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, […]
Unite the forces of government, business, and science to combat climate change post-pandemic
COVID-19 has dominated news headlines in 2020, with governments around the globe focused on protecting the health of its citizens, and businesses across all industries scrambling for ways to both survive and keep their employees safe. This has been the year of a pandemic, but it has also been the year of Australian wildfires, deforestation […]
Canada and Artemis Accords drive Soviet-era space rules into the 21st century
Finally, after 50 years of relying on broad, Cold War-era rules, Canada and other nations are taking serious steps to establish a modern framework to govern activities in space. Earlier this year, NASA announced the development of the “Artemis Accords,” a set of operational principles to guide the American-led initiative to return humanity to the […]
Aerospace sector looks to government for help as pandemic grounds once high-flying industry
The Canadian aerospace sector and parliamentarians are calling on the government to help the once-mighty industry ahead of the Nov. 30 fiscal update, as the pandemic has slashed revenues, jeopardized jobs, and has cast a dark shadow on the medium- and long-term prospects for a return to some kind of normalcy. But even before the […]
Superclusters’ long-term economic impacts, benefits will only become evident over next few years
The Innovation Superclusters Initiative is a flagship co-investment with private industry in five sectors in which Canada has demonstrated significant competitive advantages: digital technologies, protein industries, next-generation manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and ocean science. These sectors represent the world-leading ecosystems of tomorrow, and will unleash Canadian innovation further and faster through public-private partnerships. The five superclusters […]
