Whether recognized as refugees in Canada or resettled from overseas, Canada has opened its doors, offering protection and the chance to build a new life to 1,088,015 refugees since 1980. Refugees have a low unemployment rate of nine percent, which is close to the Canadian unemployment rate — sitting at six percent (between the ages of 25 and 54).

As they acclimatize to their new home, refugees tend to join the national middle-class around five years after their arrival. Despite facing lower-than-average income when they first get to Canada, they rapidly advance. Data from the 2014 tax year shows that one in four refugees annually earned between $40,000 and $79,999. This compares the percentage of Canadians (27%) and total immigrants (24%) earning a middle-class income. Plus, it’s proven that refugees contribute more income tax than they utilize in public services and benefits.

Substantial economic contributions

The economic achievements of refugees are significant considering most arrive with little to no financial resources. Refugees fill jobs in a variety of industries — often in places where the Canadian economy needs it most. Of all employed refugees, 51 percent work in high-skilled jobs — including dentists, architects, doctors, software engineers, and service managers. According to 2016 data, 33 percent of refugees between the ages of 25 and 54 were employed in jobs that required a high school education or specific training, while one-fifth were working in jobs that required a university degree or higher.

Additionally, refugees are building businesses and job opportunities. In fact, the rate of entrepreneurship among refugees is higher than Canadians, with the former at 14 percent, and the latter at 12 percent. This includes those who are self-employed and own their own companies, between the ages of 10 and 30. Embracing the opportunities that living in Canada offers, these refugees use their individual skillsets to build businesses that improve our economy’s health and diversity.

Settlement locations and filling gaps

Many refugees choose to settle in smaller Canadian towns and cities. From the north of Nunavut, NWT to western Prince Rupert, BC, or eastern Fredericton, NB – they’ve resettled throughout the country.

The 2016 census data showed that newcomers, followed by refugees, are most likely to resettle in smaller, more rural areas. The refugees who arrived from 2011 to 2016 proved that a slightly higher 48 percent lived in smaller towns and cities when compared to 44 percent of all other immigrants.

These smaller communities benefit from refugee resettlement because they fill work gaps. Canada’s population is drastically aging — and we need more young people to boost our economy. Most refugees come to Canada early in their lives, with the average age being 28.9 years old in 2016. Compared to Canada’s average age, which went from 37.7 in 2001 to 41.0 in 2016, refugees are approximately 11.1 years younger. The refugee population aged 25 to 54 in 2016 was 57 percent, while Canada-born citizens in that age demographic was 38 percent.

Home ownership and education

Owning a home is a sign of a stable, healthy financial situation, and indicates a sense of permanence in a community. Despite economic, social, and cultural struggles they may have faced in their first years of resettlement, two out of three refugees become homeowners after 10 years in Canada — that’s 65 percent of families — in comparison to 79 percent of Canadian-born citizens. In fact, one third of refugee families buy their own home within the first five years of moving to Canada.

In schools, refugee children are as proficient and hard-working as Canadian-born children. Actually, they surpass their Canadian-born counterparts in completion rates of high school, university, college, and graduate programs. Based on the 2016 census data, the completion rate of a bachelor’s degree or schooling above a bachelor’s level for refugees is 25.5 percent, compared to Canadian-born students, sitting at 18.5 percent. Becoming highly skilled workers and entering various industries, these young people are extremely valuable members of society.

Citizenship and belonging

Many people migrate with the hopes of establishing a permanent new home, particularly those who come to Canada. Of all immigration categories, refugees have the highest citizenship rates. In order to become a Canadian citizen, they must pass a test, pay a fee, and live in Canada for at least three years. The test includes Canadian history, geography, economy, laws, symbols, and levels of government. Of all refugees, 89 percent eventually become Canadian citizens, while 84 percent of Economic Class immigrants and 80 percent of Family Class immigrants also gain citizenship.

Although they may at times face cultural differences, racial discrimination, or xenophobia, refugees express a strong sense of belonging in Canada. They actually feel more included than people born in Canada. About 95 percent of refugees feel a strong sense of belonging, compared to 91 percent of Canadian-born citizens. Dedicated to building good lives for themselves in their new home, refugees are committed to integrating into society.

Building a brighter future

Often fleeing war and persecution, refugees enter Canada with the hopes of creating a new, prosperous life for themselves and their families. As the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) attests, these new community members have a positive impact on the country. Bringing ambition and skill, they are a great addition to Canada, enriching the country economically, culturally, and socially.

This article is repurposed from the UNHCR’s Refugees Are Good For Canada website, published in June 2019.

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Steve Rakidzioski

Business Development Specialist, RNG

As decisions are weighed over longer-term climate plans, here’s why leaders are choosing renewable natural gas (RNG) as an immediate, cost-effective solutions to reduce Ontario’s emissions

Climate change is imminent, and decisive action is needed on the
best path forward. For governments and business leaders, it’s a complex issue: many solutions require significant cost investment, new infrastructure, or decades to effectively transition. As decisions are weighed over longer-term plans, here’s why leaders are choosing renewable natural gas (RNG) as an immediate, cost-effective solution to reduce Ontario’s emissions.

A pragmatic solution to a tough problem

To step up climate action quickly and affordably, RNG is among the most pragmatic of approaches. More than a third* of the food produced and distributed in the country gets discarded. RNG is produced from organic waste, so that uneaten potato salad or apple core is diverted from the landfill and repurposed as a renewable energy source. RNG is carbon-neutral and can also be added to the natural gas network. Unlike the electricity system, no infrastructure expansion is required to enable greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions.

The benefit of producing and using RNG is that it captures methane that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. Although methane from decomposing organic waste accounts for only 10 percent of GHG emissions, it contributes to global warming — it’s about 25 times^† more harmful than carbon dioxide.

Proven, scalable, and quick to implement, RNG is not the only solution to climate change — but it’s an immediate, feasible way to reduce emissions and put Ontario on track for its long-term climate commitments.

With RNG produced from organic waste, vehicles can be carbon-negative

One of the most exciting applications for RNG is in the transportation sector. Earlier this year, Ontario’s first carbon-negative bus in Hamilton
set new standards for sustainable transit. Launched in partnership with Enbridge Gas, the bus is fuelled by locally-sourced RNG produced at
the StormFisher facility in London, ON. RNG is renewable and plentiful, and its cumulative impact — from diverting methane to displacing diesel emissions—takes the vehicle’s emissions to below zero.

The carbon-negative bus is just one example of an effective and scalable step forward. In recent years, Hamilton Street Railway moved away from diesel and expanded its fleet with more than 130 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses. Today, it’s uniquely positioned to fuel them with compressed RNG and amplify its environmental impact even further.

The “quick win” of decarbonizing light-duty fleets

So what about vehicles that still have years of useful life? Rather than electrify an entire fleet at once, it’s more manageable to convert existing diesel, propane or gasoline vehicles to RNG and reduce emissions right away. There are many opportunities in light- to medium-duty fleets
(Class 1 – 6), including:

1. Snow plows
2. Refuse trucks
3. Delivery trucks
4. Supervisory vehicles
5. Public works vehicles
6. Emergency vehicles
7. School buses

CNG vehicles serve as a low-risk, low-cost “proof of concept” to support the case for larger RNG projects. In the long run, demonstrating success at a small scale will help strengthen the case for broader RNG fleet conversions.

The City of Toronto has implemented an initiative to produce and use RNG. Every year, about 35 percent of the City of Toronto’s Green Bin organic waste is transformed into RNG, diverting about 55,000 tonnes of organic waste from landfills. The RNG is used to fuel the city’s waste collection fleet and added to the natural gas system, which cuts down on GHG emissions and reduces reliance on landfills.

Expert help to find the lowest-cost path to conversion

Every climate solution has complexity. Embridge Gas’ dedicated team of energy experts are ready to provide you with the technical expertise and information to produce and use RNG. Enbridge Gas works closely with agribusiness, food processors, municipalities, waste management, and other organizations to help identify, facilitate, and get RNG projects off the ground.

As partners in sustainability, Enbridge’s team can help find RNG opportunities that leverage existing investments in vehicles or buildings. Take advantage of expertise, insights from successful past projects, and access to the North American marketplace.

RNG will play an important role in the clean energy transition. As plans to reduce emissions evolve, it’s a promising and proven way for more leaders to take meaningful climate action.

^*Source: www.nzwc.ca/focus-areas/food/issue/Pages/default.aspx
^† Source: https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/transparency-and-reporting/greenhouse-gas-data/frequently-asked-questions/global-warming-potentials-ipcc-fourth-assessment-report
^‡ CO₂e stands for carbon dioxide equivalent. It is used to describe different greenhouse gases in a common unit.
^** Net emissions from vehicle using 40,000 m³ RNG/year. 40,000 m³ of RNG is the equivalent of 1,623 GJ or 451,195 kwh of energy per year.
^†† 85,000 kg CO₂e/yr of CO2 is released from the combustion of RNG. Since RNG is derived from organic waste produced by plants that take up CO2, these CO2 emissions are considered biogenic and not additional to the atmosphere. Trace amounts of CH4 and N2O are also produced from the combustion of RNG that result in 11,000kg CO₂e/year of emissions being released.
^‡‡ Net emissions from powering electric bus using 451,000 kwh/year based on Ontario grid.
All calculations are based on Ontario’s electric grid for illustration purposes only. Actual calculations will be provided when working with Enbridge Gas. © 2021 Enbridge Gas Inc. All rights reserved. ENB 657 09/2021

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There’s no question that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on employers and employees alike. Working through the daily stress, adapting to the new normal, and being constantly worried about contracting the virus have left people feeling tired, burned out, and on edge. This has colossal impact and repercussions for employee motivation and company culture.

Of course, keeping workers safe is paramount. As we look to the future, the post-pandemic workplace is expected to evolve into a hybrid model that gives employees greater flexibility while also keeping their safety top of mind.

The hybrid workplace environment combines aspects of working from home/remote working and in-office working. As opposed to having employees all working remotely or all working in the office, the hybrid working model is a blend of both. Employers may have some employees regularly in the office while others work remotely. Employees will be expected to adapt, adjust, and get comfortable with a new way of working.

Additional perks to boost morale and productivity

In constantly-changing times like these, employees appreciate extra care and concern from their employers. Offering additional perks can go a long way to re-energize employees, raise their spirits, and boost their commitment.

Venngo makes this easy for employers to do through a range of perk programs — whether for a large enterprise or a growing business. As a leading provider of private group discount programs in North America, Venngo offers exclusive discounts with big savings and preferred pricing from over 350,000 U.S. and Canadian merchants. Its mission is to help employees save money anytime, anywhere.

The perks can be taken anywhere with the flexible and convenient Venngo app, which works well with employees on the go. With plenty of program options and a wide variety of discounts, there’s something for everyone.

Venngo clients include some of Canada’s top employers, such as the University of Toronto, the Hospital for Sick Children, Purolator, Honda, FedEx, CIBC, and PwC.

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Timothy Kennedy

President & CEO, Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance

Despite access to three oceans and having the world’s longest coastline, Canada lags behind other nations in using the ocean to sustainably feed the planet, create jobs, and drive economic development for coastal communities. But this is about to change with a national Blue Economy Strategy.

Two of the country’s leading trade associations, whose industries combined employ 90,000 people and contribute about $9 billion to the Canadian economy, have come together to support an action plan that aims to see Canada rise to being a top three best producer of sustainable seafood in the world.

“We have abundant ocean resources, but we’re not realizing their full potential,” says Paul Lansbergen, President of the Fisheries Council of Canada (FCC). “Without question, we can strengthen the economy if we make this a priority, while also mitigating the effects of climate change. Seafood has a lower carbon footprint than many other sources of food protein.”

FCC, representing wild-capture fisheries, and the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA), representing farmed seafood, are setting a course that will see the ocean sector generate more sustainable economic development through their Blue Economy Strategy 2040. This industry-developed strategy provides a vision and action plan to support the objectives of the wider Blue Economy Strategy led by the federal government.

We have abundant ocean resources, but we’re not realizing their full potential. Without question, we can strengthen the economy if we make this a priority, while also mitigating the effects of climate change.

Doubling down on Canadian seafood

According to Lansbergen, the consumption of seafood in Canada is relatively flat across the country, including in the Atlantic provinces and British Columbia. And 70 percent of what we do eat is imported. “Unlike other countries, we don’t have a big culture of seafood, but our sector’s Blue Economy Strategy has three goals that can change that. We want to double the value of Canadian seafood, double the economic benefits, and double domestic consumption,” he says.

Despite not fully realizing the potential of our oceans, Canada has done a good job in sustainable fisheries management.“We have a lot of independent third-party certification and are doing a better job than most in this regard,” says Lansbergen. “We can still be sustainable and produce six times more seafood than we do now, but it requires an ambitious long-term vision and an action plan that involves industry and government that will move us in the right direction.”

Putting the focus on sustainable seafood production

Currently, 28 percent of seafood production value in Canada is through aquaculture, where more than a dozen types of fish and shellfish are commercially farmed. This figure is expected to increase in the coming decade. “Aquaculture done right can feed the planet in an environmentally-friendly way and be at the centre of innovation and job creation,” says Timothy Kennedy, President and CEO of the CAIA. “We’re only using one percent of the viable ocean area in Canada, while Norway has three times less coastal capacity yet is 10 times more productive.”

Kennedy adds that even if we double aquaculture production in this country, we’d still be using less than two percent of the ocean area, which is a tiny footprint. And it’s not just our oceans that are teeming with opportunity. Lakes and new land-based technologies also have potential to unlock opportunity thousands of miles from the sea.

The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, a multi-national initiative to which Canada is a signatory, found that for every dollar invested in seafood, the outcomes — health, environmental, and social — yield $10 in benefits.

Not having a national strategy isn’t an option for the seafood industry. Two decades of minimal interest from the federal government haven’t served the country well. “We’re looking for an action plan that will generate highly-skilled jobs and economic development, and that’ll allow the industry to compete globally. We need to expand the toolbox to further develop the sector’s sustainability and with a national vision and plan with greater certainty and confidence, we can become the most sustainable, best-quality seafood producers in the world,” says Kennedy.

Visit seafoodopportunity.ca to find out more about the Canadian seafood industry’s vision and action plan, and to hear from Canadians about what the blue economy means to them.

Canada’s commitment to developing a Blue Economy Strategy means many things: it’s an opportunity to revitalize our rural and coastal communities; to enhance our dedication to sustainability, research and science; and to capture the potential of the world’s longest coastline and unmatched freshwater resources.  

We’re ready to capture Canada’s seafood opportunity and help lead our nation back to its rightful place as a global leader in the sustainable ocean economy.

The post How the Blue Economy Can Capture Canada’s Seafood Opportunity appeared first on HiveInnovates.

We’ve RE-ENGINEERED it for student success

Refocused
Grading

GRADES REFLECT WHAT STUDENTS KNOW

• Evaluation throughout the semester; no final exams

• Grades based on demonstrated skills, problem-solving, and how well concepts are understood

• Chances to try again as students improve skills

• Clearer messaging on what students need to know and do to prep for tests

Reimagined
for Student Success

TOOLS TO HELP STUDENTS SUCCEED

• Summer Top Up Courses fill any incoming knowledge gaps

• Daily end-of-day help sessions

More employable after first year

• Proficiency in at least two computer programming languages

• CAD, design, occupational health and project management skills

Redesigned
Schedule

FLEXIBLE COURSE STRUCTURE

• Courses vary in length and intensity to most effectively support student learning

Just-in-time learning 

• Lessons are strategically sequenced; students take what they learn in one course and immediately apply it in another

Consistent weekly schedule 

• A set timetable and no night classes support school/life balance; a common lunch hour helps students build community

Revitalized
Courses

HOLISTIC AND HANDS-ON 

• Essential courses – math, mechanics, electrical circuits – and much more

• Curriculum in a greater variety of courses

• Modules on key skills like time management and peer-to-peer teaching

• Respect, diversity and inclusion in engineering 

Broader natural science experience 

• Short courses in chemistry, biology, physics and geology and how they connect to engineering

Introduction to engineering disciplines

• Students work on real-world problems to learn about engineering majors

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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented increase in the number of Canadians working from home. As workplaces continue to evolve and transition, it’s necessary to ensure that work can be done anywhere, without compromising speed, security, or performance. 

Over the last year, companies across Canada were forced to kick-start their digital transformations earlier and more quickly than expected to keep up with the need for remote offices. As networks expand and evolve, cyber threat actors look for new ways to access critical data. However, IT decision makers are becoming smarter about cybersecurity as time goes on. “Securing workforces has become a priority for organizations across all industries,” says Ivan Orsanic, Regional Vice President and Country Manager of Canada at Palo Alto Networks. “With one year of planning behind us and lots of trial and error, we’re seeing IT decision makers are preparing for the future with strategic investments into security technology.”
New technology is being developed to help businesses thrive, such as Palo Alto Networks upcoming Prisma Access 2.0, which will securely enable work-from-anywhere via its industry-leading cloud-delivered security platform. 

With experience comes expertise

Organizations are responding quickly and effectively to the new security needs of remote workforces. “Canadians are adapting to this reality with experience than when the pandemic first hit,” says Orsanic. “Organizations aren’t scrambling as they were in the beginning but are preparing for the likelihood that the new work-from-home or hybrid work model may be a permanent option for workers.”

Mindfulness of security needs is essential, with digital transformation, Internet of Things, and remote work being some of the more obvious trends. However, different ideas are circulating to help organizations stay protected. “One of the most notable trends we’re discussing with customers is around building strategic partnerships with security vendors, leveraging platforms, and automating security as we work through this pandemic and prepare for the new normal,” says Orsanic. “Doing more with fewer vendors has extensive financial and operational benefits.”  

The need for endpoint protection

The huge surge in remote workforces has resulted in a massive adoption of cloud technology. However, many cloud-delivered security offerings provide limited application coverage and inadequate protections. In 2021, Palo Alto Network’s over 500 enterprise customers, 53 percent of all remote workforce threats were against non-web apps. As a result, solutions that only protect web applications are leaving organizations open to a massive array of cybersecurity threats. 

“Visibility and control become factors with remote workforces, so having endpoint protection, cloud management for both public clouds and applications, and the right policies in place to protect data and users is important,” says Orsanic.  

Filling this gap is Prisma Access 2.0, which is able to protect all application traffic with complete security from a single cloud-delivered platform while ensuring high-performance access and optimized user experience.

Best-in-class security

Prisma Access 2.0 is resetting the bar for cloud-delivered security. Critical enhancements include machine learning-powered security to prevent attacks in real time, cloud secure web gateway (SWG) capabilities regardless of user location, and a reimagined cloud management experience. This is delivered while providing 10 times more throughput than other solutions for a faster remote connection and 4.3 million security updates per day to make organizations confident that users and data are secure. “We’re very excited to offer Prisma Access 2.0 to Canadians,” says Orsanic. “With this, we’re delivering the most complete cloud-delivered platform for securely enabling today’s remote workforces.”

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Cyber threats are everywhere, and recovery costs are high. Through information and intelligence sharing, the CCTX helps Canadian organizations improve cyber resilience.

One of the most common and destructive forms of cyber attack is ransomware — a form of malware that encrypts an organization’s critical data to make it unreadable. Ransomware attacks can also steal your information to sell it on the dark web. Cybercriminals use ransomware attacks to extort money (or ransom) from the organization to restore the data.

The cost of a ransomware attack for Canadian businesses can be crippling when you consider its full implications. “It’s not just the ransom cost, but the overall recovery costs which include everything from replacing the equipment to rebuilding the network to the legal fees, forensics, and lost productivity,” says Robert Gordon, Executive Director of the Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange (CCTX), a not-for-profit cyber threat information sharing hub and collaboration centre.

Cyber attacks on the rise

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of cyber attacks in Canada has been rising. In Dealing with Technology Change in Pandemic Recovery, an October 2020 survey by the Conference Board of Canada, 28% of Canadian companies reported an increase in cyber attacks, insider threats, or data breaches from the previous year.

Many of these attacks are COVID-themed, ranging from COVID-related phishing email scams, to ransomware attacks on hospitals dealing with the health care crisis, to exploiting the network vulnerabilities of employees now working from home. “They’re coming from multiple directions and hitting organizations across the spectrum,” says Gordon.

Sharing information is key to building cyber resilience

To thwart potential attacks, organizations need to focus on building cyber resilience. An effective way to achieve this is by sharing critical intelligence and information — not just within IT departments but across the entire organization and into their supply chain.

This “whole of business” approach includes having IT security personnel engage in an ongoing dialogue with business units and operations managers to identify the most critical data and understand how to protect it. It also includes educating your workforce and having policies and procedures to minimize the chance of a data breach. More broadly, it’s having conversations with suppliers to learn about their cyber resilience. “You have to remember that with all of today’s interdependencies, if any of these people go down from an attack it has a ripple effect and you’re basically out of business,” says Gordon.

Equipping Canadian companies with cyber intelligence

The CCTX enables members to reduce financial, operational and reputational risk through access to timely and relevant cyber information. Member organizations of all sizes and sectors can collaborate, share information, and receive actionable cyber threat intelligence in a protected and trusted environment. The two primary ways this is done is through their Collaboration Center and Data Exchange.

The CCTX Collaboration Centre acts as a forum for cyber professionals to share and exchange best practices, techniques, and solutions that would not otherwise be available to them. “They can learn how other organizations solved or prevented the same kind of problem, so they don’t have to do it all on their own, and that’s far more cost-effective than having to start from scratch,” says Gordon.

Simultaneously, the CCTX Data Exchange gives participants access to unique cyber threat intelligence from sources across business sectors, the Canadian federal government, and various international threat-sharing hubs. With about 180 organizations currently participating — from major banks to two-person businesses — the CCTX is open to all industries and sectors. “This collaboration benefits both individuals and the collective good,” says Gordon.

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“Canadian customers have told us that they want more ways to reduce their CO₂ emissions and make a difference, but they don’t always know what actions to take,” says Andrea Brecka, General Manager of Retail at Shell Canada. “Our Drive Carbon Neutral program is designed to make it simple for Shell customers to address their carbon footprint today.”

Customers can opt into the program at no extra cost when they pay for their Shell fuel purchases through Shell EasyPay^TM on the Shell app until Dec. 31, 2020. Shell will offset customers’ emissions by purchasing independently-verified carbon credits generated from Canadian and international projects that protect and regenerate forests.

Beyond Dec. 31, 2020, Shell will continue to offer customers the ability to opt into the Drive Carbon Neutral program by contributing two cents per litre.

Offsetting customers’ carbon emissions is just one of the ways Shell is working to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050 or sooner, in step with society. On the road, Shell is also making a wider range of lower-carbon transport solutions available to customers, including fuels like biofuels and hydrogen, and is growing the number of charge points for electric cars through Shell subsidiary Greenlots.

The launch of the Drive Carbon Neutral program in Canada follows similar programs Shell offers drivers around the world in countries such as the U.K., Germany, and the Netherlands.

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As Canadian businesses look for the best ways to reintegrate their workers, AI tools are providing a safer route to guide them.

C-suite leaders navigating the return to the workplace amidst the COVID-19 pandemic are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) as a way to safely guide them through the storm.

As organizations quickly modernize their workloads to stay competitive, leaders are simultaneously laying the groundwork for employees to return to work — and AI tools are playing a critical support role, says Steven Astorino, Vice President of Development, Data and AI and Canada Lab Director at IBM.

“With the pandemic, enterprise leaders have come to the realization that they need to accelerate the digital transformation of their businesses and services solutions so they can stay competitive,” says Astorino.

Prior to the shift to remote work, IBM and other tech companies were already offering value-added AI tools to help companies make more accurate predictions, automate decisions and processes, and optimize time. When the COVID-19 pandemic impacted global workforces, IBM acted quickly to offer Watson Works, a curated set of AI tools that helps businesses get back on their feet and adapt more quickly to the tightrope of return-to-work policies and processes.

Overnight, virtual assistants like IBM Watson Assistant became critical to organizations of all kinds, including municipalities like Markham, ON who used it to provide citizens with updated and trusted information on COVID-19. The city has since expanded its use of Watson Assistant to include answers to many common municipal questions — from garbage pickup to applying for a building permit.

“For enterprises, Watson Assistant helps employees get answers to pressing questions on the fly. Open, accurate, and consistent communication is critical to keep everyone safe as employers bring their teams back to the office,” says Astorino.

With the pandemic, enterprise leaders have come to the realization that they need to accelerate the digital transformation of their businesses and services solutions so they can stay competitive.

Steven Astorino, Vice President of Development, Data and AI and Canada Lab Director at IBM.

Data science goes mainstream

AI tools automate and speed up many tasks that employees find cumbersome and time-consuming, and are increasingly being used to speed up decisions in industries like finance and legal, Astorino says.

“You can apply AI to any technology in any industry. It’s about automating better and faster and leveraging the predictive power of AI,” says Astorino.

To help businesses get started, IBM Canada offers a free-of-charge collaborative space called the Machine Learning Hub at sites in Toronto and Ottawa, as well as through remote engagement. The Machine Learning Hub allows businesses to take advantage of cutting-edge AI technologies like Watson Studio with no commitment.

“Data scientists are bringing their challenges to our Machine Learning Hub and working with brilliant IBM data scientists and software engineers,” says Astorino. “We’ve been very successful in educating our customers on how they can use AI and build machine learning models, no matter where they are on their AI journey.”

AI adoption a “strategic investment in the future”

Astorino likens the adoption of AI across enterprise to the way many consumers discovered the convenience and efficiency of ordering groceries online during the pandemic. “The technology was already there, but now everyone knows about it. There’s no going back to the way things were once you discover the value,” he says. 

The larger the corporation or the larger the facilities, the more impactful AI is going to be for ensuring a safer return to work, Astorino adds. While leaders in industries such as health care and finance have traditionally been skeptical of AI predictions, those concerns are quickly being addressed by advances made in the explainability of AI.

“We now have the right tools to explain AI decisions and increase people’s trust. As AI advances, it will only continue as a vital and strategic investment in the future of any company,” Astorino says.

Data Science at Your Service

IBM Canada’s Machine Learning Hub helps companies learn how to use data to unlock the power of AI and machine learning technology. IBM’s data science experts help enterprises visualize, analyze, and interpret their data and build and test rapid, scalable prototypes for fast deployment of these models at their organizations. Machine Learning Hubs are located in Markham and Ottawa.

Enterprise Design Thinking

IBM Canada Lab includes three studio locations to facilitate Enterprise Design Thinking, which helps customers collaborate, align teams, and solve users’ problems — all while improving customer experiences at the speed and scale the modern enterprise demands.

IBM Canada Centre for Advanced Studies (CAS)

A dedicated team of IBM researchers drives technical innovation by partnering with Canadian universities to advance domestic research and development. IBM Canada CAS provides funding, experts, and technology to enrich Canadian graduate research and to propel great ideas from theory to application.

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