Coffee Briefings are timely deliveries of the latest ITWC headlines, interviews, and podcasts. Today’s Coffee Briefing is delivered by IT World Canada’s editorial team!
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What’s new this week
Trulioo expands its C-suite with appointment of identity industry expert as first CMO
Vancouver-based global identity verification company Trulioo today announced the appointment of Dawn Crew as its first chief marketing officer, where she’ll mainly be responsible for broadening the reach of the Trulioo end-to-end identity platform in new and mainstay verticals and geographies.
Crew brings over 25 years of experience in defining and leading global marketing strategies for technology companies in the identity verification, authentication and human resources industries. Most recently she served as Senior Vice President, Industry & Solution Marketing at TransUnion, accountable for leading teams across the organization’s core business-to-business (B2B) solutions businesses.
Xplornet acquires Manitoba internet service business of Full Throttle Networks
Canada’s rural-focused broadband provider Xplornet yesterday announced that it has completed the acquisition of the high-speed Internet business of Full Throttle Networks in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Full Throttle Networks operates a fixed wireless network providing broadband access service to over 1,600 residential and commercial customers in Winnipeg and surrounding communities. New Brunswick-based Xplornet says these customers will now likely benefit from its fibre-to-the-premises and 5G fixed wireless rollout plans in the province of Manitoba. Xplornet is currently expanding its fibre network across Manitoba and upgrading towers with leading-edge 5G equipment to deliver faster speeds to over 350 rural and 30 First Nation communities. Full Throttle customers located in the network upgrade areas will be able to take advantage of download speeds up to 100 Mbps and upload speeds up 10 Mbps, as well as speeds of 1 Gbps in fibre areas, once the project is complete, according to Xplornet.
Xplornet has fibre-to-the-home projects underway in Manitoba as well as in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
Microsoft Ability Summit 2022 is coming up next month
Microsoft is holding its annual two-day, free community event, Microsoft Ability Summit, online on May 10 and 11 to bring together people with disabilities, their allies, and industry professionals to focus on the future of disability inclusion and accessibility. The 2022 Microsoft Ability summit is open to all and will feature:
- Keynotes from Microsoft executives, accessibility, industry, and disability community experts.
- Expert panels featuring exciting projects and innovations, and debates on hot topics impacting the community.
- Product announcements! Learn about the latest in accessibility and disability-inclusive products, services, and experiences from Microsoft and across the industry.
All sessions will be recorded and available post-event so you can access the content at a time that works for you. In addition, all sessions will include real time captions, transcripts, and American Sign Language (ASL). Those interested can register here.
Rogers and OVIN launch 5G transportation challenge for Ontario SMEs
Rogers Communications and the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) yesterday announced the launch of a 5G challenge for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that operate in Ontario to accelerate innovation in the transportation sector. Using the Rogers 5G testbed in the David Johnston Research + Technology Park at the University of Waterloo and working with global firms including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Hexagon’s Autonomy & Positioning division, and Ericsson, Rogers aims to bring together a 5G ecosystem to drive the future of transportation technology.
As part of the challenge, mobility and transportation SMEs that operate in Ontario, including designers, innovators, and strategists, are encouraged to envision how they might use the Rogers 5G network for an innovative and ultra-low latency application, using the benefits of 5G networks, high precision positioning technologies and multi-access edge computing (MEC). They are encouraged to submit their proof-of-concept ideas by May 2. Potential solutions may involve dynamic map sharing, more accurate navigation, smart infotainment, real-time traffic updates and infrastructure-assisted autonomous vehicle perception.
On May 24, finalists will be announced and will be invited to pitch their ideas live to a panel of judges. Winners will be able to demonstrate and showcase their applications on site at the David Johnston Research + Technology Park using the Rogers 5G-enabled testbed, which is an element of the 5G Smart Campus lit up as part of the Rogers multi-year partnership with the University of Waterloo. Winners will also have the opportunity to work with Rogers and its partners to help further develop their solutions. More information is available here.
Government of Canada to engage with an expert advisory group to combat harmful online content
Canadian Heritage, the department of the Government of Canada that has roles and responsibilities related to initiatives that promote and support Canadian identity and values, cultural development, and heritage, last week announced a new expert advisory group on online safety. The group will be mandated to provide advice on a legislative and regulatory framework that best addresses harmful content online.
It is composed of twelve diverse experts and specialists from across Canada who will contribute their knowledge and experience from a variety of fields. They will hold up to 10 workshops to discuss various components of a legislative and regulatory framework for online safety. They will also take part in additional stakeholder engagement, including with digital platforms. The group’s mandate, the supporting materials for each session, and non-attributed summaries of all sessions and discussions will be published and all Canadians will be able to access them.
Applications now open for the fourth round of CleanBC Industry Fund
The CleanBC Program for Industry, which aims to reduce industry emissions through co-investment in innovation, is opening its next round of funding. The new round of the fund includes three project streams:
- The Emissions Performance stream supports projects that reduce emissions using commercially available technologies.
- The Innovation Accelerator stream supports projects that use clean technologies to demonstrate innovative solutions for industry emissions.
- The Project Feasibility Studies stream, which opened April 1, 2022, supports preliminary studies that aim to remove barriers, mitigate risks and determine the viability of potential emissions reduction projects.
The eligibility criteria for each of the three streams can be found here.
This is the fourth offering of the Emissions Performance stream. The province has committed $171 million for the CleanBC Program for Industry for the year 2022-23. Budget 2022 provides an additional $111 million in 2024-25 to enhance the CleanBC Industry Fund to support the further decarbonization of industry. The previous three rounds of the CleanBC Industry Fund resulted in a combined investment into the clean economy of nearly $310 million from the province, industry and partners. Visit here to learn more about the fund.
Canadian digital banking and cyber security solutions provider expands to U.S.
London, ON-based digital banking and cyber security solutions provider VersaBank has announced it has entered into an agreement with its first point-of-sale finance partner in the U.S., a North American, commercial transportation financing business focused on independent owners/operators. The bank says it expects to commence funding the partner in the coming weeks.
VersaBank’s point-of-sale financing business operates via its Receivable Purchase Program, which purchases loan and lease receivables from finance companies across a wide variety of sectors, including commercial equipment, consumer healthcare, vehicles, and home improvement. The bank says it substantially eliminates the credit risk inherent in purchasing such loan and lease receivables by holding cash deposits made by the originators of the loan and lease receivables to offset potential credit losses.
More to explore
Deloitte report: How Canadians with autism can help employers close the talent gap
Almost half of employees with autism don’t feel comfortable disclosing their neurodiversity to employers, according to a report jointly released today by Deloitte Canada and auticon Canada, a global technology consulting firm focused on helping companies engage with autistic talent through deployment, education, training, and coaching.
This week in ransomware – Friday, April 1, 2022: something old, something new
A recent study from telecommunications company Telus has reported that cyberattacks are on the rise in Canada, with 98 per cent of Canadian organizations reporting a cyberattack in the last 12 months.
Halton Regional Police to now use what3words app to assist in locating people lost or in distress
The Halton Regional Police has announced that it is now using the innovative location technology what3words to identify exactly where help is needed and get resources there quickly in case of an emergency.
Understanding current cybersecurity challenges in law: data sovereignty & cross-border data transfers
Cloud computing and cloud-service providers have brought about a significant shift in the globalized delivery of information technology services and computing resources. This article is the first in our new six-part series, “Understanding current cybersecurity challenges in law”.
What are QR codes and how do they work?
QR code stands for Quick Response code, and is a two-dimensional matrix barcode that stores information in a series of blocks. Invented in 1994 by the Japanese vehicle company Denso Wave to track auto parts, it has since become ubiquitous in almost all industry sectors.
Intel releases Arc discrete mobile graphics
Intel’s first dedicated mobile GPU is finally here. On March 30, the company released its first dedicated mobile graphics solution based on its Xe HPG architecture.
Telus and Vector Institute launch Energy Optimization System for datacentres across Canada
Telus and the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence yesterday announced the launch of the Energy Optimization System (EOS), with the aim to help reduce operational costs and minimize electricity use in commercial buildings, such as datacentres, across Canada.
Torontonians arrested in international business email scammer sweep
Two Torontonians were among 65 individuals arrested during an international U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation operation to combat business email compromise (BEC) schemes that intercept and steal wire transfers sent by businesses and individuals.
Canada, U.S. to negotiate treaty to speed up police data access requests
The United States will enter into negotiations with Canada on an agreement to allow police with court orders to get easier access on both sides of the border to the personal data of subscribers held by Google, Facebook, and other internet service providers involving alleged criminal offences.
Meta announces new Canadian engineering hub in Toronto
The company plans to hire up to 2,500 employees for remote and in-office positions across Canada over the next five years to help build the metaverse. Most of the Canadian job opportunities will be engineering focused and are expected to span building extended reality experiences and Meta technologies.
The charitable sector employs 12 per cent of the economically active population, generates nearly nine per cent of Canada’s GDP, and touches the lives of all Canadians. Yet most of these organizations don’t have the technology infrastructure and knowhow to deliver on their missions. The Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience, launched today, seeks to change that.
Staying informed is a constant challenge. There’s so much to do, and so little time. But we have you covered. Grab a coffee and take five while you nibble on these tidbits.
Listen to the latest episode of Hashtag Trending
Elon Musk is now the largest Twitter shareholder after his latest stock purchase, a new EU policy brings replaceable batteries back on the table, and the Windows 11 update is slowing down.
Listen to the latest episode of Cyber Security Today
This podcast reports on U.K. teens charged with cyber offences, how MFA can be over-ridden and security updates to be installed.
Listen to the latest episode of Hashtag Tendances (Hosted by Direction Informatique)
If you live in Quebec or prefer to consume the latest technology news in French, our sister publication Direction Informatique has you covered. Follow them on Twitter as well.