The Short Report, November 20, 2019: Sidewalk Labs, public-private partnerships, Alberta layoffs

Sidewalk Labs released a new 483-page document that does "a good job of satisfying the information we need" to evaluate the technological innovations planned for the Quayside development in Toronto, says Kristina Verner, Waterfront Toronto's vice president of innovation. The evaluation is due to be completed by March 2020. - SaltWire

Ontario is introducing a new policy to support partnerships between public colleges and private career colleges. The policy is intended to deliver programs to more students in more locations. Six publicly assisted Ontario colleges (Cambrian, Canadore, Lambton, Northern, St. Clair and St. Lawrence) currently have private partnership agreements for the delivery of programs leading to an Ontario college credential in Canada. - Ontario

The University of Calgary will cut 250 jobs following provincial budget cuts. There will be 150 layoffs and 100 jobs will be cut through closing vacancies, retirements and resignations. The United Conservative government's 2019 budget provided $5.1 billion for advanced education operations, a five-per-cent cut over the previous year. - CBC

Up to 125 people will lose their jobs at Alberta Innovates, due to cuts following the new Alberta budget. "Today we have to deal with the fiscal reality of a significantly reduced budget, and the resulting significant changes in staffing levels and programs," CEO Laura Kilcrease told staff. "We must continue to deliver meaningful results but with fewer resources." - CBC

Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek donated $10 million to his alma mater, the University of Ottawa. Half of the donation will go to the Alex Trebek Innovation and Challenge Fund and the other half to support his Distinguished Lecture Series. - Ottawa Citizen

Montreal-based artificial intelligence provider and research lab Stradigi AI closed a $53 million Series A funding round led by Fonds de solidarité FTQ and Investissement Québec. The company will use the influx of capital to accelerate expansion in North America and to support the development of its software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform, Kepler, which combines software engineering and machine learning algorithms to help businesses become more efficient. - IT World Canada

THE GRAPEVINE

Navdeep Bains remains in the newly announced federal Cabinet as Minister Innovation, Science and Industry. The Science and Sport Minister position was eliminated and Kirsty Duncan is no longer a member of Cabinet. - R$

The University of Manitoba has appointed Dr. Michael Benarroch its new President and Vice-Chancellor. Benarroch currently serves as chief academic officer and chief operating officer at Ryerson University. Previously, he led the I. H. Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba as dean, and was founding dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Winnipeg. - UManitoba

Canadian leaders from the fields of science, research, innovation, start-ups, cyber and international security, and trade, as well as sports and arts, will join Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, on a visit to Lithuania and Estonia. Delegates include Mona Nemer, Chief Science Advisor of Canada; Francis Bilodeau, Acting Chief Information Officer of Canada; and Sheldon Levy, President, Innovation Outcomes. - Newswire

University of Manitoba researchers Dr. Flordeliz Gigi Osler and Taylor Morriseau have been named among Canada’s Most Powerful Women in 2019 by Women’s Executive Network (WXN). Dr. Osler became the Canadian Medical Association’s 151st President in August 2018, the first female surgeon and first woman of colour to ever ascend to the role. Morriseau, a Cree woman from Peguis First Nation, was awarded a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship to complete her studies in Indigenous health research, which centers on the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to early-onset of type 2 diabetes (T2D) among Manitoban Indigenous youth. - UManitoba