP Investments, Intel Capital and Radical Ventures. AMD already has a large operation in the Toronto area, following its acquisition of Markham, Ont.-based ATI in October 2006. Tom’s Hardware

Paris-headquartered quantum computing firm Pasqal acquired Montreal-based Aeponyx, which makes photonic integrated circuits. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. Pasqal said the acquisition strengthens its hardware platform and accelerates the company’s roadmap to fault-tolerant quantum computing. Aeponyx had raised nearly US$23.6 million in venture funding from backers including Cycle Capital and Investissement Québec, according to Pitchbook data. HPC.com

Saskatchewan-based Pasqua First Nation Group of Companies (PFNGC) acquired a controlling equity interest in all the tangible and intangible assets of Montreal-based Terminal and Cable TC Inc., a manufacturer of wire harness solutions for transmitting electrical power or signals. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. Prior to the acquisition, Terminal & Cable TC Inc. was a 100-percent owned subsidiary of Volex, a diversified manufacturing company based in the U.K. PFNGC has created a new corporate structure and has transferred Terminal & Cable TC Inc into the newly formed Terminal & Cable GP Inc. Volex will remain in an active role with Terminal & Cable GP with 49-percent ownership of the company. PFNGC

Provincial investment agency Investissement Québec (IQ) reported a 4.9-percent loss on its direct venture capital and indirect fund investments last fiscal year, reflecting market volatility and struggling fund performance. Direct VC investments suffered a loss of $65 million, mirroring stagnant returns across the agency overall. According to its annual report for the year ended March 31, IQ recorded 0.3 percent returns, or roughly $13 million, coming in well below Finance Minister Éric Girard’s forecast of $194 million. Two notable big investments – $100 million in Montreal-based payment company Lightspeed in 2022 and $86-million in Longueuil-based Lumenpulse – helped drag down IQ’s results. A slowdown in private investment amid investor caution, credit losses as economic outlooks worsened, and a stock market dip last quarter all contributed to the middling performance, the report said. BetaKit

REPORTS & POLICIES

Canada needs a “bold, coordinated” industry strategy led by a new authority and focused on a few key potential growth sectors

Canada must implement a “bold, coordinated” industrial strategy that focuses on a few key potential growth sectors to strengthen the country’s global competitiveness, according to a new report by the Commission on Carbon Competitiveness and the Transition Accelerator.

The federal government should establish a central industrial strategy authority created within the Privy Council Office to coordinate and lead Canada’s industrial policy efforts across government, the report says.

“With China and the EU rapidly accelerating green investments and the U.S. pulling back from climate leadership, Canada faces a critical window to act or risk falling permanently behind,” the two organizations say.

“Canada has a choice to make. We can lead the next wave of clean industrial growth, or we can continue to invent technologies here that are scaled – and profited from – elsewhere,” Aaron Cosbey, chair of the Commission on Carbon Competitiveness and senior associate with the International Institute for Sustainable Development, said in a statement.

“The main question here is: ‘Will Canada continue inventing breakthrough technologies only to watch them scale abroad?’”

The report surveys success stories from Canada (oilsands, canola and satellites) and abroad to glean common elements of success and applies them to the Canadian context.

The report highlights that successful industrial policy depends on a clear and coordinated approach. This includes setting specific technology focus areas and targets, establishing mechanisms for public-private coordination, and the use of a full range of policy tools that go beyond just R&D tax credits.

These elements can be distilled into three key best practices: setting clear targets, fostering coordination, and deploying a broad policy mix to ensure impact and alignment across sectors.

The report’s key findings include:

• Industrial policy can work. Canada’s economic future depends on strategic and coordinated support from governments, in concert with the private sector. Like past national successes in oilsands, canola and satellite technology, strategic investment and policy coordination can drive prosperity – but only if Canada moves quickly.
• Strategic, coordinated industrial policy is essential to succeed in clean technology. Canada must go beyond fragmented funding and short-term pilot programs. Industrial policy does not have to be expensive, as it is less about spending than it is about public-private coordination to support innovators with whole-of-government policy mixes. Success stories like China’s EV sector and Taiwan’s semiconductors weren’t accidents – they were the result of deliberate, long-term industrial strategy.
• “Invented here, scaled elsewhere” must end. Canada has led the world in clean tech invention, from lithium-ion breakthroughs in Quebec to carbon capture innovations, but repeatedly fails to scale them. Without building full value chains here at home, the country exports its potential along with its intellectual property
• Canada needs a central industrial strategy authority. The two organizations call for a central body to coordinate industrial policy, cut red tape and align public and private investments in key sectors.
• Compete or get left behind. As countries race to dominate the low-carbon economy, Canada must act with urgency and precision. Relying on scattered tax credits and isolated R&D won’t cut it. The time for action is now.

The report’s recommendations for governments include:

Establish a central industrial strategy authority: Create a central entity within the Privy Council Office to coordinate and lead Canada’s industrial policy efforts across government.

Form an independent advisory council: to provide expert advice enabling government to select and evaluate five to seven strategic technology or sector priorities based on market potential, resource endowment, and innovation capacity.

Launch sector-specific coordination bodies: Designate new or existing arms-length organizations to develop roadmaps and align policy tools in each priority area through deep collaboration with industry.

Improve whole-of-government policy alignment: Deploy a broad policy mix and strengthen cross-departmental coordination of industrial policy instruments – such as R&D funding, procurement, infrastructure, skills and export support.

"We’ve seen what happens when Canada invents world-class technologies but fails to scale them," said report author Travis Southin, future economy lead at the Transition Accelerator. “Without a coordinated approach to industrial strategy, we’ll keep missing out. This report lays out the roadmap [and] we now need the political will to follow it." Commission on Carbon Competitiveness

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Canada should trade fast-track approval and access to lands for resource projects for developers’ contributions to a new innovation fund

Canada needs to tie fast-tracked approval and access to lands for resource projects to tax contributions from developers for a new permanent innovation fund, according to a commentary from the Centre for Canadian Innovation and Competitiveness.

“Fast, predictable approvals and guaranteed access to strategic federal lands are essential, but they should come with a condition: A share of the value must be reinvested in Canadian innovation and commercialization,” says the commentary by Lawrence Zhang, head of policy at the Ottawa-based Centre, affiliated with the Washington, D.C.-based Innovation Technology & Innovation Foundation.

Canada’s permitting regime has become a chokepoint, he says. Whether for energy or critical minerals, projects stall under fragmented reviews, under-resourced regulators and unclear timelines.

The costs ripple downstream, from plastics to electric vehicles and semiconductors. Also, any serious bargain on permitting must involve Indigenous rights holders, not as stakeholders but as governments with authority over land and resource decisions.

“Meanwhile, at a time when global demand for critical inputs is exploding, Canada’s resource edge has never been more valuable, or more underleveraged,” Zhang says.

He points to Norway, which turned its oil wealth into national resilience not just by saving but by building. The country invested early in advanced industry, technical capacity and the institutions that convert resource rents into long-term industrial strength.

“Canada should take a page out of their book, not by copying their model directly, but by adopting the principle: Use today's resource windfall to fund tomorrow's industrial edge.”

Without building that industrial edge, Canada risks slipping back into the old pattern of a resource economy that exports raw materials but builds little with them, Zhang says.

Canada needs to invest far more, not just in R&D, but in turning innovation into real production, he says.

Imposing a modest federal excise levy on raw material output in exchange for streamlined permitting and guaranteed access to lands can provide the revenue to fund that R&D and commercialization, something the federal government has long lagged on, Zhang argues.

For natural resource firms, the upside is speed and resource access. A predictable path through permitting and guaranteed access to high-value federal lands is worth more than the marginal cost of the levy, especially in a market where delays kill competitiveness, he says. The levy would apply only to firms that opt into the streamlined permitting and access regime.

The revenues would flow into a new, arms-length federal innovation agency with a single goal: Get real technologies into production. “Not for ribbon-cutting announcements, and certainly not for general government revenues, but to back applied R&D, support commercialization and anchor advanced industries of the future.”

The agency would blend the best elements of two long-standing but incomplete ideas, Zhang says. Canada doesn’t need to choose between the previously proposed Canada Innovation Corporation agency and a U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency-style mission machine. “It needs both, but under one roof, working in sequence, not in silos.”

One track would back early-stage technologies with commercial promise. The other would help firms adopt and scale those technologies here at home.

Projects would flow from one to the other, moving from idea to prototype to production without leaving the system. “The goal is to turn ideas into outputs, and outputs into industries that stick.”

Zhang says his proposal “is neither a gift nor an attack” on extraction firms and resource-rich regions. Nor is Ottawa rerouting value out of the West and North.

“It’s a trade. The latter get what they value most: faster permitting and guaranteed access to high-value Crown lands. In return, a portion of that value is reinvested in the future Canadian economy, in the companies building the next generation of advanced industries and the ecosystems they need to scale.”

Everyone agrees Canada needs more R&D and better commercialization, Zhang says. Everyone knows the government has a role to play, and that Canada lags in government-funded R&D, especially the kind that helps firms turn knowledge into innovation and production.

“What no one agrees on is where the money comes from. This is the answer,” he says.

A share of the upside from accelerated permitting and expanded access is the most politically and economically viable funding mechanism on offer, Zhang argues. It creates a dedicated funding stream without raising taxes or cutting spending and it links Canada’s natural advantages to its future industrial strength.

“The world needs what Canada has, but Canada has the talent to do more than dig things out of the earth and immediately ship them off,” Zhang says.

“No energy boom lasts forever. But if Canada plays this right, it won’t just weather the boom—it will use it to build the foundation of its next industrial era.” Centre for Canadian Innovation and Competitiveness

[Research Money editor’s note: Canada’s resource industry might argue that it already pays taxes to develop natural resources, in the form of federal and provincial government royalties on resource extraction. The question then becomes whether to put the money from these royalties into a new innovation fund or keep putting it into general government revenues.]

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Financial benefits of eliminating interprovincial trade barriers “are probably exaggerated” and won’t offset U.S. tariffs

The benefits of eliminating interprovincial trade barriers “are probably exaggerated,” according to a report by HEC Montréal.

Since the US tariffs were announced, widespread media reports have suggested that interprovincial trade barriers are equivalent to an estimated 25-percent tariff worth from $110 billion to $200 billion annually, or $2,900 to $5,100 in Canadians’ per capita standard of living.

According to HEC Montréal’s research team, however, these estimates of the value of eliminating interprovincial trade barriers are probably exaggerated.

“Even if all regulatory obstacles in the country could be eliminated, it would be unrealistic to hope for a 6.9-percent increase in the standard of living in Canada,” study co-author Jonathan Deslauriers, executive director of HEC Montréal’s Centre for Productivity and Prosperity (CPP), said in a statement.

 “Because essentially, the true barriers to interprovincial trade are structural in nature. They have to do with the distances between regional markets and businesses’ inability to overcome them, owing to their poor productivity,” he said.

Every year, more than $530 billion worth of goods and services move across territorial borders – equal to almost 20 percent of Canada’s gross domestic product, according to the federal government.

However, HEC Montréal said the potential economic gains of removing interprovincial trade barriers have been overstated because they overestimate the value of eliminating provincial exceptions in the Canada Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) and underestimate the effect of distance on provincial trade.

Weak productivity also makes it harder for businesses to effectively compete across those distances.

For example, Quebec has 36 CFTA exceptions, 19 of which relate directly to trade with other provinces and cover areas such as ferries, funeral services, travel agencies, explosives, wildlife, racehorses and co-operatives.

“Ultimately, only a limited number of exceptions explicitly hinder economic activity,” the report said, referring to those related to the forestry and seafood sectors and the provincial body that regulates alcohol sales.

Quebec has the most CFTA exceptions, but HEC Montréal said all provinces have exceptions that are too narrow to have much of an impact on economic growth if they were eliminated.

“The real issue is the lack of regulatory harmonization, not the exceptions to the CFTA,” the report said, pointing out that federally licensed red meat-processing facilities can trade across provinces and internationally, but companies with provincial licences cannot.

That situation, the report said, “stifles productivity and efficiency.”

Unlike exemptions, regulatory barriers that cover standards on goods and services cost the economy by interfering with movement and raising costs.

“Because they were unable to make corrections 15 years ago, when the warning signs were flashing, Quebec and all of Canada are now exposed to mounting American protectionism, since their sizeable structural productivity deficit limits their opportunities to develop new markets, both internationally and domestically,” said study co-author Robert Gagné, CPP director.

“And regardless of what we hear, tearing down barriers to interprovincial trade will not be enough to offset the impact of threatened U.S. tariffs,” he said.

To solve this dilemma, Canada as a whole will have to stimulate private investment and open up the domestic market in order to spur competition, according to the report.

“Rather than dithering over a problem that should have been corrected 30 years ago by implementing the principle of mutual recognition to ensure the free movement of products despite the lack of harmonization of standards, the provinces will have to get to the root of the country’s endemic productivity lag to improve the resilience of the domestic market and thus enable Canadian companies to cross the borders of their local market,” the CPP said.

“In such a context, it becomes essential to strengthen trade routes from east to west by investing massively in transportation infrastructure,” Gagné said.

“The announcement of an HSR [high-speed railway] between Quebec City and Toronto is a step in the right direction. However, concrete efforts must be made and electoral promises fulfilled quickly.” Hec Montréal, Financial Post

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Labour productivity in first quarter 2025 declines from fourth quarter 2024 but is still the second consecutive quarterly increase since the COVID pandemic

Labour productivity of Canadian businesses grew 0.2 percent in the first quarter of 2025, a marked slowdown compared to the 1.2-percent growth observed in the fourth quarter of 2024, Statistics Canada (StatsCan) reported.

However, this also represents a second consecutive quarterly increase – the first time there have been consecutive quarterly increases since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, StatsCan said.

In the first quarter of 2025, hours worked in the business sector rebounded 0.4 percent in the first quarter of 2025, following a 0.5 percent decline in the previous quarter.

The growth in hours worked in the first quarter reflects the 0.8-percent increase in the number of jobs, while hours worked per job decreased 0.4 percent.

In the first quarter, the growth in hours worked was mainly attributable to service-producing businesses (+0.6 percent), while hours worked in goods-producing businesses were essentially unchanged.

Overall, hours worked increased in 10 of the 16 main industry sectors and were essentially unchanged in accommodation and food services.

Meanwhile, growth in business output continued at the same pace as in the previous quarter but outpaced the growth in hours worked. Real gross domestic product of businesses rose 0.6 percent in the first quarter, an identical pace to the previous quarter.

In the first quarter, the overall growth in productivity was mainly attributable to goods-producing businesses. Productivity growth in goods-producing businesses, which had reached 0.3 percent in the previous quarter, accelerated to 0.8 percent in the first quarter, with four of the five sectors posting increases.

In service-producing businesses, productivity declined 0.5 percent in the first quarter, after rebounding sharply in the previous quarter (+1.3 percent).

Overall, productivity rose in half of the 16 main industry sectors in the first quarter. Wholesale trade (+2.6 percent), agriculture and forestry (+2.0 percent) and utilities (+1.5 percent) recorded the largest gains, while real estate (-3.9 percent) posted the largest decline.

Unit labour costs – that is, the cost of labour required to produce one unit of output – of businesses declined 0.3 percent in the first quarter, after increasing in the previous four quarters.

This decline observed in the first quarter reflects a marked slowdown in the growth of hourly compensation (from 1.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024 to a slight decrease of 0.1 percent in the first quarter of 2025), while productivity increased 0.2 percent. Statistics Canada

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Deep retrofits of residential buildings offer opportunity to lower health care costs: Pembina Institute

Comprehensive building energy retrofits can lower health care costs in Alberta, according to a new report by the Calgary-based Pembina Institute clean energy think tank.

The report, Valuing Deep Retrofits: How better residential buildings can lower healthcare costs in Alberta – written in partnership with Alberta Ecotrust’s Retrofit Accelerator program –highlights the healthcare cost savings that result from comprehensive building energy retrofits. “How we heat, cool and insulate our homes and businesses impacts more than just our utility bills,” the Pembina Institute says.

Canadians spend about 90 percent of their time indoors, meaning the quality of their homes directly impacts their health, the report says.

Poor-quality housing – characterized by inadequate insulation, poor ventilation and outdated heating and cooling systems – can harm respiratory, cardiovascular and mental health, according to the report.

“The report demonstrates how deep retrofits can create potential healthcare cost savings, by improving indoor air quality and maintaining healthier indoor temperatures. It explores the chronic health impacts of poor-quality housing on Albertans and how deep retrofits can mitigate those risks.”

While energy efficiency is often a leading motivator for deep retrofits, the report presents a new approach that incorporates non-energy benefits such as health and safety, resilience, insurance and affordability.

“Deep retrofits offer a huge opportunity to protect the health and safety of Albertans at a critical time,” Kari Hyde, manager, utility integration and demand-side management at the Pembina Institute, said in a statement.

“By integrating healthcare cost savings into the business case for deep retrofits, the argument for investment is much more compelling,” she said.

The report – which the think tank says is the first in Canada to link building retrofits to healthcare impacts – leverages several international examples to support its recommendations.

For instance, a retrofit program in New Zealand had a net return of $1.03 billion in health and energy savings; for every dollar spent on retrofits, four dollars were returned in health and energy savings.

The report’s findings include:

• 80 percent of the buildings that will exist in 2050 are already built.
• Older homes built before the 1970s likely lack adequate insulation because energy-efficiency standards were introduced in the late 1970s and gradually improved over time.
• 20 percent of households in Canada are experiencing energy poverty and about half of those are also considered low-income.
• 42 percent of the 598,000 Alberta homes built before 1980 need repairs and upgrades, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Housing Market Information Portal.
• Poor-quality buildings increase their occupants’ exposure to outdoor air – and consequently to fine particulate matter, ground-level ozone and nitrogen oxides – thereby threatening their health.
• Harmful indoor pollutants include radon, a radioactive gas that vents from soil and can seep into homes through cracks in the foundation, construction joints and gaps around pipes. Other indoor pollutants are carbon monoxide, which can accumulate indoors without proper ventilation, and mould.
• The cost of air pollution-related premature deaths in Alberta amounts to $10.4 billion annually in healthcare expenses, lost productivity and reduced quality of life. 
• Many buildings are not built for events such as the 2021 heat wave in Western Canada, which killed nearly 700 people (619 in B.C. and 66 in Alberta) and greatly increased hospitalizations and heatstroke admissions and associated treatment costs.
• Homes that are too cold are linked to cardiovascular issues (heart attacks, strokes) and respiratory issues (particularly for those with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), mental health strain and greater rates of death in the winter.

The report’s recommendations include:

• Fill data gaps on the relationship between building conditions and health outcomes.
• Include health-related indicators in retrofit programs.
• Invest in retrofits that improve health outcomes, particularly in vulnerable households. 

“This report is a wake-up call and a roadmap. It shows that deep energy retrofits aren’t just about reducing emissions – they’re about improving lives,” said Deeti Makkar, senior program manager with the Alberta Ecotrust Foundation. Pembina Institute

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Federal government spending on science and technology has increased but is expected to decline in 2024/2025: Statistics Canada

Federal government spending on science and technology increased in 2022/2023 by $36 million to $15.4 billion, following a $391-million gain in 2021-2022, according to a report by Statistics Canada.

Preliminary estimates show that federal S&T expenditures will increase to $16.4 billion (+$1.0 billion) in 2023/2024 due to higher research and development spending (+$702 million, to $9.7 billion), StatsCan said.

“These expenditures would surpass the previous high of $9.3 billion spent on R&D in 2020/2021.”

However, federal S&T expenditures in 2024/2025 are expected to decline by $613 million to $15.8 billion, StatsCan noted.

The federal government's increased S&T spending in 2022/2023 marks the eighth consecutive year-over-year growth and was due to increased spending in both core activities: R&D (+$245 million to $9.0 billion) and related scientific activities, or RSA (+$151 million to $6.4 billion).

R&D and RSA are conceptually similar, though there are notable differences between the two, StatsCan said.

At the heart of R&D is systematic work aimed at developing new products and services.

RSA activities are generally viewed as complementing or supporting R&D – focusing more on actions related to data collection, special surveys and studies – and are not generally considered as R&D spending based on the international Frascati Manual standard.

S&T expenditures can also be broken down into two fields of research: natural sciences and engineering, which focuses on disciplines associated with the natural world; and social sciences, humanities and the arts, which focuses on phenomena affecting humans.

Both fields had similar growth (in dollar terms) in 2022/2023 (+$206 million to $11.8 billion for the natural sciences, and +$191 million to $3.6 billion for the social sciences), though most of the spending remained in the natural sciences and engineering field (76.7 percent).

Intramural S&T spending (the portion of R&D performed within a specific organization or sector) within the federal sector rose $233 million to $6.4 billion in 2022/2023. This increase was larger than the gain in extramural spending (paid by the federal sector to another organization) which was up $164 million to $9 billion.

The growth in extramural spending was mainly attributable to increased funding for Canadian non-profit institutions (+$203 million to $1.2 billion), followed by funding for provincial and municipal governments (+$56 million to $299 million).

These increases were partially offset by decreased funding for the foreign sector (-$56 million to $1.2 billion).

The higher education (-$28 million to $4.2 billion) and the business enterprise (-$12 million to $2.1 billion) sectors also saw a decrease in funding, though both remained the largest recipients of overall funding.

Regionally, the growth in S&T expenditures in 2022/2023 was concentrated in Ontario excluding the National Capital Region (+$331 million to $3.7 billion), followed by British Columbia (+$96 million to $1.6 billion) and Manitoba (+$91 million to $477 million).

Among the 16 major federal S&T departments and agencies (organizations whose S&T spending was equal to or exceeded two percent of the total S&T expenditures by the federal government in 2022/2023), 12 departments increased their spending (+$492 million) in 2022/2023 while four departments decreased their spending (-$321 million).

The overall increase in S&T expenditures was led by the Canadian Space Agency (+$126 million to $456 million), followed by Environment and Climate Change Canada (+$60 million to $996 million) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (+$52 million to $436 million).

The rise in intramural spending within the federal government itself was led by the Public Health Agency of Canada (+$106 million), while the increase in extramural payments was driven by the Canadian Space Agency (+$111 million) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (+$82 million).

Following record growth in personnel in 2021/2022, the number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) working in S&T in Canada rose again in 2022/2023 (+970 FTEs, reaching 42,520 FTEs). This was due to increased RSA personnel (+664 to 27,930), specifically in the scientific and professional occupational category (+1,750 to 18,285).

From a regional perspective, the largest increase in FTEs occurred in the National Capital Region, or NCR (+615 FTEs to 26,152 FTEs), followed by Manitoba (+208 to 1,816), Ontario excluding the NCR (+107 to 2,841), and Quebec excluding the NCR (+104 to 4,283). Statistics Canada

THE GRAPEVINE – News about people, institutions and communities

Former Canadian Space Agency astronaut Marc Garneau died of lymphoma and leukemia at the age of 76. Garneau was one of the original six Canadian astronauts selected in December 1983. He launched aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on October 5, 1984, as a payload specialist, making history as the first Canadian in space. He flew twice more, on Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1996 and 2000. Following his astronaut career, Garneau was appointed president of the Canadian Space Agency, and was later elected to Parliament, where he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Transport. Among the awards and honours he received are the Order of Canada, 1984; The F.W. (Casey) Baldwin Award, Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute, 1985; the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, 1997; appointment as Chancellor, Carleton University, 2003; the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, 2002; and several honorary doctorates. Canadian Space Agency

Former Sonos CEO Patrick Spens will lead the Canadian Shield Institute as CEO while policy expert Vass Bednar will be managing director. The Canadian Shield Institute, announced in January with a $10-million donation from former Research In Motion (BlackBerry) co-CEO Jim Balsillie, is meant to influence Canada’s economic and defence policy. The institute is affiliated with the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI), whose president Benjamin Bergen and vice-chair John Ruffolo have seats on the new think tank’s board alongside Spens and CCI chair Balsillie. Though affiliated with the CCI, Bednar said the Canadian Shield Institute has a distinct mandate and will study and make recommendations on economic issues including tax changes, infrastructure and resource development, growing deep-tech sectors, and innovation in industries like housing, health care and mining. Decoder

 Montreal-based aerospace company CAE Inc. appointed Matthew Bromberg as president and CEO, effective August 13, 2025. In this role, Bromberg will lead the company’s strategic growth and drive its continued evolution into the future. Bromberg, 55, has served as Northrop Grumman’s vice-president of global operations since 2022. He succeeds Marc Parent as president and CEO. CAE also announced that Calin Rovinescu, former president and CEO of Air Canada, will become executive chairman of the board of directors and that Sophie Brochu, former CEO of Hydro-Québec, will serve as lead independent board director. CAE

Halifax-based CarbonCure Technologies announced the appointment of Kristal Kaye as interim CEO. Kaye had previously served as the company’s chief financial officer and, in that capacity, has already been deeply engaged with CarbonCure’s team, strategy and day-to-day operations. CarbonCure’s founder, Robert Niven, is stepping away from the CEO role. Niven will continue to serve on the company’s board of directors. CarbonCure Technologies offers a drop-in solution that utilizes carbon dioxide to improve cement efficiency while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and generating carbon credits. CarbonCure Technologies

Toronto-based VerticalScope Holdings Inc., appointed Chris Goodridge as CEO, succeeding Rob Laidlaw who will continue in his role as chair of the board. Goodridge has served as the company’s president and chief operating officer since 2020. VerticalScope has built and operates a cloud-based digital platform for online enthusiast communities in high consumer spending categories. The company also announced that Ezra Menaged, previously CEO of Hometalk (acquired by VerticalScope in 2021), was promoted to chief operating officer. VerticalScope

Toronto-based legal software firm Dye & Durham Limited appointed George Tsivin as CEO. Most recently at LexisNexis, Tsivin led a collection of legal software businesses with more than $550 million of revenue, spanning 20 products, and serving thousands of customers. Dye & Durham also announced that Avjit Kamboj is re-joining its executive leadership team as chief financial officer. Previously as CFO of Dye & Durham, Kamboj guided the company's financial strategy during its initial public offering and significant growth stages. Most recently, he was CFO at Converge Technology Solutions. Also joining Dye & Durham is Nikesh Patel as chief product officer. Patel brings extensive experience building product development environments, most recently at Nielsen. Dye & Durham

Lévis, Quebec-based cooperative financial group Desjardins Group appointed Denis Dubois as president and CEO, effective September 2, 2025. The longtime co-op executive, who has been with Desjardins since 2003 and led the acquisition of State Farm Canada, will succeed Guy Cormier. Until then, Cormier will continue to lead Desjardins Group, with the full powers granted to the president and CEO. Cormier will also ensure a seamless transition in leadership, supporting  Dubois and the board of directors as a strategic advisor from September 2, 2025, to March 2026. Dejardins Group

BMO Financial Group appointed Aaron Levine, a former Bank of America executive, as group head and president of BMO U.S. Levine will lead BMO’s personal and business banking, U.S. commercial banking and U.S. wealth management businesses. He’ll report to Darryl White, CEO of BMO Financial Group, and Darrel Hackett, CEO of BMO U.S. Nadim Hirji was appointed vice-chair, BMO commercial banking, among several other BMO executive appointments in Canadian banking, wealth management, human resources, and legal.  BMO

San Francisco-based Uber Technologies named Toronto-based Andrew MacDonald as its chief operating officer, reinstating the role almost six years after it was eliminated in a leadership overhaul in 2019. MacDonald, who has been with Uber since 2012 serving in several leadership roles, will now be responsible for Uber's mobility, delivery and autonomous businesses. He will also oversee cross-platform functions such as membership and customer support. Uber also announced that Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty, head of the company’s delivery business, is leaving the firm after nearly 13 years. Yahoo!Finance

Montreal-based D-Box Technologies Inc. named Naveen Prasad, former executive at Vice Media and Elevation Pictures, as its new CEO. He succeeds Sébastien Mailhot who’ll be stepping down. D-Box delivers immersive motion experiences in movie theatres, including making seats that shudder and vibrate. D-Box also announced the appointment of Lori Vaudry Tersigni as an independent board director. Tersigni served as senior vice-president of strategic planning & operational effectiveness at Morneau Shepell (now Telus Health), and previously held multiple executive roles at CIBC. GlobeNewswire

The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) and other critics are raising concerns about the Government of Ontario’s Bill 33, Supporting Children and Students Act, which would establish regulations on the types of fees that students pay and on admissions criteria. OUSA said the proposed legislation “would allow the provincial government to dictate what ancillary fees can and cannot be charged to students,” and would make decisions around program admissions based on student merit alone. Programs like food banks, campus safety resources, peer support, mental health services, employment opportunities and recreational activities, among several others, are funded by ancillary fees and ensure students have the resources they need to succeed in their education. OUSA said students should be the primary decision-makers over the ancillary fees they pay. OUSA also is worried that deciding program admissions based on student merit alone will decrease pathways for underrepresented students. Other groups opposed to Bill 33 include the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations and Ontario Student Voices. OUSA

Montreal-based LGI Healthcare Solutions, a provider of health care IT, partnered with the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto to launch a cloud-based education platform for medical learners. The system will serve the full medical training continuum from MD learners through postgraduate learners. The LGI Education (MedSIS 3C) platform offers a fully integrated experience that includes admissions, real-time progress tracking, mobile assessment forms and analytics dashboards. The system supports MD students and postgraduate learners in mastering clinical skills while providing instructors with clear, data-driven insights into learner performance. LGI Healthcare Solutions

The Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics partnered with Bishop’s University to launch the first-ever Canadian satellite program of the Perimeter Scholars International Start Program (PSI Start), as part of a mutual commitment to supporting the next generation of scientific explorers and helping students advance their academic goals. Launched in 2019, PSI Start is a 10-week online program, combined with an in-person research internship, dedicated to providing undergraduate students with an entry point into advanced lessons in theoretical physics, taught by world-leading experts in topics such as statistical mechanics and quantum information. This year, as part of a formal partnership agreement, Bishop’s University will host the PSI Start program on its campus in Sherbrooke, Quebec, marking the first time this prestigious program will attract the world’s brightest physics students to a university campus in Canada. Bishop’s University

The University of Waterloo’s (UWaterloo) professional, executive and corporate education arm, WatSPEED, partnered with the Toronto-based Vector Institute on a new pilot program to accelerate AI adoption for professionals. The Managing AI Projects one-day, live online course will teach professionals – such as managers, team leads and functional experts – to lead AI initiatives more efficiently and increase business competitiveness. Participants will learn strategies for planning, leading and delivering AI projects. UWaterloo

Humber Polytechnic in Etobicoke, Ont. and the Canadian Nuclear Association signed a memorandum of understanding that outlines how they will work together to train workers for Canada’s nuclear energy industry. The agreement outlines shared goals that include developing nuclear-focused academic programming, enhancing training and upskilling opportunities, engaging students in experiential learning and fostering applied research projects that align with industry requirements. Humber’s participation will also contribute to experiential education models, developed in collaboration with Indigenous communities, government and industry, to ensure equitable access to careers in the nuclear field. Humber Polytechnic

A team of scientists from across Canada has developed an innovative molecular-based blood test and portable device to quickly predict the risk of sepsis over the first 24 hours of clinical presentation. The tool delivers results in under three hours and is designed to function without the need for complex lab infrastructure or highly trained personnel. The tool assesses a six-gene signature of pending immune system dysregulation in the patient’s blood. During a validation test in 3,178 patients, the tool identified sepsis patients whose condition was about to worsen with 94 per cent accuracy. A research paper describing the test and its development was published in Nature Communications. The study was the result of a collaboration between three multi-disciplinary teams: Dr. Pamela Plant and Dr. Claudia dos Santos at St. Michael’s Hospital/Unity Health Toronto, Dr. Robert Hancock at the University of British Columbia and Dr. Peter Zhang at Sepset Inc., and Dr. Lidija Malic and Dr. Teodor Veres at the National Research Council of Canada’s Medical Devices Research Centre. Sepsis, the body’s extreme and dangerous reaction to an infection, has been declared a global emergency, with estimates from 2017 of more than 48.9 million cases and 11 million deaths per year – including about 18,000 in Canada – not including deaths from COVID-sepsis. Even short delays in appropriate treatment can cause significant increases in mortality from sepsis and early diagnosis is critical to favourable outcomes. Unity Health Toronto

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