GOVERNMENT FUNDING & NEWS

 Reactions to Liberals winning federal election

Statement by Benjamin Bergen, president, Council of Canadian Innovators:

“[Canadians] have given Prime Minister Mark Carney and his team a mandate to innovate. Canadians want a government focused on strengthening economic security, building domestic capacity and restoring Canada’s sovereignty in a more competitive world.”

“Canada’s economy must be rapidly reoriented to account for American hostility and unpredictability. We can no longer afford to rely on foreign branch plants for our own long-term prosperity. Canada must become the best place to build and scale global companies – creating jobs, wealth, and opportunity for all Canadians. While we will always be a trading nation, our future demands greater self-reliance by backing homegrown innovators.”

Statement by Lawrence Zhang, head of policy at the Centre for Canadian Innovation and Competitiveness, affiliated with the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation:

“The 2025 Liberal platform responds to a convergence of crises: global instability, protectionism and domestic capacity shortfalls. It calls for building a stronger, more self-reliant Canadian economy. The commitment to building domestic industrial strength, scaling high-growth firms, and securing technological leadership is the right strategic foundation.

“Delivering on that foundation will require a relentless focus on outcomes. Raising business investment, scaling Canadian firms globally, accelerating R&D commercialization, and ensuring Canada's industrial policies deliver a measurable global advantage will all be not just critical to meet the moment, but mandatory.

“Canada cannot afford another cycle of announcements without capacity gains. Competitiveness must become the test for every program, regulation, and investment.”

Letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney from Goldy Hyder, president, Business Council of Canada:

“In electing a minority government, Canadians have made it clear that they expect you to work with other parties as you introduce and implement initiatives to propel our country forward. We hope you will operate with a recognition of the need for collaboration.”

Four strategic priorities are essential to ensuring a better future for all Canadians:

Stabilize and strengthen the U.S. relationship by prioritizing engagement with U.S. and Mexican counterparts to expedite the review and extension of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.

Ignite the “engines of growth” with a faster and more predictable project-approval process, investing in trade-enabling infrastructure, and accelerating priority infrastructure projects.

Pursue diversification for resilience and security by expanding access to high-growth markets in Europe, the Indo-Pacific and beyond, and building resilient, secure supply chains.

Adopt a responsible fiscal framework by deferring the implementation of platform commitments – including proposed tax cuts – that are not central to Canada’s immediate economic response, or essential to restoring growth and stability.

Moving forward together. Provinces, territories and Indigenous peoples must be meaningfully involved in shaping national strategies, and they must be empowered to contribute in their own way to Canada’s success going forward. 

Statement by Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses:

“Now that we have a degree of political clarity, government needs to turn its attention to reducing taxes, cutting red tape and providing much-needed economic certainty.”

The Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses is asking the new government to introduce legislation and changes that will help small businesses meet today’s challenges, including:

• Ensuring that the money collected through Canadian counter tariffs is returned quickly to affected Canadian small businesses.
• Passing legislation to formally eliminate the carbon tax, ensuring the small business carbon tax rebates are delivered tax free as promised, and returning the remaining $500 million in 2024-25 carbon tax rebates to small businesses.
• Delivering on the promised increase to the Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption to $1.25 million and implementing the promised Canadian Entrepreneurs’ Incentive which lowers capital gains taxes on up to $2 million following a business sale.
• Lowering the federal small business tax rate from nine percent to zero percent for the foreseeable future.
• Working with provinces to capitalize on the current momentum towards the elimination of internal trade barriers by adopting mutual recognition. 
• Making immediate expensing available to all businesses in all sectors.
• Lowering Employment Insurance premiums for smaller employers to the same rate paid by employees.

Statement by Ontario Premier Doug Ford:

“I am calling on Prime Minister Carney to fulfill his commitment to speed up approvals for critical mineral and other resource development projects, particularly in the Ring of Fire. I am also calling on him to join us in supporting Ontario as we build the future of nuclear, including the first small modular reactors in the G7, as well as the historic infrastructure investments we are making through our plan to build Ontario. We are ready to work with the new federal government to get these necessary projects, including highways, transit and energy infrastructure, funded, approved and built as quickly as possible.

“Ontario also stands ready to work with the federal government and other provinces and territories to tear down internal trade barriers and promote economic integration across Canada. To that end, I am calling on Prime Minister Carney to join us in supporting new nation-building infrastructure, including pipelines, highways, railways, seaports and airports, to help Canadian goods reach new customers in new markets while binding our country together and reducing our reliance on the United States.”

Statement by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith:

"As Premier, I invite the Prime Minister to immediately commence working with our government to reset the relationship between Ottawa and Alberta with meaningful action rather than hollow rhetoric. A large majority of Albertans are deeply frustrated that the same government that overtly attacked our provincial economy almost unabated for the past 10 years has been returned to government.

"As Premier, I will not permit the status quo to continue. Albertans are proud Canadians that want this nation to be strong, prosperous, and united, but we will no longer tolerate having our industries threatened and our resources landlocked by Ottawa.”

Statement by Universities Canada:

“As the new government gets to work, fully delivering on Budget 2024’s research commitments – especially for graduate scholarships, basic research and infrastructure – will be essential for universities to keep driving Canadian productivity.

Now is the time for the new government to affirm its commitment to made-in-Canada research and innovation. Investing in cutting-edge research and the infrastructure behind AI, agriculture, critical minerals and advanced manufacturing will drive productivity and fuel long-term economic growth . . .

“Canada can’t win the race for top talent without a bold, coordinated plan. As other countries ramp up recruitment and with growing uncertainty in the U.S., delays in visa processing and unclear immigration pathways are costing Canada talent and opportunity. Canada’s global reputation has taken a hit with recent policies eroding the trust and confidence that once made Canada a top destination.”

Universities Canada is urging the new government to quickly establish a ministerial roundtable, bringing together Employment and Social Development Canada, Global Affairs Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, provinces and territories, industry leaders and post-secondary institutions to shape coordinated, data-driven immigration strategies that support international student success, improve credential recognition and enable seamless workforce integration. 

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Coalition of U.S. auto industry groups warns tariffs on auto parts will cut vehicle sales and raise prices

A coalition of U.S. auto industry groups urged President Donald Trump not to impose 25 percent tariffs on imported auto parts, warning they would cut vehicle sales and raise prices.

Trump said earlier he plans to impose tariffs of 25 percent on auto parts no later than May 3.

"Tariffs on auto parts will scramble the global automotive supply chain and set off a domino effect that will lead to higher auto prices for consumers, lower sales at dealerships and will make servicing and repairing vehicles both more expensive and less predictable," said the coalition’s letter.

The letter from the groups representing General Motors, Ford Motor, Stellantis, Toyota Motor, Volkswagen, Hyundai and others went to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

The letter was signed by the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, the trade group representing nearly all major automakers, the American Automotive Policy Council, representing the Detroit Three automakers, the National Automobile Dealers Association, the Vehicle Suppliers Association and others.

“Supply chains developed under the current rules of the road – notably duty-free trade permitted under the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement – have supported American jobs, automotive manufacturing and affordability for consumers for more than a generation,” the letter said.

"Most auto suppliers are not capitalized for an abrupt tariff induced disruption. Many are already in distress and will face production stoppages, layoffs and bankruptcy," the letter added, noting "it only takes the failure of one supplier to lead to a shutdown of an automaker's production line."

On April 14, Trump said he was considering a modification to the 25 percent tariffs imposed on foreign auto and auto parts imports from Mexico, Canada and other places.

Trump said car companies "need a little bit of time because they're going to make 'em here."

Ford Motor said last week it may raise prices on its new vehicles if Trump's auto tariffs continue.

An analysis by the Center for Automotive Research published earlier this month found Trump's 25 percent tariffs on automotive imports, implemented on April 3, will escalate costs for U.S. automakers by about $108 billion in 2025. CBC News

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The Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) announced the Canadian “Automotive Competitive Framework,” urging the next federal government to act decisively to protect Canada’s auto industry.

“The Canadian automotive sector is in turmoil as a result of the U.S. tariffs,” Tim Reuss, CADA’s president and CEO, said in a statement..

“While we applaud the current Canadian government on its measured response to not make this situation worse, it is clear that we are fast approaching a consumer affordability crisis as the added costs of the tariffs work their way through the different supply chains of all manufacturers and will soon be reflected in higher prices in the market place,” he said.

CADA outlines five actions the association is urging the new federal government to take:

• Bring an end to unnecessary provincial and federal electric vehicle mandates.
• Expand Canada’s Automotive Regulatory Framework to allow Canada to import more models from Europe, Japan and Korea that are suited for Canada.
• Keep Canada’s Big Banks out of the business of leasing vehicles to consumers.
• Scrap the luxury tax on vehicles.
• Pay back dealers the money owed to them when they subsidized consumer EV purchases and then Ottawa pulled the plug on the iZEV incentives program.

Reuss said dealerships are owed an estimated total of $8 million to $11 million that they fronted to consumers purchasing an EV before Transport Canada announced its fund had run out of money. CADA

Stellantis restarted production at its auto manufacturing plant in Windsor, Ont., following a two-week shutdown after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on vehicles imported into the U.S. Stellantis also said it is recalling more than half of the 900 workers it had temporarily laid off at its American plants in Michigan and Indiana. The U.S. workers are needed to support production at the Windsor assembly plant, which produces the Chrysler Pacifica and Voyager minivans as well as the Dodge Charger Daytona. Stellantis also has a plant in Brampton, Ont., which made the Dodge Charger and Challenger and the Chrysler 300, until that lineup was discontinued at the end of 2023. The Brampton plant was originally intended to produce the next-generation Jeep Compass, but that got put on hold and it’s not clear what the long-term plans are for the facility. Auto 123, Driving

The U.S. Department of Commerce has started an investigation into the national security impacts of importing medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks and their parts under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, according to a draft document on the Federal Register. The agency is seeking public comments on the investigation. General Motors and Ford make some versions of their Silverado pickups and forthcoming Super Duty trucks in Canada. Heavy-duty trucks weren’t included in the tariffs on automobiles and parts announced by Trump in late March. Trump said last week he is considering raising auto tariffs on Canada, creating confusion after Bloomberg reported that his administration could ease tariffs on the auto sector. U.S. Department of Commerce

Faced with U.S. tariffs, Canada’s economy is expected to significantly contract in the second quarter of this year with a major drop in investment, according to a report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). Highlights of the CFIB’s Main Street Quarterly report are:

• CFIB’s estimates and forecasts in partnership with AppEco suggest the Canadian economy grew by 0.8 percent in Q1 but is expected to significantly contract in Q2. The total Consumer Price Index inflation rose to 2.4 percent in Q1 2025 and is expected to further increase to 2.7 percent in Q2 on a yearly basis.
• After seeing good recovery at the end of 2024, private investment is estimated to see a major drop of 13.9 percent in Q1, with Q2 forecasted even lower at -19.1 percent.
• Private sector job vacancy rate held steady at 2.8 in Q1 2025. This represents 393,400 unfilled positions.
• A special analysis highlights that SMEs are under growing pressure from weak demand and rising input costs. Exporters are the least able to pass on tariff-related costs, while importers have more flexibility to adjust prices.

The quarterly sectoral section highlights how different industries are coping with these pressures: 

• Manufacturing and wholesale firms are the hardest hit by low demand due to their trade exposure. 
• Agriculture, hospitality, arts recreation and information businesses are less able to pass on costs and more likely to absorb them fully. 
• One-third of wholesale firms have already increased their prices. Moreover, two-thirds of firms in hospitality and construction plan to increase their prices once supplier costs stabilize.

Simon Gaudreault, CFIB’s chief economist and vice-president of research, concludes that:

• Small businesses are feeling the pinch. The trade war will likely drive up the costs of doing business and lead to inflation. While the Bank of Canada maintained its key interest rate, it will take bold policy changes for small businesses to feel meaningful relief. That would include reducing taxes and adopting full mutual recognition of each other's rules, permits and regulatory regimes. 
• Given how the long-term business confidence is at historically low levels, it’s not surprising that small businesses are pausing their capital expenditures. It’s nearly impossible for owners to plan expansions or investments when they’re not sure if their business will even be open in six months. Governments at all levels urgently need to balance the economic environment, so SMEs have the capacity to withstand the impacts of the trade war. CFIB

Dow Inc. will delay construction on its $8.9-billion net-zero petrochemical plant in Fort Saskatchewan just northeast of Edmonton as tariffs threaten demand and the company looks to conserve cash amid unfavourable market conditions. Dow's Path2Zero facility in Alberta's Industrial Heartland was first announced in 2021 and attracted a combined $2.2 billion in financial backing from the Alberta and federal governments in 2023. The carbon-neutral project was touted as the world's first net-zero emissions integrated ethylene cracker and derivatives site. Dow’s plan to boost production of ethylene involved constructing a new facility and retrofitting an existing plant. The expansion project would have produced and supplied about three million tonnes of low to zero-carbon emissions polyethylene and ethylene derivatives for customers around the world. Dow said it expects extended pressure on earnings as uncertainty from U.S. President Donald Trump's erratic trade policies adds to macroeconomic volatility. Construction will be delayed until market conditions improve, Dow CEO Jim Fitterling said in a post-earnings call. CBC News

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised its global growth forecast “markedly down” compared with the January 2025 World Economic Outlook Update, citing “effective tariff rates at levels not seen in a century and a highly unpredictable environment.” The group expects global growth of 2.8 percent this year and three percent next year, down from its January forecast of 3.3 percent growth during both years. The IMF is projecting real GDP growth of 1.4 percent in Canada this year and 1.8 percent in the U.S., compared with four percent for China and 6.2 percent for India. “Divergent and swiftly changing policy positions or deteriorating sentiment could lead to even tighter global financial conditions,” the IMF warned. “Ratcheting up a trade war and heightened trade policy uncertainty may further hinder both short-term and long-term growth prospects.” IMF

The Government of Ontario announced a $750-million investment in STEM programs at colleges and universities across the province. The funding will be used to create 20,500 seats per year in STEM programs with the goal of building a skilled, made-in-Ontario talent pool. Publicly assisted colleges and universities have access to this STEM funding immediately upon signing their 2025-2030 operating funding agreements, which have recently been finalized. For 2024-2025, the government also is suspending funding recoveries for institutions that have fallen below their enrolment floor, ensuring that affected institutions can use the over $17 million in waived recoveries to support enrolment in STEM programs. Together with the government’s previously announced $1.3 billion investment to ensure the long term financial stability of colleges and universities, Ontario has made the largest investment in postsecondary education in the province’s history, the government said. Govt. of Ontario

The Government of Ontario is investing $75 million in 162 research and innovation projects across the province through its competitive research programs, the Early Researcher Awards and the Ontario Research Fund. The investment will help Ontario’s institutions attract and hire top talent, purchase the latest equipment and technologies and support key industries, such as agriculture, auto manufacturing, information technology and the life sciences. The Canadian Biomanufacturing Cooperative, an Ontario-led initiative that will significantly enhance biomanufacturing capacity across Canada, received $45 million through this investment. Coordinated through the Canadian Pandemic Preparedness Hub, this investment in the Canadian Biomanufacturing Cooperative is led by the University of Ottawa and will support expansion of facilities affiliated with the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and McMaster University. The work done through the cooperative will help the province protect itself from future pandemics, build a highly skilled biomanufacturing workforce, and expand access to clinical trials for new lifesaving treatments. Govt. of Ontario

The Government of British Columbia is contributing up to $11 million, through the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund, toward four forestry sector capital projects in the province. The projects are helping B.C.-based forestry product manufacturers grow their businesses by constructing new production facilities, purchasing new equipment and adding new high-value product lines. For example, Spearhead Timberworks Inc. near Nelson specializes in the design and fabrication of highly advanced timber architecture. Backed by as much as $7.5 million from the B.C. government, Spearhead will construct a new purpose-built facility and implement advanced technology that will add state-of-the-art production lines for specialized curved and double-curved glue-laminated timber. The project will strengthen Spearhead’s capacity to fabricate high-complexity, high-value timber products using B.C. wood. Govt. of British Columbia

The Government of Alberta is investing $3 million through Emissions Reduction Alberta and the industry-funded Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction program to help Calgary-based Hydrogen Naturally turn forestry waste like woodchips, sawdust, plants and other organic material into hydrogen. This new technology will capture the carbon that would normally be released into the air during this process and store it underground. Hydrogen Naturally will use the provincial funding for a feasibility study that will provide the regulatory, engineering and environmental information needed to build its first hydrogen production unit in Alberta. Govt. of Alberta

The Government of Nova Scotia is investing $5 million in the Neptune BioInnovation Centre in Dartmouth to help transform the 4,738-square-metre (51,000 square feet) facility into new state-of-the-art wet and dry labs that will offer commercial-scale precision fermentation and spray- drying capacity. The centre will enable Nova Scotia to compete globally, strengthen domestic supply chains and foster biotechnology advancements across critical sectors, including life sciences, pharmaceuticals, forestry and agriculture. The centre is the first of its kind in Canada and one of three in the world. Govt. of Nova Scotia

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is investing more than $1 million to strengthen the province’s manufacturing sector through artificial intelligence training. As part of this investment, Keyin College will develop a micro-credential program focused on using AI in a manufacturing environment. The program will expand access to specialized AI training especially within rural, small and medium-sized enterprises. “Artificial intelligence adoption can help bolster the local manufacturing sector by reducing costs and improving efficiencies during a time of significant economic uncertainty caused by international trade disruption,” the government said. The Newfoundland and Labrador manufacturing sector contributes more than $3.8 billion to provincial gross domestic product and employs approximately 9,500 workers. Govt. of Newfoundland and Labrador

The Government of Ontario introduced new measures to prevent foreign governments or corporations from claiming Ontario’s critical minerals or participating in the province’s energy sector. The proposed Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act seeks to preserve and prioritize access to the province’s critical minerals and energy sector by creating new measures that will allow the government to suspend or remove a registrant from the Mining Lands Administration System (MLAS) or suspend the MLAS system itself. The Act would also give the government the ability to deny the transfer or lease of a mining claim or, when necessary, revoke a mining claim registration or terminate a lease. New measures will also be taken to protect Ontario’s essential energy usage by foreign state-owned or state-based companies by limiting the participation of specified foreign jurisdictions or entities in Ontario’s energy sector. This aims to protect Ontario’s energy systems from risks including malware, manipulation, tampering, surveillance, potential ratepayer harm and other threats posed by foreign state-owned or state-based companies seeking to compromise essential services. Govt. of Ontario

RESEARCH, INNOVATION & COLLABORATION

The University of Toronto (U of T) launched the Lawson Climate Institute, supported by a $60-million gift from alumni Brian Lawson and Joannah Lawson. U of T said this is the largest donation a Canadian university has received to address climate change. The new institute will focus on sustainable technologies, equitable climate policy solutions, leadership development and the transformation of U of T’s campus into “living labs.” The gift will also fund three endowed chairs – focused on policy innovation, sustainable energy, and sustainable food systems – and support 100 annual scholarships. The new institute will tap into U of T’s local, national and international networks and foster collaborations with governments, the private sector and other public-sector institutions to help translate research into real-world technologies and equitable, practical climate policies. The Lawsons’ donation is part of the “Climate Champions” campaign, enlisting wealthy families and foundations to fund climate-related causes across Canada. The campaign last year announced it had garnered $405 million in pledges aimed at accelerating the shift to a low-carbon economy. U of T

The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA), the umbrella group representing Canada’s securities regulators, has paused its work creating rules for how companies it oversees report and manage financial risks related to climate change and diversity factors. The CSA cited risks to Canada’s competitiveness in light of the “rapidly and significantly” changing geopolitical landscape in the U.S. and globally. The pause is being made “to support Canadian markets and issuers as they adapt to the recent developments in the U.S. and globally,” the CSA said. The U.S. Securities Commission is in the process of entirely abandoning its climate-related reporting rules. The EU is in the middle of its “Omnibus” process to delay, reduce the scope and simplify disclosure requirements under its Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive legislation. In December 2024, the Canadian Sustainability Standards Board published finalized International Sustainability Standards Board-based Canadian Sustainability Disclosure Standards. Sustainability-focused groups criticized the CSA announcement, expressing concerns that a lack of mandatory reporting requirements would increase risks for investors and companies. ESGtoday

The B.C. Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE) invested $2.46 million in five women-led climate tech ventures through its inaugural Women in Climate Tech Call for Innovation. This funding will support high-impact climate hard tech solutions driving decarbonization in the transportation, construction and bio-industrial sectors. From 58 applicants, these five ventures were selected for their potential to deliver scalable climate impact and economic benefit:

• Agora Energy Technologies – Turning carbon dioxide into clean power by combining capture, purification and conversion in a one-step process.
• Ayrton Energy Inc. – Making hydrogen easy to move and store using today's fuel infrastructure.
• EnviCore Inc. – Transforming industrial waste into low carbon cement alternatives.
• Gaia Refinery – Removing carbon at scale with a plug-and-play system for bio-industries.
• Seacork Studio Inc. – Creating carbon-negative building materials from seaweed.

According to the MaRS Discovery District, increasing the number of women-owned SMEs by just 10 percent could contribute an estimated $198 billion to Canada's GDP. To date, the CICE has invested $39.7 million in 65 projects valued at over $264.3 million. CICE

UNDO Carbon, which has operations in Canada and Scotland, won $5 million as the third runner-up for the XPRIZE Carbon Removal contest, sponsored by the Musk Foundation. UNDO Carbon has developed an enhanced rock weathering solution that accelerates the natural process of rock weathering to permanently remove atmospheric carbon dioxide and boost soil health. Dartmouth, N.S.-based Planetary Technologies will receive US$1 million after winning one of two XPRIZE Carbon XFactor Awards for its CO₂-removal technology. Planetary’s Ocean Carbon Platform pulls CO₂ from the atmosphere by enhancing ocean alkalinity using magnesium hydroxide, a substance often used in wastewater treatment plants. The company introduces an antacid into wastewater plants and other existing coastal facilities (such as power plant cooling systems) that neutralizes acidic CO₂ and turns it into a stable salt. The grand prize winner and three runner-up teams, representing solutions across four countries, each successfully removed more than 1,000 net tonnes of carbon dioxide in the final year of the competition, meeting XPRIZE’s demonstration requirements – the first step towards scaling sustainably to remove billions of tonnes globally. Houston, Texas-headquartered Mati Carbon, which also has operations in India, received the grand prize of $50 million. Mati Carbon demonstrated a highly durable approach to carbon dioxide removal by applying finely crushed basalt over agricultural lands in India to accelerate a natural weathering process that permanently draws down atmospheric CO₂. XPRIZE

Ten Canadian business schools made CEOWORLD Magazine’s 2025 Best Business Schools in the World list. The ranking is based on a survey of students, industry partners and corporate recruiters. The three highest-ranking Canadian business schools were the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Business (#52), the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology School of Business (#53), and McGill University's Desautels Faculty of Management (#80). These were followed by the business schools at Queen’s University (#90), the University of British Columbia (#91), the University of Alberta (#93), Western University (#97), York University (#103), Carleton University (#107), and the University of Guelph (#110). The U.S. had eight of 10 business schools in the top 10, while the U.K. had two. CEOWORLD Magazine

Federal government officials are working on a plan to direct more cloud computing contracts toward Canadian companies after receiving strong industry pushback over an existing competition to shortlist a small number of American multinationals for similar work. Shared Services Canada spokesperson Michael Gosselin said the department “is in the initial planning stage for the development of a parallel system” to the current competition, “which would be focused on Canadian cloud providers.” Craig McLellan, CEO and founder of Canadian cloud-provider ThinkOn Inc., said recent trade tensions between Canada and the U.S. appear to have inspired a change in approach from the federal government that he expects will start to play out after the federal election campaign. McLellan told The Globe and Mail he’s encouraged by recent signals from Ottawa that there will be additional contracting competitions aimed at working with Canadian cloud companies. Documents released through access to information reveal that technology leaders expressed numerous concerns to the public service about a competition that is currently in progress to provide the government with cloud computing services over the next 25 years. Shared Services Canada is in the middle of the multistage competition, which would result in the creation of a preapproved list of a small number of companies that departments could work with for cloud computing. The federal government has already shortened its list to four companies: Amazon Web Services Canada, Inc.; Google Cloud Canada Corporation; Microsoft Corporation and Oracle Canada ULC. Federal procurement material describes the “contract duration” as a period of “300 months,” which is 25 years. Shared Services Canada said Ottawa would not be locked into a 25-year contract through the process, but would have the option of using the selected companies for specific tasks during that period. Benjamin Bergen, president of the Council of Canadian Innovators, said in light of the current trade tensions with the U.S., Ottawa should be prioritizing Canadian companies when it comes to data-storage contracts. In response to The Globe and Mail’s story, Liberal Leader Mark Carney said a Liberal government would aim to cut back on federal contracting with U.S. tech giants as part of a “Buy Canada” effort in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The Globe and Mail

Alberta’s tech sector is emerging as a powerhouse of economic growth and innovation, according to a new report released by ATB Financial in partnership with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Business Data Lab. Titled An Innovation Revolution: How Alberta Is Building the Future of Tech, the report by Miranda Mantey at ATB Financial offers a detailed economic snapshot of the province’s evolving technology landscape. Among the report’s key findings:

• Alberta’s tech sector contributed $13 billion to the province’s GDP in 2023, with labour productivity outpacing the provincial average by 25 percent.
• Between 2013 and 2023, tech employment in Alberta grew nearly four times faster than the provincial industry average, a trend that continued into 2024.
• Investment in Alberta tech has skyrocketed, with venture capital spending rising from $227 million in 2019 to $698 million in 2023.
• Calgary and Edmonton ranked 20^th and 49^th respectively in CBRE’s 2024 Tech Talent Scorecard, reinforcing their reputations as top destinations for tech talent in North America.
• While energytech remains a cornerstone, Alberta is also seeing strong growth in agritech, fintech, healthtech, and aerospacetech.
• Alberta’s tech sector leads provincial research and development efforts, accounting for $664 million in R&D spending. Calgary.tech

The University of Alberta (U of A) launched the Centre for Hydrogen Innovation, Workforce Development and Outreach to influence policy, pair researchers with industry and develop new technologies. The centre will serve as a think tank where government and others can gain direct access to the more than 60 researchers at the U of A. Amit Kumar, a Canada Research Chair who has advised provincial and federal governments on hydrogen strategies, including for Alberta’s Hydrogen Roadmap, has been named as the centre’s director. In January, Kumar and fellow researchers received $1.8 million from Natural Resources Canada for carbon-reducing energy research. Beyond influencing policy, the centre aims to accelerate hydrogen technologies and train people for a world that uses more hydrogen. While the centre itself is new, U of A researchers already have developed a catalyst that can produce pure hydrogen from water, successfully tested Alberta’s salt caverns as storage for hydrogen, and collaborated with heavy industry and transportation on hydrogen-diesel hybrid engines. The university was also a research partner with the Alberta Motor Transportation Association on hydrogen vehicles. Taproot Edmonton

The Vector Institute at the University of Toronto did its first study on the evaluation and benchmarking of AI models, assessing capabilities in increasingly complex tests of general knowledge, coding, cyber-safety and other critical areas. Vector’s AI engineering team assessed 11 leading AI models from around the world, examining both open- and closed-source models, including the Chinese-developed DeepSeek-R1. Each agent was tested against 16 benchmarks including MMLU-Pro, MMMU, and OS-World, which were developed by Vector Institute faculty and Canada CIFAR AI Chairs Wenhu Chen and Victor Zhong. These benchmarks are now used widely in the AI safety community. “Robust benchmarks and accessible evaluations enable researchers, organizations and policymakers to better understand the strengths, weaknesses and real-world impact of these rapidly evolving, highly capable AI models and systems, and ultimately to foster trust in AI,” said Deval Pandya, Vector’s vice-president of AI Engineering. The Vector Institute’s leaderboard highlights leaders and laggards in model performance. DeepSeek-R1’s performance shows that open-source models can achieve competitive performance across most benchmarks and domains, the Vector Institute said. Agentic benchmarks, designed to assess real-world problem-solving abilities, proved challenging for all 11 models that the Vector team evaluated. All models struggled with tasks requiring greater open-ended reasoning and planning capability. The Multimodal Massive Multitask Understanding benchmark evaluates an AI model’s ability to employ reasoning for problems requiring both image and text interpretation across multiple-choice and open-ended question formats. Most models experienced a significant performance drop when tasked with more challenging open-ended multimodal queries. “These results indicate that while multimodal AI is advancing, open-ended reasoning and complex multimodal tasks remain significant challenges, highlighting areas for future research and development.” Vector Institute

The Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing decided not to publish this year’s Canadian Computing Competition (CCC) results as it usually does. The CCC’s co-chairs released a statement explaining that a significant number of students violated the CCC rules and submitted code they had not written themselves. “As such, the reliability of ‘ranking’ students would neither be equitable, fair or accurate,” they said. The competition prohibits the “use of AI and other external tools,” University of Waterloo spokesperson David George-Cosh said. Students around the world enroll in the CCC, which is sponsored by UWaterloo. CCC

AI pioneers Yoshua Bengio and Geoffrey Hinton are supporting a California government bill to create AI industry standards. Senate Bill 813 would let private organizations develop voluntary assessments and safety standards for the technology. The bill authorizes the creation of Multi-stakeholder Regulatory Organizations – private, standards-setting bodies designed to provide legal and regulatory clarity, accountability and agility in an era of exponential AI progress. Bengio, from the Université de Montréal and Mila – Quebec’s AI Institute, and Hinton, from the University of Toronto, signed an open letter in support of the bill; the letter was organized by Fathom AI, a San Francisco-based non-profit. Fathom AI

Longueuil, Que.-based rocket company Reaction Dynamics secured US$1 million in capital commitments from Draper Associates on the Meet the Drapers television show. Meet the Drapers is hosted by venture capitalist Tim Draper and calls itself “the largest global pitch competition,” with venture capitalists travelling around the world to hear pitches from entrepreneurs across a variety of industries. With rocket fuel in hand, Reaction Dynamics’ CEO Bachar Elzein and director of business development Jesse Mikelberg gave Meet the Drapers a crash course in rocket science – and were awarded the $1-million investment. LinkedIn post by Reaction Dynamics

The Trump administration issued an executive order instructing key cabinet leaders and government agencies to speed up the review of seabed mineral exploration licenses and commercial recovery permits while ensuring competitiveness for American companies. The order opens the door to Vancouver-based The Metals Company to advance its technology. The Metals Company said in a statement it welcomed Trump’s order and that the company will “play a central role in supporting an American industrial ecosystem,” with plans for its U.S. subsidiary to file license and permit applications in the U.S. in the second quarter. The Metals Company through its subsidiaries holds exploration rights to two polymetallic nodule contract areas in the Clarion Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean sponsored by the governments of the Republic of Nauru and the Kingdom of Tonga. The White House

Companies in the U.S. have cancelled, downsized or shut down at least 16 large-scale climate tech projects worth $8 billion in total in the first quarter of 2025, according to a new report. That’s far more cancellations than have typically occurred in recent years, according to a report from E2, a nonpartisan policy group. The trend is due to a variety of reasons, including drastically revised federal policies. The Trump administration has worked to claw back federal investments, including some of those promised under the Inflation Reduction Act. New tariffs on imported goods, including those from China (which dominates supply chains for batteries and other energy technologies), are also contributing to the precarious environment. Also, demand for some technologies, like electric vehicles is lagging behind expectations. However, hundreds of projects that have been announced in just the last few years are under construction or operational despite the wave of cancellations. MIT Technology Review

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unveiled a series of measures to phase out all petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the country’s food supply over health concerns. The FDA is establishing a national standard and timeline for the food industry to transition from petrochemical-based dyes to natural alternatives. The agency is initiating the process to revoke authorization for two synthetic food colourings – Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B – within the coming months. The FDA is also working with the food and beverage manufacturing industry to eliminate six synthetic dyes – FD&C Green No. 3; FD&C Red No. 40; FD&C Yellow No. 5; FD&C Yellow No. 6; FD&C Blue No. 1; and FD&C Blue No. 2 – from the food supply by the end of next year. Additionally, the FDA is requesting food companies to remove FD&C Red No. 3 sooner than the 2027-2028 deadline. The FDA is also fast-tracking the review of calcium phosphate, Galdieria extract blue, gardenia blue, butterfly pea flower extract, and other natural alternatives to synthetic food dyes. Sylvain Charlebois, professor and senior director, Agri-food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, noted that Red No. 2 and Orange B are already banned in Canada. Red Dyes No. 3 and No. 40 are permitted in Canada within strict limits.  At this point, Health Canada hasn’t announced any changes to the use of the other synthetic dyes. Food in Canada

The U.S. Justice Department said the best way to address Google’s monopoly on internet searching is to break up the $1.81-trillion company and force Google to sell its popular Chrome web browser – kicking off a three-week hearing that could reshape the technology giant. Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in August that Google had broken antitrust laws to maintain its dominance in online search. He is now hearing arguments from the government and the company over how to best fix Google’s monopoly and is expected to order those “remedies” by the end of the summer. Google’s lawyers countered that Judge Mehta should narrowly target his remedies by looking only at a group of deals that Google makes with Apple, Mozilla, Samsung and others to be the search engine that automatically appears in web browsers and smartphones. These deals were at the heart of the government’s case against the company. The Justice Department’s actions signal that the Trump administration plans to maintain government scrutiny of the tech industry. Apple, Meta and Amazon also face antitrust lawsuits from the U.S. government, with Meta currently in a trial over whether it illegally stifled competition by buying Instagram and WhatsApp when they were young companies. The New York Times

European Union antitrust regulatora issued their first fines under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), hitting Apple with a €500-million penalty over restrictions for app developers, and Meta with a €200-million fine over ad-free access issues. The fines follow a year-long investigation by the European Commission into whether the companies comply with the DMA, which seeks to allow smaller rivals into markets dominated by the biggest companies. Alphabet’s Google and Elon Musk’s X are also facing potential fines from European regulators. Apple said it would challenge the EU fine, while Meta criticized the EU decision. The EU competition watchdog said Apple must remove technical and commercial restrictions that prevent app developers from steering users to cheaper deals outside its App Store. Regulators said Meta’s pay-or-consent model introduced in November 2023 breached the DMA in the period up to November 2024, when it tweaked it to use less personal data for targeted advertising. The White House strongly criticized the EU fines, describing the penalties as a “novel form of economic extortion” that the U.S. would not tolerate. The Globe and Mail

Extreme heat caused by emissions from 111 fossil fuel companies cost an estimated $28 trillion between 1991 and 2020, according to researchers at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. Their study, published in the journal Nature, presents a peer-reviewed method for tying emissions to specific climate harms. The goal is to help hold companies liable for the cost of extreme weather, similar to holding the tobacco industry liable for lung cancer cases or pharmaceutical companies liable for the opioid crisis. The research firm Zero Carbon Analytics counted 68 lawsuits filed globally about climate change damage, with more than half of them in the United States. According to the Dartmouth College study, about one-third of the total cost was attributed to five companies, which can be tied to more than $9 trillion in climate damage. The top-emitting companies and the dollar amount the researchers estimate they are responsible for are:

• Saudi Aramco: $2.05  trillion.
• Gazprom: $2  trillion.
• Chevron:  $1.98  trillion. 
• ExxonMobil:  $1.91 trillion.
• BP: $1.45  trillion.

The researchers calculated that every one percent of greenhouse gas put into the atmosphere since 1990 has caused $502 billion in damage from heat alone, which doesn't include the costs incurred by other extreme weather such as hurricanes, droughts and floods. The research team used 1,000 different computer simulations to translate those emissions into changes for Earth's global average surface temperature by comparing the temperature to a world without that company's emissions. Using this approach, they determined that pollution from Chevron, for example, has raised the Earth's temperature by .025 degrees Celsius. The researchers also calculated how much each company's pollution contributed to the five hottest days of the year using 80 more computer simulations and then applying a formula that connects extreme heat intensity to changes in economic output. This system is modelled on the established techniques scientists have been using for more than a decade to attribute extreme weather events, such as the 2021 Pacific Northwest heat wave, to climate change. CBS News

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched the world’s first AI-powered regulatory intelligence system. The aim of the system is to reshape the legislative process, enabling faster, more precise drafting of laws while maintaining alignment with the country’s values and development goals. The system connects federal and local legislation with judicial rulings, government services and executive procedures. By using large-scale data, it tracks the real-time impact of laws on citizens and the economy and proposes updates when needed. The system will be managed by a newly established Regulatory Intelligence Office within the Cabinet’s General Secretariat. The system aims to reduce the time required for legislative drafting by up to 70 percent and will be connected to global research centers to integrate best international practices into UAE law. BABL AI

VC, PRIVATE INVESTMENT & ACQUISITIONS

New York-based Nourish, which offers virtual dietitian care, raised US$70-million in a Series B round. The round was led by J.P. Morgan Private Capital’s Growth Equity Partners, with participation from Thrive Capital, Index Ventures, Y Combinator, Maverick Ventures, BoxGroup, Atomico, G Squared, and Pinegrove. Nourish’s app supports patients with AI meal tracking, wearable and lab integrations, recipes and more. Nourish also equips registered dietitians with an AI copilot that automates note-taking, surfaces clinical insights and eliminates administrative burden. Nourish said the funding will accelerate product development, expand the company’s registered dietitian network, and deepen strategic partnerships across the healthcare ecosystem. BusinessWire

U.K.-headquartered Zenobē, a fleet electrification and battery storage specialist, is providing $48 million in debt financing to 7Gen, a Montreal-based electric vehicle-as-a-service provider, to scale its commercial EV leasing platform and deploy electric vehicle infrastructure across Canada. 7Gen supports fleet operators with a comprehensive solution that includes fleet assessments, vehicle leasing and financing, charger deployment, energy management and operational support. The company provides its comprehensive EV fleet, ranging from electric vans and trucks to school buses, to small and medium businesses, school bus operators and large corporations across North America. 7Gen will apply the proceeds to finance 400 to 500 new commercial electric vehicles bundled with charging solutions, while refinancing a portion of its current fleet. Zenobē

Canadian-founded, San Francisco-based Fluent Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund, launched its debut fund with US$40 million. The VC firm targets businesses across fintech, health and commerce sectors in high-potential regions. Fluent has invested in 13 startups, including one undisclosed company founded by a Canadian, and has deployed approximately one-third of its fund to date. The firm’s early investments include Sabi, a Nigerian business-to-business (B2B) marketplace transforming agriculture and industrial supply chains, a Saudi Arabia-based construction tech platform, and Prima, a Mexican B2B manufacturing platform. Fluent’s investors include more than 75 founders, technology leaders, venture capitalists, family offices and institutional investors. Venture Capital Journal

San Francisco-based Cluely announced it raised US$5.3 million in seed funding from Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures for an AI tool to “cheat on everything.” The startup was born after 21-year-old Chungin “Roy” Lee, who’s the CEO, posted in a viral X thread that he was suspended by Columbia University after he and his co-founder developed a tool to cheat on job interviews for software engineers. That tool, originally called Interview Coder, is now part of their startup Cluely. It offers its users the chance to “cheat” on things like exams, sales calls and job interviews thanks to a hidden in-browser window that can’t be viewed by the interviewer or test giver. The startup’s other co-founder is another 21-year-old former Columbia student, Neel Shanmugam, who is Cluely’s COO. Shanmugam was also embroiled in disciplinary proceedings at Columbia over the AI tool. Both co-founders have dropped out of Columbia, the university’s student newspaper reported. TechCrunch

Edmonton-based healthtech startup NiaHealth has emerged from stealth mode, announcing it has raised $2.5 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Version One Ventures. Co-founder and CEO Sameer Dhar, along with investors such as Wattpad co-founder Ivan Yuen, contributed to the round. NiaHealth aims to reduce disease through preventative health testing, offering subscription plans that include a variety of biomarker tests. The company uses AI insights and clinician consultations to provide personalized action plans. Having conducted over 100,000 tests in stealth, the service is now available in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Manitoba, with plans to expand across Canada by the end of this year. Startup Ecosystem Canada

France-based insurtech firm Alan has arrived in Canada and set its sights on bringing some more competition to the health insurance market. Like telecommunications and banking, Canadian health insurance is dominated by just a few major players, which Alan’s general manager of Canada Mark Goad said often charge “exorbitant fees” for coverage. Alan aims to help change that, starting with the launch of its first product for the Canadian market – digital group health insurance geared towards tech startups and small businesses that the company said is cheaper and easier to access than comparable services from its competitors. Alan’s mid-tier, $100-per-month option is currently available to businesses in Ontario and Alberta, with the rollout of its premium and more basic plans to follow shortly. Pending regulatory approval, Alan intends to launch the product in British Columbia and Quebec later this year. BetaKit

Toronto-based FundThrough acquired New York City-based fintech lender Ampla which has been searching for a buyer amid financial trouble. The terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. FundThrough said the deal strengthens its digital-first ecosystem and platform designed for small businesses that sell to larger companies and wait to get paid after invoicing. Ampla’s CEO Anthony Santomo will remain a strategic advisor to FundThrough and will be joined by his core team. FundThrough also raised US$25 million in a Series B funding round led by existing investor Klister Credit, which FundThrough plans to use to make more acquisitions, improve its technology and develop new products faster. BCR News

Switzerland-based tech giant STMicroelectronics acquired Toronto-based Deeplite, Nick Romano, Deeplite’s president and CEO, announced in a LinkedIn post. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Deeplite’s software makes it easier to run AI applications on chips in devices like phones and robots. Its client base of semiconductor companies aligns with that of STMicroelectronics, which designs and manufactures chips for customers. Differential Ventures

A Singapore-based subsidiary of China’s CMOC Group Limited announced an agreement to buy Vancouver-based Lumina Gold Corp. in an all-cash transaction with a total equity value of $581 million. Lumina is focused on the Cangrejos project located in El Oro Province in southwest Ecuador. In 2023, the company completed a pre-feasibility study for the project, which is the largest primary gold deposit in Ecuador. The deal is still subject to scrutiny by the federal government, which in recent years has been blocking deals involving Chinese companies and Canadian miners developing critical minerals such as lithium and copper. But gold isn’t considered a critical mineral, so observers think Lumina’s transaction is unlikely to face the same national security issues. Lumina Gold Corp.

REPORTS & POLICIES

Canada needs an updated information technology policy toolkit or risks eroding research investment: Centre for Canadian Innovation and Competitiveness

Canada needs to overhaul its information technology policy toolkit and how IT is adopted, according to a report by the Ottawa-based Centre for Canadian Innovation and Competitiveness.

Outdated rules and institutional inertia – from digital service delivery and data governance to platform regulation and intellectual property – are holding Canadian innovation back, says the report by Lawrence Zhang, head of policy at the Centre, which is affiliated with the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation in Washington, D.C.

Zhang says the consequences are already visible: a world-class AI research community that struggles to see its work deployed in the Canadian economy; a self-proclaimed digital government that still runs on paper forms; and innovative firms that end up scaling their breakthroughs abroad because domestic systems can’t keep up.

“It is not a lack of talent or ambition holding Canada back. It is a policy environment that too often reacts slowly, governs narrowly and inadvertently penalizes those who are building for scale,” Zhang says in his “IT Policy Playbook for Canada.”

Too often, government treats emerging technologies as risks to manage rather than tools to use, according to his report. Regulation gets designed around imagined future harms while immediate productivity gains go unrealized.

“The result is that Canadian researchers are powering global progress while the benefits land elsewhere. If we don’t close this gap, public support for research investment will eventually erode.”

The key takeaways and suggested actions in the report are:

• Canada should treat AI and other emerging tech like infrastructure: something to be built with purpose, integrated into existing systems, and governed with targeted, flexible rules.

Rather than reviving omnibus legislation such as the federal Artificial Intelligence and Data Act, which seeks to regulate all “high-impact” AI applications under a single, preemptive law, the federal government should address AI harms through tailored updates to existing legislation and regulatory authorities. Where necessary, modest legislative amendments can clarify jurisdiction or close gaps, but the goal should be integration, not duplication.

Require industry regulators (e.g. Health Canada, Transport Canada, Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI)) and others to establish post-deployment monitoring frameworks for high-impact AI and emerging technology systems. Coordinate this oversight through the Canadian Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute, ensuring real-world evidence is gathered, potential harms are flagged early, and course corrections can be made without stalling adoption. 

Focus government support on industries where emerging technologies such as AI, robotics and advanced sensors can deliver transformative gains but face adoption barriers, particularly in industries such as healthcare, agriculture and manufacturing.

Encourage industry-specific sandboxes and pilot projects in collaboration with industry and regulators (e.g. AI diagnostic pilots with Health Canada or agritech trials with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) and launch coordinated cost-sharing programs to accelerate deployment of low-risk, high-reward tools.

• Canadian fintech firms are growing, but they remain constrained by a patchwork of regulation, outdated infrastructure and weak national coordination.

Canada trails peers such as the United Kingdom, Australia and Singapore in rolling out real-time payments, enabling open banking and scaling fintech solutions. 

Introduce a federal fintech charter through the Department of Finance or OSFI that allows qualified non-bank financial firms, such as payment platforms, digital lenders and online investment platforms, to operate across Canada under a unified and predictable regime, with tiered licensing based on risk.

Move beyond consultation and implement enforceable rules for secure, consumer-authorized data sharing between financial institutions and trusted third parties. Ensure that the framework covers privacy, liability and system interoperability. 

• Canada needs a structural approach to cybersecurity policy and privacy legislation that is flexible, risk-based and built for interoperability with trusted global trading partners in the long term.

Canada’s cybersecurity posture remains uneven. While major institutions tend to have robust systems, many firms, municipalities and hospitals still operate without clear guidance, consistent standards or sufficient resources.

Fragmented practices and outdated risk assumptions, combined with limited information sharing, leave critical blind spots in a system wherein attackers thrive on speed and coordination.

Create a nationally recognized cybersecurity framework, led by the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, that provides tiered, risk-based guidance for organizations of all sizes. 

Mandate confidential, standardized reporting of significant cybersecurity incidents to a central authority. The system should define clear reporting thresholds and include legal protections to encourage disclosure. It must also set out protocols for anonymizing or aggregating data before public dissemination. It must focus on enabling situational awareness and coordinated response, not public shaming.

Create risk-based cybersecurity guidance for emerging technologies such as augmented and virtual reality platforms and the Internet of Things. Focus on lightweight, voluntary standards and best practices for data security, identity verification, secure firmware updates and privacy protection, especially in consumer, industrial and health-related deployments.

Canada needs privacy legislation that is flexible, risk-based and built for interoperability with trusted global trading partners in the long term – one that differentiates between real threats and low-risk uses.

• Digital government should provide quick access to services, efficient response to crises, and secure, resilient digital infrastructure that businesses can build on. And digital infrastructure policy should embrace performance over orthodoxy.

Require federal departments and agencies to identify their top five most delayed or cumbersome services and redesign them using digital-first principles. This includes process automation, user-centred design and integration with digital ID and backend data systems.

Set outcome-based service standards (e.g., processing times, digital access rates) and report publicly on progress.

Offer provinces clear federal standards, integration tools and alignment incentives to adopt secure, privacy-preserving digital ID systems. Where systems already exist, focus on mutual recognition and interoperability so Canadians can access services smoothly across jurisdictions.

Streamline procurement so agencies can test and scale digital tools more easily. This includes lighter vendor qualification, phased pilot models and procurement that rewards outcomes rather than the lowest bids.

Leverage federal infrastructure and broadband funding to incentivize faster, standardized permitting for 5G deployment in regions with strong industrial or agricultural potential. 

Develop a federal smart infrastructure toolkit for municipalities that includes a package of open-source tools and procurement templates, along with financing models for Internet of Things-based urban systems. 

• Online safety policy should protect users and hold platforms accountable without stifling innovation or turning content moderation into a blunt instrument. And content policy must support Canadian creators, not tax innovation or subsidize mediocrity.

The reintroduction of the federal Online Harms Act (Bill C-63) moved Canada toward an interventionist approach to regulating online content. 

A regulatory model that punishes lawful expression, burdens smaller platforms and encourages overreaching automated tools will ultimately harm Canadians. A smarter framework would protect users and hold platforms accountable without stifling innovation or turning content moderation into a blunt instrument.

Ensure that a future Canadian online safety regime focuses on platform-level risk assessments, response systems and audits rather than attempting to define and police harmful content itself. Require platforms to identify and mitigate specific systemic harms such as incitement to violence or child exploitation, while maintaining due process for takedowns.

Require platforms to clearly state their content policies, to explain how they enforce them, and to provide users with a way to appeal moderation decisions.

Design online child protection rules that focus on high-risk services and empower parents rather than mandating identity or age verification for all users. 

• Competition policy shouldn’t protect the market from size, but rather protect competition where it’s genuinely at risk.

When it comes to digital competition, ensure that the Competition Bureau’s digital enforcement strategy is grounded in clear evidence of anticompetitive conduct, such as exclusionary self-preferencing or predatory pricing, rather than firm size or business model. 

Avoid importing the European Union-style gatekeeper model, which imposes blanket obligations on firms based solely on size. Instead, strengthen the Competition Bureau’s capacity to pursue targeted digital investigations by building internal expertise and improving the Bureau’s understanding of digital business models.

Update Canada’s Competition Act and enforcement guidelines to reflect how innovation and competition actually unfold in digital markets, including harms that don’t show up in prices alone.

Encourage the Competition Bureau to incorporate forward-looking indicators such as innovation and research and development trajectories into its merger and conduct reviews, particularly when early-stage firms or data-rich platforms are involved.

• A modern and ambitious intellectual property policy should be about enabling success and not just boosting the number of patent filings.

Canada needs more of its innovators to make deliberate, strategic decisions about how to protect what they build. From AI models to battery chemistries, value in the modern tech economy is intangible – and far too often, Canadian firms see this value leak away due to weak IP strategies or limited ability to scale protection globally.

Require applicants to federal innovation programs (e.g. Industrial Research Assistance Program, Sustainable Development Technology Canada and the Strategic Innovation Fund) to submit an IP and data strategy as part of their funding applications. 

Boost the capacity of federal agencies to investigate and act on counterfeiting, privacy violations and trade secret theft in high-value tech sectors. Improve coordination between enforcement bodies and industry through structured reporting mechanisms and expand access to legal recourse for SME tech firms that lack the resources to defend their IP rights.

Expand targeted funding and advisory services for Canadian tech firms seeking to protect and commercialize IP in key global markets.

• Canada needs to reevaluate the structural incentives around innovation. That means designing tax tools that reward growth and aligning public R&D with real outcomes.

Canada invests heavily in research but struggles to translate research into commercial impact. The public sector funds a significant share of national R&D, yet private sector investment has stagnated and commercialization outcomes remain uneven. Too often, promising inventions stall in labs, or IP developed in Canada is scaled and monetized elsewhere.

Canada does not lack talent or ideas. Rather, the policy architecture surrounding the innovation ecosystem doesn’t sufficiently reward firms and institutions for moving new ideas from lab to market.

Moreover, the federal Scientific Research and Experimental Development tax credit, Canada’s marquee R&D incentive, needs serious modernization.

Meanwhile, universities lack enough incentives to prioritize commercialization and firms that do succeed in building valuable IP face limited support to commercialize it at home.

Restructure the SR&ED tax credit to a quasi-incremental model that incentivizes increased R&D spending year over year. In other words, firms would receive a higher credit rate on the portion of their current R&D spending that exceeds 65 percent of their average spending over the past four years, effectively rewarding them more for increasing their investment rather than simply maintaining past levels.

Tie a portion of federal research funding in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields to measurable commercialization outcomes such as startup creation, licensing activity or co-developed patents with industry. 

Implement a preferential tax rate for income derived from IP that is developed and actively commercialized in Canada.

• To stay competitive, Canada needs high-standard digital trade rules that enable secure cross-border data flows and global scalability, while countering rising digital protectionism.

Resource exports will remain a cornerstone of Canadian prosperity, but they must be matched by an ambitious strategy for the digital economy.

Make open, rules-based cross-border data flows a core objective in all future trade negotiations

Redesign Canada’s trade promotion services (e.g. through the Trade Commissioner Service, Export Development Canada, and Global Affairs Canada) to better serve digital-first businesses, including software-as-a-service firms, AI startups, and IP-based service exporters. 

Commit to eliminating the Digital Services Tax and implement Pillar One of the OECD/G20 Base Erosion and Profit Shifting framework, which reallocates taxing rights for large multinational enterprises, including digital firms. 

Join the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement as a strategic priority in Canada’s trade diversification agenda. Centre for Canadian Innovation and Competitiveness

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Five innovative technologies have the potential to shape the future: Policy Horizons Canada

Five rapidly evolving innovative technologies have the potential to shift the future in unexpected ways, according to a report by Policy Horizons Canada, the federal government’s centre of excellence in strategic foresight.

These technologies are nanomaterials, batteries, automated transportation, geoengineering, and spatial computing, the report said.

Nanomaterials:

Nanomaterials have at least one dimension less than 100 nanometers – smaller than an HIV virus.

Recent advances have led to more efficient methods for their synthesis, manipulation and application. They are increasingly common in fields such as biomedicine, electronics, industrial chemistry, energy, consumer products and environmental engineering.

Nanomechanics creates materials with unusual properties, such as increased strength, stiffness or conductivity.

Catalytic nanoparticles – tiny, manufactured particles with relatively large surface areas – can enable faster or more efficient chemical reactions. Other nanomaterials can self-assemble, change properties in response to stimuli, and even “heal” themselves when damaged.

In the next five to 10 years, nanomaterials are likely to have increasingly significant impacts on our society and economy, the report said.

Catalytic nanoparticles could be used to break down environmental pollutants such as heavy metals, dyes, and chlorinated organic compounds in lakes and riverways. Nanoparticles may make solar power more efficient, enabling them to capture longer, low-energy wavelengths of light.

Nanomaterials could also improve the quality and performance of products such as coatings, composites, textiles and cosmetics. Advances in nanoelectronics could lead to faster, smaller or more efficient devices and systems, from mobile phones to laptops and smart watches. Electric vehicles could become more environmentally friendly by using more lightweight and conductive nanomaterials.

Smart materials that adapt to changing situations could enhance the resilience of infrastructure, such as power grids, communication networks and transportation systems. For example, regenerative concrete could naturally repair itself when it cracks.

Nano-catalysts that make fertilizer more efficient could make agriculture more sustainable and improve food security.

However, the report cautions that some nanoparticles may endanger human or environmental health and could be very hard to find and remove in non-controlled environments.

Batteries:

Batteries power portable electronic devices, from laptops to smartphones and medical equipment. They power vehicles and enable grid-scale energy storage. This makes intermittent renewable energy sources such as solar and wind more useful contributors to energy systems.

Researchers are improving the lithium-ion batteries that dominate the market despite certain limitations. New lithium cells using less scarce materials could reduce costs and environmental impact, while improving battery lifespan.

Solid-state batteries promise to be smaller, lighter and faster charging. Sodium-ion, magnesium-ion and organic batteries could become viable alternatives.

Over the next five to 10 years, battery technology could give electrical grids more flexibility to store energy from solar and wind farms, for use at night, when the wind stops, or during peaks in energy demand. This would reduce the need to rely on coal and natural gas plants.

Households could also store energy using new battery technologies. This would help them use more electricity at cheaper times and increase resilience against disruptions to the grid.

Emerging battery technologies could shift priorities in the mining sector, with potentially higher demand for materials such as sodium and magnesium and less need for cobalt, nickel, and manganese. This could impact ecosystems and local communities.

The development of battery technology might create more demand for skilled workers – engineers, technicians, and data analysts – to manufacture, install and maintain batteries in sectors such as aerospace, defence, robotics and biotechnology.

Widespread adoption of grid-scale battery technology still faces barriers, such as capital costs, institutional commitment and technical and safety issues. 

Automated transportation:

Automated transportation is becoming a reality in many places. AI systems, trained on vast amounts of data, use sensors and cameras to navigate vehicles through complex environments safely and efficiently without human intervention. Automated systems are becoming the main operators of industrial vehicles.

Over the next five to 10 years, automation could transform supply chains and logistics systems, the report said.

Self-driving cars promise to reduce congestion, accidents and emissions and be more convenient for users. In industrial transportation systems, automation could improve productivity by optimizing routes and increasing capacity. We could see more automated drones, trains and ships that deliver packages and cargo.

Self-driving trucks could transport cargo across long distances without driver fatigue or human error. Cooperative truck platooning – in which centralized control allows trucks to travel more closely together because they accelerate or brake simultaneously – could make cargo transport faster and more efficient.

This could incentivize the development of smart highways that integrate automated vehicles while monitoring and responding to environmental conditions. In the future, other vehicles equipped with AI could automatically join and leave platoons.

Automated construction vehicles such as pavers and excavators could build and maintain large-scale, modular structures. In agriculture, vehicles such as tractors and combines could soon work independently of direct human intervention thanks to GPS, laser guidance, obstacle detection and performance optimization systems.

Automated transportation has the potential to impact the estimated 500,000 Canadian jobs in the transportation sector. This could create both challenges and opportunities for workers, firms and policymakers.

Geoengineering:

Geoengineering – the deliberate modification of Earth’s climate – is no longer confined to science fiction. Some examples are uncontroversial, such as planting more trees to absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

More debate surrounds solar engineering, which aims to cool the planet by reducing the amount of solar radiation that reaches Earth. One approach, stratospheric aerosol injection, involves airplanes spraying tiny particles of sulphate into the stratosphere. These particles reflect sunlight back into space, like large volcanic eruptions. Experimentation is currently underway.

Another form of solar engineering currently being studied is marine cloud brightening. It involves spraying tiny aerosols of salt water into the air from ships to condense surface-level clouds. There has been an attempt to use it to cool the waters of the Great Barrier Reef.

Looking ahead five to 10 years, more research and experimentation with these and other geoengineering methods could produce practical interventions that affect global climate change mitigation efforts.

Solar engineering could help lower global temperatures. The UN estimates that a $20-billion-per-year investment in aerosol injection could offset one degree Celsius of planetary warming.

However, it could also have unwanted impacts. Sulphate aerosol injection may deplete the ozone layer, allowing more ultraviolet radiation to reach Earth and increasing acid rain. The benefits and harms of geoengineering projects may be unevenly distributed. For example, solar engineering could dry out parts of the planet where vulnerable communities exist, such as the Amazon rainforest and East Africa.

Crop yields and disease patterns may shift, altering living conditions and migration patterns. Such changes could also lead to conflicts over resources and land. Unilateral deployments of geoengineering projects may be met with counter-deployments by countries that have been negatively affected.

Turning to geoengineering to address the climate crisis could risk undermining incentives to limit greenhouse gas emissions. If so, geoengineering efforts might need to be continuously increased to offset increased emissions, with heightened risks for ecosystems and biodiversity.

Spatial computing:

Spatial computing blends the virtual and physical worlds. It uses a range of technologies – such as headsets and smartphones – that support augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR).

Spatial computing enhances how we visualize, simulate and interact with digital data. It can create fully immersive experiences (VR). It can overlay virtual digital information on real-world surroundings (AR). It can enable people to interact with virtual elements, for example by turning physical surfaces into touch interfaces where users manipulate virtual objects and elements by touching or tapping them with their fingers on a physical surface or on a virtual display overlaid onto the real world.

By gathering and analyzing data about the world – such as light or soil conditions or flows of traffic – spatial computing can present information that helps users make better real-time decisions.

In five to 10 years’ time, the evolution of spatial computing could make it comparable in significance to the internet and smartphones. Today’s relatively simple bridge between the digital and the physical could become a multi-level, multi-modal and omnipresent portal.

Instead of clunky headsets, we could routinely wear smart glasses or even contact lenses that let us interact seamlessly with digital content in our environment. VR, AR and MR tools for engagement and remote collaboration could open new possibilities in areas from art to news, and from advocacy to public decision-making.

The Internet of Things could equip more objects with sensors to collect physical data in real-time, enabling spatial computing to form part of more extensive and powerful decision-making systems.

Spatial computing could transform training and education. Instead of reading about a process in a textbook, trainees could learn by doing, using VR to simulate real-world scenarios. When the virtual environment includes AI-generated characters, this could include practice handling difficult interpersonal situations.

New technologies for capturing 3D images could make it easier to create “digital twins” of the real world [digital twinning is already being used by some industries, such as for building airliners or large factories]. Digital twins could be used to simulate real-world scenarios – for example, how a self-driving car approaches an intersection, or the best way to fight a forest fire.

While none of these five technologies seems likely to bring the same level of disruption as AI, the Internet, or electricity, their impact may still be profound, the report said.

“A game-changing breakthrough could accelerate their deployment or expand their scope of impact. They may combine with each other, or AI, or any other emergent technology in ways that bring even more surprising opportunities and challenges.” Policy Horizons Canada

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Court challenges could fatally undermine the rationale behind Trump’s tariff war: POLITICO

A growing number of court challenges could fatally undermine U.S. President Donald Trump’s unprecedented global tariff regime, according to an article by senior writer Ankush Khardori in POLITICO magazine.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom was the latest to join the fray with a lawsuit in federal court in California, a development that has already prompted public wrangling between Newsom and the Trump administration.

Newsom follows plaintiffs in at least three separate federal suits – by members of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana, the New Civil Liberties Alliance in Florida, and the Liberty Justice Center in the U.S. Court of International Trade.

All three cases take direct aim at the Trump administration’s reliance on the once-obscure International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA).

The question is whether the courts — including perhaps the U.S. Supreme Court itself — will agree, or whether they will blink in the face of the economic and diplomatic turmoil that Trump has unleashed, Khardori wrote.

The legal case against the tariffs is straightforward. The plaintiffs in the four cases to date frame their complaints slightly differently, but they generally boil down to a handful of arguments.

First, the Constitution gives Congress the authority to tax and impose tariffs. Congress has delegated that authority to the executive branch in a handful of trade laws passed over the course of the last century, but the president’s power in this area is a function of the particular language contained in those statutes. (The likely reason that Trump invoked IEEPA is that, unlike the more commonly invoked trade laws, IEEPA does not require administrative investigations or consultations with Congress.)

Second, the relevant provision of the IEEPA contains a bunch of words, but none of those words is “tariffs” or “taxes.” Indeed, no president before Trump has ever used the IEEPA to impose tariffs.

Third, even if the IEEPA granted the president the authority to impose tariffs, there are no actual “emergencies” here that would support them.

The law authorizes the president to act when there is “an unusual and extraordinary threat . . . to the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States,” and the Trump administration has claimed that there are several different emergencies.

They include the opioid crisis and illegal immigration, which Trump has invoked to support tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China. To support other global tariffs, Trump has claimed that the country’s “trade deficits” constitute the emergency.

At least as a factual matter, credible independent analysts have generally rejected these claims. 

Fourth, as the California complaint correctly notes, IEEPA was passed as part of an effort in the 1970s to limit the president’s emergency economic powers. Congress did not intend to expand the president’s powers or to give him carte blanche to overhaul the global trading system.

At the moment, it is unclear how this all ends, Khardori wrote. “Maybe Trump will eventually back off after he can claim that he secured some new trade agreements, but the challenges in the courts are now way behind, and the consequences of the administration’s haphazard tariff regime will continue to unfold as these lawsuits move forward.”

“The economic and political effects, both domestically and internationally, could prove irreversible by the time a case ever gets to the Supreme Court.”

Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that the American Association of Colleges and Universities released a statement signed by more than 400 campus leaders opposing what they saw as the Trump administration’s assault on academia.

“We speak with one voice against the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education,” the statement said.

The joint statement from university leaders, many of them energized by Harvard University’s confrontation with the Trump administration, emerged after higher education associations and a handful of universities filed lawsuits fighting cuts to funding from the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Energy. Politico

THE GRAPEVINE – News about people, institutions and communities

Toronto-based HEALWELL AI Inc., which focuses on preventative care, announced that James Lee will become CEO, effective July 1, 2025. Lee joined HEALWELL in January 2025 as chief strategy officer where he has been preparing the company's integration strategy. Dr. Alexander Dobranowski will transition to company president and continue to be a member of the board of directors. He will be increasingly focused on the acceleration of the company's AI and data science solutions with large enterprise customers in the life sciences sector as well as continue to lead the company's capital markets activities. Sacha Gera was appointed chief operating officer of HEALWELL. Brad Porter, currently CEO at Orion Health, has also recently taken on the role of chief commercial officer, given the significant revenue opportunities across the combined HEALWELL and Orion Health platforms. HEALWELL AI

California-based Rivian Automotive Inc. named Aidan Gomez, co-founder and CEO of Cohere, to Rivian’s board of directors. Prior to founding Cohere, Gomez was a researcher at Google, working under Nobel Prize winner Geoffrey Hinton in its deep learning division, Google Brain. Rivian makes electric SUVs and pickups, and delivered 51,579 of them last year. The company is working on self-driving capabilities and is considering how to integrate generative AI into the way drivers and riders interact with its cars. Rivian has a software hub in Vancouver and an agreement to use Oakville, Ont.-based Geotab’s data analysis platform for clients buying its vehicles for commercial fleets. Rivian

Bobbi Jo Walker was appointed the new director of marketing and communication to support the PEI BioAlliance, Emergence, BioAccelerator, CleanTech Alliance and associated initiatives. Walker comes from BIOVECTRA where she was director of corporate communications. She has 20-plus years of experience in public affairs, media relations and corporate communications. Walker honed her craft in public affairs with the Department of National Defence’s military research organization – Defence Research and Development Canada – holding roles of progressive responsibilities both at headquarters in Ottawa and at the research-centre level in Alberta. PEI BioAlliance

Ottawa-based Shopify named Carl Rivera as its chief design officer. The New York-based executive joined the e-commerce firm when it acquired his startup Tictail, and was most recently vice-president of product for merchant services and the Shop app. LinkedIn post by Carl Rivera

Helen Hayes left her role and the firm as BlackRock’s head of iShares in Canada as part of a broader restructuring. Hayes joined BlackRock in 2021 and was previously a managing director at CIBC Capital Markets, according to her LinkedIn profile. Sarah Butcher will replace Tracey Grant as the head of institutional client business in Canada, and Grant will move to Philadelphia for a new role focused on strategic initiatives. BlackRock also appointed Steven Leong as head of Canada product and markets and the firm is hiring someone to lead the wealth and asset manager sales channel for Canada, which is a new position. BNN Bloomberg

Nagar Rahmani joined EnerTech Capital, a Philadelphia-based firm, as a special adviser, focusing on investment and strategic partnerships across energy, infrastructure and mobility. Rahmani will be based in Toronto, actively sourcing Canadian deal flow. Rahmani brings experience as a principal at Toronto-based investment firm Kensington Capital Partners, one of the fund-of-funds selected to administer the federal government’s Venture Capital Catalyst Initiative. EnerTech, which has historically allocated over 50 percent of its portfolio to Canada, has made 73 investments to date and manages over $500 million in limited partner capital commitments. Startup Ecosystem Canada

Toronto-based Wittington Ventures, associated with the Weston family, announced several promotions, including Megh Gupta to managing partner and Qasim Mohammad to partner. Gupta, who led Wittington’s healthcare investing and built up its portfolio of healthcare startups across North America as partner, will take on additional responsibility directing the firm’s overall venture investment strategy. Wittington Ventures also promoted Carley-Rose Horowitz, who supported work in the firm’s healthcare vertical, from associate to senior associate, and hired former Foresite Capital healthcare investor Austin Nalen Sprole as a director. BetaKit

The presidents of the U7+ Alliance of World Universities, meeting at the University of Ottawa, signed and delivered a communiqué titled “The Role of Universities in Advancing AI” to the Canadian government. This communiqué reaffirmed the presidents’ commitment to continue to drive new innovations in AI, provide all students with updated training pathways that address AI, create AI training and technology opportunities for all universities within the U7 network, and offer tailored programs for training civil servants and increasing government process efficiency. The leaders of several Canadian institutions signed the communiqué, including McGill University, Université de Montréal, the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, the University of Ottawa, and the University of Toronto. U7+ Alliance of World Universities

Nine post-secondary institutions made it to Canada’s Top 100 list of Canada’s Greenest Employers. The competition assessed employers across the country, ranking them based on employee-led initiatives, programs focused on creating a culture of environmental awareness, and in-house sustainability efforts. The postsecondary institutions on the list are the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Durham College, Humber Polytechnic, Mohawk College, the University of British Columbia, the University of Northern British Columbia, the University of Toronto, the University of Victoria, and York University. Canada’s Top 100

Several postsecondary institutions have embarked on nuclear power-related collaborations. McMaster University and the University of Saskatchewan (USask) each independently signed agreements with Westinghouse Electric Company focused on deploying the eVinci® microreactor in Saskatchewan. As part of the collaboration, USask’s School of Environment and Sustainability has conducted an economic analysis of the benefits and opportunities an eVinci microreactor – ranging from several kilowatts to five megawatts of electricity – could bring if deployed in remote communities to provide reliable and resilient power and heat. McMaster is working with Westinghouse to move the eVinci microreactor toward commercialization, including expanding its reactor testing capabilities through the development of a high-temperature irradiated test rig, which will enable Westinghouse to gather key testing data to support design confirmation and subsequent licensing approval of the eVinci microreactor. George Brown College’s Brookfield Sustainability Institute and Ontario Tech University’s Brilliant Energy Institute partnered to explore how “nano reactors” could expand access to clean energy, particularly in remote and rural communities. Nano reactors are small, portable, semi-permanent reactors that could be used in small communities or for industries such as remote mining, telecommunications and off-grid data centres, where energy demand is lower but reliability is still essential. Westinghouse, Business Wire, Ontario Tech University

Southeast College, Southeast Techhub, and the University of Regina signed a five-year memorandum of understanding to launch the Innovation Centre for Energy Development. This collaborative initiative will support the southeast Saskatchewan region’s economic diversification, applied research and job creation. The partners will focus on creating opportunities in areas such as energy generation and storage, small modular reactors and battery supply chains, and advanced manufacturing. The centre will also support businesses by attracting investments, supporting startups and training the workforce. Southeast College

Concordia University received a nearly $2.6-million gift from Desjardins Group toward its ongoing fundraising campaign supporting entrepreneurship, innovation and professional development. The donation will primarily be used for two efforts: Campus Startup Desjardins, led by District 3, Concordia’s innovation hub – a suite of programs that accelerate the creation of high-impact scientific and technology startups – and Career Development Initiatives such as an annual career fair, internships and a women-in-finance effort. The gift will also support a variety of events. Concordia University

Université de Montréal is fundraising to recruit U.S. researchers, La Presse reported. Vincent Poitout, UMontréal vice-recteur désigné à la recherche et à l’innovation, said the situation in the U.S. has created an opportunity to restore Canada’s position as a leader in research. He added that while the U.S. has long been a preferred location for internationally renowned researchers, the country is becoming less attractive. UMontréal is working to raise $25 million to fund postdoctoral fellowships and support the recruitment of researchers around the world, including the U.S. To date, it has raised $12 million. La Presse reported that other countries – such as France – are also beginning efforts to attract researchers from the U.S. Université de Montréal

Collège LaSalle, Collège Montmorency, the Institut national de la recherche scientifique, the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), La Salle College and the City of Laval have joined forces to create the Collaborative Consortium for Knowledge and Teaching. The new consortium aims to expand postsecondary offerings in Laval to train the next generation, retain talent, generate high-impact projects and foster networking. The first phase of this collaboration will involve the creation of an innovation centre that will house research laboratories and business accelerators. It will also provide collaboration spaces for industry, academia and the community. The five partners hope to begin offering postsecondary programming and initiatives within the next year. UQAM

The University of Toronto (U of T) Scarborough opened the Sam Ibrahim Building, which will be the official home for the Sam Ibrahim Centre for Inclusive Excellence in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Leadership. The five-storey building features study spaces, lounges, labs, open seating areas and technology-enhanced classrooms and lecture halls. Its design meets high sustainability standards, achieved in part through the building envelope’s advanced thermal insulation. The development of both the building and the centre was made possible through a $25-million donation from entrepreneur Sam Ibrahim, president and general manager of Arrow Group of Companies, whose contribution will also fund a research chair, an entrepreneur-in-residence position and three student awards. U of T

Trent University in Peterborough, Ont., launched two new AI-focused degrees: a Bachelor of Arts in AI, the first of its kind in Canada, and a Bachelor of Science in AI. The BA in AI, for students who want to understand how intelligent systems work in relation to human activities, will include technical training in programming and analytics, as well as lessons on the philosophical, social and ethical concerns around intelligent systems. The BSc in AI, for students who want to focus on the technical development of AI systems, will prepare students to build tools and systems that drive AI through an education on topics such as programming, machine learning, data science and statistics. Both programs will include paid co-op options. Trent University

Last year’s cybersecurity incident at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ont., cost the university $818,000 in fees related to consulting and coaching, credit monitoring, overtime and other costs, Sudbury.com reported. The university received a ransom demand from the attackers, but did not pay the ransom. Cybersecurity expert Ritesh Kotak told Sudbury.com that these expenses were not unusual – insurance companies often require an organization to bring in external help to deal with a cybersecurity breach, for example – and could have been higher if any physical infrastructure required replacement. The university has submitted an insurance claim for the costs. Laurentian said new measures brought in since the cyber incident to protect against future situations of this nature include the implementation of new virtual private network software; the installation of endpoint detection and response software; the reconfiguration of firewalls to further restrict access to certain systems; and the implementation of a new vulnerability management solution. Sudbury.com

Conestoga College issued layoff and reassignment notices to approximately 180 support staff, CBC reported. Vikki Poirier, president of Ontario Public Service Employees Union Local 238, told Cambridge Today that staff were informed during a webinar and that affected staff fall into three categories: probationary employees whose positions have ended, employees reassigned to other roles, and employees laid off with 90-day recall eligibility. Cambridge Today reported that this is the most recent round of layoffs as the college responds to fiscal and enrollment challenges. Poirier described the day as “emotional” and emphasized the essential role support staff play in student services and operations. Conestoga College also is relocating select programs and services as it consolidates its Brantford and Kitchener campuses. Programs at these two sites will move to other facilities between May and September. CBC reported that the college’s student association, Conestoga Student Inc., is reducing its services. Among other changes, it will close the emergency support bursary application, withdraw support for academic appeals, and scale back its shuttle service. CBC

Saskatchewan Polytechnic in Saskatoon is laying off 27 fulltime and part-time employees. In a statement, the institution said that it is “facing a decrease in international student enrolment and a reduction in revenues, which directly impacts programming and budgets,” as well as economic uncertainty created by tariffs. The polytechnic added that this decision follows an operational review that focused on its program alignment with current market demand, operating efficiencies  and budget accountability. While it has not disclosed the specific positions or departments affected, the polytechnic said these layoffs will include 13 faculty, 10 professional service employees and four out-of-scope employees. 650 CKOM

University of Ottawa (uOttawa) researchers have made significant strides in understanding the ionization of atoms and molecules, a fundamental process in physics, that has implications for various fields including x-ray generation and plasma physics. Led by Ravi Bhardwaj, professor at uOttawa’s Department of Physics, and PhD student Jean-Luc Begin, in collaboration with professors Ebrahim Karimi, Paul Corkum and Thomas Brabec, the research introduces innovative methods to control ionization using specially structured light beams. Ionization is crucial in strong field physics and attosecond science, where it describes how electrons escape from their atomic bonds. Traditionally, it was understood that this process could not be manipulated beyond certain limits. However, the researchers’ new study, published in Nature Communications, challenges that notion. “We have demonstrated that by using optical vortex beams – light beams that carry angular momentum – we can precisely control how an electron is ejected from an atom,” Bhardwaj said. “This discovery opens up new possibilities for enhancing technology in areas such as imaging and particle acceleration.” The research could lead to better medical imaging, faster computers (including quantum computers) and more efficient ways to study materials. University of Ottawa

University of Calgary researchers are working to bring nuclear adrenal imaging, known as CETO, to Calgary. The technology helps diagnose and locate tumours in the adrenal glands with greater precision prior to surgery. Drs. Gregory Kline and Alex Leung at the Cumming School of Medicine are the principal investigators leading the effort. Kline participated last year in a sabbatical at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, U.K., furthering his expertise at one of the few hospitals in the world currently using the CETO technique. “It’s quite different from the traditional CT scan or MRI,” Kline said. “The process involves injection of a very short-lived compound that finds and sticks to the tumour, giving off a tiny radioactive signal which provides an image of the adrenal glands and tumour within.” Nuclear adrenal imaging generates a more detailed image of the adrenal glands. The researchers were awarded a Canadian Institutes of Health Research grant in January to continue their research with an expanded clinical trial, a phase II clinical trial that will take place over the next three years. Researchers will be evaluating whether the non-invasive CETO scan is more precise in identifying adrenal gland tumours compared with traditional tests. University of Calgary

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