technology, globalization, and demographics, it’s important to continue to invest in its people to ensure a competitive labour economy. To support these opportunities, there are new innovative development initiatives taking place. One of these is a recent grant called the Skills Catalyst Fund, which funds focused solutions and projects that support better employment and employability…
Well, whether we’re thrilled about it or not, we’ve officially put 2019 behind us and have welcomed 2020! As Canadians prepare for the year ahead, many businesses plan to undergo a similar jumpstart. Companies and governments operate on cycles that change throughout the year. These organizations tend to prepare and/or focus on annual budgets while…
High-quality events and festivals have a profound impact on Ontario’s economy. Maintaining or expanding these events, however, requires significant time and capital. Event organizers must constantly operate on thin budgets while trying to maximize their reach to pull off a successful tourism-generating event. But this doesn’t have to be the case; Ontario government funding can…
Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen) is an industry-led, non-profit organization dedicated to building next generation manufacturing capabilities. It is one of five “superclusters” created from Canada’s Innovation Superclusters Initiative and maintains a pool of funding to award to competitive member-based projects. This pool of funding created the NGen Manufacturing Program, which seeks competitive proposals for…
The Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) is a federal-provincial-territorial initiative that provides funding from all levels of government to support a growing, investment-driven agriculture and agri-food sector. It provides some funding supports on a national level, while other supports are provided on a province-by-province basis. Ontario’s suite of grants and incentives, CAP Ontario, is specifically designed…
As of 2018, SCALE.AI has been one of five business-led superclusters as part of Canada’s Innovative Superclusters Initiative. SCALE.AI (Supply Chains and Logistics Excellence AI), based out of Quebec, specifically focuses on strengthening Canada’s leadership in artificial intelligence, and accelerating industry adoption of enabling technologies through collaborative and incremental projects. In summer of this year,…
Indoor farming is taking off in Ontario, Canada as a whole – in businesses, remote communities, cities with harsh climates, even in homes. It’s not just a greenhouse model; these plants are often grown without soil and in climate-controlled environments. While indoor agriculture reduces the amount of water and energy that goes into agriculture production,…
The Government of Canada announced in Budget 2017 that an additional $300M would be available over a 10-year period to further support the development of creative hubs (multi-tenant facilities that bring together professionals from a range of arts or heritage sectors and creative initiatives that offer programming to the public) and cultural spaces. Branching from…
The government of Canada has been actively working to establish and position Canada as a leader in global innovation. This has been done through initiatives for national businesses and research and post-secondary institutions to recommend strategies for developing superclusters of innovation. A total federal investment of up to $950M has transitioned into five successful business-led…
Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping manufacturers grow and become more competitive, at home and around the world. EMC is responsible for contributing significant knowledge, expertise, and resources towards the success of over 13,000 consortium and online member manufacturers who employ hundreds of thousands of Canadians in more than…