News That Matters To You

By Andrew Maxwell
Traditional manufacturers often struggle to innovate because their operational excellence engines inadvertently stifle the experimentation required for future success. In an ongoing series looking at multiple aspects of innovation, Andrew Maxwell from York University explains that to remain relevant, firms must consciously build structural space for business model redesign and the innovation engine, alongside their existing production discipline.

By Gordon Harling
Gordon Harling of CMC Microsystems argues that opaque and complex procurement processes and cultural barriers prevent Canada's small and medium-sized businesses from effectively supporting Canada's defence sector. To bridge this gap, he proposes shifting toward challenge-based funding and third-party management to ensure Canadian SMEs have a level playing field to deliver critical dual-use technologies.

By Peter Josty
High-growth firms make a significant contribution to job creation, productivity and innovation, but they are unpredictable, episodic phenomena rather than a static category of businesses, says Peter Josty of the Centre for Innovation Studies. Because these companies are nearly impossible to identify before their growth spurts, government efforts to specifically target and foster them often prove ineffective.

By Kineta Tober
Kineta H. Tober, a European MSc student in cyberpsychology, researches how voice-based AI companions can offer residents with dementia the patient, conversational engagement that overstretched care staff often cannot provide. By scaling these assistive technologies, Canada could bridge the critical gap between dementia care needs and the current realities of limited staffing and pilot-focused funding, she says.

By Rosalind Lockyer
Rosalind Lockyer of PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise argues that Canada’s support systems for entrepreneurs are fundamentally failing women by forcing them to pay a 'legitimacy tax' on their businesses and navigate complex, broken bureaucracies. Transforming these outdated institutional practices is essential to unlocking the full economic potential of women and gender-diverse business owners across the country, she says.

By Jason Leong
Jason Leong of PocketSmith argues that Canadian regulators and policymakers should not use bank switching rates as the primary metric for open banking success. Instead, the country should focus on fostering a richer, more competitive ecosystem of financial tools and services, along with reliable data infrastructure and quality data that enhance services for existing bank customers.

By Alexander Zelenski
Canada is pursuing record-breaking infrastructure investments, but risks failing to engage young workers, says Alexander Zelenski of the Institute for Collaborative Innovation Canada. By shifting from siloed youth training programs to integrated pathways aligned with national missions and priority sectors, Canada can solve its productivity gap and grow its economy while providing stable career paths for the next generation, he says.

By Guy Levesque
Universities often struggle to integrate entrepreneurship centres due to four major structural contradictions, says Guy Levesque, executive Director of the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking at the University of Calgary. Overcoming these contradictions, and treating entrepreneurship as a shared institutional capability, is essential for universities aiming to cultivate entrepreneurial talent and support innovation across all disciplines.

By Andrew Maxwell
Andrew Maxwell from York University argues that Canada must shift from a reactive, fragmented approach to a strategic, outcome-focused innovation policy to bridge the country's persistent productivity gap. By establishing a non-partisan national innovation institution, Canada can better leverage its world-class research to commercialize technology, retain intellectual property, and secure the economic growth needed to sustain essential public services.