The Short Report: January 29, 2025

GOVERNMENT FUNDING

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) announced more than $74 million to support 107 quantum science projects. The awarded projects aim to address important challenges in quantum science while supporting the development of quantum technologies in a variety of priority areas aligned with the three missions of Canada’s National Quantum Strategy. These areas include quantum algorithms and encryption, quantum communications, quantum computing, quantum materials and quantum sensing. The projects will enhance Canada’s quantum capabilities through domestic partnerships between universities and organizations from the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, including large-scale collaborations across Canada’s regional quantum research and innovation hubs. This investment will also help Canadian researchers establish and grow international research collaborations, including through targeted joint initiatives with France’s Agence nationale de la recherche and the U.S. National Science Foundation. Altogether, the new projects will contribute to the advanced training of more than 500 graduates and postdoctoral fellows at post-secondary institutions across Canada, NSERC said. NSERC

The federally funded, Vancouver-based DIGITAL global innovation cluster announced $5 million in co-investments with its member organizations to support the commercialization and adoption of Canadian quantum technologies. These investments are set to leverage an additional more than $7 million in partner contributions, DIGITAL said. The investments support a diverse range of quantum commercialization and adoption projects and approaches within sectors that are key to Canada’s economic prosperity and security: 

• Verge Ag (receiving $1.9 million from DIGITAL), in collaboration with D-Wave, the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute, the University of Northern British Columbia and Mitacs will aim to model and simulate complex agricultural scenariosat unprecedented scale and speed for real-time decision making by organizations and growers. The project represents the world’s first customer-facing, real-world product powered by quantum computing. 
• Quantum Bridge Technologies (receiving $1.2 million from DIGITAL), in collaboration with Metropolitan Technologies, Thales and the University of Toronto, will aim to advance a unique software and hardware cryptography solutionbuilt to withstand the capabilities of weaponized quantum computing aimed at critical infrastructure.  
• Xanadu Quantum Technologies (receiving $1.6 million from DIGITAL), in collaboration with Open Quantum Design and Haiqu, will aim to enable open-source access for discovering and pioneering new uses for quantum technologies. The project includes the development of a full-stack, open-source quantum computing platform to make quantum computing useful and available to people everywhere. DIGITAL

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) announced up to $169.4 million for Guelph, Ontario-headquartered Linamar Corporation through the Strategic Innovation Fund. The Government of Ontario is providing more than $100 million in funding to Linamar through Invest Ontario. The federal and provincial government funding will support Linamar’s Innovation Driving Green Technology Project, which aims to accelerate the development of green technologies in the automotive sector, such as electric vehicle parts manufacturing and semiconductor packaging methods for EV batteries. Linamar’s primary goal is to expand its portfolio of advanced electrified product offerings that reduce overall emissions, while at the time staying flexible to the needs of the end market as technologies evolve. The project will be implemented at Linamar’s Ontario facilities located in Guelph, Salford, Welland and Windsor. This project will also involve the development of a new semiconductor packaging method, which will enhance the range and efficiency of EVs and reduce the time for a full charge. Linamar’s Innovation Driving Green Technology Project will create approximately 2,000 full-time jobs and 300 co-op positions, and it will bring over $800 million in private investments, ISED said. ISED

Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) announced $41 million for Foran Mining Corporation. This investment, being made through the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), will support the company’s $263.7-million project to adopt and integrate clean innovative technologies at Foran’s McIlvenna Bay mine in Saskatchewan. Foran is striving for its project to be the first carbon-neutral copper project in Canada. Through this SIF contribution, Foran will be able to purchase a battery-electric vehicle fleet, buy and integrate a ventilation-on-demand and heat recovery system, develop a water recycling system, and integrate a pyrite-removal system at its facility. Once completed, the project at McIlvenna Bay mine is expected to be a blueprint for responsible and sustainable mining. In alignment with the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy, this federal investment will increase the domestic supply of two key minerals required for the transition to a clean and digital economy: copper and zinc. Foran’s project will support the development of domestic value chains from exploration to manufacturing. ISED

Research Nova Scotia (RNS) awarded $27 million to four projects through its Focused Research Investments initiative for community-focused research. This is RNS’s largest investment to date and its most significant in community-engaged, outcomes-driven research. The recipients and projects are:

• IWK Health/Tajikeimɨk ($7 million): Etuaptmu’k W’loti: Using Mi’kmaw Knowledge to Create Health & Wellness Solutions – Improve access to culturally safe health and healing experiences for Mi’kmaw children and youth across Mi’kma’ki.
• Cape Breton University ($12.4 million): Homeward Bound: Enhancing Healthcare, Housing, and Social Support for Aging Rural Nova Scotians – Enable aging rural Nova Scotians to stay in the home they choose through coordinated healthcare, housing, and social supports.
• Dalhousie University ($6.5 million): Unifying Networks to Innovate (UNITE): A Whole of System Approach for Youth Mental Health – Advance system-wide innovations for more supportive, effective, and equitable approaches to youth mental health and addictions care in Nova Scotia.
• Community Interest Company in collaboration with Dalhousie University ($1 million): Creating Integrated Restorative Communities for Locally Engaged Solutions (CIRCLES-NS) – Create pathways to healthier communities and better quality of life for Nova Scotians by generating the resources and support needed to address local issues together. Research Nova Scotia

See also: Nova Scotia launches program to fund interdisciplinary research driven by societal outcomes

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) awarded $1.4 million to QEYnet, based in Maple, Ontario, for the demonstration of the company’s quantum key distribution (QKD) technology in space. QKD technology aims to ensure the confidentiality of information exchanged between two parties by using photons (individual particles of light) to generate private encryption keys. QKD in space leverages satellites to securely transmit encryption keys between distant locations using quantum mechanics. CSA's financial contribution will allow QEYnet to test a low-cost QKD technology in space, paving the way for secure global communications and the foundation of future quantum networks. Other projects awarded contributions by the CSA, through its Space Technology Development Program include:

• Ottawa-based Mission Control: $2.15 million for “Machine Learning Operations for Production EdgeAI in Space.”
• Cambridge, Ontario-based StarSpec Technologies: $2.14 million for “InspireSAT Constellations on-Demand.” CSA

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) announced more than $4.5 million in funding for nine projects in southern Ontario or with a national reach under NRCan’s Climate Change Adaptation Program (CCAP). These projects aim to enhance knowledge and skills among professionals, businesses and communities in southern Ontario and across Canada to adapt to a changing climate, through the development and delivery of tools, resources and training. The funding comes from a total investment of $39.5 million, announced on November 14, 2024, through the CCAP and the Climate-Resilient Coastal Communities Program to reduce climate change risks and build more resilient communities across the country in support of the National Adaptation Strategy. NSERC

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) announced $4.1 million in two climate change adaptation projects based around Ontario’s Great Lakes under NRCan’s Climate-Resilient Coastal Communities Program. Two projects led by, respectively, Conservation Ontario and Zuzek Inc., will aim to support coastal communities around the Great Lakes by completing climate change risk assessments and developing integrated adaptation plans and actions in collaboration with regional stakeholders and Indigenous communities. Since 2015, Ottawa said, the federal government has invested more than $6.5 billion in adaptation efforts, including $2.1 billion since fall 2022 to implement the National Adaptation Strategy and other adaptation-related activities. NRCan

The Government of Nova Scotia invested more than $1.4 million through the province’s Community Economic Development Fund to support the Microelectronics Innovation, Design and Integration (MINDI) Hub at Dalhousie University. The hub will support the development and building of microelectronics specific to key strategic sectors. Working with CMC Microsystems, Nova Scotia academics and students, industry and businesses will have access to advanced technologies to develop products with custom semiconductor designs. The hub will focus on microelectronic systems integration for the ocean sector, marine, naval defence, health, agriculture and communications technologies. The systems will include technologies such as sensors, biomedical applications and satellite communications to help local companies grow. MINDI will support programming, build local expertise, train and retain graduates, and work with the local industry. Govt. of Nova Scotia

Fifteen First Nation partners and the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada have finalized the terms of reference for the conduct of the regional assessment in the Ring of Fire area (traditionally referred to by local First Nations as Kawana ‘bi ‘kag) in northern Ontario. The area, about 540 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, is rich in mineral deposits, including critical minerals needed for the clean energy transition. The terms of reference set out how the co-led regional assessment will provide information on the impacts of any potential future development and reflect a joint commitment of all the parties to work cooperatively throughout the process. A working group, made up of community members from 15 First Nation partners and the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, will conduct the regional assessment, which will examine the potential environmental, health, social and economic effects and benefits of any future development. The working group will prepare a report which will contain a description of the information collected during the conduct phase and the results of those findings. Once finalized, the report will be submitted to the chiefs of all First Nation partners and the federal minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada. Impact Assessment Agency of Canada

The First Nations Finance Authority (FNFA) is proposing that the Government of Canada fund a $100-million backstop that could be used as collateral by Indigenous contractors to bid on federal contracts, since the Indian Act prevents them from using assets on reserves. An Indigenous contractor who might have, for example, $2 million worth of equipment based on a reserve, cannot use those assets to obtain the surety bonding necessary to bid on federal contracts. The federal Indigenous procurement program is falling well short of its goal to direct five percent of federal government contracts to Indigenous businesses by the end of 2024. The status quo of the Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business (PSIB) is already rife with problems. One major concern centres on a provision allowing non-Indigenous companies to qualify for the program if they partner in a joint venture with an Indigenous company and the partner performs at least one-third of the work. In September 2024, the Assembly of First Nations said the majority of PSIB contracts were going to shell companies that have only loose ties to Indigenous companies. The Globe and Mail

 RESEARCH, TECH NEWS & COLLABORATION

Global pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, headquartered in Cambridge, U.K., announced a Cdn$820-million investment in Canada for a larger, state-of-the-art office facility in the Greater Toronto Area. New investment in Canada will contribute to the company’s global ambition to achieve US$80 billion in total revenue and to bring 20 new medicines to patients around the world by 2030, of which eight new medicines have been delivered to date, AstraZeneca said. The company said it is one of the leading R&D investors in Canada, contributing more than $230 million in R&D in 2023. AstraZeneca’s investments in Canada since 2023 now exceed $1.3 billion, creating a combined 1,200 new highly skilled jobs. In 2024, AstraZeneca completed a $3-billion agreement to acquire Hamilton-based Fusion Pharmaceuticals, which is developing next-generation radioconjugates with the promise to redefine radiotherapy for cancer patients. The Government of Ontario, through Invest Ontario, is providing $16.1 million in support to AstraZeneca in bringing new, highly skilled jobs to the province. The expanded operations will strengthen AstraZeneca’s research and capabilities and enhance clinical trial design in oncology, immunology and infectious diseases by leveraging AI, computational pathology and digital health technologies, Invest Ontario said in a statement. Invest Ontario provided AstraZeneca with site selection services, market intelligence and immigration support to streamline the investment process. AstraZeneca

A new initiative at the University of Alberta (U of A) will leverage cutting-edge research to address global water challenges, with a $1.4-million contribution from utilities firm EPCOR, the founding member of the Water Research Centre (WRC). The WRC, based in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the School of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, aims to advance sustainable water practices and ensure the long-term reliability of water and wastewater systems. The centre will build on U of A’s existing expertise while collaborating with industry, government and Indigenous partners to tackle critical issues related to water supply, treatment, reusability and infrastructure. EPCOR’s investment will support research and initiatives both locally and across North America, focusing on water security and sustainability. CityNews

The Council of Ontario Universities, through the Ontario Council on University Research, announced two new innovation initiatives in partnership with the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI), focused on advancing life sciences, critical minerals and battery innovation. Ontario recently launched Phase 2 of its life sciences strategy. The Life Sciences Group, co-chaired by Raed Kadri, head of the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network at OCI, and Les Jacobs, vice-president, research and innovation at Ontario Tech University, will focus on strengthening Ontario’s growing life sciences ecosystem while examining opportunities to further expand health innovation, medical technology, biomanufacturing, agriculture and agri-food. The Critical Minerals and Battery Innovation Group, co-chaired by Kadri and Andrew Dean, vice-president, research and innovation at Lakehead University, will address the province’s growing need for a resilient and sustainable supply chain to support electrification and the next generation of battery technologies. Ontario’s Universities

Toronto-based Xanadu announced it achieved a “world-first” in the quantum computing industry by successfully building a universal photonic quantum computer consisting of four modular and independent server racks that are photonically interconnected and networked together. This 12 qubit machine, known as Aurora – which builds on Xanadu’s previous X8 and Borealis systems – consists of 35 photonic chips and a combined 13 kilometres of fiber optics all operating at room temperature. With this breakthrough, Aurora could in principle be scaled up to thousands of server racks and millions of qubits today, realizing the ultimate goal of a quantum data centre, Xanadu said. This result is published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature and “marks a pivotal milestone towards realizing utility scale quantum computing,” the company said. Xanadu’s architecture and the use of robust qubit states show that key quantum computational processes such as quantum gate operations, real-time error correction and decoding are possible within the stringent limitations set by quantum clock rates and classical hardware control, Xanadu said. A realistic path to scaling up by orders of magnitude is provided, led by straightforward networking of an indefinite number of modules, which are necessary for large-scale implementations. Xanadu

The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo) is one of four founding partners of a new Canadian non-profit focused on democratizing quantum computing. The non-profit – Open Quantum Design (OQD) – has created the world’s first open-source, full-stack, trapped-ion quantum computer, the OQD’s partners said. Those partners are Xanadu, UWaterloo, the non-profit Unitary Foundation working to create a robust quantum technology ecosystem, and San Francisco-headquartered Haiqu. OQD’s goal is to share the intellectual property related to this computer and to accelerate quantum research by bringing academia and industry into an ecosystem for collaborators looking to participate in a global quantum “sandbox.” UWaterloo and the other three founding partners of OQD have formally signed on to participate in the organization’s open-source platform, which will give the university access to design forums and key information about the quantum computer. UWaterloo

Two Canadian protein companies were selected to participate in Minnesota-based MBOLD’s Bold Growth mentorship program. The program helps startups scale up with coaching by senior leaders from MBOLD member companies and MBOLD’s Minnesota-based network of corporate food and agriculture providers. For its inaugural Bold Growth International cohort, MBOLD selected:

• Prairie Fava, a Glenboro, Manitoba-based vertically integrated company that produces food ingredients from fava beans, an up-and-coming crop with a very favorable environmental footprint.
• Three Farmers Foods, a Saskatoon-based manufacturer of snacks made from superfoods chickpea, fava and lentils.  

Bold Growth International is managed by Minnesota’s non-profit Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, Naturally Minnesota and MBOLD staff and is supported by MBOLD members and the Builders Initiative. MBOLD

Montreal-based nonprofit QueerTech launched a new accelerator for Canadian entrepreneurs who identify as members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. QueerTech also named Virtual Gurus founder and CEO Bobbie Racette, an Indigenous, Cree-Métis, and 2SLGBTQIA+ tech entrepreneur, chair of the organization’s board of directors. Targeted toward early-stage startups with a prototype, proof of concept or minimum viable product, QueerTech’s 12-week QT Founders Catalyst Program will be delivered virtually with in-person networking opportunities in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Halifax and Vancouver. QueerTech aims to help provide participating 2SLGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs with the tools, resources, mentorship and networks to overcome barriers and scale their ventures. The QT Founders Catalyst Program is being financially supported by the Government of Canada via the 2SLGBTQIA+ Entrepreneurship Program, being administered by the Canadian Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. Betakit

Websites for Shopify’s Indigenous-focused initiative and the Empowered by Shopify directory of Black- and Indigenous-owned businesses are now unavailable, following the recent departures of the Ottawa-based e-commerce company’s Equitable Commerce and Build Native program leads. The Build Native program, established in June 2020, provided resources and financial incentives for Indigenous-led companies to grow their e-commerce presence. The program’s stated goal was to build a “global support system” for Indigenous entrepreneurs. As first reported by independent journalist Rachel Gilmore, Shopify is now powering conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ new online store. Jones was ordered in 2023 to pay US$1.5 billion in damages after U.S. courts found he intentionally defamed relatives of school children killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting. Gilmore also first reported in November 2024 that Shopify had quietly changed its Acceptable Use Policy to allow for hateful content. Several large corporations have rolled back their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), including Amazon, McDonald’s, Meta and Walmart. U.S. President Donald Trump, shortly after his inauguration, issued an executive order scrapping DEI initiatives in all federal agencies. The order would cut funding to DEI programs across all agencies and includes a review of offices renamed because of DEI initiatives. Betakit, BBC

Isomorphic Labs, a spinoff of Google Deep Mind, expects to use AI-designed drugs in clinical trials this year, Isomorphic’s CEO Demis Hassabis said during a panel session at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The company’s platform is based on DeepMind’s AlphaFold AI tech, which models molecular structures – like DNA and RNA – and predicts how they interact. AI’s ability to quickly process vast amounts of data has the potential to accelerate drug development, which typically takes around a decade from the initial discovery stage through regulatory approval. Last year, Eli Lilly and Novartis entered strategic research collaboration agreements with Isomorphic. Eli Lilly paid $45 million upfront to discover small molecule therapies aimed at multiple disease targets, with the potential for up to $1.7 billion for Isomorphic if certain performance-based milestones are met. In a similar arrangement, Novartis paid $37.5 million in cash up front with the potential for Isomorphic to receive another $1.2 billion. EMARKETER

The thawing of permafrost presents various risks to the Arctic environment and the livelihoods of its people, according to an international study that included researchers at Université du Québec à Montréal and the University of Victoria. Increasingly thawing permafrost soils not only pose a global threat due to the carbon dioxide and methane gas stored in them, but also have far-reaching implications for the approximately 3 million Arctic residents who live on permafrost soils, the study said. The interdisciplinary team of scientists studied four Arctic regions between 2017 and 2023 as part of the "Nunataryuk" project: Longyearbyen (Svalbard, Norway), the municipality of Avannaata (Greenland), the Beaufort Sea region the Mackenzie River Delta (Canada) and the Bulunskiy district in the Republic of Sakha (Russia). The researchers identified five interrelated key hazards: infrastructure failure, disruption of mobility and supply, decreased water quality, challenges for food security, and exposure to diseases and contaminants. Infrastructure in coastal areas, along rivers, in deltas and mountainous regions is particularly at risk. In Canada and other regions where the population is heavily dependent on hunting and fishing, erosion also affects food security as hunting and fishing cabins become more difficult to reach, soils turn to quicksand and thaw slumps (a type of landslide) must be avoided. In the follow-up project ILLUQ, the scientists are now investigating the complex cluster of topics related to permafrost, health and pollution. EurekAlert!

Research led by Portland State University (PSU) found microplastics in the edible tissues of six economically or culturally important west coast fish species. The research team compared particle concentrations across trophic levels and whether their position in the food web affected what and how much was contaminating the fish species’ edible tissue as well as whether there were differences in samples acquired directly from research fishing vessels versus those from supermarkets and seafood vendors. The team’s study, published in the journal Frontiers in Toxicology, found 1,806 suspected particles across 180 of 182 individual samples. Fibers were the most abundant, followed by fragments and films. Pink shrimp had the highest concentrations of the tiny particles that shed from clothing, packaging and other plastic products. Chinook salmon had the lowest concentrations, and black rockfish, lingcod, herring and lamprey were in between. Although the study focused on fish in Oregon waters, similar results are likely in British Columbia and Maritime waters. “It’s very concerning that microfibers appear to move from the gut into other tissues such as muscle,” said Susanne Brander, an ecotoxicologist and associate professor in Oregon State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences, who helped analyze and validate a subsample of suspected plastics in her lab. “This has wide implications for other organisms, potentially including humans too.” The study by PSU’s Applied Coastal Ecology Lab was led by Elsie Granek, professor of environmental science and management. The authors are not advocating for people to stay away from seafood because, as Granek noted, microplastics are everywhere: in bottled water, beer, honey, beef, chicken, veggie burgers and tofu. Portland State University

Researchers with the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences found that exposure to high fluoride levels was linked to lower I.Q. scores in children. In a peer-reviewed study published in JAMA Pediatrics, the researchers conducted a comprehensive analysis of scores of previous studies, including three done in Canada. The study found a significant inverse relationship between exposure levels and cognitive function in children. None of the studies included in the analysis was conducted in the U.S., where – as in Canada – recommended fluoridation levels in drinking water are very low. At those amounts, evidence was too limited to draw definitive conclusions. Yet in countries with much higher levels of fluoride in water, the analysis found evidence of what scientists call a dose-response relationship, with I.Q. scores falling in lock step with increasing fluoride exposure. Pregnant women and children are exposed to fluoride through many sources other than drinking water: toothpaste, dental treatments and some mouthwashes, as well as black tea, coffee, soda and juices, and certain foods such as shrimp and raisins. Some drugs and industrial emissions also contain fluoride. For every one part per million increase in fluoride in urinary samples, which reflect total exposures from water and other sources, I.Q. points in children decreased by 1.63, the analysis found. “There is concern that pregnant women and children are getting fluoride from many sources and that their total fluoride exposure is too high and may affect fetal, infant and child neurodevelopment,” said Dr. Kyla Taylor, an epidemiologist at the national institute and the report’s lead author. Taylor said that the analysis was meant to contribute to the understanding of the safe and effective use of fluoride. But she noted it did not address the benefits and was not intended to assess “the broader public health implications of water fluoridation in the United States.” Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s choice to head the department of health and human services, has questioned the safety of fluoride and has said one of the first acts of the Trump administration will be to advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water supplies. The New York Times

U.S. President Donald Trump, in his first day in office, revoked a 2023 executive order signed by former President Joe Biden that sought to reduce the potential risks artificial intelligence poses to consumers, workers and national security. Biden’s executive order directed the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology to author guidance that helps companies identify and correct flaws in AI models, including biases. The executive order also required developers of AI systems to share the results of safety tests with the U.S. government before they were released to the public. Critics allied with Trump argued that the executive order’s reporting requirements were onerous and effectively forced companies to disclose their trade secrets. Trump also ordered a halt to all wind energy development on federal lands and offshore, rescinded support for any policies that favour electric vehicles, and is poised to cancel tax credits for “green” hydrogen and geothermal energy projects offered under the Inflation Reduction Act. TechCrunch

VC, PRIVATE INVESTMENT & ACQUISITIONS

 Montreal-headquartered private equity company Novacap raised more than US$1 billion for the firm’s first fund dedicated entirely to investing in digital infrastructure. The financing included participation from existing and new institutional investors, family offices and high-net-worth investors from North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia in primary fund commitments along with co-investments, Novacap said. The fund focuses on equity investments in North American lower mid-market companies providing essential connectivity and data access services backed by robust, existing physical assets. The fund has already invested in four companies: emergency services infrastructure company INdigital; broadband network provider All West Communications; wireless digital assets developer Communications Tower Group; and data centre operator Hyscale. Novacap

Toronto venture capital firm Georgian Partners led an US$80-million Series C funding round for San Francisco-based Render, which offers a cloud software platform. Participants in the round included 01A, avra, and existing investors Addition, Bessemer Venture Partners, General Catalyst, and the South Park Commons Fund. Render builds accessible and reliable cloud infrastructure, helping software teams ship products fast and at any scale. Render

Toronto-based medtech company MolecuLight secured a US$27.5-million investment from London, U.K.-based Hayfin Capital Management LLP. MolecuLight said this investment will accelerate the company’s continued growth in the U.S., Canada, and Europe across hospital in-patient and out-patient clinics, independent wound care clinics, podiatrists, mobile care, skilled nursing facilities and long-term care centers. MolecuLight’s portable fluorescence imaging devices provide real-time visualization of harmful bacteria in all wound types, empowering clinicians to make informed decisions and improve patient outcomes while reducing cost-to-care. This includes shortened healing times, reduced use of unnecessary antibiotics, complication avoidance and minimized failure of skin substitute products. MolecuLight was founded in 2012 by Ralph DaCosta, a Toronto-based research scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. MolecuLight

Montreal-based startup Optable raised US$20 million (including US$6 million in venture debt) in a Series A acceleration round, led by TELUS Global Ventures with reinvestment from previous investors, including Hearst Ventures, Brightspark Ventures, Desjardins Capital, Deloitte Ventures, AsterX, and others. Optable offers an identity management and collaboration platform designed for the advertising ecosystem. Optable said the funding enables the company to keep building its data tools for its partners, which include publishers, retailers and marketers. PR Newswire

Toronto-based venture capital firm Portage led a US$20-million Series B round for New York-based business communications company LeapXpert. Other participants were existing investors, including Rockefeller Asset Management, Uncorrelated Ventures, and the Partnership Fund for New York City. Ricky Lai, partner at Portage Ventures, joined LeapXpert’s board of directors. LeapXpert’s cloud-based communications platform enables relationship owners to engage clients on their preferred platforms while ensuring governance, compliance and security. LeapXpert said it will use the funding to grow its customer base and develop its technology. LeapXpert

The billionaire Weston family’s Wittington Investments Ltd. has secured the first deal for its new innovation fund, which seeks to support fledgling companies looking to turn cutting-edge health and climate technology research into marketable products. Wittington Innovation Fund, managed by Wittington Investments, led a $14-million venture capital financing round for Grey Matter Neurosciences Inc., a startup aiming to treat Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related brain disorders with an emerging mode of treatment known as focused ultrasound, using technology developed by the Sunnybrook Research Institute. The financing included Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners, Ontario Brain Institute, and Ontario's Life Sciences Innovation Fund, an early-stage co-investment fund managed by the Ontario Centre of Innovation that supports Ontario-based companies in the life sciences and health technologies sectors. Grey Matter Neurosciences

Toronto-based startup Basetwo, an AI platform for manufacturing engineers, raised US$11.5 million in a Series A funding round led by AVP. Participants included existing investors Glasswing Ventures, Deloitte Ventures, Global Brain Ventures, Shimadzu Corporation, Chiyoda Corporation, and prominent UAE angel investors via Qora71. Basetwo's Physics AI platform combines fundamental chemical engineering principles with AI to optimize pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturing processes. The company said the funding will accelerate the development of Basetwo's AutoPilot technology for autonomous, real-time manufacturing control while expanding the company's presence in the U.S., Japan, Europe and the Middle East. Basetwo will continue growing its business development, AI and software engineering teams to support increasing market demand. Basetwo

Boeing invested $10.3 million in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland-based Solace Power Inc. to expand its aerospace footprint and bolster economic growth in Atlantic Canada. The strategic investment is part of Boeing’s Industrial and Technological Benefits commitment to Canada for selecting Boeing’s P-8A Poseidon to fulfill the country’s long-range multi-mission aircraft role. Solace Power, a global leader in high-performance wireless power technology, will establish a Surface Mount Technology (SMT) local production facility in Newfoundland and Labrador with Boeing’s investment. SMT is a means for applying electronic components directly onto the surface of printed circuit boards for use in commercial, defence, aerospace and adjacent markets. The funding will nearly double Solace Power’s local workforce in support of the expansion, which also includes support for the company’s entry into related industries such as automotive and telecommunications sectors. Boeing

Space startup Spaceium raised US$6.3million  toward building a network of in-space refuelling stations, in a seed funding round led by Initialized Capital. Spaceium’s technology would replenish space vehicles’ propellant in orbit from automated depots holding multiple tonnes of fuel. The seed funding will support a demonstration project to show that its tech works in space, not just on the ground, the company said. Enabling refueling in space will allow spacecraft to extend lifespans, conduct more operations in space, reduce launch costs and carry heavier payloads, Spaceium said. The company was co-founded by University of Ottawa engineering grads (and rocketry club members) Ashi Dissanayake and Reza Fetanat. Spaceium was part of Y Combinator’s summer 2024 cohort and is now headquartered in Long Beach, California. Spaceium

New York-based financial services research publishing and distribution company BlueMatrix, which is backed by software-focused investor Thoma Bravo, acquired Toronto-based Street Context, an email analytics firm. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. Both companies provide offerings meant to centralize and manage communications and intelligence around investments and the capital markets. The combined company will integrate authoring, financial data and consumption analytics into one unified platform that empowers financial institutions to deliver more targeted, engaging and data-driven communications to clients, BlueMatrix said. Since the start of this year, Canadian companies acquired by foreign firms include Montreal-based BrainBox AI, Toronto-based e-commerce software aggregator Carbon6 Technologies, Toronto-based human resources software company Humi, and Montreal-based debt collections technology provider Lexop. PR Newswire

Atlanta, Georgia-headquarted OneDigital, an insurance, financial and human resources consulting company controlled by Canadian private equity firm Onex, acquired Montreal-based PWL Capital, one of Canada’s largest wealth management firms. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. PWL manages approximately $5.5 billion in client assets and provides tailored wealth management and financial planning services to more than 2,300 client families across Canada. As part of the acquisition, PWL will transition to the OneDigital brand while continuing to operate as an independent subsidiary. The deal marks OneDigital’s first move into the Canadian market. OneDigital

Calgary-based Willow Biosciences launched a strategic review that includes the possibility of selling all or part of Willow’s business and assets. The decision comes after unsuccessful attempts to secure financing under favourable terms amid challenging market conditions, the company said. Other strategic alternatives also include merger with a third party, joint ventures, royalty or licensing arrangements, new strategic shareholders and various financing alternatives. Willow develops biomanufacturing processes for producing high-value ingredients in pharmaceutical, food and beverage, agriculture and consumer markets. Stock Titan

Texas-based electric vehicle startup Canoo has filed for bankruptcy and will shut down. Canoo said it has been unable to secure financial support from the U.S. Department of Energy, despite being an American company successfully delivering to such organizations as NASA, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Postal Service and other customers. Efforts to secure foreign sources of capital were unsuccessful, Canoo said. A court-appointed trustee will manage the liquidation of the company’s assets. Canoo had developed EVs with a modular platform, steer-by-wire technology and end-to-end software, designed to be customizable for a variety of business and consumer applications. Canoo

REPORTS & POLICIES

 Comprehensive Arctic research strategy needed to identify priorities and long-term goals: Standing Committee on Science and Research

Ottawa, in collaboration with provincial, territorial and Indigenous governments, Northern communities and the research community, should develop a comprehensive Arctic research strategy, says a report by the Standing Committee on Science and Research.

The federal government also needs to review Arctic research programs, explore ways to develop additional research centres across the Arctic, and ensure proper collaboration between researchers and Northern communities, according to the report.

The report’s 20 recommendations also include that the federal government increase funding to cover the current and expected future costs of Arctic research programs, support the development of Arctic researchers, and review current Arctic environmental monitoring programs in consultation with Arctic communities, Indigenous organizations and Arctic researchers.

Ottawa also needs a plan to replace Canada’s only Arctic research vessel, the Amundsen, which is 45 years old and nearing the end of its useful life, and should continue to support Arctic energy initiatives, the report says.

The House of Commons standing committee looked at the science and research needs in Canada’s Arctic in relation to climate change. The 12-member committee, chaired by Valerie Bradford, Liberal MP for Kitchener South-Hespeler, Ontario, heard from 34 witnesses and received five briefs.

Many witnesses who testified “spoke to the need for Canada to develop a comprehensive Arctic research strategy,” the report says. “Several witnesses were concerned that Canada was not showing adequate leadership among Arctic nations regarding science and climate change.”

Witnesses recommended the development of an Arctic research strategy that should aim to improve long-term planning and priority-setting, and take a multi-disciplinary, cross-departmental approach.

Canada “can’t conduct research on climate change and its impact in Canada’s far north if we establish a three-year program and then replace it with another program so we have to change everything,” said Normand Voyer, professor and director of the Centre for Northern Studies at Université Laval.

Witnesses testified that a comprehensive Arctic research strategy for Canada could help harmonize the work of diverse political, scientific and local communities and allow the federal government, Northern communities and scientific stakeholders to collaborate in setting research priorities.

Witnesses also emphasized the powerful impacts of climate change in Canada’s Arctic and its effects, including melting sea ice, thawing permafrost, extreme weather events, loss of plant biodiversity and changes to animals’ migratory patterns.

The prime drivers of human-caused climate change aren’t in the Arctic, the committee noted. “The main causes of the challenges the Arctic environment is facing are located in industrial areas to the South.”

Witnesses pointed out that the amount of funding provided by the Polar Continental Shelf Program – described as “the glue that holds Canadian Arctic research together” – hasn’t kept pace with the rising costs of doing research in the Arctic.

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), in a brief to the committee, said that between January 2018 and June 2023, SSHRC awarded over $158 million through SSHRC-specific and tri-agency funding opportunities to support Northern research, including on Arctic-related topics.

Kimberly Strong, a professor of physics at the University of Toronto, testified on behalf of the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL), an observatory in Eureka, Nunavut that tracks changes in the Arctic atmosphere. PEARL is accessible only by charter aircraft and an annual summer shipping route. Strong said PEARL’s ongoing operations are at risk due to a lack of stable funding.

Many witnesses recommended to the committee that the federal government increase funding for Arctic research, particularly due to the higher cost of conducting research in the Arctic compared with more southern locations in Canada.

Andrew Derocher, professor of biological sciences at the University of Alberta, said the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s Northern Research Supplement, which was established to offset the higher cost of doing research in northern Canada, has not adjusted its value in many years.

Witnesses also pointed out the need for more long-term funding for projects, particularly for climate change research, which often requires long timelines for data collection, analysis and the development and deployment of adaptation and mitigation strategies.

Derocher cited the loss of important research stations due to limited funding, such as a base in Tuktoyaktuk.

There is a need for greater coordination among levels of government, researchers, research funding programs, research institutions, communities and businesses across Canada’s Arctic, witnesses told the committee.

In many cases in Canada’s Arctic, scientific research is taking place on Indigenous land. Witnesses said such research must be driven by Indigenous rights-holders and support reconciliation and self-determination.

This includes funding Indigenous governments, organizations and researchers directly, as well as ensuring Indigenous participation and direction in non-Indigenous led research projects, such as agenda setting, selecting research teams, determining research methodology, and data analysis and reporting.

Several witnesses noted there is a lack of economists and business specialists working in the Canadian Arctic and helping to inform economic development.

Other witnesses pointed to the potential to support Arctic economic development in areas such as resource extraction, construction, manufacturing and shipping.

Jessica M. Shadian, president and CEO of Arctic360, described, as an example of the lack of construction capacity in the Arctic, Iqaluit’s hotel and conference centre that was fabricated in and imported from China.

China is attempting to purchase and invest in property, financial assets and businesses in Canada’s Arctic, the U.S. denies Canada’s claim over the Northwest Passage, and Russian submarines are testing the boundaries of Canada’s Arctic waters, said Tom Henheffer, CEO of the Arctic Research Foundation.

Jackie Dawson, Canada Research Chair in Human and Policy Dimensions of Climate Change at the University of Ottawa and ArcticNet, recommended to the standing committee that Canada establish an ambassador for the Arctic to strengthen international relations in this area.

Food security rates in the North are upwards of 70 percent for moderate and severe food insecurity, while Arctic residents have a life expectancy more than 10 years lower than the average Canadian life expectancy, witnesses said.

The standing committee recommended that the federal government, through Nutrition North Canada, and in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous groups, review food security and food sovereignty programs in the Arctic to identify areas for improvement and then take appropriate measures.

The Conservative Party of Canada, in a dissenting opinion on the committee’s report, disagreed with the recommendations in the report “that call for unfunded spending.”

The Official Opposition said, “It is vital for everyone to remember that for every additional dollar spent the government must first find a dollar that it will save rather than imposing debts upon future generations through reckless spending.” Standing Committee on Science and Research

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U.S. tariffs could cost British Columbia $69 billion in economic activity and 124,000 job losses: B.C. government report

British Columbia could see a cumulative loss of $69 billion in economic activity between 2025 and 2028 if U.S. President Donald Trump imposes a 25-percent tariff on all Canadian imports, according to a report by B.C.’s Ministry of Finance.

The province’s real GDP is projected to potentially decline by 0.6 percent year-over-year in both 2025 and 2026 as a result of the tariff, the report said.

Job losses are estimated at 124,000 by 2028, with the largest declines in natural resources sector, export industries and associated manufacturing.

Losses would also be felt in the transportation and retail sectors. The unemployment rate could increase to 6.7 percent in 2025 and 7.1 percent in 2026, and corporate profits could see an annual decline in the range of $3.6 billion to $6.1 billion.

Tariffs imposed by the U.S., along with potential retaliatory measures by Canada, could impact many of B.C.’s key revenue streams such as personal and corporate income taxes, the report said.

Preliminary analysis indicates this could reduce annual revenues by between $1.6 billion and $2.5 billion.

The assessment is preliminary and is one of many possibilities since there is considerable uncertainty about the exact nature, magnitude and timing of U.S. policies that may be implemented, the report noted.

In 2019, the Bank of Canada estimated the impacts of a 25-percent tariff. The National Bank recently reported that the Bank of Canada’s estimate of the Canadian GDP impact “would exceed that of any previous recession, barring the temporary setback at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The B.C. government said in the face of such uncertainty, the government is using a three-part strategy: respond, strengthen and diversify.

To respond to U.S. tariffs, B.C. is engaged in contingency planning across government and will participate in nationally coordinated retaliation if and when required, the provincial government said.

B.C. also will strengthen its domestic position by growing the economy to create high-paying jobs to generate the wealth needed to support people through strong public services, such as health care and education. This includes fast-tracking permitting in B.C. and reducing trade barriers between provinces.

Lastly, B.C. will focus on diversifying its trade relationships, using the Asia-Pacific network to become less reliant on exports to the U.S.

B.C. Premier David Eby has met with several state governors and impressed upon them the devastating impacts tariffs would bring on both sides of the border, the government said.

Eby and other premiers are scheduled to travel to Washington, D.C. on Feb. 12, 2025, to continue to make the case against unjustified tariffs for all Canadians. Govt. of B.C.

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Policy-makers should focus on making smaller cities more attractive and larger to improve housing affordability: C.D. Howe Institute

Canada could improve housing affordability by making currently less populous cities more attractive and larger, according to a study by the C.D. Howe Institute.

This would allow such “secondary” cities to take advantage of agglomeration effects and supply housing at lower cost, the study says.

Increasing housing supply in Canada’s major metropolitan areas such as Toronto and Vancouver is unlikely to improve affordability on its own, the study’s authors argue. “This is because more housing located uniquely in our superstar cities will cause people to relocate to [these few big cities] from Canada’s less populous cities.”

The report urges policy-makers to instead target a small set of mid-sized cities and support them in becoming thriving, larger hubs that can meaningfully reduce housing costs nationwide.

The study’s authors are Paul Beaudry, professor at the Vancouver School of Economics, and Jeremy Kronick, the C.D. Howe Institute’s vice-president of economic analysis and strategy.

“We’ve been building more housing than is often acknowledged, but our efforts need to extend beyond Toronto and Vancouver,” said Beaudry, former deputy governor of the Bank of Canada. “We should identify a small set of cities with the strongest potential to grow and succeed and support them to become new large cities.”

Since the turn of the century – starting before the period of low interest rates and the more recent immigration surge – Canada’s nine largest cities by population, as well as Halifax and Victoria (ranking 12^th and 15^th in population, respectively), have experienced significant house price gains, according to the report.

Edmonton, which has seen the least price growth, is still three times more expensive than it was in 2000. Vancouver, Hamilton and Toronto – which have seen prices grow the most – have all grown approximately five times more expensive (in nominal terms).

Canada does poorly in international comparisons in the ratio of after-tax disposable income to house prices, the study notes. Since 2005, this ratio has decreased in several countries. But the greatest deterioration observed within the study’s sample of countries was in Canada.

“Housing affordability has decreased considerably over time, and this is reflected in all measures,” the study says.

Despite the similarity across countries and across major cities, Canada is leading the pack on many measures. “In this sense, the decrease in house affordability seen in Canada is shared with other countries but it appears more acute in Canada.”

Yet as a pure percentage of countries’ gross fixed capital formation, Canada leads all OECD countries (for which there are data) in investment in dwellings.

Compared with countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the U.S., Canada’s per capita investment rates in housing have been high, yet Canada’s house price growth has been higher.

This creates a paradox, the study says. Canada’s housing supply has largely kept pace with population growth and the country has invested in housing in an above-average manner relative to the population, but has still experienced a higher growth rate in house prices.

This suggests that Canada “need[s] to be even more precise about where we build in order to achieve the goals we set out – in this case, affordability.”

The study found that strengthening mid-sized cities like Kitchener/Waterloo and London in Ontario and Kamloops in B.C. – by improving infrastructure, encouraging local business growth, forging university partnerships and making it easier to build – can reduce in-migration into Canada’s big cities, mitigating price pressures there, and help lower costs for everyone.

“Secondary cities must reach a scale where they can harness agglomeration benefits – clustering industries and people to drive job creation, innovation and productivity,” Kronick said.

“Big cities will always draw talent and investment – and they should. But by growing our secondary cities into attractive destinations, we can reduce housing pressure on major urban centres and make [housing] affordability a reality nationwide.”

A policy focused entirely on increasing housing supply in large cities may backfire from the perspective of improving affordability because of how it affects the incentives to move, the report notes.

By favoring migration from small cities to large cities, such a policy tends to decrease housing affordability overall, despite the fact that its direct effect – holding the population constant – would have been to improve affordability in the big city, according to the authors’ analysis.

Such a policy could simultaneously decrease welfare for all, but nevertheless be captured in Canada’s national account system as an increase in GDP and productivity, according to the study. This arises since more people would be working in the more productive big city, earning higher wages.

“Such a policy can therefore create a situation where we manage to crowd in more people in our big cities without improving affordability.”

If policy-makers want to improve housing affordability in large cities but could only implement one policy – either a supply policy in the largest cities or a supply/infrastructure policy in small cities – “our analysis indicates that they should choose the latter,” the study’s authors said.

They urge all levels of government to coordinate practical policies that support building up a small set of Canada’s smaller cities so they can join the ranks of the country’s big cities and compete to make housing more affordable across Canada.

These policies include reducing burdensome development charges, investing in transit links that connect large and smaller urban centres, and creating an environment that draws employers, innovators and skilled workers to mid-sized regions.

Global connectivity, the interplay of local universities and the private sector, and local finance and entrepreneurship are three factors that make secondary cities attractive and competitive, as is funding world-class research at universities in these smaller cities, the study says.

Said the authors: “What is needed is a comprehensive approach to increasing supply in Canada that puts the emphasis on both big cities and smaller cities and, in particular, that favours the emergence of new big cities that can rival our existing ones. This will require coordination amongst all levels of government.” C.D. Howe Institute

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Albertans living near oil and gas wells have higher risk of negative respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes

Albertans living near oil and natural gas wells and flares (burning of methane gas) have a nine percent to 21 percent higher risk of having negative respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes, according to a study led by St. Francis Xavier University and which included researchers at Dalhousie University.

The peer-reviewed study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, used census, health and other data to examine the health impacts of pollution from the oil and gas industry in Alberta.

Although there are known effects on health from air pollution, the lead author of the study said there has been a lack of research in Canada compared to the U.S. on impacts from the oil and gas industry.

"Now we can put a number . . . on it," said Martin Lavoie, with St. Francis Xavier University's FluxLab team of environmental science researchers in Antigonish, N.S.

Still, more field measurements and data on pollutants are needed, Lavoie said. He pointed to previous research the lab conducted that found emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, had been significantly underestimated.

"There is a lot we don't know," Lavoie said. "When we start having better measurements . . . we learn that [sometimes] the picture we thought we had is different than actual reality."

Alberta accounts for more than 80 percent of Canada's oil production and the province was responsible for 61 percent of the country's natural gas production in 2023, according to the study.

The study also estimated where pollutants were concentrated and the demographics of people who lived near oil and gas wells.

Those living in rural areas and Indigenous people were more likely to be exposed to activity from the industry.

The isolation of some of these communities may be a reason for the lack of research, said Dr. Joe Vipond, past president of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment advocacy group. "If the oilsands and its tailing ponds existed within the city limits of Calgary, you'd be damn sure that we'd have studies looking at what the health impacts of that are."

In 2023, Alberta’s oil and gas industry exceeded its provincial flaring limit for the first time. The industry flared (burned off) 766.8 million cubic meters of natural gas, or methane, which is more than the annual limit of 670 million cubic meters, according to AER data.

Lavoie said stricter regulation on processes like flaring and venting that release pollutants could help reduce emissions and protect those most vulnerable.

In a statement sent to CBC News, Alberta's Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas said the Alberta government is committed to protecting the lives of Albertans and the environment.

"Air pollution has broadly declined over many years, as was shown in published metrics from Alberta's chief scientist," the statement said, adding that the government will continue to look at ways to strengthen regulations where needed. CBC News

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World descends into grievance, political polarization and more acceptance of hostile activism: Edelman Trust Barometer

The world has shifted profoundly to acceptance of aggressive action, with political polarization and deepening fears giving rise to a widespread sense of grievance, according to the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer.

Sixty-one percent of respondents surveyed globally by Edelman, a New York-headquartered public relations and communications firm, have a moderate or high sense of grievance, defined by a belief that government and business make their lives harder and serve narrow interests, and wealthy people benefit unfairly from the system.

Those with a high sense of grievance distrust all four institutions – business, government, media and non-government organizations.

To bring about change, four in 10 respondents would approve of one or more of the following forms of hostile activism: attacking people online, intentionally spreading disinformation, threatening or committing violence, and damaging public or private property.

This sentiment is most prevalent among respondents ages 18-34 (53 percent approve of at least one form of hostile activism).

Nearly two-thirds of respondents worry about experiencing prejudice, discrimination or racism – up 10 points from last year and with significant increases across countries and demographics.

Only 36 percent of respondents believe that things will be better for the next generation. In developed countries, just one in five sees a better future.

In every Western democracy 30 percent or fewer believe that things will be better for the next generation. In Germany, just 14 percent of people believe this. And in France, just nine percent believe so.

Those with a high sense of grievance see business as being 81 points less ethical and 37 points less competent than those with a low sense of grievance, and they believe business is not doing enough to address key societal issues.

The Barometer, whose survey included 33,000 people across 28 countries, indicates that “the greater trust that people have in their institutions, the less grievance a society has.”

Three-quarters of respondents worry about their pay not keeping up with inflation. There is deep concern about job loss due to the impact of innovations like automation, which 58 percent of employees worry about, and of globalization — 62 percent worry about international trade conflicts affecting their livelihoods.

The wealthy are seen as playing a malign role in society. Two-thirds of respondents believe the wealthy fail to pay appropriate taxes and laws that serve the wealthy come at the detriment of “people like me.”

“Add all of these grievances up, and many think that capitalism has failed.” Over half of respondents believe that capitalism does more harm than good – 53 percent among the general population, including 55 percent of 18 to 34-year-olds.

“Economic fears have metastasized into grievance – this is the core finding of the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer,” Richard Edelman, president and CEO of Edelman, said in an article accompanying this year’s Barometer.

“We observe a profound shift in popular sentiment, a move beyond political polarization to aggressive advocacy for self-interest,” he said.

Throughout the elections of the past year, citizens have raised their voices against business, government and the wealthy across the globe, Edelman noted.

Incumbent parties have been ousted in Western democracies, including in the U.S., U.K., France and Germany. Business has experienced blowback for its involvement in societal issues, from diversity, equity and inclusion to sustainability.

Only one-third of respondents believe that those with different political views “play by the rules” and fewer than half (44 percent) trust those with different political beliefs. Government is distrusted in 17 of the 28 countries the Barometer measured. 

Globally, two-thirds of respondents worry about journalists, government officials and CEOs intentionally lying to them.

There are fewer and fewer agreed-upon facts. Nearly two-thirds of respondents find it difficult to differentiate between news from a reliable source and disinformation. The decision by social media networks to move away from fact-checking will further complicate an already messy media context, according to the Barometer

“The institutional failures of the last 25 years have produced grievances around the world, stifling growth and innovation in turn,” the Edelman company said.

Those with a higher sense of grievance are more likely to believe that business is not doing enough to address societal issues.

Edelman suggested that businesses understand where they have obligations, act on behalf of their stakeholders and advocate for their organization.

Business, government, media and NGOs must work together to address the root causes of grievance and enable trust, growth and prosperity, the company said. “Invest in local communities, quality information and job skills. Deliver results that benefit everyone fairly.”

“This is NGOs’ moment as the ethical leader, the only institution seen as a unifying force among those with a high sense of grievance and the institution with the highest trust among that group.,” Richard Edelman said in his article.

Government needs to prove its competence again, to deliver results that benefit the individual citizen, he said. And media must provide quality information that enables proper decisions instead of chasing clicks, he added.

When institutions can’t be trusted to do what is right, grievances fester and outlooks darken, Edelman warned. “We need to move back from the precipice of a grievance-based society where ideology becomes identity and violence is seen as a viable option.” Edelman Trust Barometer

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Most people trust scientists and want them involved in policy-making: international study

Most people trust scientists and believe they should be more involved in society and policy-making, according to a new international study on public trust in science, conducted across 68 countries.

Published in Nature Human Behaviours, the research was conducted by TISP, a Harvard University-based consortium led by Viktoria Cologna (Harvard University and RTH Zurich) and Niels G. Mede (University of Zurich). The consortium includes 241 researchers from 169 institutions worldwide.

The study, which includes 71,922 respondents – 2,008 of them from the U.K. – provides the largest global dataset on trust in scientists since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our results show that most people in most countries have relatively high trust in scientists and want them to play an active role in society and policymaking,” said lead researcher Cologna.

The study’s key findings are:

• Widespread trust: Across 68 countries, the study finds that a majority of the public have relatively high trust in scientists (the mean trust level is 3.62, on a scale from 1 equals “very low trust” to 5 equals “very high trust”). Majorities also perceive scientists to be qualified (78 percent), honest (57 percent), and concerned about people’s well-being (56 percent). 
• Desire for scientists’ engagement: A large majority (83 percent) agree that scientists should communicate science with the public. Only a minority (23 percent) believe that scientists should not actively advocate for specific policies. Fifty-two percent believe that scientists should be more involved in the policymaking process.

Global Rankings:

• Most Trusted: Egypt topped the list, followed by India, Nigeria, Kenya and Australia.
• Middle of the Pack: The U.K. ranked 15^th, three spots behind the U.S., but ahead of Canada (17^th) and Sweden (20^th).
• Least Trusted: At the bottom, Albania ranked 68^th, followed by Kazakhstan (67^th), Bolivia (66^th), Russia (65^th), and Ethiopia (64^th).

“The UK has a generally high level of trust in science, ranking above many European countries, including Denmark, Germany, Sweden, and Belgium. Trust in scientists is higher among women and those with more education," said Eleonora Alabrese, an economist at the University of Bath, who collected responses for part of the U.K. sample.

A conservative political orientation is linked to lower trust in science in North America and parts of Europe, Alabrese noted. “However, this pattern does not hold globally, suggesting that the political leadership may influence such attitudes in different regions.”

The study’s findings highlight some areas of concern. Globally, less than half of respondents (42 percent) believe that scientists pay attention to others’ views.

The findings also show that many people in many countries feel that the priorities of science do not always align well with their own priorities.

Participants assigned high priority to research dedicated to improving public health, solving energy problems and reducing poverty. Research on developing defence and military technology was assigned a lower priority.

In fact, participants explicitly believe that science prioritizes developing defence and military technology more than they desire.

The consortium of academics recommends that scientists take these results seriously and find ways to be more receptive to feedback and open to dialogue with the public, consider ways in Western countries to reach conservative groups, and, in the fullness of time, consider their role in setting priorities aligned with public values.

 “While trust in science remains generally high, even a small decline in trust from a minority could influence how scientific evidence is used in policy-making,” Alabrese said. “These findings are crucial for scientists and policy-makers working to maintain public trust in science.” EurekAlert!

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Global collaboration on innovation and technology is threatened by fragmentation amid greater competition: World Economic Forum

Global collaboration around innovation and technology is still growing, but the sector is at risk of fragmentation amid heightened competition, the World Economic Forum (WEF) warned in its second annual Global Cooperation Barometer.

“The three decades of increased cooperation that we saw after the Cold War has definitely ended. We are between world orders,” said Børge Brende, president of the WEF. “One has to really struggle to find ways of cooperating when countries are also competing for increased influence in a new world.”

The WEF, an international organisation funded by contributions from 1,000 of the world’s largest companies, gathered world leaders for its annual meeting January 20 to 24 in Davos, Switzerland.

Growing geopolitical tensions have already had an impact on research and innovation collaboration, with an increased focus on research security, and a reliance on tariffs and export controls, including the recent U.S. decision to restrict exports of advanced AI chips.

At the same time, there have been efforts to step up collaboration with trusted partners, with the EU striking deals with countries including Canada, Switzerland, and South Korea to join Horizon Europe, the EU’s €95 billion research program.

The WEF report noted that global cooperation in technology and innovation has continued to drive global adoption of new technologies. However, it also warned that “global fragmentation of frontier technologies” could slow global productivity growth.

“You see stresses emerging in [the number of] cross-border patents dropping, cross-border R&D dropping, and marked increases in national funding for AI,” said Bob Sternfels, global managing partner at McKinsey & Company, which contributed to the report. 

“All of those may harken to a future slowdown in cooperation around innovation and technology that we probably should watch for,” he said.

The WEF’s barometer measures 41 indicators across five areas of collaboration: trade and capital; innovation and technology; climate and natural capital; health and wellness; and peace and security.

Cross-border flows of pharmaceutical R&D have been steadily decreasing since their peak in 2020, but they remain above pre-pandemic levels, according to the analysis.

Despite a fall in global trade, foreign direct investment increased in 2022-23, although this was increasingly concentrated in a small number of developed countries as well as in strategic sectors such as semiconductors, batteries and renewables, Sternfels said.

The WEF report is a “snapshot” based on a limited set of data, comparing averages for 2022-23 to 2020-22 and the pre-pandemic period.

“It’s very early to make big conclusions about a profound shift away from globalized research and development,” Kieron Flanagan, professor of science and technology policy at the University of Manchester, told Science|Business.

The geopolitical context, changes in demand conditions and market opportunities, and technological opportunities are all likely to affect the strategies of companies engaging in cross-border R&D, he said. Science|Business

THE GRAPEVINE – News about people, institutions and communities

Chris Burns stepped down as CEO of Chattanooga, Tennessee-headquartered electric vehicle battery technology company Novonix, which was founded in Canada when it was spun out of a Dalhousie University laboratory. Burns, a former senior engineer at Tesla who helped launch the automaker’s Canadian tech team, co-founded Novonix after studying with Canadian battery scientist Jeff Dahn. Robert Long, Novonix’s chief financial officer, will serve as interim CEO for the company, which makes synthetic graphite for EV batteries. Burns will continue to support the company in an advisory capacity as it searches for a CEO with manufacturing experience to be based at the firm’s headquarters in Chattanooga. Novonix  

TD Bank Group announced the appointment of Jacqueline (Jackie) Sanjuas as global head of financial crime risk management, succeeding Herb Mazariegos who took on the role of senior vice-president, financial crime risk management, just a year ago but is leaving TD. Sanjuas will also continue serving as U.S. Bank Secrecy Act officer. Sanjuas, who joined TD in January 2024, has more than 20 years of experience in compliance and risk management. TD also announced that Stephen Joyce, vice-president, financial crime risk management, transformation delivery and enablement, will take on the role of interim head of financial crime risk management for TD's Canadian and international operations (non-U.S.), reporting to Sanjuas. The changes come as TD works to move on from its U.S. anti-money laundering scandal, which cost the bank more than US$3 billion in financial penalties from U.S. agencies. TD

Dr. James Gauld, PhD, was appointed dean of Memorial University’s Faculty of Science for a five-year term effective April 1, 2025. Gauld comes to Memorial with more than 20 years of experience in teaching, research and administrative leadership at the University of Windsor where he is currently head of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the Faculty of Science and a professor of chemistry. He also previously served as associate dean in the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Gauld holds a PhD in computational/theoretical chemistry from the Australian National University, Canberra. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Uppsala University in Sweden and a Killam Post-doctoral Fellowship at Dalhousie University. Memorial University

Calgary-based Wagepoint, which provides payroll software for small businesses across Canada, appointed Neil Carew as chief operating officer. Carew brings more than 15 years of executive leadership experience, with a track record of scaling software-as-a-service, technology and private equity-backed companies. As COO, Carew will focus on establishing scalable systems, streamlining operations and fostering collaboration across teams to support Wagepoint's growth strategy. Wagepoint

Montreal-based education technology company Paper announced Martina Tam as the company’s new CEO. She takes over from interim CEO Rich Yang, who had replaced founder Philip Cutler in August 2024 after multiple rounds of layoffs at the online tutoring company. Tam has worked at several San Francisco-based tech firms, including as chief operating officer of early education platform Brightwheel, and has held senior roles at Masterclass and Eventbrite. Yang will transition to executive chairman of Paper’s board of directors. Paper

The University of Calgary’s (UCalgary) Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking is launching a program that focuses on building and growing traditional businesses. Called the Business Playbook, the program will teach foundational skills in how to start a business, including financial planning, market research and customer discovery, and provide mentorship from seasoned business owners. This hands-on program is designed for alumni, faculty, staff and students. The first cohort of the program, created and led by Allesandra Amato, venture programs specialist at the Hunter Hub, will launch in February. Unique to the Hunter Hub, Business Playbook is the first offering of its kind at UCalgary. In line with the university’s mission to embrace innovation with Start Something, the Business Playbook was created to be the first entrepreneurial touchpoint for aspiring traditional business owners. UCalgary

The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) received two state-of-the-art flight simulators from Flightdeck Solutions, a Canadian aviation simulator manufacturer. The addition of the two simulators to the BCIT Aerospace Technology Campus in Richmond marks a major advancement in support of the aviation sector in B.C. while also furthering BCIT’s leadership as one of the largest aviation training providers in Canada, BCIT said. The flight training devices offer Aircraft Maintenance Engineering students full-scale representation of the Boeing 737 MAX and the De Havilland Dash 8-Q400 flight decks – providing an immersive and safe learning experience that mimics real-world aviation scenarios and settings. The aerospace industry in B.C. is estimated to generate $2.5 billion in revenue annually and directly employ almost 9,000 people, according to the B.C. government. At York University, Osgoode Professional Development (OsgoodePD), the lifelong learning arm of Osgoode Law School, launched the SIMulated Professional Learning Environment (SIMPLE), a digital case management platform that gives learners the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in a simulated environment. OsgoodePD partnered with U.S.-based simulation developers Forio to create SIMPLE, which offers a form of simulation that is relatively new to Canadian professionals. The platform enables instructors to deliver multiple legal problems and "clients" at once, replicating the experience of legal practice. Unlike legal clinic work, it also enables instructors to embed legal problems and ethical issues into their simulations. SIMPLE enables learners to work individually or in virtual firms. BCIT, York University

Georgian College in Barrie, Ontario, plans to expand its Centre for Skilled Trades at the Barrie Campus – transforming the existing space to help sustain and grow the highly skilled trades workforce. The initiative is supported by the County of Simcoe, which provided a $1.5-million funding commitment towards making the project possible. The project aligns with the county’s regional economic development strategies to grow and support the skilled trades and meet the needs of the regional workforce in Simcoe County. Georgian College will modernize the existing building and add approximately 20,000 square feet. Once complete, the state-of-the-art facility will support the development of a future-ready skilled trades workforce that is capable in robotics, artificial intelligence and advanced digital technologies. Georgian College said the timing of this investment is critical as the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development estimates one in six job openings will be in the skilled trades by 2026. The Gene Haas Foundation announced a $1-million grant toward the largest immersive learning space within the future expanded Centre for Skilled Trades – an advanced machining lab. Georgian College

The Fédération des cégeps is requesting $705 million in the Government of Québec’s next budget to fund infrastructure projects and student support services at cégeps, the province’s 48 public colleges. In a media release, the federation pointed especially to the poor condition of many cégep buildings – some of which have not been updated in decades – and underlined the need for more funding. Le Devoir reported that in addition to a $300-million maintenance fund request, the Fédération des cégeps is asking for $300 million to finance specific infrastructure projects, $60 million to subsidize furniture and equipment costs, $25 million for student well-being and mental health, and $20 million to support Attestations d'études collégiales programs – short-term technical study programs leading to a diploma. Le Devoir

Ontario colleges cutting programs, staff and services in the wake of Ottawa’s reduction in international students

Ontario universities expect a combined loss of $300 million this fiscal year and $600 million in the upcoming fiscal year, a year after the federal government announced a 35-percent reduction in international study permits.

“We’re seeing across-the-board cuts in programming and services, layoffs, hiring freezes [and] deferred capital investments,” including for nine student housing projects, said Steve Orsini, president of the Council of Ontario Universities.

In Ontario, a combination of federal policy changes, the provincial tuition freeze for domestic students, and insufficient operating grants have created what Orsini calls a “perfect storm. All three funding levers have been cut and frozen.”

International students pay much higher tuition fees than their domestic counterparts. Post-secondary institutions across the country are still struggling to fill that hole — and to decide which programs and services they can live without.

Roughly 19 per cent of Ontario university students are from outside Canada, Orsini said.

Domestic tuition at Toronto Metropolitan University ranges from around $7,200 to $11,000 for undergrads. International students taking the same courses pay roughly $35,000 to $40,000.

At the University of British Columbia, most domestic undergrads pay around $5,900 for their first-year courses. International students in the same programs pay about $47,000.

Jessie Niikoi, chair of the British Columbia Federation of Students, said provincial and federal governments should collaborate to provide institutions with reliable funding so they don’t have to rely on international student tuition.

The number of international study permits for Ontario and B.C. was essentially cut in half by Ottawa’s international student cap.

Centennial College in Toronto announced it is suspending 49 programs – more than one-quarter of the college’s total programs – across six of its schools for the 2025-26 academic year.

These suspensions will translate into faculty and staff reductions, Craig Stephenson, president of Centennial, said in a statement.  

Hamilton-based Mohawk College is laying off an undisclosed number of support staff, including those who work in areas such as athletics, facilities, financial aid, registration and tech support, the CBC reported.

This is in addition to the layoffs initiated in December for select individuals in administrative roles, such as directors of equity, diversity and inclusion, public affairs, and the dean of students.

The college cut 20 percent of administrative staff and suspended 16 programs in December as well as services like City School, which offered free courses to help community members continue their education or prepare for jobs.

The layoffs come after the college projected a $50-million budget deficit in the 2025-2026 fiscal year in November due to a drop in international students. The college said in late November that it planned to cut 200 to 400 jobs.

Northern College in Timmins, Ontario is projecting a $6-million operational deficit for 2025-26 and a $12-million deficit for 2026-27.

To address the deficits, Northern announced plans to cut costs by improving efficiencies and reducing staff. The college has implemented early retirement and exit incentives and will soon issue layoff notices.

CBC reported that in academic year 2021-22, nearly 80 percent of Northern’s students were international – almost all of them from India – according to data from the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities. The Canadian Press

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University of Calgary (UCalgary) research has led to new technology to much more quickly detect bloodstream infections – significantly reducing diagnostic times and targeting effective antibiotics. Developed by UCalgary spinoff Rapid Infection Diagnostics Inc. (RID), the tool is called BSIDx. With the push of a button, the tool identifies disease-causing organisms and performs antibiotic susceptibility testing from infected blood cultures. The technology conducts these tests and provides actionable information in five hours or less – a reduction of more than 30 hours, or 85 percent, compared with current diagnostic technology. “The chances of dying from a bloodstream infection increase by eight percent per hour until the right antibiotic is administered,” said Dr. Ian Lewis, associate professor and director of the Alberta Centre for Advanced Diagnostics in UCalgary’s Faculty of Science. “Rapid testing can save thousands of lives and shorten hospital stays.” The BSIDx was developed in partnership with Alberta Precision Laboratories, Canada’s largest diagnostic service provider. “Our testing system uses a high-sensitivity mass spectrometer which is capable of detecting minute quantities of the molecules microbes secrete as a part of their normal metabolism,” said Dr. Thomas Rydzak, RID’s chief scientific officer and co-inventor of BSIDx. “These patterns of molecules change when microbes are exposed to antibiotics, and the BSIDx can translate this into information about which antibiotics will be effective.” BSIDx is undergoing its first preclinical evaluation studies in partnership with Alberta Precision Laboratories. RID’s technology was developed at UCalgary with support from Genome Canada and Prairies Economic Development Canada. UCalgary

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