As smart cities become our norm, we must be smart about a data strategy
Canadians’ attention has been drawn to the issue of smart cities by the public debate over the merits of Sidewalk Labs’ proposed Quayside development in Toronto. The project brings home a vision of cities embedded with sensors that continuously harvest data about infrastructure and human activity alike. The intense discussions that have broken out around […]
Bains says legislative changes needed to update privacy rules
Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains says the federal government supports legislative changes to Canada’s privacy regime to protect Canadians’ data and meet new “challenges of the digital world.” In an email Q&A interview with The Hill Times, Mr. Bains (Mississauga-Malton, Ont.) said this week the Liberal government “agrees that legislative changes to Canada’s privacy regime are needed,” […]
How regions become innovation hubs
With an eye toward the upcoming 2019 federal election, public sector officials are looking for new approaches to improve the economic vitality of their economies, the livelihood of their citizens and, not coincidentally, their electoral prospects. Public sector efforts in Canada and the United States include: federal investments in field crop research and innovation, the […]
Microgrids eyed as new way to deliver macro impact
On Aug. 14, 2003, the lights went out across much of Ontario and several northeastern states. The Milky Way, normally only visible in more remote communities, could be seen from downtown Toronto, as light pollution was no longer obscuring the solar system. Some 10 million Ontarians were affected, while nearly 50 million Americans were left […]
Canada’s Conservatives will connect communities
As an MP and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer’s shadow minister for innovation, science, and economic development, I get many invitations to talk about rural internet access and get outside the so-called Ottawa bubble. Hearing directly from those who live in rural or remote communities is important for us to truly put people before government. A […]
Reframing Canada’s global AI leadership: a realistic path to the top
All signs point to artificial intelligence (AI) being key to the new economy and perhaps even the 21st century as a whole. But in the world of policy, AI is an abused term that is subject to misinterpretation and political posturing, not to mention real confusion. In Canada, many decision-makers and commentators seem to agree that […]
In the global race for AI, how do we ensure we’re creating a better world?
There is a new gold rush. In the same way that early prospectors raced to stake their claims to extract wealth from the ground, companies are rushing to patent aspects of artificial intelligence (AI) so that they can extract wealth from algorithms and data. This time, however, it is not just about money—though that is […]
Telecommunications services are increasingly expensive for families
According to Statistics Canada’s Survey of Household Spending, Canadian households spent an average of $2,246 on communication devices and services in 2016. Canadian consumers are right to be concerned about the evolution of broadcasting and telecommunications in recent years. They must spend more on internet services that have become both expensive and not easily accessible. Not only […]
Superclusters move toward first projects as Bains says innovation program ‘kicking into high gear’
Canada’s five “superclusters” will spend 2019 getting their not-for-profit entities set up and rolling out their first projects meant to boost sector-wide productivity and collaboration under the Liberal government’s cornerstone innovation program. The federal government reached funding agreements with the five winners of its Innovation Superclusters Initiative last November and December, hashing out what portion […]
Tug of war between innovation and privacy at heart of digital data talks
Following the completion of a series of national consultations on the future of Canada’s digital economy, some stakeholders say they’re concerned that the drive for innovation is being given priority over privacy concerns, but leaders of the consultations say both positions had their voices heard. Last December, federal Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien wrote to Innovation, […]
