The Pulse: Feb. 26, 2026

RUNWITHIT Synthetics is going to market with a licensable version of the tech it uses internally to help organizations foresee the consequences of their actions.

RWI launched INFLECTOR AI on Feb. 11, describing it as "an agent-based, inferential, artificial intelligence" in the announcement.

"What our customers are telling us now is that they need to be able to use this technology inside their markets, their organizations, and their technologies in order to do what we do in their part of the world," Dean Bitter, co-founder and chief visionary officer at RWI, told Taproot. "They're all very interested in creating and sharing what we call 'content' — and content, for us, is this very dynamic and interactive combination of data and models and visualizations."

INFLECTOR is not a new invention so much as a packaging of more than a decade of work. It's the toolkit that allows RWI to build synthetic twins of cities or regions and run scenarios to show decision-makers the impact of choices they might make. The company's award-winning model of the Edmonton region has been used to analyze business matters such as hydrogen demand, as well as social concerns such as economic precarity.

RWI sees governments, researchers, and corporations that are invested in the future of their communities as the market for INFLECTOR. But RWI plans to continue with the service side of its business as well, as the company's market consists of both hands-on and hand-off customers.

"Some want to build a spaceship, and others just want to fly in it," as co-founder and CEO Myrna Bittner put it after a $3.5 million investment from Raven Capital Partners in 2024.

The Bittners were not previously interested in RWI "coming out" as an AI company, Myrna told Taproot, because their customers were focused on end results, not the connotations of disruption that AI can bring. That said, the Bittners' previous company, NeuralVR, allowed for three-dimensional search within complex construction documents using natural language all the way back in 1999.

"We were doing agentic AI before it became known as agentic AI," Myrna said.

• A City of Edmonton audit found widespread problems with its gift card program, including nearly $459,000 worth of cards issued with improper codes since 2017. Auditors identified nearly 800 cards that were both issued and redeemed by the same employees, raising concerns about potential misuse. The review also found weak controls over the gift-card registry, including access by inactive staff and unauthorized users.The City is reviewing user access and working to strengthen controls, training and software safeguards.
• The City of Edmonton is seeking about $75 million in provincial funding ahead of Budget 2026, Mayor Andrew Knack said, calling the request modest given Alberta's projected deficit. Key priorities include industrial infrastructure, transit safety, addiction recovery housing, and restoring full tax payments on provincial buildings. Knack said municipalities are struggling to keep up with growth after years of declining infrastructure support. Alberta Municipalities also called for increased provincial investment to address infrastructure and rising policing costs.
• A fire destroyed a home under construction in central Edmonton's Spruce Avenue neighbourhood on Feb. 25. Edmonton Fire Rescue Services responded just before 5am to the blaze near 103 Street and 102 Avenue, which was declared under control by 6:07am. The fire also spread to a neighbouring building, though the extent of that damage remains unknown. No injuries were reported, and investigators are working to determine the cause.
• The Alberta government pledged $10.8 billion for education funding in Budget 2026, representing a $722 million increase from the previous year. Premier Danielle Smith and Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides announced the investment on Feb. 25, one day before the provincial budget is set to be tabled, saying that it addresses inflationary costs and enrolment growth. The funding is intended to support the hiring of 1,600 teachers and 800 support staff for the 2026-2027 school year, with a goal of 5,000 new teachers over three years. Jason Schilling of the Alberta Teachers' Association praised the investment for meeting government promises.
• Justice Wayne Renke dismissed a family's request for a judicial review regarding a decision from the Edmonton Police Service not to charge a man in the February 2025 stabbing death of 13-year-old Eric Omeasoo. Omeasoo died on the MacEwan LRT Station platform in Edmonton. While police ruled his death a homicide, they said that charges would not be laid because evidence suggested the killing was in self-defence. Renke also rejected a review of Crown prosecutors involved in the case.
• The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, representing more than 2,900 licensed practical nurses and healthcare aides, ratified a new collective agreement with Covenant Health. The deal, retroactive to April 1, 2024, and expiring March 31, 2028, includes a 12% wage increase over four years and "significant market adjustments" for nursing-care staff across Alberta.
• The Alberta government introduced Bill 16, the Traveller Protection and Destination Development Act, to protect consumers from misleading hotel fees. The legislation aims to ensure destination marketing fees, typically 3-6% of a room's cost, go entirely to designated organizations like Explore Edmonton or Tourism Jasper, preventing businesses from keeping them for profit. Tracy Douglas-Blowers of the Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association supports the framework, which also requires full-price disclosure at booking. A transition period is allowed until Dec. 31.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Death: Life's Greatest Mystery Opening Day starting at 10am at Royal Alberta Museum
• Alberta Incentive to Green Your Home or Business: CEIP Explained starting at 12pm online
• UofA Entrepreneurial Law Clinic Pop-Up: Free Student Legal Support starting at 12pm at Edmonton Research Park
• From Data to Decisions: What High-Performing Digital Organizations Do Differently starting at 5pm at Edmonton Unlimited
• Craft Your Living Legacy starting at 6pm online
• VERS/E: A Queer Poetry Reading Series + Open Mic starting at 6pm at Felice Cafe
• Youth Voices:Human Rights and Leadership Workshop starting at 6pm at Africa Centre
• Pitch-A-Friend Edmonton — Official Launch Night starting at 6:30pm
• I Meant What I Said starting at 7:30pm at Varscona Theatre
• Anne of Green Gables starting at 7:30pm at Capitol Theatre

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• March 3: Thoughtful Tuesday - Push: The Film at Earth's Refillery Coop
• March 10: Paths to the Top: Women Leaders in Conversation at Brew and Bloom
• March 12: ERIN x Technology Alberta - Pi(e) Day Meet-Up at Edmonton Research Park

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

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