EDGE UP (Energy to Digital Growth Education and Upskilling Project) is a multi-stakeholder program launched in Calgary in 2019 to test new approaches to skills development for workers to re-engage with technology jobs being created in all sectors of Calgary’s economy. The EDGE UP 2.0 program is led by Calgary Economic Development and delivered in partnership with the Information and Communications Technology Council, University of Calgary Continuing Education, SAIT, Bow Valley College, Mount Royal University, and Riipen. The program targets professionals displaced from the structural change in the oil and gas sector. Students are trained for in-demand information technology jobs including data analysts, full-stack software developers, information technology project managers, cybersecurity analysts, UI/UX Designers, Digital Marketing, etc. Details on the NEW EDGE UP 2.0 program and how to apply will be available June 2021. 

BIPOC entrepreneurs and BIPOC-led organizations in Atlantic Canada are forming strategic partnerships with incubators and accelerators as part of a co-operative effort to dismantle historical systemic barriers built even higher by the pandemic.

Hubs of Innovation: A playbook for place leaders was created in collaboration with the UK Innovation Districts Group, with research led by The Business of Cities and is designed for place-leaders, anchor institutions and larger stakeholders who play key roles in the innovation sector. The report provides guidance to those at different stages of maturity in developing innovation hubs and draws on best practices from existing hubs such as MediaCityUK in Salford, the Belfast Innovation District, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in East London and the Knowledge Quarter in Liverpool.

The organization, created by a Toronto-based web developer, shares up-to-date information on Twitter and Discord about eligibility and vaccine clinic locations across the country, and many have been using it to navigate the confusing process of booking appointments and getting that first dose. Volunteers monitor public health portals, vaccine clinic websites and tips from the account’s followers.

Through the pilot, Deliverect’s solution will connect UberEats, Doordash, SkipTheDishes, and other delivery companies directly to restaurants’ POS system in order to automate the online order process. Deliverect’s platform aims to alleviate the requirement to have staff maintain multiple tablets for delivery orders, reducing mistakes and wait times for customers. At least 100 independently-owned restaurants are expected to receive free access to the platform for 90 days through the pilot. The program seeks to pilot solutions that target challenges facing main street small businesses.

They achieve this through increasing the pool of professional early-stage investors, educating entrepreneurs on fundraising best practices, and sustaining long-term relationships across all stakeholders.  They raise funds through weekly happy hour events or “beer sponsorship”.

All drivers will be required to take the same strict COVID precautions, and will be masked while doing deliveries.

Independently owned restaurants, service businesses, retailers, tour operators and experience providers have continued to make Edmonton a place to be proud of, even when business could no longer operate as usual. In fact, many of Edmonton’s trailblazing entrepreneurs have found a way to give back to the community while working to keep their local businesses afloat during these uncertain times. Read on to learn more about the inspiring Edmontonians behind local businesses, and how they are stepping up through creative thinking and a spirit of community. Click here for even more entrepreneurs who are making a difference.

1. Use empty retail spaces and 1st & 2nd floors to encourage independent shops and to incubate a recycle, repair and regenerate artisanal industry to create a healthy mix of well-designed work/live spaces.
2. Use available micro spaces to set up pocket parks, as in cities such as Tokyo, Barcelona and San Francisco.
3. Convert more streets to pedestrian use only, widen pavements on shared streets, and create better links to public transport.
4. Strengthen alliances with other like-minded groups in Bradford to engage with Council to ensure a generous level of consultation well before important planning decisions are made.
5. Work with community groups in Bradford to create activity spaces that can be enjoyed by all the city’s communities.
6. Join with other groups to exchange ideas and learn from experiences.

Are you interested in creating (or hosting) a pop-up but are not sure where to start?

In the wake of COVID-19 Wallplay has created a toolkit on how vacant spaces can be repurposed for public good. Wallplay has been facilitating pop-ups since 2013, we helped pioneer the “vacant space as pop-up venue” model and we are excited to share what we’ve learned.

VisitorBay is a digital visitor management tool that allows for an automated sign-in process that is more secure than traditional paper methods. Before COVID-19, the company launched a digital registration system for clients that would see the end of paper sign-in sheets left out in the open for all to see. A few weeks into COVID-19, company founders Brett Carrier and Ricardo Casanova knew there was an opportunity to adapt their product to help companies.

The City of Ottawa’s Innovation Pilot Program (IPP), managed by Economic Development Services (EDS), is shifting its focus towards COVID-19 economic recovery efforts. This new focus, the Recovery Stream, provides companies the opportunity to test and quickly deploy their technology innovations in real-life testing environments with the City or one of its economic development partners. The program provides companies with valuable feedback on their innovations, prior to scaling and production.

To help keep the community engaged and to ensure the Fox Theatre in Toronto’s Beach neighbourhood will still be in business once the virus restrictions are lifted, a fundraising campaign was started by the theatre. For $150, plus taxes, community could purchase a plaque with their name on it to be put on seats at the historic theatre. The Fox posted information about the sale on their website and within a short amount of time all 251 seats were « sold ». The theatre later sold naming rights for other parts of the building.

A restaurant in Dallas is coping with the pandemic by leveraging Better Block’s approach to adaptive urbanism. The Better Block crew had constructed several wooden market stalls that were going to be used for a pop-up outdoor market in the Allen project. Now, they’ve used them to turn Oddfellows into an actual outdoor market, stocking the shelves with the restaurant’s stock and selling neighbors staples that may be difficult to find at the stores that remain open.

Le simple dispositif d’une petite entreprise de fabrication Coquitlam permet à deux personnes d’effectuer une transaction à deux mètres l’une de l’autre.

Les propositions peuvent aborder les questions relatives à l’offre, au soutien administratif, à la gestion des personnes, aux systèmes de vente ou à d’autres domaines. Les solutions mises en œuvre aideront les petites entreprises à relever les défis du COVID-19.

Une agence à but non lucratif gérée par Mi’kmaq utilise la technologie d’impression 3D pour fabriquer des fournitures médicales pour les travailleurs de la santé pendant la pandémie de COVID-19. Les imprimantes 3D sont normalement dans les salles de classe de la Nouvelle-Écosse, mais elles sont maintenant à Halifax pour imprimer de l’équipement de protection qui peut être rare pour les collectivités isolées.

Les artistes de Vancouver travaillent ensemble pendant la pandémie coVID-19 pour créer de la beauté grâce à des peintures murales publiques. Une grande partie des zones les plus fréquentées de la ville se sont transformées en villes fantômes et les vitrines sont à bord. Mais le Vancouver Mural Festival (VMF) commande aux artistes de transformer ces fronts avec des œuvres d’art temporaires.

More than 50 people who used to work in Bruce County’s libraries and museums have been asked if they could work with seniors instead. To date, the former librarians and archivists have just been screening people as they enter the nursing homes, but they’ll soon be trained to take residents to meals, clean bed pans, organize rooms, and eventually, even answer some call bells.

Grâce à un partenariat avec Folding@home, quatre des serveurs de la RPL et cinq ordinateurs de son Digital Media Studio travaillent d’arrache-pied pour croquer les données que les scientifiques du monde entier utilisent pour rechercher COVID-19.

À Toronto, neuf succursales de TPL ont été converties en centres de distribution alimentaire au cours des dernières semaines, en partenariat avec trois banques alimentaires locales. À Montréal, la Grande Bibliothèque, la plus grande bibliothèque du Québec, a été transformée en espace de répit de jour pour les sans-abri.

Alors que les bibliothèques publiques de partout au Canada sont soudainement fermées en réponse à la pandémie du COVID-19, les dirigeants et les travailleurs des bibliothèques de partout au pays s’adaptent rapidement pour continuer à servir les gens, principalement en ligne. Cet article décrit certaines des initiatives à travers le pays des bibliothèques ou du personnel de la bibliothèque.

Lorsque les clients visitent une banque alimentaire dans une succursale de TPL, bibliothèque le personnel ajoutera un livre adapté à l’âge pour chaque enfant d’une famille qui est intéressé. TLes banques alimentaires de PL ont été mises en place en partenariat avec la North York Harvest Food Bank, la Daily Bread Food Bank et Second Harvest dans neuf succursales de bibliothèques de la ville.

Les restaurants vendent maintenant des agrafes de garde-manger et du papier hygiénique pendant que les salles à manger restent fermées

Mustang Survival et Arc’teryx travaillent avec d’autres entreprises pour fournir 90.000 robes dans les prochaines semaines

Avec des entreprises rééquiper pour produire des écrans de protection, des points de distanciation sociale, des PPE et des services de conduite

Avec des entreprises rééquiper pour produire des écrans de protection, des points de distanciation sociale, des PPE et des services de conduite

Le projet a attiré une petite armée de développeurs, d’ingénieurs et de designers, tous cherchant à aider à lutter contre la pandémie. Il a également fait appel à des décorateurs de mariage, des couturières, des constructeurs de décors de films, des lycéens, des sauveteurs, des électriciens, des illustrateurs, des planificateurs d’événements et des installateurs de verre automatique, qui veulent simplement lancer dans ce qu’ils peuvent.

La plateforme en ligne aide à mettre en relation les chercheurs d’emploi canadiens en technologie avec les employeurs; fournit des ressources de l’industrie pour la transition vers la technologie ou le travail de la maison, et sert de lieu pour les partisans de l’industrie de partager leurs services, séances, ressources, etc.