Mining is on a strategic roll
The Canadian mining sector has been a vital cog in the country’s economy during the pandemic, with the importance of the industry growing steadily over time. Operations and exploration continued during the COVID-19 outbreak, collaborations with Indigenous communities expanded, technological sophistication accelerated, and, at a time when environmental assessment processes deter investment in Canada, international […]
AI and 5G
Feds should complete digital transition as part of its response to COVID
Re: “Bell Canada’s cuts were a shoddy way to treat people,” (The Hill Times, Feb. 10, by Andrew Caddell). I would like to point policy-makers to my May 2020 submission to the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology. In it, I suggested that the government complete the digital transition as part of its response to […]
COVID-19 innovations hold lessons for national policy
As the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in early 2020, we witnessed an unprecedented mobilization of the world’s scientific community to develop solutions. Canadian researchers and companies are making vital contributions to these efforts, especially in the area of therapeutics and vaccines. These accomplishments should be celebrated, but also studied, as they can teach us a great […]
Charging onward: Canadian expertise helping to revolutionize how energy is used, created, and redirected
It’s hard to deny that the Earth’s climate is changing. We’re seeing warming temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and more severe weather events. The science is clear that if we continue to burn fossil fuels at the same rate we are now, we’re going to heat the planet to death. This has made managing and developing […]
Artificial intelligence another avenue for government to thwart transparency
OTTAWA—Artificial intelligence (AI) applications in use at federal agencies are rarely publicly known or sufficiently scrutinized. Yet the algorithms in play to either assist or replace the judgment of human decision-makers can make predictions, recommendations, and decisions that can significantly impact individuals and public policy. One example recently brought to light: the Globe and Mail […]
Dedicated B.C. regional development agency to bring bigger focus to tech sector, innovation: MPs and stakeholders
Parliamentarians and stakeholders from British Columbia are welcoming the government’s efforts to establish a new regional development agency for the Pacific province, saying it represents a shift from viewing the West as a “monolith,” will benefit the province’s flourishing tech sector, and will help spur innovation in more traditional resource-based industries. “The tech sector has […]
New small modular reactor action plan a key step for new technology’s growth amid ‘incredible demand,’ says industry group
Canada’s new Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Action Plan is a significant step for the emerging technology’s potential place in the country’s energy grid, say stakeholders who are pushing the government to embrace “first-mover” advantage in the nascent domestic and international market. The plan was released on Dec. 18, 2020, by Natural Resources Canada and builds […]
Is Canada’s oil sector an appropriate target for industrial policy support?
Canadian discussions on the future of oil quickly descend to partisan polemics, with the environmental community arguing that climate change realities mean we need to leave it in the ground, and the oil patch arguing that it’s better that we produce it than our unethical global competitors. It’s hard to see a bridge between those […]
Canada is on the cusp of a historical energy transformation, let’s do it
The year 2020 is expected to be the largest and most abrupt economic contraction since the Great Depression. The cautious expectation is that, once a vaccine for COVID-19 becomes widely available, the economy can enter a quick rebuilding phase. In the months to come, the federal government will be seeking to kick-start Canada’s economic recovery, […]
