Why Canada can’t afford to lose a generation of top talent
The road from recovery to prosperity will be hard and may be long, but it cannot be done without the emerging generation of top talent coming out of Canada’s post-secondary institutions. This is especially true when we consider the young innovators who, in normal times, infuse high-potential enterprises with new knowledge and fresh ideas. These […]
Contact-tracing app faces big technological problems in urban environments, studies say
A pair of research studies from June suggest there could be serious flaws in the COVID-19 exposure notification app promoted by Canada’s federal government. COVID Alert has been out for nearly one month and has been downloaded by some two million Canadians, according to a spokesperson for the Canadian Digital Service. The app, which is based […]
Would-be Conservative leaders wooing Quebec dairy farmers, but organizers say they won’t decide the race this time
The three leading candidates in the Conservative leadership race have all reached out to Quebec’s dairy farmers with promises to protect the supply management system, in a bid to win support from a group that may have swung the last contest in favour of now outgoing Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer. However, the organizer of a […]
Lack of privacy oversight could hurt buy-in for COVID contact-tracing app, say critics
As a new national app to help trace the contacts of those who have tested positive for COVID-19 prepares for a test rollout in Ontario, opposition MPs say it hasn’t been sufficiently scrutinized by the federal and provincial privacy commissioners and that Canada’s privacy laws don’t provide enough protection for users, which could lead to […]
Federal, provincial watchdogs still waiting for full privacy assessment on national contact-tracing app
The federal privacy commissioner says Health Canada only submitted documentation on the new voluntary national contact-tracing app to its office last Friday, June 19—a day after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced the new app is set to roll out in Ontario on July 2. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner […]
Lobby groups push feds to pivot to recovery phase, say more cash needed for key sectors
Associations are pivoting to recovery in their federal advocacy asks, with those among the most actively lobbying government in May pushing for flexibility on some of the government’s emergency measures and calling for more funding to protect at-risk industries. The busiest groups lobbying last month include members in the post-secondary education, oil, and forestry sector […]
Second wave of virus could cut GDP by nearly 10 per cent, experts looks to future of relief programs
A recent Léger poll suggests the public is picking up on what public health officials have been warning for months: a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is possible, even likely, if existing preventative measures aren’t kept in place. Fear of a second wave is widespread, with 76 per cent of respondents to the poll […]
Boost of federal support needed for better cross-Canada internet connectivity
At the end of April, the House of Commons held its first-ever and historical virtual Parliament through the all-Member of Parliament Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic. The session used video conferencing, just like thousands of Canadians have been doing over the past few weeks to connect with family and friends, to access online education […]
How the scientific community started its own COVID-19 response
Tara Moriarty, an infectious disease researcher at the University of Toronto, knew something bad was coming. In late December she started paying close attention to news from China of a novel coronavirus, just as the rest of the world was enthralled with the U.S. assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and the potential consequences of […]
Research & Innovation Policy Briefing
