News That Matters To You

By Mark Lowey
In a Q&A interview, Noel Baldwin, executive director of the Future Skills Centre, talks about: how Canadian workers can keep upskilling in the face of rapid technological change; how young people can gain the right skills in finding employment; the value of formal and information education; how government can help workers who need career transition, Canada’s labour market strengths; and the aim of FSC’s Resilient Workforce Working Table.

By Mark Lowey
Indigenous entrepreneurs in northern Canada can be catalysts for economic development in their communities, yet they often face challenges accessing business supports and wraparound social supports, say organizations working with Northerners. Supporting Northern startups helps address labour demands and opportunity disparities between Indigenous Peoples and the non-Indigenous communities, organization leaders told a Future Skills Centre webinar.

By Mark Lowey
Patrick Searle, CEO of the Council of Canadian Innovators, says Canada must prioritize sovereignty, wealth creation and intellectual property strategies to compete in today's digital economy. In a Q&A interview with Research Money, Searle emphasizes the need for a clear national strategy that integrates security, trade and innovation to ensure Canada's economic sovereignty and prosperity.

By Mark Lowey
Canada's poor performance in turning innovative ideas into commercialized products threatens long-term productivity, according to a Canadian Science Policy Centre (CSPC) report. Dave Watters of Global Advantage Consulting argues that fixing this "innovation gap" requires a mission-driven innovation strategy and sustained public/private collaboration.

By Mark Lowey
Canada is ready to build a world-class supercomputer. But Queen's University's Ryan Grant, who has helped build the world's largest supercomputers, says a made-in-Canada supercomputer needs to be coupled with an advanced technology program to train Canadians on the machine and scale up a domestic supercomputing industry that can export trusted and globally competitive AI products.

By Mark Lowey
Canadian research funding and spending showed encouraging growth across research universities, research hospitals, research colleges and federal government departments in Fiscal Year 2024, according to Research Infosource's annual report. However, Ron Freedman, CEO of Research Infosource, cautions that proposed federal funding cuts and limits on international students could reduce future research capacity.

By Mark Lowey
Employers increasingly need workers with foundational skills like teamwork, problem-solving and adaptability, but these skills are often missing from postsecondary and workplace training programs, academics and skills training experts said during a Future Skills Centre webinar. Research shows people with foundational skills earn more, advance, go further in their careers, and adapt better – highlighting the need for proactive reskilling programs.

By Mark Lowey
Federal research funding heavily favors universities, leaving colleges, polytechnics and CÉGEPs with limited resources for industry-focused applied research, say leaders in the college sector. Without an overhaul of how Tri-Council funding is designed, and a top-up to the federal program that supports colleges' applied R&D with industry, Canada risks missing critical opportunities to translate research into real-world applications for companies, they say.

By Mark Lowey
Lab2Market's national network is expanding into quantum and AI, helping researchers translate cutting-edge work into startups. With $32 million in federal funding, Lab2Market, led by Dalhousie University, addresses the critical gap in commercializing research, which matters because it drives economic growth and establishes Canada as a leader in quantum technologies.