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Health Innovation Roundup

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

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Sponsored by:
Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation

Areto Labs co-founder recognized for AI safety work

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Jacqueline Comer, co-founder and chief product officer of Areto Labs, was among the recipients of the AI + Safety award at the She Shapes AI Conference in London on April 16. The organization praised her efforts to create the world's first global hate-speech index for sports, a quarterly gauge of social-media sentiment around the world that led to the development of a microaggressions detection tool. "Across sectors and geographies, their work reflects what happens when AI is developed with intention," She Shapes AI said in a post introducing the 10 winners. "Not for the sake of innovation alone, but in response to real needs — grounded in context, shaped by lived experience, and designed to deliver meaningful outcomes."

Though Comer is based in Auckland, New Zealand, she started Areto Labs in Edmonton in 2020 with co-founders Lana Cuthbertson and Kasey Machin. Areto participated in the first cohort of the Community Safety and Wellness Accelerator (which is now defunct), and it was the first company that the ScaleGood Fund invested in in 2022. Areto has analyzed 27.6 million online comments since August 2022, identifying more than 2.3 million harmful interactions and taking action on more than a million, Comer said in an email to Taproot, adding that "communities using Areto report up to a 99% reduction in hate‑speech harm."

The 2025 annual report from Areto Labs showed elevated metrics for online abuse, especially towards women and trans athletes. "We publish this data because understanding the scale of the problem is the first step toward addressing it," the report's introduction reads. Areto's conclusion makes a direct call-to-action, with an emphasis on the well-being of organization's athletes. "The data points to one conclusion: online abuse is no longer an edge case to be managed reactively. It is a structural challenge that requires a structural response." As the Edmonton Oilers embark on another playoff run, they too will likely see an influx of negativity, judging by Areto's 2024 case study. "Their social media channels were abuzz with over 223,000 comments and an unprecedented increase in spam and negative content," Areto reported. "Managing this influx was crucial to maintaining a positive fan experience."

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Headlines

Social innovation

  • The City of Edmonton will convene housing leaders from across the Prairies from May 11 to 14 in an effort to advance affordable and non-market housing. Housing Forward builds off of a one-day symposium the city held in the fall. The city says the four-day symposium is the logical next step, in part because Edmonton has lessons to share, and in part because it wants to learn what's next. "Since 2019, we've increased our housing inventory by more than 40%, so we have some successes that we want to share with others, but it's also continuous improvement," Stuart Kehrig, director of the city's Housing Action Team, told Taproot.
  • Creatives Empowered is calling for six IBPOC content creators from Edmonton and the surrounding area to produce one- to three-minute anti-racism videos. Each creator selected will receive $4,500, a $1,000 production credit from FAVA, and a free first-year FAVA membership. The deadline to apply is May 1.
  • The solar panels on the Boyle Street Community Services okimaw peyesew kamik building are now fully operational. Boyle Street said the array now supplies 60% of the site's electricity.
  • Judith Gale of Bear Claw Beaver Hills House is urging Edmonton to re-evaluate fines for public drug use under its public spaces bylaw. The bylaw, which came into effect in May 2025 and is scheduled for review in late 2026, includes $25 fines for visible public drug use. Since the bylaw came into effect, Edmonton has issued 406 tickets and about 3,700 warnings, totalling more than $10,000 in fines. Meanwhile, the Downtown Revitalization Coalition called for better coordination between peace officers and police and other measures to reduce public drug use in a bid to make Edmonton Canada's safest city.
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More health news

  • Edmonton Public Schools trustees voted to remove a project for a dedicated Autism Centre of Excellence from its three-year capital plan. Trustee Sarah Doll introduced the motion, citing concerns about inclusivity. The proposed $25-million centre, intended for 106 students with severe autism, had received $300,000 in pre-planning support from the Alberta government. Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides told CBC the decision was "deeply disappointing."
  • Premier Danielle Smith announced that Alberta will eliminate twice-a-year time changes, opting to stay on daylight time year-round. Medical experts, including the Canadian Sleep Society, advocate for permanent standard time due to potential health impacts. Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi criticized the move as a distraction from pressing issues.
  • The Investigative Journalism Foundation found that statistics cited by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's office to downplay rising EMS overtime in Edmonton contradict the province's own data. While government officials urged media outlets to revise or remove the original report, records obtained through an access-to-information request show overtime has remained around 10% of hours worked in recent years. The province instead pointed to alternative data, such as overtime as a share of paid hours, to argue the increase was less significant, though those figures also show growth since 2022.
  • More than 50 unions and organizations, including the United Nurses of Alberta, marked the 42nd anniversary of the Canada Health Act by urging Ottawa to enforce the law against privatization and extra billing.
  • The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees is calling for stronger emergency department protections after a stabbing at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
  • Mount Royal University researcher Corinne L. Mason argued Alberta's justification for restricting gender-affirming care for youth does not reflect the full evidence base and examined the province's use of the notwithstanding clause to shield the law from Charter challenges.
  • About 300 workers and leaders attended Alberta's 23rd annual Health and Safety Conference. Organizers said sessions focused on incident investigation and workplace safety learning.
  • Some Edmonton doctors faced disciplinary action amid confusion over expired hospitalist contracts and pay changes. The province and the Alberta Medical Association had agreed to phase out contracts on April 1, but as many doctors didn't have an alternative arrangement in place, they didn't show up to work and were disciplined. The AMA called on health authorities to pause complaints while replacement staffing models are finalized.

Happenings

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

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

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

Sponsored

This roundup was sponsored by Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation.

API is one of Canada's largest not-for-profit life sciences commercialization organizations. We catalyze growth in the life sciences sector by addressing key challenges that hold companies and innovators back.

Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation

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