Innovation
It’s time to think big, bold, and act with a sense of urgency
TORONTO—As the world seeks to avert catastrophic climate change, the times call for “ferocious deployment” of clean technologies already here, but also “ferocious innovation in potentially game-changing technologies,” Eric Lander, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, urged in a challenging speech last month. So it’s time to think big and […]
Canada needs strategy to capture economic value of local research
Canada’s focus on ramping up capacity to develop and manufacture domestic vaccines, respirators, and ventilators to fight COVID-19 and future virus threats makes practical sense, given our current lack of production independence. We’ve done well to secure large stores of pandemic-related products from international partners and get them to Canadians. But it’s never comfortable—or strong […]
Dis-connecting families: feds must expand program so all low-income people get internet access
The pandemic laid bare many of the inequities that persist in our systems. One issue that came to the fore was our need for the internet like never before. Every individual was forced to get on to the world wide web for anything and everything. Even eviction hearings moved online with extreme consequences for low-and-moderate […]
Ottawa’s 5G policy a stress test for Canada-China relations
As the Trudeau government has sworn in its newest cabinet, a decision on Huawei’s involvement in Canada’s 5G network appears to be the next major policy decision to stress relations with China. Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne hinted as much, stating that an announcement from his department is on the horizon with national security considerations to […]
Canada can’t afford to leave research out of the innovation conversation
Over the course of Canada’s late summer election, it was promising to see innovation featured on the agenda of our federal leaders as action is long overdue. We’ve been hearing for too long about how Canada is underperforming on this front, and remedying it is becoming ever more necessary in a world plagued with complex […]
Canada is up to the challenge of Omicron
For many, the COVID-19 pandemic brought tragedy and challenge. Yet, through all the hardships, governments and citizens bet on science to defeat COVID-19. That hope paid off and countries around the world are witnessing the miracles of science through COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccines remain crucial in our fight against COVID, but new therapeutic treatments are also […]
Canada can become a world-class supplier for plant-based ingredients
In the past two years, the Canadian food supply chain experienced more disruption than it has in previous decades. First COVID-19 and now the flooding in British Columbia. While both are tragic events, they are very different. However, both have had the same impact on our food supply chain—demonstrating its fragility and leaving Canadians staring […]
A dare to not only dream big, but actively support Canada’s aerospace future
Aerospace has long stood as a beacon of Canadian ingenuity and industrial capacity, one that earned our nation rank among the leaders of this hotly competitive, global sector. Now, as we emerge from a pandemic and its shattering economic fallout, the question is: what will it take for Canada’s aerospace sector to not only regain […]
Reforms to aviation sector business model needed to support COVID-19 recovery, says Canadian Airports Council president
The business model of Canada’s airports needs a rethink to support their recovery from the devastating financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, with an equity-based financing model as one possibility, according to the president of the Canadian Airports Council (CAC). “There could be a role for equity financing in the model, [but] the devil is […]
