In a push to show policymakers how federally-supported tech projects are translating into commercial and dual-use opportunities for Canadians, DIGITAL, one of Canada’s Global Innovation Clusters, is highlighting a host of domestically-developed technologies at February events in both its Vancouver home base and on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
On February 17, the organization hosted “The DIGITAL Effect: Innovation Showcase,” a first-of-its-kind open-house event in downtown Vancouver designed to demonstrate how co-invested tech is being applied today across housing, mining, energy, and cybersecurity. The format included short company presentations followed by networking with founders, executives and ecosystem leaders.
Among the participating companies was Vancouver-based Wesgroup, which is advancing digitally manufactured housing approaches to improve productivity and accelerate residential construction timelines. With the use of digital housing tools drawing increased attention amid Canada’s ongoing supply constraints, this presentation turned plenty of heads in the standing-room-only audience.
Vancouver’s EarthDaily Analytics, meanwhile, highlighted satellite-based environmental analytics platforms that support land-use planning, resource development, climate monitoring and other dual-use applications. As noted by DIGITAL CEO Sue Paish, the growing reliance on space-based data reflects broader shifts toward real-time, data-driven decision-making across both the public and private sectors.
Also featured was Toronto-based Quantum Bridge, which is developing quantum-safe cryptography solutions intended to protect sensitive data in a future shaped by advances in quantum computing. As governments, financial institutions and armed forces prepare for next-generation cyber threats, quantum-resilient encryption is emerging as a strategic dual-use priority.
“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” Paish concluded to enthusiastic applause.
Heading for the Hill
Later this month, DIGITAL will showcase its impacts on Parliament Hill with a Hill Day Reception where MPs, ministers, senior officials and media will gather to explore how Canadian made technologies are advancing economic productivity, critical minerals development, dual-use innovation, and procurement modernization.
For Ottawa’s policy community, the Hill Day event will offer a window into one of the few federally funded innovation accelerators headquartered in Western Canada, and how its model is contributing to national economic priorities.
Starting with remarks from DIGITAL CEO Sue Paish and Taleeb Noormohamed, Parliamentary Secretary for AI and Digital Innovation, the event will spotlight Canadian firms commercializing solutions in mining, workforce training, and building performance analytics. These will include Oakville, Ont.-based Novamera, which has patented a “surgical mining” process that enables precise, low-impact extraction of previously uneconomic narrow-vein deposits; Lumeto, the Toronto-based company behind InvolveXR, an AI-powered virtual reality training platform for healthcare and defence; and Vancouver-based Green Metrics Technologies, which helps companies managing multi-residential and modular housing to make data-driven investment decisions.
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