Transforming the Tech and Innovation Industry, One Municipality at a Time
My reflections from the Inventures Conference, and what comes next.
When you think of the Edmonton region’s culture and potential, what do you think of? For many, it’s oil and gas. For others, it’s the Edmonton Oilers or the agriculture industry. While all of those answers are true, tech and innovation should also be top of mind too as they rank high on the list of what drives the Edmonton region’s identity. The Edmonton region’s technological tenacity was platformed at the Inventures Conference in Calgary on May 31-June 1, 2023, and I had the pleasure to attend as the City of Edmonton’s representative.
Inventures 2023 was the premier entrepreneurship, innovation, and startup event of the year. The unique initiatives and strategic collaborations that are shaping the cities of the future were put on display, and I know that the Edmonton region is holding its own on a global level. The highlight of this conference, for me, was the Mayor’s Panel, where I was joined by my colleagues Mayor Gondek from Calgary and Mayor Hnatiw from Sturgeon County. We discussed our efforts to drive innovation, embrace technology, and promote equity and inclusion within our respective communities.
A shared goal of ours as Mayors was the importance of honouring the commitments that our region has made to drive innovation in the hydrogen sector and put the Edmonton region on the world stage. As Canada’s leading hydrogen hub, we are attracting significant investment, estimated at $30 billion by 2030. With abundant natural gas resources, expertise in carbon capture, utilization and storage, and a highly skilled workforce, we have competitive advantages that make us a global leader in hydrogen innovation.
As Mayors of Alberta municipalities, we also all recognize the importance of advancing diversity and inclusion within the tech and innovation industry. The City of Edmonton is actively promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion through innovative initiatives like the installation of 24/7 water stations, the expansion of On-Demand Transit, and our steadfast commitment to equity and reconciliation through the implementation of Indigenous Framework, accessibility plans, safety strategies, and anti-racism action plans. By creating opportunities for equity-seeking communities and fostering welcoming work environments, we are able to attract and retain talent that wants to lay down roots in the Edmonton region and city-build for generations to come, while improving critical infrastructure for all residents in creative ways.
The importance of regional collaboration is always on my mind, and is something that former Mayor Don Iveson has spoken to at great lengths after reflecting on his time as Mayor. My participation and experience at Inventures affirmed this, and regional collaboration yields tangible success and growth — just look at the great work Amii, Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation (API), Edmonton Screen Offices, Edmonton Global, Edmonton Unlimited, the Hydrogen Hub, GovLab.ai, Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board (EMRB) and more have accomplished! If we expect tech and innovation to grow, expand and evolve, we must all come together as regional leaders to support and amplify the industry’s work by working with our partners. We all want to take bold actions towards addressing climate change, we all want to diversify our economy, and we all want to increase our technological capacities, and we are stronger together.
Being on the panel allowed me to share Edmonton’s success stories and learn from other forward-thinking cities, further cementing our position as a hub of innovation. I am proud of the Edmonton region’s leadership in the tech and innovation industry — our willingness to disrupt, adapt and lead is reflected in our industry’s upwards trajectory, and there is no sign of slowing down anytime soon. It is essential that the Edmonton region continues to be represented on tech and innovation world stages as we grow in population and as our workforce’s identity and skillset diversifies.
In the City of Edmonton’s relentless pursuit of solidifying our region as a global tech hub, I will be joining a delegation to represent Edmonton at 2023 London Tech Week this month to bring even more tech and innovation opportunities back to the Edmonton region, and I look forward to sharing my insights with you from the events. Deputy Mayor Keren Tang will be attending the Collision Tech Conference on behalf of City Council at the end of the month to represent Edmonton as well.
To learn more about tech and innovation in Edmonton, sign up for Taproot Edmonton’s tech round-ups here.
