The Pulse: June 11, 2025

With a fresh US$7.85-million investment in hand, Justin Villiers said Scription is supersizing its predictive maintenance tech that boosts profit margins for both quick-serve food operators and the maintenance companies they rely on.

“The secret of how this all works is preventive maintenance,” Villiers, a co-founder, past CEO, and the current chief strategy officer for Scription, told Taproot. “When you pay maintenance workers per hour, they make the most amount of money when things break. It’s a bit of a broken model.”

Scription began in 2020 in Edmonton and has since opened offices in Calgary and Atlanta, GA. The American outpost is vital because most of Scription’s clients are there, Villers said. Those clients are quick-serve franchisees, including those who run McDonald’s, KFC, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, and Dave’s Hot Chicken (which opened its first Alberta location in March) locations.

Customers pay Scription a monthly fee for equipment maintenance services for their kitchen equipment, which makes money when working and costs a lot to react to and fix quickly when down. Villiers said Scription helps manage maintenance on a restaurateur’s behalf, because preventative maintenance cuts costs for owners and boosts the bottom line for maintenance companies.

“The owner-operator benefits from this program because they have fewer breakdowns, more preventive maintenance, and less money going into the system,” Villiers said. “So if less money is going into the system, is that hurting the service companies? Well, actually, the answer is no, because the margins are much better on preventive maintenance than they are on reactive maintenance. They can be almost twice as high.”

Scription’s latest round of seed funding joins US$2.5 million in pre-seed money the company raised in 2023. The new funds will be spent on growth, Villiers said. The announcement for the round also included the unveiling of new CEO, Gerritt Graham, who is an American startup advisor and former insurance executive. Villiers added that the Scription team is spread out. He’s based in Ottawa, the service team’s in Edmonton, the engineering team’s in Calgary, and business development is mostly in the U.S.

Back here in Canada, Villiers said Scription just closed its first domestic deal with the owner-operator of a McDonald’s.

• Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said that anti-racism work is a “core municipal responsibility” for the City of Edmonton, as officials provided an update on Edmonton’s strategy to address hate-based violence. The strategy aims to create a more inclusive and equitable City for all residents.
• The City of Edmonton faces a $1.5 billion capital funding shortfall and expects another $1.8 billion shortfall in the next budget cycle, potentially leading to $3.2 billion in total. According to a fiscal update on June 10, the funding gap impacts grants, neighbourhood renewals, and fleet replacements. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said past decisions to freeze and reduce taxes, along with changes to provincial Municipal Sustainability Initiative funding, contributed to the crisis.
• Edmonton city council has approved the rezoning for a proposed four-storey building across from the Jasper Place Leisure Centre.
• The Alberta Aviation Museum is close to finalizing the purchase of its historic home Hangar 14 in Edmonton.
• During the Edmonton Oilers’ playoff run, restaurant spending near Rogers Place increased significantly, with a 143% jump during Game 4 of the third round against the Dallas Stars, according to Moneris data. City-wide, bars and restaurants saw a 27% rise in spending during the same game. Spending increases were more pronounced when the Oilers won, with the four games following a Game 1 loss to Dallas bringing increases between 38% and 143% near the arena.
• As wildfires continue to burn across Alberta, smoke has blanketed much of the province, including the Edmonton region, causing worsening air quality. Environment Canada issued special air quality statements for the city and surrounding regions, with the Air Quality Health Index for the Edmonton region rated at 10+ as of June 10. People are urged to limit time. Close to 3,000 Albertans remain on evacuation orders as 66 wildfires rage across the province, 25 of which are out of control. Firefighters from Australia are headed to Alberta to assist.
• The Edmonton Police Service reported a decrease in shootings. There were eight shootings in May compared to 10 the year before. Of the eight reported last month, seven were believed to be targeted, police said.
• The Alberta Teachers’ Association said that 95% of teachers voted in favour of strike action due to concerns about crowded classrooms and a lack of wage increases. Union president Jason Schilling said the teachers have 120 days to initiate job action, with a 72-hour notice, if an agreement isn’t reached with the province. The ATA’s provincial executive council will meet to determine its next steps. Finance Minister Nate Horner said the mediator’s recommendation that teachers voted down included a 12% wage increase over four years, already accepted by other unions.
• Edmonton Oilers defenceman Jake Walman was fined twice for his actions during Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. Following a 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers, the Oilers are focused on improving their performance for Game 4. The team accumulated 85 penalty minutes and struggled with defensive breakdowns. Coach Kris Knoblauch defended Stuart Skinner’s performance but did not confirm if he would start in goal on June 12.

Correction: This file has been updated to correct information about a property across from the Jasper Place Leisure Centre.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Alberta’s Circular Innovations starting at 11am at Edmonton City Hall
• Business@Lunch-State of the City with Mayor Cathy Heron starting at 11am at Enjoy Centre
• Raising of FrancoQueer flag // Lever du drapeau FrancoQueer starting at 12pm at La Cite Francophone
• Seniors Book Club starting at 2pm at St. Albert Public Library (Downtown)
• ERINnovation Meet-up starting at 4pm at Elks Social Hall
• The ED Room: Wine and Wisdom starting at 4:30pm at The Bell in Scona
• Prairie Bioeconomy Guild: BioAlberta’s Summer Networking Social starting at 5pm at Brewsters (Unity Square)
• Book Signing: Marcus To starting at 5pm at Rolling Tales Pop Culture
• Edmonton Tech Wednesdays starting at 5:30pm at GRETA Bar YEG
• Tree Planting for Biodiversity starting at 5:30pm at Rundle Park
• Climate Chats starting at 6pm
• Driving Innovation Through Collaboration at University of Alberta (until June 12)

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• June 14: What’s on your mind, municipally speaking? at Edmonton Public Library (Meadows)
• June 18: The Air We Breathe: Wildfire Smoke and Particulate Matter Impacts online
• June 19: Women’s Script Writing Circle Showcase at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)

Visit the beta version of the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.