Tech Roundup
May 19, 2026
TELUS will become the first beta tester of wâsikan kisewâtisiwin, a writing tool that uses artificial intelligence to help non-Indigenous people accurately communicate about Indigenous Peoples by correcting unconscious bias or racism in written material. "Our partnership with TELUS is an exciting step forward for our company and a significant validation of what we have created," founder and CEO Shani Gwin said in a release ahead of the announcement at Web Summit in Vancouver.
The "AI with heart" will be hosted on the TELUS Sovereign AI Factory, a Quebec-based supercomputer that keeps the data in Canada and is powered by renewable energy. That approach was important to Gwin. "For us, this partnership gives wâsikan kisewâtisiwin access to a data centre that uses less water, is powered by sustainable energy, and provides us the opportunity to continue our mission of building AI in a way that is not transactional but relational, and in an OCAP-friendly environment," she said, referring to the First Nations principles of ownership, control, access, and possession. For TELUS's part, it's a step toward reconciliation. "This partnership is a powerful example of what responsible AI innovation looks like in practice — keeping humans in the loop to create a more inclusive and trustworthy digital future for everyone," chief data and trust officer Pam Snively said in the announcement.
It's better to be involved in this world-changing technology than not, Gwin said on Episode 5 of the Settle Down podcast, which she co-hosts with three other Indigenous business leaders. "If we are involved in AI now, it could change every single system in the world," she said. "AI touches almost every system in our world right now, and if it doesn't, it's going to." Listen in for more on the origin story of wâsikan kisewâtisiwin, which translates as "kind electricity" in nêhiyawêwin, and hear further thoughts on Episode 6.
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Headlines
- Edmonton Centre MP Eleanor Olszewski, the minister responsible for PrairiesCan, is expected to make an announcement on federal funding to support AI initiatives on Day 1 of Upper Bound, which runs from May 19 to 22. The sold-out conference is also expected to hear from Evan Solomon, the federal minister of AI, and Nate Glubish, the provincial minister of technology and innovation. The Approximately Correct podcast from the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute has more on what to expect at Upper Bound and what Amii has learned over the past five years.
- Stephanie Enders of the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute has joined Venture for Canada's inaugural AI Advisory Council, which is focused on helping young professionals and businesses adapt to AI.
- Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish wrote about how public servants replaced two outdated computer systems with in-house, AI-assisted coding instead of accepting a $54-million bid that would have replaced only one of the systems. The PRISM team, with a projected delivery cost of about $2.64 million, has made it possible for 643 government employees to more efficiently keep track of infrastructure, with bugs typically addressed within two weeks. "The employees who used to spend their days copying and pasting between broken systems? They're now doing meaningful work," Glubish wrote.
- Edmonton city council's executive committee unanimously approved Mayor Andrew Knack's motion asking for a report to assess options for technology adoption and innovation in the City of Edmonton's procurement practices, with the report due in the fourth quarter of this year. Zack Storms of the Built World Tech program at Edmonton Unlimited welcomed the motion. "This is an opportunity for the City's $1.5B annual procurement spend to incentivize contractors, consultants, and project teams to trial emerging technologies on public projects," wrote Storms, who is married to Coun. Keren Tang, a member of the executive committee.
- RUNWITHIT Synthetics is working with the University of Waterloo on a synthetics lab accessible to students, government, private sector, and community, co-founders Myrna and Dean Bittner told Taproot during a Health Cities networking event on May 13. Dean demonstrated the company's synthetic twin of the Waterloo region during an unveiling of the Health Innovation Network by Health Cities. Taproot will have more on the network in the Health Innovation Roundup on May 20.
- Health Cities is working with Sage Seniors Association and B.C.-based Care2Talk Health on a Smart Care Clinic model to test digital tools in frontline primary care and scale what works.
- On the Albertans in Space podcast, AlbertaSat project manager Priya Manavalan shared the history of ExAlta-1, a groundbreaking cube satellite built by students at the University of Alberta and sent into orbit in 2017.
- AIRMarket is part of an effort to build a 1,500-kilometre drone corridor across nine communities and two aerodromes in northern Alberta. The Alberta HUB Skyways project is meant to make it easier for drones to fly and potentially deliver cargo in remote areas. "We're working with (regulators) to say, 'Here's the framework that can be actually delivered and used,'" AIRMarket CEO Lindsay Mohr told Be Giant, noting that he expects to make significant progress in 2026. "We'll have multiple agencies flying."
- The College Connect system built by Punchcard Systems for the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta has handled about 200,000 licensing transactions since 2022, the organizations said in a news release. The platform helped cut licensing timelines from months to minutes in many cases, said a sponsored content piece published by BetaKit.
- The federal government committed up to $30 million over two years to six agri-tech non-profits, including the Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network.
- Agereh Technologies has joined the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries after presenting at the Alberta Aviation, Aerospace and Defence's May summit.
- Edmonton-based Julie Drolet is leading the University of Calgary's development of the Digital Disaster Document System to help people securely store essential records before floods, wildfires, and other emergencies.
- Nominations and applications are open for Launch Party, Edmonton Unlimited's central showcase during Edmonton Startup Week.
- Tech advisor and investor James Freeman has joined the board of Solar Alberta.
- Alberta Blue Cross published a guide for small and mid-sized businesses on using flexible health benefits to recruit and retain tech professionals.
President Speaker Series - June 2
This thought-provoking discussion brings together leading voices from the University of Alberta to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping higher education. From teaching and research to the university's broader role in society, the conversation will examine what should evolve — and what must remain — as AI embeds itself in academic life.
Happenings
Here are some events coming up over the next seven days:
- May 19: Dev Edmonton Society Mega Meetup starting at 5pm at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
- May 20: Advanced Manufacturing Summit starting at 7:30am at NAIT
- May 20: (Hard) Tech x AI for the Built World starting at 4pm at Edmonton Unlimited
- May 20-22: ITS Canada Conference & Trade Show starting at 8am at Delta Hotels by Marriott Edmonton South Conference Centre
- May 21: Product Regulations in Canada: What You Need to Know Before You Launch starting at 12pm online
- May 21: Wonder Valley ... What Could Possibly Go Wrong? starting at 6:30pm online
- May 22: Coffee with the Chamber starting at 8:30am at Sawmill Prime Rib & Steakhouse
- May 23: Save 10+ Hours A Week With AI starting at 10am at Derrick Golf & Winter Club
- May 26: ERIN Community Initiatives Session #3 starting at 12pm online
And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:
- May 27: In The Loop: A Social Innovation Mixer for Edmonton's Circular Economy at Brighton Block
- May 28: The future of Cybersecurity: Securing trust in the age of LLMs at Edmonton Unlimited
- June 12: ScaleUP Breakfast Social at Edmonton Unlimited
Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.
This roundup was sponsored by Edmonton Unlimited.
Now is the time for us, Edmonton's innovators, and our city. Headquartered in Alberta's capital city, Edmonton Unlimited harnesses the power of possibility and brings the very best of Edmonton to the world.