Health Innovation Roundup

Headlines

• AB for Abortion, the organization behind the pro-choice billboard on the main highway between Edmonton and Calgary, has launched a Patreon account to allow supporters to make recurring donations, as founder Erica Posteraro works to build abortion advocacy into a sustained movement across the province. "I wanted to change the narrative a little bit away from Alberta just being this regressive, conservative province," she told Taproot. "If this project has taught me one thing, it's that we're not, really."
• The Community Safety and Wellness Accelerator is wrapping up after six cohorts supporting 110 companies worldwide in building safer, healthier communities. "While this program concludes, the movement does not," the organization posted. "The work continues through each founder, each venture, and each supporter who believes that community safety and wellness deserve bold solutions."
• The Network for Applied Technology is hosting natIgnite 2026 at the University of Alberta to challenge students and recent graduates to design, build, and pitch accessibility solutions, with $10,000 in seed funding available for winning teams. Registration is open until April 17.
• Startup TNT has been recognized as Canada's most active private venture capital firm in the 2025 CVCA Venture Capital Report. It is calling for a community-driven approach to early-stage investing to counter the concentration of Canadian venture funding in a small number of large deals.
• Aurora Cannabis has exited the adult-use cannabis market to focus entirely on highly regulated international medical markets such as Germany, Australia, and Poland, MarketBeat reported. The Edmonton-headquartered company sees higher margins and greater alignment with pharmaceutical-style regulation, chief financial officer Simona King said at the TD Cowen Health Care Conference in Boston.
• Loreen Wales, the founder and CEO of Revive Wellness and My Viva, appeared on the NGBiLab podcast to discuss her entrepreneurial journey in the health sciences sector. Wales traces her passion back to a near-fatal accident when she was 19 that inspired her to transform patient care.
• Nanostics is seeking a vice-president of technology to lead its AI-driven medical diagnostics platform through FDA review and scale deployment across laboratories in North America and internationally.
• An AI scribe tool called Jenkins is now in 81 emergency departments across Alberta, listening in on patient-doctor conversations to reduce the documentation burden on physicians. The tool is stewarded by researchers at the University of Alberta's AI + Health Hub.
• Medical education is "really struggling to keep up" with the pace of AI development in healthcare, University of Alberta neurology resident Liam McCoy noted in a piece by University Affairs.
• University of Alberta researchers have developed a vaccine that trains the immune system to attack the misfolded proteins behind neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease, extending survival in mice by up to 42%.
• A University of Alberta clinical trial is testing whether offering Gamma Knife surgery soon after diagnosis can provide lasting relief for patients with trigeminal neuralgia, described as one of the most painful conditions in medicine.
• Pharmacy Brands Canada has partnered with Horizon Healthcare to open a pharmacy inside the new Covenant Community Health Centre in south Edmonton, integrating prescription and dispensing services in real time alongside an on-site medical clinic, infusion services, and home healthcare.
• A session on pelvic physiotherapy management for endometriosis on March 26 is the next in the Between Us virtual lecture series presented by Alberta Blue Cross and the Lois Hole Hospital Women's Society.
• Canadian Pacific Kansas City has selected the CK Hui Heart Centre as its community partner for the 2026 CPKC Women's Open this summer, meaning CPKC will match up to $250,000 in donations. The rail company previously chose the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation as the primary charity partner for the fundraising golf tournament, which takes place at the Royal Mayfair Golf Club from Aug. 19 to 23. CPKC's goal is to raise more than $3.9 million to support the Stollery's pediatric cardiac program.

Social innovation

• An Edmonton resident identified only as Ian has built yegsupport.com, a free, anonymized directory of local crisis support resources — including mental health, addiction, and housing services — designed to help people find the right service faster, with practical details such as hours, walk-in availability, and whether ID is required. It advises starting with 211 Alberta, a resource directory delivered by United Way of the Alberta Capital Region, Canadian Mental Health Association - Edmonton Region, and the Distress Centre in Calgary.
• Kickstand Edmonton, operated by YMCA of Northern Alberta, is marking one year of offering free mental health counselling, primary healthcare, Indigenous wellness, and life skills programming to young people aged 11 to 25 at West Edmonton Mall.
• Homelessness in Edmonton requires a social innovation approach, wrote Murtaza Haider of the University of Alberta's School of Business and Cities Institute. "Homelessness is rarely a housing issue; it encompasses housing, trauma, addiction, mental illness, precarious employment, and institutional and familial failure. Addressing it as a single-variable problem ensures failure," he said in an op-ed. "This is where social innovation enters the discussion. Not as a buzzword, but as a framework."
• Humour and absurdity are essential tools — not luxuries — when it comes to social change work, Skills Society executive director Ben Weinlick said on the latest episode of the Wicked Complex podcast.
• Omar Yaqub and others from IslamicFamily appeared on the Do Local Good podcast from United Way of the Alberta Capital Region to discuss how relational hospitality builds belonging. The discussion included The Green Room, a safe, welcoming space for Muslim youth in Edmonton.
• Janet Tryhuba, the executive director of the Edmonton Down Syndrome Society, appeared on the Give Amplify Connect podcast to discuss how a grassroots playgroup evolved into a 30-year hub for education and advocacy for people with Down syndrome.
• Alberta Blue Cross has reopened its Community Wellbeing grant program for 2026, inviting applications from Alberta-based organizations until April 30 for a chance to receive one of 75 $1,000 grants to support physical, mental, and social wellbeing. Last year's Edmonton recipients include the Edmonton Military Family Resource Centre, Lady Flower Gardens, Spinal Cord Injury Alberta, and Sustainable Food Edmonton.
• YWCA Edmonton has named its 2026 Women of Distinction, recognizing six leaders for their contributions to the community. The honorees include Edmonton Public Library CEO Pilar Martinez; Shiza Wasi of YEG Muslim Vote; NorQuest College CEO Carolyn Campbell; curator and philanthropist Maggie Mitchell; and Holly Hallborg of REACH Edmonton. Educator Rosalind Smith posthumously received the Bellamy Award for lasting contributions to the community. They will be recognized at the Women of Distinction Awards Luncheon on May 7 at the Royal Glenora Club.

More health news

• Domestic violence remains widespread in Alberta despite progress, according to the Alberta Council of Women's Shelters. The federal government announced nearly $631,000 in funding to expand support tools for survivors of gender-based violence. The Edmonton Police Service laid 1,561 domestic violence charges in 2024 and responded to nearly 10,000 calls. Advocates say inflation and a shortage of affordable housing are making it harder for survivors to leave abusive partners.
• A shortage of estrogen patches is leaving some Alberta women scrambling for alternative menopause treatments. Diane Reid told CBC that such patches were the only salve for her menopause symptoms. "What do I do? Do I just literally live with this? For a lot of us it's not an option, because the symptoms are so bad you just can't function," Reid said.
• Alberta's provincial budget includes $13.8 billion for hospital and surgical systems — a $1.7-billion increase over last year — but no construction funding for planned bed towers in Edmonton and Calgary, meaning new capacity remains years away.
• The Alberta Medical Association and the provincial government are at odds over the rollout of triage liaison physicians for emergency departments. Alberta Hospitals Minister Matt Jones says he does not blame doctors for the delay in hiring emergency department triage liaison physicians, expressing hope that the government and the Alberta Medical Association can still reach an agreement.
• The Relevance Report podcast examined how the dissolving of the Alberta Health Services board is affecting hospital workers on the ground, with an occupational therapist at the University of Alberta Hospital describing challenges such as increased wait times.
• The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees is calling for legislation to protect healthcare workers who report corruption or mismanagement, warning that the province's restructuring has made the system "less transparent and more chaotic."
• Alberta Premier Danielle Smith defended her government's plan to tighten eligibility for seniors benefits after the province projected a $9.4-billion deficit in the provincial budget. Beginning July 1, the income threshold for the Alberta Seniors Benefit will drop by about 9%, a move expected to save the province $23 million in 2026-27. The government says the lowest-income seniors will not be affected.

Happenings

Here are some events coming up over the next seven days:

• March 11: Chrysalis Connects starting at 5pm at Vi's for Pies
• March 11: Bioeconomy Guild Night - March starting at 5pm at MKT Fresh Food | Beer Market
• March 11: Pride Week * Queer Research Connections starting at 10am at Allard Hall
• March 11: Capital Access & Women Founders: Progress, Gaps, and What's Next starting at 12pm online
• March 11: Leading With Purpose: Stronger Leaders, Businesses & Careers starting at 6:30pm at Aura Cocktail Bar
• March 12: More than a Meal: Lessons from "Right to Food" Models starting at 12pm online
• March 12: Eat Well, Spend Less starting at 1pm at St. Albert Public Library (Downtown)
• March 12: ERIN x Technology Alberta - Pi(e) Day Meet-Up starting at 4pm at Edmonton Research Park
• March 12: Millcreek Healing Park Presentation starting at 6:30pm at Ritchie Community Hall
• March 14: Night of Artists Spring Gala for Amy's House starting at 7pm at Bonnie Doon Centre
• March 18: From Recognition to Transformation: Surviving, Interrupting, and Healing Harm in Nonprofit Organizations starting at 9:30am at ArtsHub Ortona

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• March 20: Evening with Cam Tait at Chrysalis
• March 21: Healthy Aligned Living Springs into Spring at Edmonton Seniors Centre
• March 26: Between Us: An Interactive Talk on Pelvic Physiotherapy Management for Endometriosis online

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

Beyond Edmonton

• SPARK Alberta, powered by the University of Calgary's Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking, is accepting spring 2026 applications until March 29 from faculty, researchers, and graduate students at Alberta post-secondary institutions with digital health innovations.
• The Council of Canadian Innovators has released a report recommending that Canadian governments overhaul health procurement and data management to support domestic healthtech companies, including applying Buy Canadian policies to healthcare and adopting national standards for data sharing to unlock an estimated $2.4 billion in annual efficiency gains.