The Short Report: November 27, 2024

GOVERNMENT FUNDING

The Government of Ontario announced an investment, through the Ontario Research Fund, of $92 million in research projects at universities, colleges, research institutes and research hospitals across the province. More than 200 Ontario Research Fund projects will receive funding to help institutions cover the costs of their research operations and facilities, including building, renovating and equipping research facilities with state-of-the-art equipment and laboratories. Examples of funded projects include:

• $2 million for Brock University in St. Catherines, Ont. to create Canada’s first Clean Plant Program to support Ontario grape and wine production, by developing new growing and fermenting approaches to increase their resilience to threats such as pests, plant viruses and climate change.
• Almost $2 million for the London, Ont.-based Lawson Health Research Institute to create advanced positron emission tomography imaging and analysis software that can detect early brain degeneration that can lead to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. This funding will also support development of software that can improve the treatment of cancerous tumors with radiation.
• Nearly $2 million for the University of Toronto to conduct research on how hydrogen can be used as a clean fuel by future aircraft, to greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• $1 million for Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology in Hamilton to develop the next generation of 3D printing systems, which can help make Ontario manufacturers – such as Merq Automation in Stoney Creek, Ont. –  more productive, competitive and efficient in the development and production of their ergonomic syringe dispenser.
• $152,000 for Queen’s University to develop the next generation of electric vehicle battery charging stations that are faster, more efficient and affordable. of Ontario

The Government of Alberta will invest up to $50 million to support the Alberta Drilling Accelerator through a public-private partnership model. The funding will come from the industry-funded Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction program. This funding will help create Canada’s first open-access, technology-agnostic, industry-led hub, leveraging Alberta’s unrivalled drilling expertise to develop the technologies needed to reduce emissions, create jobs and deliver energy to the world, the government said. In April, the Alberta government invested $750,000 to help kick start this project, supporting a feasibility study facilitated by Calgary-based Eavor Technologies in partnership with the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors and Canadian Geothermal Energy Association. The initial findings suggest that creating an industry-led Alberta Drilling Accelerator is both economically and environmentally viable. The accelerator would allow companies to test and develop drilling techniques and technologies, accelerating geothermal, helium, critical minerals, carbon capture and other industries relying on the drilling sector. Several industry leaders have already expressed strong interest in serving as anchor tenants, including Eavor Technologies, Tourmaline Oil Corp. and international oilfield services company Halliburton. Govt. of Alberta

Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED) announced a repayable contribution of $7.6 million for Mirabel, Que.-based Avianor, an affiliate of Montreal-based DRAKKAR. This support, under the Aerospace Regional Recovery Initiative, will enable Avianor to meet the growing needs of the aerospace industry by building a new hangar dedicated to maintaining A220 aircraft. Founded in 1995, Avianor specializes in maintaining, repairing and servicing aircraft and in developing solutions for airplane interiors. The aim of CED’s assistance is to increase the business’s production capacity and productivity by creating the A220 Center of Excellence. These new facilities will enable Avianor to meet the rapidly growing demand and will also be an asset in convincing national and international airline companies to entrust the business with maintaining their aircraft. Aerospace in Canada is one of the most research‑intensive and export-focused manufacturing industries, employing over 230,000 highly qualified people across the country. CED

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) announced more than $7.2 million for four projects through the AgriInnovate Program, an initiative under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The recipients are:

• KSM Inc. in Tring-Jonction, Que. is receiving up to $5 million to build and operate Canada's first large-scale plant to produce potassium sulphate and potassium magnesium sulphate fertilizers. This project will help reduce reliance on imported fertilizers and support local industries. KSM's innovative production process uses less energy and lowers greenhouse gas emissions compared with traditional methods, making it a more sustainable choice for farmers.
• CRO Quail Farms Inc. (CRO) in Saint Anns, Ont. is receiving up to more than $1.6 million to adopt automated production and packaging systems that will make it the first-of-its-kind quail production facility in North America. The project will address labour shortages and reduce costs, allowing CRO to compete in the growing North American quail market.
• Solution Aleop Inc. in Quebec City, Que. is receiving up to $371,250 to further expand and commercialize its digital tool, Aleop, which helps Canadian agricultural businesses automate administrative tasks and track production costs in real time.
• Axceta Inc. in Longueuil, Que. is receiving up to $255,353 to demonstrate its ultrasound gauge technology for inventory management in feed silos. This technology will help producers and feed mill operators monitor feed levels in real time, making operations more efficient and reducing waste. AAFC

Regina, Sask.-based Protein Industries Canada, a federally funded global innovation cluster, and Innovate UK unveiled the first collaborative research and development projects from their bilateral partnership. The organizations, along with the consortium members, are investing $5.7 million into two collaborative R&D projects that advance the development and  commercialization of plant-based ingredients and foods on both sides of the Atlantic. The projects are a result of an ongoing partnership between the two countries to further collaboration in the areas of science and innovation, with a focus on plant-based food and ingredients. The first of the two projects sees Canadian companies Liven Proteins and ALT-PRO Advantage partner with U.K. companies New Wave Biotech Ltd. and Formidable Foods Ltd. (through its brand Juicy Marbles) to deliver ingredient solutions to enhance plant-based meat analogues and pet nutrition. The second project brings together Canadian companies Tartistes and Wamame Foods, Inc. with U.K. partners Jampa’s and the University of Nottingham to launch a range of plant-based products with a uniquely improved nutritional profile that will match or better that found in animal-based products and current plant-based meat analogues. Protein Industries Canada

The Government of Ontario is contributing $3.5 million, through Invest Ontario, to Hoffman-La Roche Limited, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, to create informatics jobs in the province’s life sciences industry. The funding will support highly skilled, technical jobs in innovative areas like artificial intelligence, machine learning, computational biology and data analytics, as part of Roche's global informatics function. Roche Canada said the jobs will address real challenges in health care by advancing Roche's understanding of diseases and helping deliver innovations faster to patients. This marks the first collaboration of this kind for Roche Canada with Invest Ontario. Roche said these jobs equate to an investment of more than $130 million over five years. Hoffmann-La Roche reported revenues of nearly US$70 billion in 2023. Roche Canada

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is investing $350,000, through the province’s Research Innovation Found, to help kick start a project by Memorial University students to develop a second Earth observation satellite. In May, the Killick-1 climate-monitoring satellite designed and built by Memorial’s students successfully launched from the International Space Station (ISS). Memorial’s students are developing a second satellite to study the ocean as part of the Canadian Space Agency’s CUBICS program. The new satellite, MUNStar-1, will be a small “cubesat” that contains a GNSS Reflectometry payload. The satellite will collect GPS signals reflected from the Earth’s surface as a passive radar to measure waves, winds, sea ice, oil spills and other ocean parameters from space. The satellite will be deployed to a sun synchronous orbit or an orbit similar to the ISS. The Memorial team includes a large group of undergraduate and graduate electrical, mechanical and mechatronics engineering students. Govt. of Newfoundland and Labrador

RESEARCH, TECH NEWS & COLLABORATION

Federal research funding agencies unveiled guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence in the development and review of research grant proposals. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and Canada Foundation for Innovation released the Guidance on the use of Artificial Intelligence in the development and review of research grant proposals. Intended for researchers in Canada and Canadian postsecondary institutions, the guidance developed by the agencies draws heavily on the advice from an expert panel and on feedback from the research community received during a public consultation period that closed in June 2024. When it comes to using generative AI in evaluating research funding applications, the expert panel noted that all other funding agencies that have issued policy on this matter have chosen an outright ban (though these remain few in number at this point). “We feel that a more nuanced approach merits consideration given both the challenge of enforcing a ban and the opportunities for positive system-wide improvements,” the panel said. The primary concern in the review stage is that of privacy, confidentiality and data security. Cloud-based generative AI tools necessitate the transmission of the content of the application to the tool, and thus often a loss of custody of the intellectual property contained therein, the panel said. The panel advised that in order to respect the IP of applicants in a manner that is consistent with established practice, that the funding agencies disallow reviewers the unsanctioned use of GenAI in grant application review. Government of Canada

 Ten Canadian universities ranked in the top 250 universities in the world – including five in the top 100 – based on the employability of their graduates, according to the Times Higher Education (THE) 2025 Global Employability University Ranking and Survey. The Canadian universities were: University of Toronto (#14); McGill University (#31); University of British Columbia (#36); Université de Montréal/HEC Montréal (#84); and McMaster University (#88). Canada ranked sixth globally in the total ranking score. Compared with last year, some Canadian universities are continuing to see a downward trend including the Université de Montréal/HEC (down 12 places) and McMaster University (down three places). However, other institutions such as the University of Toronto, McGill University, and the University of British Columbia (remain in similar positions to last year. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the California Institute of Technology maintained their top two positions for another year, while 52 American universities ranked in the top 250. According to THE, the survey shows that employers want graduates who have undertaken some form of work experience. Notably, 45.9 percent of employers also emphasize the ability to learn and adapt to new technologies and trends, while 45.1 percent value collaboration skills like communication and teamwork – skills critical in modern workplaces. Times Higher Education

Canada can be global superpower in agricultural technology but only with targeted government funding and supportive policies, according to a new report by a Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) expert panel. The report, The Next Course, explores a range of promising food production methods – from controlled environment agriculture facilities like greenhouse and large-container gardening, to processes such as cell-cultured meat and precision fermentation – as well as the conditions that improve their chances of success.  The benefits of such "atypical" food production will depend on: enabling technologies such as genomics, automation, and artificial intelligence; adequate resources, including energy, water, broadband internet and labour; and successful resolution of policy issues involving land use and food safety, the report says. The expert panel also concluded that new and innovative food-production technologies by themselves won't solve Canada's food insecurity problem. CCA

NOTE: Research Money will take a deep dive into the report, including an interview with the chair of the expert panel, Dr. Lenore Newman at the University of the Fraser Valley, for the December 4 Innovation This Week issue.

The University Health Network’s (UHN) Toronto Western Hospital was selected as the first hospital in Canada to participate in clinical trials of devices made by Elon Musk’s company Neuralink. UHN will be involved in performing a neurosurgical procedure involving the implantable device as part of the CAN-PRIME study. The trial will involve the implantation of a wireless brain-computer interface (BCI) at Toronto Western Hospital. Neuralink has received Health Canada approval to begin recruiting for this clinical trial in Canada. The goal of the CAN-PRIME study (short for Canadian Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface) is to evaluate the safety of the implant and surgical robot and assess the initial functionality of the BCI for enabling people with quadriplegia to control external devices with their thoughts. Patients with limited or no ability to use both hands due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis may be eligible for the CAN-PRIME study. The procedure, which combines state-of-the-art technology and advanced surgical techniques, will be carried out by a multidisciplinary team of neurosurgeons, neuroscientists and medical experts at UHN. Neuralink estimates the Canadian study will last four years. University Health Network

University of Calgary researchers Drs. Adam Kirton and Alicia Hildereley received the $1-million Hopewell M.I.N.D. Prize to advance their work in brain-computer interface (BCI) solutions. Kirton is a professor in the Cumming School of Medicine; Hildereley is a postdoctoral fellow in the Kirton lab. Their research project was selected by an international panel of experts, including representatives from the Brazilian Research Institute for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, Oslo University Hospital, Simons Center for the Social Brain at MIT, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the A.I. Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern Finland. The Hopewell M.I.N.D. (Maximizing Innovation in Neuroscience Discovery) Prize was created in 2021 through a $10-million commitment from Calgary philanthropist Sanders Lee, the founder of the Hopewell Group of Companies. The prize aims to spark innovation through supporting cutting-edge research at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the Cumming School of Medicine. Kirton and Hildereley will implement and assess the impact of community-based, personalized BCI solutions for children living with severe disabilities, establishing this as the standard of care provincially, and create a model for national and global expansion. University of Calgary

Eight projects at the University of Calgary received nearly $7 million from the National Cybersecurity Consortium. The NCC is working to grow a pan-Canadian network with private and public sectors to lead innovation and talent development and increase economic activity. NCC awarded a total of $22.8 million for 37 projects across the country to develop cybersecurity-related training to help varied industries, take innovative projects to market, and support research and development across Canada. The eight projects at UCalgary were in the Faculty of Science, the Schulich School of Engineering and the Faculty of Law. Three of the eight UCalgary projects are connected to the Cyber Assessment, Training and Experimentation Centre on campus. UCalgary

Vancouver-based DiaGen AI Inc. announced a partnership with Mila - Quebec AI Institute to advance a diverse pipeline of artificial intelligence drug discovery solutions, focusing on protein and peptide design, vaccine development, and diagnostics for health wellness, longevity and precision medicine. By collaborating with Mila’s world-renowned network of experts and researchers in AI and machine learning, DiaGen’s team, led by Dr. Eldad Haber and Mohit Pandey, AI project lead, will accelerate the design of bespoke therapeutic proteins to optimize key properties such as stability, synthesizability and target binding, making an impact on human longevity and other critical areas of healthcare including cancer and immune disorders, Diagen said. The company is scaling a multi-vertical and geographically diverse pipeline of projects and partnerships focusing on small molecule and peptide drug discovery, diagnostics and delivery using its proprietary AI engine DIA. Mila

Vancouver-based Zymeworks Inc. received approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a tumour-fighting antibody drug for biliary tract cancer – a rare approval for a Canadian biotech company. The drug, zanidatamab (since renamed Ziihera), was approved under accelerated approval based on a 52-percent objective response rate and a median duration of response of 14.9 months as determined by independent central review. Continued approval for the drug may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial. In late 2022, Zymeworks entered into a license and collaboration agreement with Jazz Pharmaceuticals Ireland Limited (a subsidiary of Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc), for the exclusive development and commercialization rights to zanidatamab across all indications in the U.S., Europe, Japan and all other territories except for those Asia Pacific territories previously licensed by Zymeworks. Under the terms of the agreement, Zymeworks has earned a milestone payment of US$25 million based on the FDA approval. Zymeworks also is eligible to receive up to a further US$500 million in regulatory milestone payments and US$862.5 million in commercial milestone payments, as well as of 10 percent to 20 percent of net sales. Zymeworks

Taylored Biotherapeutics, a University of Calgary spinoff, secured a $100,000 grant from the Ontario Brain Institute (OBI). This award, part of OBI’s highly competitive Neurotech Entrepreneurship to Validate Emerging Innovations (NERVE) program, will support Taylored Biotherapeutics’ pioneering work in psychobiotic therapies – mental health treatments that leverage the gut-brain connection to address chronic mental health issues. Taylored Biotherapeutics was founded by UCalgary’s Dr. Valerie Taylor and supported by chief operating officer Asem Bala. Taylor, a psychiatrist and professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, discovered an unexpected link between gut health and mental health while treating patients with mood disorders. Two of her patients, long unresponsive to traditional treatments and experiencing drug side-effects, had significant remission in their symptoms after taking antibiotics for unrelated infections. Taylor’s subsequent research into the gut-brain axis – a system connecting gut health to mental wellness – revealed promising findings. Early clinical trials using fecal microbiota transplants, often referred to as poop pills, produced surprisingly positive results, indicating that targeting the gut microbiome could effectively alleviate symptoms of mood disorders.  Taylor, Bala and others on their team are now exploring ways to transform these insights into targeted psychobiotic therapies, hoping to offer patients safer and more-effective options for mental health care. University of Calgary

The University of Saskatchewan (USask), Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories Limited (CNL) signed a memorandum of agreement to collaborate on nuclear research and innovation. The agreement will address some of the most pressing challenges in the field, including health, safety, security, energy and the environment. The partnership, housed within USask’s College of Engineering, aims to leverage the strengths of each institution to advance nuclear science and technology, grow One Health applications (One Health is a framework that integrates human, animal and environmental health to address a range of public issues), enhance educational opportunities, access specialized infrastructure, and contribute to the development of sustainable energy security and solutions. Key areas of the partnership include joint research projects, faculty exchanges and specialized educational programs focused on nuclear science and engineering. Additionally, the agreement allows for shared access to specialized infrastructure and expertise, facilitating enhanced knowledge mobilization. As part of this agreement, USask joins CNL’s Academic Partnership Program, an initiative launched in 2023 to strengthen ties with Canada’s academic institutions and propel advancements in nuclear research. USask

The federal government is extending a national security review of Paladin Energy Ltd.’s planned acquisition of Kelowna, B.C.-based Fission Uranium Corp., further delaying a deal that was supposed to close in September. Australia’s Paladin Energy said it received a notice from Canada’s industry minister François-Philippe Champagne that the government’s review period for the transaction, proposed in June, will be extended until December 30. “In light of the national security review of the arrangement, there can be no certainty that Paladin will be able to obtain ICA (Investment Canada Act) clearance in a timely manner or at all,” Paladin said in a court filing “Failure to obtain ICA clearance would prevent the arrangement from being successfully completed.” Paladin’s agreement to buy the Canadian company for $1.14 billion in stock was announced amid a recovery in uranium prices being driven by countries turning to nuclear energy to meet emissions reduction targets. The deal would make it the third-largest publicly traded uranium producer. But the takeover has faced several hurdles, including a delayed shareholder vote in August and opposition from Fission’s largest investor, China’s CGN Mining Co. At the same time, Canada’s Liberal government has increased scrutiny on critical minerals deals involving foreign buyers. BNN Bloomberg

Canada must speed up mine permitting or risk losing out to its global rivals in attracting investments in critical minerals, says Mike Henry, CEO of BHP Group Ltd. Melbourne, Australia-based BHP, the world’s biggest mining company, already has significant operations in Canada. The company is building a massive new $20-billion potash mine called Jansen in Saskatchewan. Henry, who is Canadian, told The Globe and Mail that while BHP clearly already has an affinity for Canada, based on its investment track record, the slow pace of obtaining mining permits is a big problem. “When it comes to these big capital projects, time is both money and risk,” he said. “So permitting time frames have to be shorter.” With mining permits in Canada taking up to 17 years to obtain, Canada risks losing out to its global rivals as BHP weighs future investment into copper, nickel and other critical minerals mines, Henry said. In the federal government’s 2022 critical minerals strategy, the government acknowledged that getting a Canadian mine into production can take up to 25 years, due partly because of the inefficient permitting and regulatory system. Ottawa vowed to harmonize and streamline the permitting and environmental review process, in part to avoid duplication when both the federal government and provinces are involved in permitting. Without permitting reforms, Canada risks falling behind its global peers such as the U.S. where there is bipartisan support to reduce permitting red tape for the mining industry, Henry said. The Globe and Mail

A deal billed as Canada's largest-ever Indigenous equity ownership agreement has hit a snag. Calgary-based TC Energy Corp. said the $1-billion agreement announced in July, that would see the company sell a minority stake in its Western Canadian natural gas transmission network to a consortium of Indigenous communities, has been delayed. The deal is meant to enable 72 communities to take a 5.34-percent stake in the Nova Gas Transmission Ltd. (NGTL) system and Foothills pipeline assets, which comprise a combined 25,000-kilometre network of natural gas infrastructure. But TC Energy said the deal has been delayed "due to an identified transaction structuring issue within the NGTL partnership." Bloomberg News reported that a $1-billion bond deal to finance the deal did not close as planned. The deal was backed by the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corp. (AIOC) and negotiated by a consortium committee representing Indigenous communities across Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan. The AIOC is an Alberta Crown corporation which was established in 2019 and provides loan guarantees ranging from $20 million up to $250 million for eligible projects. In the case of the TC Energy deal, the AIOC is providing communities with a $1-billion equity loan guarantee to support the newly formed Indigenous-owned investment partnership. François Poirier, TC Energy’s chief executive officer, said a deal with the Indigenous partnership may take some form other than the $1-billion divestiture the company announced in July. CBC News

Saint-Jérôme, Que.-based electric truck and bus maker Lion Electric Company announced that the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has started the process to delist the company’s warrants that expire in May 2026. The NYSE has determined that the warrants are no longer suitable for listing based on “abnormally low selling price” levels. Lion has yet to decide whether to appeal the decision, which requires the NYSE to apply to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission before delisting the company. Lion’s share price fell around 23 per cent to about 19 cents per share after the announcement. Lion has struggled to win new business, blaming in part the federal government’s slow and opaque EV incentive programs. The company warned on November 6 that its ability to continue operating may rely on raising funds within the next 12 months, and is also considering selling the business. Lion Electric Company

Northvolt North America Inc., a subsidiary of Sweden-headquartered Northvolt AB, reaffirmed its commitment to build its $7-billion Montérégie battery manufacturing gigafactory, named Northvolt Six, in Quebec. Northvolt North America is not included in the parent company's Chapter 11 bankruptcy application filed in the U.S. for the Southern District of Texas. Northvolt North America said it will continue to meet its obligations to its suppliers, partners, customers, and employees. "Northvolt Six is a critical component of the company's future and we remain fully committed to driving it to fruition. We look forward to continuing to work with all our stakeholders to make this project a success," Paolo Cerruti, co-founder of Northvolt and CEO of Northvolt North America, said in a statement. To date, Northvolt North America has awarded up to $200 million in contracts to Quebec suppliers, and construction work in St-Basile-le-Grand and McMasterville has progressed uninterrupted in recent months, he said. Northvolt North America

Prolonged drought and extreme weather are forcing Canada to import electricity from the U.S. after nearly two decades of exporting excess hydropower to its neighbour. Canada is the world’s third-largest producer of hydroelectricity, behind Brazil and China, and hydropower accounts for close to 62 percent of Canada’s total domestic electricity generation, according to official data. But surging power demand linked to digitization and the reshoring of manufacturing has collided with reduced electricity supply because of drought, complicating Canada’s energy transition and its trade relationship with the U.S. Canada’s official drought monitor shows large swaths of the country are experiencing severe or moderate drought, in particular in the top hydropower-producing provinces of Quebec, B.C. and Manitoba. In the past these provinces had enough spare hydroelectricity to sell to the U.S. But Canada is now importing power from its southern neighbour, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data that showed the trend reversed between September 2023 and June 2024. In March, Statistics Canada reported electricity generated in Canada fell 3.9 percent year on year to 615.3 million megawatt-hours in 2023, the lowest level since 2016. Income from electricity exports to the U.S. also dropped to US$3.2 billion in 2023, nearly 30 percent less than in 2022. U.S. electricity exports to Canada increased US$454.5 million in 2023 to US$1.2 billion, the EIA said. Financial Times

Toronto-based Variable Pitch Inc., in collaboration with technology companies, was selected by Transport Canada and NAV Canada for trials of remotely piloted aircraft, or drones. The trials are Phase 2 of the Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems Traffic Management Trials. The trials will demonstrate how drones can be used immediately for vital tasks, such as delivering medical supplies to remote areas, inspecting infrastructure more quickly and safely, and improving overall airspace management. Seven tech companies are part of the Variable Pitch consortium: High Lander Aviation, InDro Robotics, Speedbird.Aero, Accipiter Radar Technologies Inc., Viasat, Dimetor, and TruWeather Solutions.. Each partner brings specialized technology and insight that will address key challenges in scaling up drone operations and ensuring safe, efficient and reliable systems are in place for future commercial use. Variable Pitch Inc.

Alberta Innovates, an Alberta Crown corporation, said it experienced “network issues” after it was the target of a cyberattack. “Alberta Innovates recently experienced network issues, which we quickly resolved and have been investigating alongside cybersecurity experts," Dwayne Brunner, a spokesperson for Alberta Innovates, said in an email to CBC. "The incident involved unauthorized access to our network by a third party." The provincially funded organization provides grants and programming to entrepreneurs, researchers and industry to speed up technological innovation. Brunner wouldn't say if the attack exposed or compromised any personal or proprietary information, but he said more information will become available as the investigation continues. Last year a cyberattack on the Alberta Dental Service Corporation, which at the time was the government administrator of dental benefit programs for seniors and those with low-income health benefits, led to the exposure of personal information for nearly 1.5 million Albertans. CBC News

The 7^th annual Start Alberta Tech Awards took place on November 20 at Studio Bell in Calgary. The awards recognize individuals and organizations for their contributions to Alberta’s innovation ecosystem and those significantly impacting the province’s tech sector. The award winners are:

• Ha Nguyen, Migr8 – Ecosystem Supporter of the Year. Migrat8 provides venture funding and resources to support immigrant entrepreneurs in the province’s tech sector.
• April Hicke and Marissa McNeelands, Toast – Digital Talent Champion presented by Profound Talent. Toast offers a professional development platform that serves 1,500 women in the tech sector.
• ai – A100 One to Watch presented by A100. Verano.ai develops artificial intelligence-powered compliance software for regulated industries. 
• Pierre Lemire, Kent Imaging – Leader of the Year Award presented by Edmonton Unlimited.
• Jana Rieger, True Angle – Woman in Tech. Rieger’s startup focuses on wearable solutions to enhance health and wellness through biofeedback technology. 
• ZayZoon – Scaleup of the Year presented by Osler. Zayzoom offers a platform that allows workers to receive a percentage of their wages before their employer’s weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly payday.
• ClearSky Global – Deal of the Year presented by AEC. ClearSky Global closed a US$168-million deal in June.
• Clay Swerdelian, Verano.ai – Most Promising Founder presented by Platform Calgary.
• Pierre Doyon, Venture Mentoring Service of Alberta – VCAA Rod Charko Service Award presented by the VCAA.
• Jacques LaPointe, Metiquity Ventures – Investor of the Year presented by AEC.
• Christa Hill, Tacit Edge – Impact Award, which demonstrates commitment to environment, social and governance standards. Start Alberta

The 35^th 2024 ASTech Awards were presented in Edmonton by the ASTech Foundation. Since 1989, the ASTech awards have showcased Alberta’s excellence in science, technology and innovation, recognizing the bright minds and great achievements from across the province. The extensive list of winners is available here. The ASTech awards “Wall of Fame” is available here. ASTech Foundation

Montreal-based Carré Technologies, the company that developed the wearable health monitoring Bio-Monitor for astronauts on the International Space Station, was awarded a contract from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to develop new wearable health monitoring technology for astronauts destined for the Lunar Gateway. The Lunar Gateway is a small space station that will orbit the Moon and will be used as a staging point for lunar surface exploration as well as conducting research from orbit. The CSA said the wearable system “will monitor the health of astronauts by tracking their vital signs, helping scientists understand how living in deep space affects human health. This is part of Canada’s efforts to keep astronauts safe and healthy during long deep-space missions.” Canadian Space Agency

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is inviting Canadians to have their say on the name of the first Canadian lunar rover. For the first time, a Canadian rover will explore the Moon. It will help in the international search for water ice, a key component needed for the future of human space exploration. The CSA wants the lunar rover’s name to be representative of the mission or to allude to Canada's legacy or future in space. Bolton, Ont.-based Canadensys is currently developing and testing the robotic vehicle. Canadians of all ages can go to the CSA’s website, from November 20 to December 20, to vote for the name they like best among the choices provided. The four choices are: Athabasca, Courage, Glacier, and Pol-R. Canadian Space Agency

Halifax, N.S.-based Oberland Agriscience Inc., a company using biotechnology and insects to create sustainable ingredients, officially opened its new 108,000-square-foot commercial insect facility. Located just outside Halifax, the facility will transform black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) into protein for use in animal nutrition, as well as to promote soil health. Oberland leverages modern technology, including artificial intelligence, robotics and predictive analysis, to process BSFL into premium, nutritious, science-backed ingredient solutions for use in animal feed, pet food and agriculture industries. The company operated a pilot insect farm for more than seven years and is now ramping up to commercial scale. The new facility is set to divert 36,000 tons of pre-consumer waste from landfills to produce 3,500 tons of dry protein and 9,000 tons of frass (insect byproduct) annually. Pet Food Processing

Quebec-based rendering company Sanimax, investment firm Idealist Capital, and investment fund Fondaction are jointly investing $58 million into Entosystem’s insect-rearing technology that turns food waste consumed by black soldier fly larvae into animal protein and frass fertilizer. “We can take food waste with packaging and six days later create a protein. So we are solving a protein crisis and a food waste problem,” says Entosystem president and co-founder Cédric Provost. The company’s plant in Drummondville, Que. can process 90,000 tonnes of organic matter a year, turning it into 5,000 tonnes of high-quality protein meal suitable for aquaculture and poultry feed. The frass fertilizer product is sold directly to farmers who mix it with biochar, peat moss or chicken manure. There is also a retail line for consumers, in which insect frass fertilizer is comparable to chicken manure. Provost credits the Espace Incubator in Sherbrooke, Laval University, Natural Products Canada, and Quebec’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food with providing support along the way. Farmtario

Edmonton-based Future Fields announced the launch of a new service line as well as the factory that will support the company’s enterprise growth. Located in downtown Edmonton, the 6,000-square-foot factory, dubbed Instar 1.0, will offer a novel biotech service: custom protein production in exotic cell lines such as neurons, brain cells and more, to enable next-generation disease research. The synthetic biology revolution relies on the production and availability of proteins produced using engineered DNA sequences, typically in host organisms different than the protein's original source. A significant portion of Future Field’s capacity will be allocated to the custom protein line, where the company will be commissioned to manufacture proteins designed for cutting-edge research. In a first, Future Fields has created a way to express a protein within any specific cell type of a fly – instead of the whole genetically engineered fly – giving the company the ability to target over 200 exotic cell types needed to help manufacture and test the increasingly novel and potentially breakthrough proteins that AI systems are unearthing each year. Because fruit flies propagate fast and are not constrained by the same needs of electricity and water, the factory yields much more protein in a smaller period of time and with considerably less environmental impact than incumbent methods. Future Fields

A northern Ontario First Nation has decided it is willing to continue with the process to potentially become host to a deep geological repository for Canada’s nuclear waste, leaving just one more community to weigh in before a site is selected. Chief Clayton Wetelainen wrote that Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation has been involved in this process for more than 12 years and members have decided to continue on the path. “The yes vote does not signify approval of the project; rather, it demonstrates the Nation’s willingness to enter the next phase of in-depth environmental and technical assessments, to determine safety and site suitability,” he wrote. The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) plans to select a site this year where millions of bundles of used nuclear fuel will be placed in a network of geologically deep underground rooms connected by cavernous tunnels. The process for the $26-billion project has already been narrowed down to two sites, and NWMO has said it would require approval from both the municipality and the local First Nation. The town council of Ignace, between Thunder Bay and Kenora, voted in favour earlier this year, and the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation has now also voted yes. Global News

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) launched a consultation on the future of Canadian content in the age of AI, deepfakes and computer-generated content. The CRTC’s review will cover the definition of audio-visual Canadian content, requirements to invest in Canadian content, and the potential impact of AI on the industry. The goal is to prepare for new, customized conditions of service for broadcasting and online streaming services. Artists, producers and the public can provide comments online, by postal mail or fax by January 20, 2025. CRTC

The Government of Alberta announced that a group of innovation leaders in Edmonton, led by a team from Alberta Technology and Innovation, was selected by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program (MIT REAP) as a member of their 11^th cohort. There are seven teams included from around the world in the cohort, including teams from Chile, Germany and Taiwan. Team Edmonton is the first Western cohort in Canada to attend MIT REAP. Each MIT REAP team participates in a two-year program focused on accelerating innovation-driven entrepreneurship in their regional innovation ecosystems. As part of the program, teams are provided opportunities to collaborate with others within and across their cohort. Govt. of Alberta

The European Commission fined U.S.-based tech giant Meta €797.72 (US$840 million) million for breaching European Union antitrust rules by tying Meta’s online classified ads service Facebook Marketplace to its personal social network Facebook and by imposing unfair trading conditions on other online classified ads service providers. Meta’s flagship product is its personal social network Facebook. It also offers an online classified ads service, called Facebook Marketplace, where users can buy and sell goods. The Commission's investigation found that Meta is dominant in the market for personal social networks, which is at least European Economic Area-wide, as well as in the national markets for online display advertising on social media. The Commission found Meta abused its dominant positions in breach of Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union by tying its online classified ads service Facebook Marketplace to its personal social network Facebook – automatically exposing all Facebook users to Facebook Marketplace whether they want it or not. The Commission also found that Meta unilaterally imposed unfair trading conditions on other online classified ads service providers who advertise on Meta's platforms, in particular on its very popular social networks Facebook and Instagram. This allows Meta to use ads-related data generated by other advertisers for the sole benefit of Facebook Marketplace. The Commission ordered Meta to end the practices. Meta said it will appeal the decision but in the meantime will comply and quickly launch a solution to address the Commission’s points. European Commission

VC, PRIVATE INVESTMENT & ACQUISITIONS

 Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) announced a $1-billion joint venture with Pacific Asset Management Company (Pacific AMC) to develop carrier-neutral hyperscale data centres in South Korea. CPP Investments has committed $285 million to the joint venture’s initial seed project. This is the second data centre joint venture between CPP Investments and Pacific AMC. The first joint venture was set up in 2022 to develop the Jukjeon Data Centre, located in the eastern part of the Seoul metropolitan area. CPP Investments made its first direct data centre investment in 2017 and has since established data centre joint ventures and investments in major hubs across the Asia Pacific region, including Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore, as well as in the U.S. and Canada. CPP Investments

Vaughan, Ont.-based trucking software maker Class8 raised US$22 million in a Series A round led by Xplorer Capital with new investor Commerce Ventures and returning partners Inspired Capital and Resolute Ventures. With direct original equipment manufacturer connections, Class8 processes over one billion daily data points from 227,000 trucks, delivering carrier-centric solutions that simplify and empower trucking businesses in an industry marked by constant change. Class8 said this funding will accelerate the company’s mission to redefine trucking by making carriers and drivers the heart of every decision, turning trucks into dynamic, profit-driving assets with original equipment manufacturer integrated, AI-powered logistics. PRNewswire

Toronto-based digital asset insurance platform Noble raised US$15 million in a Series A funding round. Cryptocurrency investment firm Paradigm led the round with participation from Foresight, Wintermute Ventures and Toronto’s Informal Systems. Noble plans to use the money to hire more staff and develop products that encourage the adoption of stablecoins, crypto assets whose value is typically pegged to the U.S. dollar. Noble is also planning to launch its own stablecoin, which will be called the Noble Dollar. Noble

Sidney, B.C.-based Cascadia Seaweed, a seaweed cultivation and processing company, raised $4 million in Series A funding from investors, including WWF Impact, Norfolk Green Ventures, and Potato Impact Partners. The funding will enable Cascadia Seaweed to construct a commercial-scale seaweed biorefinery on Canada’s west coast. Through the construction of this new facility, Cascadia aims to increase biomass production and expand the sales and marketing of its liquid kelp extracts, bio-stimulants, and livestock products. Each of Cascadia’s eight farms is owned by a First Nation community, with benefits flowing to local communities. thefishsite

Calgary-based AI startup Lightstrike Technologies Corp. raised $1.1 million in pre-seed funding. The round was led by Sprout Fund II and was supported by a U.S.-based angel syndicate, including a founding member of Robinhood, Alberta family offices, and Weave VC. Lightstrike provides an AI-powered tool to map the connections between enterprise applications to help companies uncover hidden risks within and between their applications and prevent cascading application and system failures. The company plans to use the new funding to expand its presence across North America and onboard new large-scale customers. Calgary.tech

Québec Tech announced the five companies chosen for the first edition of Stage V, which provides tailored support focused on boosting go-to-market efforts outside of Quebec. The companies are: biotech firm BioIntelligence Technologies; hardtech sports equipment company Ferreol Technologies; fintech company flovver;  AI design company Maket; and health tech software-as-a-service company Lime Santé. The service is part of the non-profit organization Québec Tech’s new mission to bring Quebec innovation to the international market by creating more “hyper-growth scaleups.” The mandate was unveiled in July at Startupfest, along with a name change from the organization’s former brand, Startup Montréal. Québec Tech will leverage its international connections to help the five startups with sales, marketing and scaling. The Quebec government’s Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy committed $7 million over three years to Québec Tech through the Stratégie québécoise de recherche et d’investissement en innovation program. BetaKit

The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) launched a new Community Banking initiative created to help Canada’s economic performance and reverse a decades-long trend that saw 100,000 fewer Canadians starting businesses than 20 years ago. “By working collaboratively with community-based lenders across the country, we hope to launch 100,000 new small business success stories in the next decade,” Isabelle Hudon, president and CEO of BDC, said in a statement. OECD research shows commercial financing to Canadian companies grew by 165 percent since 2011, but the percentage of these new loans going to SMEs decreased from 16 percent to 8.6 percent. Canada’s SMEs have fewer and fewer options for financing compared to their G7 peers. This is especially true for small businesses with unconventional business models, those in rural/remote areas, little credit history, from younger age groups, or from underserved or underrepresented groups. BDC’s new Community Banking initiative, which will roll out nationwide in the coming months, will help up to 80 community-based lending organizations grow their lending and advisory capabilities. BDC will back the selected partners with co-lending, indirect lending, loan guarantees and advisory services. The federal government’s last legislative review of BDC – which covered between 2010 and 2022 – called for the bank to take more risks to finance underserved entrepreneurs.  BDC

Former executives at Quebec’s public pension fund manager, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), participated in and signed off on a bribery scheme in which millions of dollars were paid to Indian government officials to secure lucrative solar energy contracts in the country, according to U.S. authorities. The details, outlined in a U.S. Department of Justice indictment filed in October, form part of the case against Cyril Cabanes, the former managing director for infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific with the CDPQ. Cabanes, Saurabh Agarwal and Deepak Malhotra, who all held high-ranking positions at CDPQ, are reportedly accused of obstructing a grand jury, the FBI, and the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission. None are Canadian citizens or residents, according to the indictment. The scheme allegedly also involved Gautam Adani, one of India’s wealthiest men, who was charged on November 22 at a court in Brooklyn, N.Y. with securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud. Prosecutors allege that Adani duped investors in a massive solar project in India by concealing that it was being facilitated by bribes. Seven other executives connected to Adani's massive business holdings also face charges, including the three former executives from CDPQ. CBC News

North Carolina-based Piedmont Lithium Inc. and Quebec-based Sayona Mining Limited announced an agreement to merge the two companies to form North America’s largest lithium producer. The companies will combine in an all-stock merger with ownership split of approximately 50-50 on a fully diluted basis. Sayona will be being the parent company, headquartered in Australia. Montreal will remain their third major office outside of Australia and North Carolina. The deal still requires shareholders’ and regulators’ approval. The merger will help the firms “weather the current industry downturn,” Piedmont CEO Keith Phillips said in a statement. BusinessWire

Toronto-based Intact Financial Corporation acquired home maintenance app company Jiffy Inc. Financial details weren’t disclosed. Intact said that through this acquisition, Jiffy will have the platform and capabilities to accelerate expansion of its services across more Canadian jurisdictions while supporting Intact's goals of engaging three out of four Canadian customers digitally and providing a second-to-none customer experience. Jiffy, which operates in the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa and Calgary, is an app-based service that connects homeowners with local service professionals to provide various home maintenance tasks such as plumbing, exterior repairs, appliance repair, electrical work and furniture assembly. All of Jiffy's team members, including co-founders Ryan Shupak and Paul Arlin, have joined Intact and will continue to operate under the Jiffy brand. Intact Financial Corporation

Toronto-based TechTO, a membership network for Canadian entrepreneurs, acquired Toronto-based Peerscale, which makes software that helps tech executives network. Financial details weren’t disclosed, but the acquisition includes Peerscale’s team, members and programming. The Peerscale brand will continue to operate under the TechTO umbrella. Peerscale’s work is specifically aimed at serving CEOs, chief operations officers and chief technology officers. The acquisition is expected to strengthen both organizations, according to a statement from Peerscale, and allow TechTO to expand its reach. TechTO hosts events in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver that have collectively garnered more than 50,000 attendees. BuiltIn Toronto

The University of Calgary’s UCeed pre-seed fund celebrated its third anniversary, by marking an investment over three years of $6.16 million in its portfolio of 44 companies. UCeed is the largest university-based venture fund of its kind in Canada and was recently recognized as one of the most active Canadian pre-seed and seed investors by the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association. Subsequent to UCeed investment, the portfolio of companies have created 337 jobs, generated $60.8 million in combined revenue and raised a combined $68 million-plus in additional capital. Starting with two funds in 2020, UCeed now has established six funds: Health Fund, Child Health and Wellness Fund, Social Impact Fund, Haskayne Student Fund, Energy Fund and the newly created Neuro Fund focused on advancing research-based brain and mental health startups. The UCeed Momentum report shares more details of the accomplishments and impacts of the funds. University of Calgary

Foresight Canada, the nation’s largest cleantech accelerator, announced its Foresight 50 list of Canada’s most investible cleantech ventures. The 2024 list features companies across diverse sectors delivering solutions to urgent challenges, including waste reduction, sustainable housing, emissions reduction and food security. Foresight Canada said cleantech investment in Canada held steady in 2023, with $1.1 billion invested -underscoring the sector's resilience amidst global economic challenges. Securing early-stage funding remains crucial for cleantech ventures to scale and succeed, Foresight said. The Foresight 50 list addresses critical funding gaps by connecting cleantech innovators with climate-focused investors and champions. Foresight Canada

REPORTS & POLICIES

Canada needs a national strategy for innovation and growth in the IP and data economy, Matthew da Motta says

Imperfect tax incentives, outdated economic perspectives, lack of intellectual property retention, lack of talent retention, and issues with research security all hinder Canada’s innovation economy, says a researcher with Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI).

Each issue is being addressed on its own terms through consultations to reform policies, investment and education, Matthew da Motta, senior research associate and program manager in CIGI’s Global Risks Initiative, wrote in an article posted to GIGI’s website.

“However, even when it finds solid solutions, it seems Canada is always hitting slightly behind the ball, reacting to problems already present rather than designing and implementing a considered plan to achieve a desirable outcome,” da Motta said.

Despite huge pools of talent, vast funding programs, several institutes for artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, tax credits, investment and excellent universities, Canada is struggling to turn these resources into tangible innovation results and continues to lose IP rights and workforce, da Motta said.

“Although we can pinpoint many causes and effects related to this issue, there is one overarching reality that defines the Canadian innovation sphere: Canada lacks a coherent vision and strategy on the future of innovation and tech and the role we wish to play in the global context.”

An opinion in the National Post from Jim Balsillie, chair of the Council of Canadian Innovators and founder of the Centre for Digital Rights, suggests that innovation policy in Canada is driven by outdated perspectives that fail to grasp the complexities of the modern data and innovation economy, da Motta points out.

Balsillie argues that Canada’s innovation woes are caused not by a lack of investment by businesses but rather by their lack of IP ownership, which restricts their freedom to operate, or FTO.

FTO – the ability to innovate and work without infringing the IP of another business – is maximized through higher levels of IP ownership. Canada performs poorly in preserving and growing FTO, despite extensive government funding and investment in R&D, which Balsillie contrasts with the heavy investment in IP by countries such as China.

In their CGI report, An Economic Mirage: How Canadian Universities Impact Freedom to Operate, James W. Hinton, Mardi Witzel and Joanna Wajda noted that due to a lack of mechanisms for retaining IP as a condition of funding, or as a matter of policy, “Canadian universities may also be seen as low-cost research labs for hire by international companies.”

Further, they said that with most funding for research in Canadian universities coming from federal and provincial government sources (88.5 percent) and industry partners providing much less funding (11.5 percent), the fact that industry partners tend to leave with the IP creates an environment of federal funds subsidizing private industry (often foreign) without adequate return on that investment in either IP rights or profit for Canadians.

As a result, Canada’s FTO suffers, because so much IP slips through our fingers into other hands.

To add to the chorus criticizing Canadian innovation over the past year, Marc Johnson, chair of Support Our Science, explored in an op-ed in The Globe and Mail how “Canada’s poor investment into training and research is driving a massive brain drain of talent by the next generation of researchers . . . Shrinking compensation has pushed even more of our highly trained researchers out of Canada, and our investments in their training go with them.”

Da Motta said this situation begs several questions: What is Canada’s overarching innovation strategy? What are the desired futures of Canadian technology and innovation, and what would our plans be for the next five, 10, 20, 50 years to accomplish those goals?

Efforts to address the many innovation issues, through consultation, reform and the use of organizations like CIFAR (Canadian Institute for Advanced Research) to distribute funds directly to innovation projects, are all important steps to building a more resilient and sustainable innovation ecosystem in Canada that can truly benefit Canadians, da Motta said.

“However, these various initiatives cannot succeed without a coordinated, values-based and evidence-driven comprehensive national strategy for innovation and growth in the IP and data economies, one that can coordinate efforts, eliminate overlap and redundancy between departments, and pave the way for real innovation.”

Such a strategy would require digital public infrastructure in the form of standards, policies and platforms for data sharing and data mobilization, da Motta said.

It would require physical infrastructure in clean energy tied into supporting and growing the digital sector and creating skilled jobs across the country.

And it would require legislation on privacy, data and AI issues (among others) that is fit for purpose and that is developed in consultation and partnership with Canadians at all levels of society.

These are all projects that exist in some form or another: they’re simply in need of an overarching vision that coheres them into a proper strategy with long horizons and clear values for Canada’s future, da Motta said.

Government officials and policy makers need to think deeply about not only how to create a tax credit or retain talent but also why we would want to actually do those things, what those steps would build toward and what kind of future we would want for Canadians, he said.

“Failing to do that will simply solidify Canada’s sidelined role as training camp and tech incubator to the United States and other larger nations.” CIGI

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Federal government responds to House of Commons committee report on incorporating Indigenous knowledge in research and policy development

The federal government has accepted in principle all but one of 15 recommendations made in a report by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Science and Research.

The report, Incorporating Indigenous Knowledge and Science in Canadian Research and Policy Development, was chaired by Valerie Bradford, Liberal MP for Kitchener South-Hespeler, Ont.

Released in June, the report makes 15 recommendations to bring Indigenous knowledge and science more fully into research and policy development.

In the government’s 22-page response to the report, François-Philippe Champagne, minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, details numerous federal programs and initiatives aimed at supporting Indigenous researchers and their communities.

Highlights of just a few of these programs and initiatives mentioned by Champagne include:

• Budget 2024 announced $30 million to support Indigenous participation in research, with $10 million each for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit partners.
• In 2023, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) announced Dr. Mark Green as a scholar in residence. Green is a professor of civil engineering at Queen’s University, as well as an Indigenous researcher who sits with the Turtle Clan in the Kenhtè:ke Longhouse in Tyendinaga. The position was created to ensure the unique and novel viewpoints from an Indigenous researcher perspective are considered as part of the renewal of NSERC’s programs, policies, and processes.
• The Canadian Institutes of Health (CIHR) Project Grant Program requires applicants to identify if their research proposal involves Indigenous Peoples and to explain how they are engaging with the Indigenous community. Reviewers evaluate this information against the level of engagement required by the Tri-Council policy statement on the Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans, which pertains to research involving Indigenous Peoples in Canada. In addition, CIHR’s Network Environments for Indigenous Health Research program supports strategies that fully engage Indigenous communities and traditional Indigenous knowledge to establish a sustainable foundation for Indigenous health research. Furthermore, CIHR’s Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health fosters the advancement of a national health research agenda to improve and promote the health of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples in Canada.
• In terms of Indigenous data sovereignty, Budget 2021 provided $81.5 million to launch the Transformational Approach to Indigenous Data initiative, which will develop First Nations, Inuit, and Métis-led statistical capacity in the form of distinctions-based institutions, organizations or functions.
• Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) new Indigenous Science Division is an Indigenous-led division created in January 2022. The mandate of the division is to more effectively bridge, braid and weave Indigenous science into ECCC’s policies and programs to inform and enhance decision-making. This includes: aligning science planning with Indigenous governments, organizations and communities; creating science and knowledge materials that aid cultural and language revitalization; and recognizing Indigenous capacity in local and regional place-based science and knowledge practices.
• In 2023–2024, the National Research Council (NRC) created Indigenous engagement advisor roles as part of a new Indigenous strategy engagement team. The team provides NRC employees with advisory services related to Indigenous engagement and partnerships, and supported development of the NRC’s Indigenous Engagement Strategic Plan for 2024–2029.
• The federal government’s I-STEM Cluster has co-developed and delivered four tailored, immersive and interactive eight-session workshops for federal STEM staff to foster in-depth intercultural competency for Indigenous and non-Indigenous federal scientists and science professionals. These workshops, designed and facilitated by Indigenous STEM staff, have trained over 500 federal public servants between 2019 and 2024.
• NRCan has established the Circle of Nations Indigenous Learning Centre with a mandate to create a Centre of Excellence to support cultural literacy training, knowledge exchange and best practices for public servants to learn about Indigenous ways of being, knowing and doing. The Circle of Nations programming directly supports all departmental employees in completing eight hours of annual mandatory Indigenous cultural competency training.
• CIHR is committed to ensuring that its investment in Indigenous health research reaches a minimum of 4.6 percent of CIHR’s grants and awards annual budget, in proportion with Canada’s Indigenous populations in 2016. This target has been exceeded in recent years.
• To further strengthen support for Indigenous Master’s students, in September 2022, NSERC and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council launched the Indigenous Scholars Awards and Supplements Pilot Initiative. This initiative provides financial support to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis master’s students in social science, humanities, natural science and engineering programs.
• Since 2012, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) has invested nearly $79 million in 203 infrastructure awards to support Indigenous or related research through the Innovation Fund, College Fund, and John R. Evans Leadership Fund.
• Recognizing the unique challenges Indigenous and Northern researchers face, such as high administrative costs and limited institutional capacity, the CFI launched the Northern Fund in January 2024. This fund, developed after extensive consultations with Indigenous communities across the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Nunavut, Nunavik, and Nunatsiavut, aims to invest $25 million over five years in research infrastructure led by Northern institutions and First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities.

Recommendation No. 6 in the Standing Committee’s report calls on the federal government to “replicate the National Advisory Committee established in the Canadian Environmental Protection Act in other ministries to ensure Indigenous communities’ input into Canadian federal policy development.”

Champagne, in his response, said the government acknowledges this recommendation but will support its intent through an alternative approach that explores additional mechanisms that support Indigenous involvement in federal policy development

Champagne said the government’s alternative approach recognizes that a single definition cannot encompass Indigenous knowledge, which is dynamic, place-based and reflects the diverse worldviews of Indigenous Peoples. Innovation, Science and Industry

See also: Ottawa must do more to weave Indigenous knowledge into Canada’s research and policy development

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Postsecondary schools continue to grapple with fallout from federal changes on international students

Universities in Manitoba, British Columbia and Ontario are taking steps in response to declining international student enrollment stemming from federal policy changes.

According to the Winnipeg Free Press, Todd Mondor, the University of Winnipeg’s (UWinnipeg) president, told the university’s senate that new enrolment from non-Canadian students had dropped by 50 percent for the fall term and would result in “a significant impact.”

Meeting minutes also projected a $4-million to $5-million decrease in tuition revenue for this fiscal year, and related fallout to continue into 2025-26.

A recent memo to faculty and staff said all university departments must cut their non-salary budgetary lines by seven percent for the remainder of the financial year.

UWinnipeg also has halted hiring and reduced the non-salary account lines for all departments.

Peter Miller, president of UWinnipeg’s faculty association, said the hiring freeze will impact faculty who relied on teaching and research assistants to help with teaching and grading.

While international students make up a minority of UWinnipeg’s student population – last year, they represented 18 per cent of the university’s learners – they pay roughly three times the tuition as their peers who are Canadian citizens.

At the University of Manitoba, the number of new international students, as of November 1, has plunged 30 percent from 1,863 students last year to 1,303 students this year, according to a CBC report.

The university lost around $7.5 million in tuition revenue as a result. The funding loss was offset, to some degree, by a 2.6-percent increase in domestic student enrolment.

In B.C., Camosun College in Saanich said in a statement that it saw 400 fewer-than-budgeted international students in the fall 2024 and expects numbers to decline further.

To address a projected deficit of at least $5 million in 2025-26, “the college has been forced to make the difficult decision of eliminating vacant positions and layoffs across all employee groups.”

Federal changes to postsecondary programs that are eligible for work permits for graduates means only eight percent of Okanagan College’s programs will now offer graduates a road to a work permit, said Jenn Goodwin, vice-president of enrolment and college relations.

The college has seen a reduction of about 50 percent of its new international student population this fall, and is anticipating a further drop of about 70 percent of new international students this year.

The University of Victoria’s international student population has dropped by nearly 1,000 students from a decade ago, which has translated into a significant financial hit. While a Canadian student spends roughly $6,000 per year for tuition, international students pay around $30,000 per year.

Vancouver Island University saw a 16-percent decrease in international student enrolment between 2023 and 2024, which has led the university to reassess its budgets and operation plans.

Georgian College in Barrie, Ont. said in a statement that the federal changes resulted in a decline of international student enrolment of about 30 percent compared with fall 2023.

“We now face a projected financial gap of approximately $45 million for 2025-26, largely due to an estimated 15-percent drop in revenue,” the college said.

Just over 30 of the college’s 130+ programs now meet the federal government’s eligibility criteria for student work permits, according to the college.

“These changes threaten small business owners’ and large employers’ ability to fill critical labour gaps and jeopardize the integrity of the talent pipeline relied on across our region,” the college said.

Georgian College said an independent study shows the college’s total annual impact in its catchment area is $1.7 billion, which means one out of every 15 jobs in the region is supported by the college’s presence. The college’s alumni impact alone accounts for $1.4 billion in the region.

The college has suspended intakes for some programs and combined some classes and implemented restrictions in staffing, impacting 146 positions.

“We’re gravely concerned these reforms will have a lasting and detrimental influence on the stability and sustainability of the communities we serve, and on our effectiveness as a college.”

Ontario-based Sheridan College, which has campuses in Brampton, Mississauga and Oakville, announced it is suspending 40 of its programs and reducing its staff, citing a shift in government policy and expected decline in enrolment as factors, CTV News reported.

The college said it will have about 30 percent fewer students in teh coming years. In addition to the program cuts, 27 programs will go into "efficiency review." 

Meanwhile, in Quebec, the presidents of CEGEP boards of directors signed a letter asking the Quebec government to invest in the colleges order to enable them to achieve their mission.

They said CEGEPs are recording the largest increase in enrolment in 25 years this year, a growth that promises to be sustainable with a projected 20-percent increase in the number of students by 2033.

Signatories to the letter said the excessive centralization of decisions and budget cuts prevent CEGEPs from fully playing their role. They called for an end to the centralization policy and for

CEGEPs to be given back the autonomy they need to manage according to the needs of their communities. Winnipeg Free Press, Castanet, CTV News, CFNJ

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Most Canadians could see energy savings as Canada drives to net-zero emissions by 2050: Transition Accelerator report

Most Canadians could see energy savings ranging from billions to tens of billions of dollars annually by 2050 – the year Canada has committed to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new report by the Transition Accelerator.

Efficient technologies such as electric vehicles and heat pumps will result in the savings, even if all the costs of growing, cleaning and maintaining Canada’s electricity system are passed on the consumers in the form of higher electricity rates, says the report, Household Energy Affordability in a Net-Zero Future.

But the authors of the report warn that households in some provinces will face rising electricity costs. The savings scenario depends on Canada leaning into electrification to bring down costs and improve performance of electrification technologies through scale, while growing the electricity grid in line with the country’s net-zero goals and managing costs for those most at risk of price increases, the report says.

Building on analysis provided for the Canada Electricity Advisory Council’s Final Report, the Transition Accelerator report develops three scenarios – Low, Mid, and High – for future electricity rates to examine how those rates will impact “energy wallets” across the country.

Even in the High-rate scenario, the median household saves about $150 per year. Under the Low-rate scenario, the median household reduces their energy wallet by over $1,000 annually, according to the report.

The net annual pan-Canadian savings in 2050 ranges from $1.9 billion to $20.6 billion.

While most Canadians see lower costs in all scenarios, some could see increased costs if no action is taken – including just under half of households in the highest-cost scenario, the report notes.
The risk of increased costs is especially high in Alberta and Saskatchewan, where heating with low-cost natural gas is common today and electricity costs may be particularly high in a net-zero future.

“The majority of households in these provinces face worsening energy wallets in the absence of mitigating policies and supports under all rate scenarios, making policy interventions critical to ensuring energy affordability does not erode.”

Households without vehicles – which tend to be lower income – are also disproportionately impacted, since they won't benefit from savings associated with switching to more efficient electric vehicles.

“The savings generated by the energy transition far outweigh any negative impacts on vulnerable households,” the report notes. “Addressing these affordability challenges is essential to maintaining public trust and support for the transition.”

Canada has the tools to secure energy affordability in a net-zero future and ensure this transition delivers broad-based benefits, according to the report.

The first step is building the needed future clean electricity systems at reasonable costs and without delay. “This will require actions such as updating regulatory systems and approval processes to align with net-zero goals, along with leveraging smart technologies to enhance grid efficiency.”
Some households will face more challenges than others and will need targeted support, the report says. It adds that open discussion of these challenges is the only way to develop the appropriate solutions, whether those are investments in household energy efficiency, subsidies and rate reductions, or other public interventions.

The effort will require foresight and collaboration between provincial and federal governments, the report says.

“The geographic differences in energy wallet impacts underscore the need for coordinated efforts to achieve affordable electrification nationwide. Through cooperation, the benefits of a net-zero economy can be more equitably distributed, ensuring energy affordability is improved across the country.” Transition Accelerator

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Voluntary carbon markets in Canada could galvanize climate action but face ongoing challenges and controversies: report

Voluntary carbon markets (VCMs) in Canada have the potential to advance climate action by providing a way for organizations to offset their hard-to-abate greenhouse gas emissions.

But VCMs face ongoing challenges and controversies that undermine their credibility and effectiveness, according to a joint report by three organizations.

The organizations are the Chartered Professional Accounts Canada, the International Federation of Accountants, and the Institute for Sustainable Finance at Queen’s University.

A voluntary carbon market is a decentralized market where private actors voluntarily buy and sell carbon credits that represent removals or reductions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, to offset their emissions.

Key findings in the report include:

• 51 of the 58 largest public companies in Canada have set GHG emission-reduction targets, such as “net zero,” “climate neutral,” “climate neutrality,” or other variations. Only 13 companies disclosed project-level details about the carbon credits they purchased towards meeting their targets between 2020 and 2022.
• Over the three years reviewed, 13 Canadian companies disclosed that a total of 0.86 million carbon credits, representing 0.86 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e), were purchased and subsequently retired to offset the corporate buyers’ emissions.
• Among the 13 Canadian corporate buyers, financial services (0.53 million credits) and software (0.29 million credits) sectors accounted for 95 percent of the total disclosed carbon credit purchases between 2020 and 2022. In comparison, the global carbon credit purchases were led by fossil fuels, manufacturing, services and transportation.
• Purchase volumes of carbon credits was the highest over the three years, doubling the number of voluntary carbon credits purchased in 2020. Nearly three-quarters of voluntary carbon credits purchased by Canadian corporate buyers over the three years were issued by verified carbon standards programs.
• Canadian corporate buyers have a strong “home bias” when sourcing projects. Half of the credits are generated in North America – 0.3 million (38.7 percent) in Canada, followed by 0.1 million (11.48 percent) from the United States. In contrast, globally, most purchased credits originate from developing countries.
• As for carbon credit types, over 80 percent are emission reduction and impermanent removal, compared with around 16 percent of mixed credits and less than 0.5 percent of long-duration removal. Tree planting is an example of an impermanent removal project, where carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere is only temporarily stored in trees and land.
• Emission-reduction projects include renewables, clean cookstoves, waste management, etc. Some projects, mostly within the forestry and land use category, can generate mixed impacts (carbon reduction and removal).
• While there are no specific international financial reporting standards related to carbon credits, considerations for purchasers of voluntary carbon credits are focused on identifying if the carbon credit is considered an asset. If recognized as an asset, they can be further classified as either inventories or intangible assets on the balance sheet. If not recognized as an asset, the cost of acquiring the credits will be recognized as an expense.
• Globally, there are a variety of sustainability disclosure standards and frameworks ranging from voluntary to mandatory. In most cases, companies must report their gross GHG emission targets, excluding carbon credits.

The report says the development of VCMs and the use of voluntary carbon credits will likely evolve differently in different regions depending on a variety of factors, from some potential convergences with compliance carbon markets to the emergence of jurisdictional safeguards and endorsements (such as the principles recently released in the U.S.) to support the integrity of the markets.

The report’s authors say their findings “highlight the demand from investors and other financial statement users for more consistent and detailed disclosures to assess companies’ climate-related risks and strategies.” Queen’s University

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Global voluntary carbon markets require more transparency and oversight: International Organizations of Securities Commissions’ report

The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) published a report with guidelines for global voluntary carbon markets, covering regulatory oversight, primary and secondary trading activities, and the use of carbon credits for decarbonization claims.

The report is targeted at regulators and authorities with carbon credit markets in their jurisdictions, trading platforms facilitating listing and trading of carbon products, and other entities involved in the trading of these credits.

IOSCO is an association of regulators in financial securities and derivatives markets, including

commodities trading, from around the world including the U.S., Europe and Asia.

While the extent of regulation and self-regulation needed for carbon markets has been widely debated, the amount of oversight has increased due to the growing importance of carbon markets, interest from new investors and the evolution of carbon credits as a tradeable instrument, the report said.

At the COP29 climate summit in Baku, countries agreed on rules for a global market to buy and sell carbon credits.

The agreement, coming about a decade after international talks on forming the market began, hinged on how to ensure credibility in the system so it can reliably lead to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change.

Supporters said a U.N.-backed market could generate up to $250 billion a year in climate financial aid for poorer countries.

IOSCO said in its report that its recommendations are aimed at developing market structures and ensuring integrity in voluntary carbon markets, in line with existing frameworks in other major financial markets to boost investor confidence.

"The Good Practices address transparency, liquidity, and price discovery, as well as potential fraud or greenwashing, based on IOSCO's objectives of investor protection, fair, efficient, and transparent markets, and reducing systemic risk," the report said.

On the regulatory side, IOSCO said authorities could consider ways to provide clarity around the legal and regulatory treatment of carbon credits, and things like issuance, trading and retirement of carbon credits.

There is a need to improve the understanding of the benefits and risks of trading in voluntary carbon markets and how existing regulatory frameworks may, or may not, apply, IOSCO said.

It said authorities could consider engaging with carbon crediting programs, spot market trading platforms, derivatives exchanges, carbon credit rating agencies and stakeholders "to standardize a taxonomy of carbon credit attributes, strengthen verification methodologies, and streamline verification processes."

On transparency, besides comprehensive disclosures on project development, verification and accounting of emissions reductions and removals, and monitoring, reporting and verification, IOSCO said "transparency of contracts and pricing in the primary market could also be encouraged."

As is the case for price-reporting agencies or for custodians in asset management, there may be a need for "registries to have effective oversight mechanisms, which could include regular audits and/or reviews by independent third parties," IOSCO suggested.

With respect to secondary trading of carbon credits, IOSCO said the broader market would benefit if there was proper disclosure of "relevant data regarding trading, including, but not limited to, pre- and post-trade price transparency, trading volume, bid-ask spreads and deliveries of carbon credits."

These disclosures, including for platforms that deal in carbon market derivatives, should broadly be aligned with existing requirements in other financial markets, it said.

IOSCO suggested there should be mechanisms in place to deal with market manipulation, fraud and price distortion, including practices such as false or misleading statements regarding the attributes of carbon credits.

One challenge associated with any use of carbon credits is the appropriate disclosure of that use, including the retirement of those credits, and dealing with greenwashing, the report said.

IOSCO said regulators could consider "encouraging or requiring disclosures regarding an entity's use of carbon credits to achieve any net GHG emission targets." S&P Global

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Canada’s real household income per capita and real GDP per capita fell in second quarter of 2024

Real household income per capita declined in Canada and Germany in the second quarter of 2024, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Among OECD countries, real house income per capita rose 0.4 percent in Q2, compared with 1.3 percent in the previous quarter, while real GDP per capita grew by 0.3 percent.

Canada, however, saw a decline of 0.2 percent in real GDP per capita, which fell for the fifth consecutive quarter. Real household income per capita also declined by 0.1 percent.

Germany also registered decreases in both real household income per capita (-0.2 percent) and real GDP per capita (-0.3 percent), the former partly reflecting weak growth in renumeration of employees and in property income combined with rising taxes on income and wealth.

In the U.S., real household income per capita increased by 0.4 percent in Q2, while real GDP per capita increased by 0.6 percent.

Of the 15 OECD countries for which data is available, eight recorded an increase, while seven recorded a decrease.

Portugal saw the largest increase in real household income per capita in Q2 2024 (2.1 percent), mainly driven by renumeration of employees. Between Q4 2021 and Q2 2024, renumeration of employees in Portugal grew 23 percent in real terms, exceeding those of G7 economies.

The Netherlands experienced the largest contraction (-2.3 percent) in real household income per capita, mainly due to a fall in property income coinciding with a rise in taxes on income and wealth, although real GDP per capita increased (0.9 percent). OECD

THE GRAPEVINE – News about people, institutions and communities

Iain Stewart, former president of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) was presented with the Foreign Minister’s Commendation by Kanji Yamanouchi, Japan’s ambassador to Canada. At the ceremony, Yamanouchi paid tribute to Stewart’s strong leadership in advancing Japan-Canada science and technology cooperation during his tenure at the NRC from August 2016 to December 2023. In 2018, the NRC announced a five-year international strategy prioritizing Japan as a key partner. In 2019, the NRC opened an office in Japan and signed memorandums of understanding with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and the Japan Science and Technology Agency, actively promoting joint research between Japan and China. Embassy of Japan in Canada

Dr. Maydianne C. B. Andrade was named incoming chair of the Council of Canadian Academies ( CCA) scientific advisory committee. Andrade will succeed David Castle whose term as chair ends on December 31, 2024. Andrade is a professor of biological sciences at the University of Toronto Scarborough and an internationally recognized expert on widow spiders. She is chair of the National Killam Selection Committee, an incoming member of the Advisory Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy for the Tri-council Institutional Program Secretariat, and co-founder and the inaugural president of the Canadian Black Scientists Network. She has been a member of CCA's scientific advisory committee since 2021.  The committee also welcomed five new members: Bing Chen (Memorial University of Newfoundland), Jaigris Hodson (Royal Roads University), Catherine L. Mah (Dalhousie University), Nicole Redvers (Western University), and Madison Rilling, executive director at Optonique. CCA 

Diana Gibson, MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head, was appointed the minister of Jobs, Economic Development, and Innovation in the B.C. NDP government’s new cabinet. Gibson is a community leader and entrepreneur. Prior to her election, she served as the executive director of the Greater Victoria Community Social Planning Council, where she founded multiple regional services and programs including the Greater Victoria Rent Bank. She is also a successful entrepreneur and CEO who co-founded multiple businesses, including Canada’s largest Indigenous-owned consulting firm. Prior to that, she directed a university research institute. Govt. of British Columbia

Former prime minister Stephen Harper was appointed by the Government of Alberta to chair the board of AIMCo, the province’s pension fund manager. Harper is taking the job without pay, after the government fired AimCo’s entire board earlier this month, along with four executives, including CEO Evan Siddall. AIMCo manages more than $160 billion in funds, including pension funds and the province’s Heritage Savings Trust Fund. The government said a newly reconstituted board of directors for AIMCo, under Harper’s chairmanship, “will oversee AIMCo’s effort to restore confidence and stability in Alberta’s investment management agency.” The government reinstated three board members who were dismissed, and also announced that the deputy minister of treasury board and finance – currently Katherine White – will join the board permanently. Govt. of Alberta

The Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) announced the appointment of four new members to the CCA’s board of directors:

• Brian Fleck, professor, Faculty of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Alberta.
• Catherine Middleton, professor, Ted Rogers School of Information Technology Management, Toronto Metropolitan University.
• Hasna Rouighi, director, Office of Innovation, Ministry of Health and Social Services, Government of Québec.
• Christine Thomas, vice-president, Governance and Legal Counsel, Canadian Medical Association. CCA

David Heinemeier Hansson, founder of the influential web app framework Ruby on Rails, has joined Ottawa-based Shopify’s board of directors. Hansson is the co-owner of 37signals, a book author, a Le Mans class-winning driver and investor in Danish startups. He writes regularly on HEY World and speaks on The REWORK Podcast. Shopify

Manulife Financial Corporation announced that president and CEO Roy Gori plans to retire, effective May 8, 2025, with Phil Witherington appointed as his successor and joining the board of directors at that time. Gori, who has been CEO for less than a decade and is retiring at age 56, will serve as an advisor through to August 31, 2005. Witherington has been a member of the company's executive leadership team since 2017, serving as chief financial officer for five years until his appointment to his current role as president and CEO of Manulife Asia. Manulife Financial Corporation

Stockholm, Sweden-based Northvolt announced that co-founder Peter Carlsson is stepping away from his role as CEO but will remain as a senior advisor and board member. The company will be jointly led by chief financial officer Pia Aaltonen-Forsell, newly appointed chief operations officer Matthias Arleth, and chief restructuring officer Scott Millar. Northvolt has filed in Texas for Chapter 11 U.S. bankruptcy protection. Northvolt

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) announced its 2024 Impact Awards which recognize groundbreaking work in mental health, democracy and cultural preservation. Award recipients are:

• Jean-Marc Narbonne, Université Laval, the Gold Medal for his research in the field of Greek philosophy, particularly in exploring how it has influenced the development of contemporary Western democracy and culture. The Gold Medal is SSHRC’s highest research honour and is awarded to an individual whose sustained leadership, dedication and originality of thought have inspired students and colleagues alike.
• Louis Busch, University of Toronto, the Talent Award for his work and influence at the intersection of mental health and Indigenous healing practices, while emphasizing the importance of culture.
• Lynette Ong, University of Toronto, the Insight Award for her research and expertise on authoritarianism in China, including the control and repression of Chinese citizens.
• Marcia Ostashewski, Cape Breton University, the Connection Award for her interdisciplinary and collaborative work advancing decolonization within the music industry, and providing a framework for recording the music and cultures of underrepresented groups.
• Pierre Noreau, the Université de Montréal, the Partnership Award for his consortium, Accès au droit et à la justice, dedicated to fair access to law and justice.

The Gold Medal recipient will receive $100,000 for future research. The winners of the Talent, Insight, Connection and Partnership awards will each receive $50,000 in research funding. SSHRC

The University of Manitoba (UManitoba) unveiled its $2.5-million Rady Biomedical Fish Facility on the university’s Bannatyne campus. The facility houses approximately 2,000 zebrafish and 250 Mexican tetras fish. The facility includes automatically maintained fish tanks, fish egg incubators, a confocal microscope, a micro-injection station and a system that includes video cameras for studying adult fish and larvae behaviour. UManitoba assistant professor Dr. Benjamin Lindsey explained that the fish – which share around 70 percent of their genes with humans – can regenerate neural stem tissue and body parts after injury. Researchers hope to study the fish to gain more insight into topics such as human embryos, brain and spinal cord injuries, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. UManitoba

Georgian College in Barrie, Ont. opened a second location for the Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre (HBEC) in Owen Sound, Ont. The new location will be housed in a dedicated space at Grey County’s Sydenham Campus, a regional centre for skills training, trades and innovation. Georgian HBEC will provide local entrepreneurs with programming and services, including resources, mentorship, training, networking opportunities and access to funding, with an aim of bolstering the local workforce. Georgian College

Halifax, N.S.-based Saint Mary’s University’s Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre signed an agreement to become the Experience Ventures program’s Regional Lead Atlantic Canada partner. The Experience Ventures program – led by the University of Calgary Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking – seeks to foster an entrepreneurial mindset among students through a variety of programs with businesses, such as hackathons, challenges, project experiences, student-in-residence, and interdisciplinary team projects. The partnership aims to bring 152 opportunities to students in Atlantic Canada. Saint Mary’s University

Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ont. and ECO Canada have partnered to form the Centre for Applied Learning in Sustainability, which will enhance workforce development in Canada’s environmental sector. The partnership will address the sector’s skills gap through training solutions that prepare individuals to work in emerging areas of the blue and green economies. Mohawk College will be responsible for course development, delivery and program management, while ECO Canada will provide marketing, supporting certification and employment resources, and National Occupational Standards. Programming will include micro-credentials, certificates and pathway programs leading to diplomas and bachelor’s degrees. Mohawk College

Winnipeg-based Red River College Polytechnic has officially opened the Interdisciplinary Health and Community Services Simulation Centre, which RRC Polytech says is the first of its kind in Manitoba. The 16,630-square-foot learning space at RRC Polytech’s Notre Dame Campus will host high-fidelity simulation equipment including advanced mannequins, and live actors to train health and community services students from 13 programs through activities and mock scenarios that mirror the realities they’ll face in the workplace. The facility has the capacity to train up to 12,000 students each academic year, and up to six simulations can be run at a time in the various simulation spaces. The Simulation Centre is designed to replicate real hospital environments, including multi-patient rooms and an adaptable apartment space that supports a wide range of interdisciplinary scenarios. The Government of Manitoba provided $6 million in capital funding and $1 million in annual operations and maintenance funding to support the centre, for a total investment of over $12.5 million. RRC Polytech

The University of Windsor will launch a new undergraduate program in Mechatronic Systems Engineering in the fall of 2025. Designed for students who are interested in a career in the creation of advanced technologies and intelligent systems, the program will include immersive learning opportunities in the fields of mechanical, electrical and computer engineering. It will offer specialization options in two high-demand areas: autonomous vehicles and intelligent manufacturing. The program will prepare graduates for working with industrial robotics and autonomous vehicles to MRI machines, smart household devices, and cybernetic systems. University of Windsor

Sudbury, Ont.-based Cambrian College, Queen’s University and the University of Ottawa have introduced separate initiatives to enhance environmental sustainability. Cambrian installed the talking OscarSort trash-sorting system, which scans disposable items and guides users on proper disposal protocols to reduce landfill waste. The college also installed two bins from the company SicSox Circular to collect old textiles and divert them from landfills. Queen’s University is the first postsecondary institution in North American to install carbon-sequestering field turf as part of its revitalization project for Nixon Field. Partnering with Montreal-based FieldTurf and Kingston, Ont.-based Canadian Wollastonite, the project will use enhanced rock weathering technology. This nature-based process accelerates rock weathering to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, sequestering the equivalent of 165 tree seedlings grown over 10 years or 11.7 acres of forest annually. The project also extends the university’s research and teaching partnership with Canadian Wollastonite, providing students with experiential learning opportunities through the field replacement project committee. The University of Ottawa launched the Free Food Alert program, which alerts students if there is leftover food from meetings or events held at the institution. This allows UOttawa to reduce food waste and help alleviate student food insecurity at the same time. Cambrian College, Global News, University of Ottawa

Western University in Richmond, Ont. has retrofitted the Siebens Drake Research Institute to cut carbon emissions. These changes were completed as part of Western’s Deep Energy Retrofit Program, which aims to retrofit older campus buildings to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions. Work included connecting the building to Western’s energy loop so that excess heat can be redistributed to other buildings and to the university’s district chilling cool network so that it has a backup cooling source. This retrofit is expected to reduce the building’s electricity consumption by 20 percent and steam consumption by 75 percent. Western’s goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on campus by 45 percent (relative to 2005 levels) by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions for campus operations by 2050. Western University

Ontario Tech University in Oshawa, Ont. launched its “Tech with a Conscience” fundraising campaign, a $250-million initiative that aims to support the responsible use of technology. “This $250-million endeavour will supercharge the university’s research activities, accelerate campus expansion, and most importantly, nurture the next generation of ethical leaders who will tackle tomorrow’s challenges, from climate change to equitable health care,” Ontario Tech said in a statement. The university launched the campaign with a video that blends AI, computer-generated imagery, and live-action footage of students, employees and alumni to demonstrate how “Tech with a Conscience” can be put into action. Ontario Tech University

A small group of instructors in the University of Calgary’s (UCalgary) Faculty of Science is piloting the contract grading method, a teaching approach that bases grades on the student’s fulfilment of a “contract” with the instructor. For example, an instructor may let a student choose from 12 assignments, agreeing to award a B+ if they complete eight of them. UCalgary assistant professor Steve Sutcliffe in the Department of Computer Science likened the method to the realities of working in industry, where an employer would hire a contractor to do a certain amount of work. The benefits include reduced stress, deeper learning and increased autonomy, though challenges can arise in larger classes or when adapting results to fit traditional grading systems. UCalgary

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