Friday, July 10, 2026

Canada’s talent hunt: Why the country needs more skilled workers than ever

Dr. Tim Sandle
July 5, 2026

Digital Journal

Creative view of the periodic table. — Image by © Tim Sandle

Canada is actively seeking highly skilled professionals from around the world, offering streamlined immigration routes and, in some cases, accelerated pathways to permanent residency. While immigration has long been a cornerstone of Canadian economic growth, the latest recruitment drive reflects a deeper issue: a widening skills shortage affecting key sectors of the economy, from healthcare and education to advanced technologies, transportation and scientific research.

According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), priority occupations now include healthcare and social services professionals, education specialists, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workers, transport professionals, physicians, researchers and senior managers. These categories are linked directly to Canada’s economic priorities and labour market needs. The questions stemming from this news is Why does Canada face such a shortage of skilled workers, and what specific expertise is the country looking for?

An economy facing demographic pressure

One of the principal drivers is demographics. Canada, like many developed countries, has an aging population. As baby boomers retire, large numbers of experienced workers are leaving the labour force faster than they can be replaced. The result is an increasing gap between labour demand and labour supply. Immigration has become a critical mechanism for maintaining economic productivity and funding public services through taxation.

The issue is particularly acute in sectors requiring extensive training. A physician, engineer or scientific researcher cannot be replaced overnight. Training pipelines often take years or even decades to produce qualified personnel. As a result, labour shortages persist even during periods of economic uncertainty. This challenge is compounded by regional growth. Provinces such as Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta continue to attract investment in technology, advanced manufacturing, life sciences and infrastructure projects. These industries require specialist workers whose skills are often in short supply globally.

Healthcare remains Canada’s most pressing skills challenge. IRCC continues to prioritize healthcare and social services occupations because virtually every province is experiencing workforce pressures. The most sought-after professionals within this sector include physicians and surgeons, family doctors, and registered nurses.

The shortage is driven by increasing healthcare demand as Canada’s population ages. Older populations typically require more medical interventions, diagnostics and long-term care services. Beyond clinical staff, healthcare systems increasingly need specialists in health informatics, digital health technologies and healthcare data analytics as hospitals transition towards more technology-enabled care models.

STEM skills: Powering the innovation economy

Canada’s ambition to become a leader in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, clean technology and advanced manufacturing has intensified demand for STEM professionals. IRCC specifically identifies STEM occupations as a priority immigration category. Among the most sought-after technical skills are Artificial Intelligence and data science professionals knowledgeable in areas like Large language model development and natural language processing. Cities such as Toronto, Montréal, Waterloo and Edmonton have developed thriving AI ecosystems, creating demand for both researchers and commercial AI developers. As organizations digitize operations, these business resilience related competencies are appearing as critical to managing risk capability.

In more mainstream engineering, sort-after skills include electrical, civil, mechanical, and automation engineering. Many of these disciplines are regarded as essential for infrastructure modernization, energy transitions and manufacturing automation. Beyond engineering, Canada is actively recruiting researchers and scientists. The government has recently introduced immigration categories specifically targeting researchers with Canadian work experience, emphasizing the role of science in economic competitiveness. Particularly valuable expertise includes biotechnology, pharmaceutical sciences, and bioinformatics (an interdisciplinary science that combines biology, computer science, statistics and data analysis to collect, manage and interpret biological data).

Canada has invested heavily in university research and innovation clusters. However, commercialising scientific discoveries requires a steady stream of highly qualified personnel. Life sciences are especially important. This is because growth in biologics, cell and gene therapies, vaccine development and precision medicine continues to generate demand for highly trained scientists and regulatory specialists.

One of the newer immigration categories focuses on transport occupations. While less prominent than healthcare or technology, transportation is fundamental to Canada’s economy. Canada’s geography makes efficient transportation particularly important. A vast landmass combined with growing trade flows requires a robust transportation workforce.

Educational professionals are also being prioritized through category-based immigration selection. Schools face shortages of qualified teachers, particularly in mathematics, science and special education.

Simultaneously, Canada needs skilled tradespeople to support infrastructure projects, manufacturing expansion and residential construction. This includes electricians, industrial mechanics, and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) technicians. Labour shortages in these occupations directly affect housing supply, industrial productivity and economic growth.

Immigration as economic strategy

Canada’s approach reflects a broader shift in global competition for talent. Nations are increasingly competing not only for investment and innovation but also for highly skilled workers. The country’s Express Entry system and category-based selection process are designed to align immigration with economic needs, focusing invitations on candidates possessing skills that are difficult to source domestically. Current priority categories include healthcare, STEM, transport, education, researchers, physicians and senior managers.

For Canada, attracting global talent is no longer simply an immigration policy. It has become an economic development strategy. As technological change accelerates and demographic pressures intensify, the ability to recruit scientists, healthcare professionals, engineers and other specialists may prove decisive in determining the country’s future competitiveness. The challenge now is ensuring that immigration, education, infrastructure and workforce planning remain aligned.

Canada’s solar industry enters a new phase of growth

Dr. Tim Sandle
July 8, 2026

Digital Journal

Solar power rose a record 31 percent in January-June 2025, says think tank Ember

– Copyright AFP Arun SANKAR

For many years, solar power occupied a relatively modest position within Canada’s energy mix, overshadowed by hydroelectricity and constrained by the perception that northern climates are unsuitable for large-scale solar deployment. Today, that narrative is changing. A combination of technological innovation, falling costs, policy support and growing commercial demand is accelerating solar adoption across multiple provinces.

The shift is occurring at a time when Canada faces increasing electricity demand driven by electrification, data centres, industrial expansion and the transition to net-zero energy systems. Solar energy is emerging as an increasingly important part of the solution.

According to the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA), Canada now has more than 5 GW of installed solar capacity as part of a broader renewable energy portfolio that includes roughly 25 GW of combined wind, solar and energy storage assets. The industry expects substantial expansion over the coming decade, with forecasts suggesting the deployment of 17–26 GW of additional solar capacity by 2035.

One notable trend is that solar development is no longer concentrated in a single region. Alberta remains a leading market, supported by strong solar resources and a competitive electricity market. However, Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Atlantic Canada are also increasing procurement programmes and integrating solar into long-term electricity planning.

This geographic diversification reflects growing recognition that solar can contribute to grid resilience regardless of latitude. Advances in photovoltaic efficiency, tracking systems and energy storage technologies have improved performance in colder climates, while snow reflection can even enhance energy production under certain conditions.

Behind-the-meter innovation

One of the most interesting commercial developments is the rise of distributed or “behind-the-meter” solar systems. These installations allow homes, farms, institutions and businesses to generate electricity on-site and reduce reliance on the grid. Industry data indicates strong growth in residential and commercial solar deployment, particularly in Alberta and Ontario. Rising electricity prices and improved financing mechanisms are encouraging investment by property owners looking to gain greater energy independence.

Battery storage is becoming an essential companion technology. The ability to store excess solar energy for later use improves project economics and enhances resilience during periods of grid stress. This trend mirrors developments seen across Europe and the United States, where solar-plus-storage projects have become increasingly attractive to consumers and businesses alike. This commercial opportunity extends beyond energy generation. New markets are emerging around energy management software, smart inverters, virtual power plants and grid-services platforms that allow distributed solar systems to participate in electricity markets.

The storage revolution

The next phase of Canada’s solar growth may depend as much on storage as on photovoltaic panels. CanREA reports that energy storage capacity expanded significantly in 2025, with major battery projects entering service, particularly in Ontario. More than 500 MW of grid-connected battery storage was added during the year, demonstrating growing confidence in large-scale storage technologies.

For solar developers, storage addresses one of the technology’s principal limitations: intermittency. By shifting electricity production to periods of peak demand, batteries improve revenue streams and strengthen grid reliability. This combination of solar generation and energy storage is becoming increasingly important as Canadian electricity systems prepare for higher demand stemming from electric vehicles, heat pumps and industrial electrification.

Another significant development is the growing role of Indigenous communities in renewable energy ownership and governance. CanREA reports that Canada now has more than 100 Indigenous-owned wind, solar and energy storage projects in operation. Many new procurement programmes include incentives or requirements for Indigenous participation and ownership.

This approach aligns commercial investment with community development objectives, creating local employment opportunities while supporting reconciliation efforts. It also provides developers with stronger social licence and long-term project stability. As renewable energy projects become larger and more geographically diverse, community-centred ownership models may become an increasingly important feature of Canada’s energy transition.

Manufacturing opportunities

Canada’s solar ambitions also create opportunities across manufacturing and supply chains. Canadian-headquartered companies continue to play important roles in global solar markets. For example, Ontario-based Canadian Solar remains one of the world’s largest solar technology firms and has increasingly expanded into battery energy storage systems alongside photovoltaic manufacturing.

More broadly, growing domestic demand offers opportunities for Canadian businesses involved in engineering, construction, software development, project finance, grid integration and energy analytics. While Canada is unlikely to challenge China’s dominance in solar manufacturing, the country can carve out competitive positions in higher-value technologies and services associated with clean energy deployment.

Yet, the industry is increasingly characterised by commercially viable projects, sophisticated financing structures, rapid technological improvement and integration with battery storage systems. The counter-balance is represented by permitting timelines, grid connection constraints, transmission infrastructure and regulatory complexity continue to influence project economics.

What every household debating rooftop solar needs: a champion

Study finds agreement – and disagreement – are linked to adoption

Ohio State University

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two sets of roles emerge when couples consider installing solar panels on their house, a new study shows: in sync, when partners with shared goals and defined tasks end up adopting solar, and oppositional, marked by discord and not making the solar investment.

A second study showed that greater support from all members of a household – parents, kids, siblings, unrelated roommates – predicted eventual adoption of solar, but greater disagreement was also linked to a higher likelihood of installing rooftop panels.

Overall, the research suggests a champion for solar adoption in the house gets the family over the finish line. The champion is most positive about the technology, does the most work to plan the project and prompts ongoing discussion.

“This introduces an opportunity for policy and interventions because if we’re targeting incentives or communication campaigns to a household or one member of a household, that’s probably not enough. We need to figure out how to support these champions,” said senior author Nicole Sintov, associate professor of behavior, decision making and sustainability at The Ohio State University.

“They’re already shouldering the burden of trying to convince other people in their household to come along, and maybe it’s generating conflict. What can we equip them with to help them with the process?”

Understanding these dynamics could help the planet by improving the adoption rate of residential solar by U.S. households, which currently stands at about 8%, Sintov said.

“There are all of these decarbonization technologies available, including rooftop solar and heat pumps, but if people don’t adopt them, then what good are they?” she said. “So we focus on what motivates households to adopt these technologies and how we can design communications and programming to support that.”

Sintov completed the work with first author Naseem Dillman-Hasso, a doctoral candidate in the School of Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State, and former Ohio State postdoctoral research associate Kristin Hurst, now an assistant professor at Southern Illinois University. The research is published today (July 9, 2026) in Nature Energy.

It’s not necessarily surprising that a disruptive, expensive home project requires lots of conversation. There’s plenty to consider, with primary barriers identified in the study including high upfront costs versus long-term payments, fear of structural damage, uncertainty about the effects on home value and resale opportunities, and distrust of solar companies.

What is surprising is that little thought has been given to the family dynamics underpinning these household discussions, Sintov said.

“Research to date tends to characterize these decisions as this monolithic household choice, but three-quarters of U.S. households have more than one person living in them. In this study, the lens was a large investment like solar panels – and they’re not one-time decisions made by a single person in a multi-occupant household,” she said.

The first study involved qualitative interviews with 39 couples. Seven had adopted solar, seven had considered solar but opted out, and 25 were still in the deliberation stage at the time of the interview.

While couples who were in sync were strongly associated with installing solar panels, that alone wasn’t always enough. Interview results revealed that a time-sensitive catalyst event increased their sense of urgency to adopt. Catalysts ranged from skyrocketing energy bills and fears of frequent power loss to the looming reduction of a federal tax incentive.

The second study was an online survey of 394 household representatives, 268 who had begun lining up solar but ultimately didn’t see it through, and 126 who had adopted rooftop solar.

In both adopter and lost customer households, the survey respondents described themselves as the most positive and active participants in the process – in other words, the champion. In adopter households, romantic partners and parents played larger roles in the conversations than in lost customer households.

The champion role was consistently linked with adoption, suggesting that coordination, active participation and deliberation by all household members can improve chances for installing solar. And even greater disagreement predicted adoption – indicating that any form of communication, even if it’s negative, could be at play when a household makes movement toward the decision to adopt solar.

“That was surprising,” Sintov said. “We don’t know for sure why, but one hypothesis is that among adopters, there may be more to disagree about once you proceed with the adoption process – there’s a lot going on, it’s stressful, it’s conflictual. Or it could just be that engaging in these conversations and being more engaged led to more disagreements.”

Sintov is already applying some of the findings to her work with nonprofit organizations, building in-sync coordination skills in couples interested in adopting solar and developing worksheets that define goals and divvy the workload for families making changes after an energy efficiency audit.

Other options are workshops with household members to see if in-sync dynamics can be cultivated, and structured discussion guides that introduce unanticipated stumbling blocks and coax people toward an in-sync approach to addressing concerns.

“Targeting marketing messages and engagement and outreach to one member of a household or just a general household is liable to result in failure,” Sintov said. “This is a relational process. At minimum, policy and other interventions can help facilitate the coordination process.”

And though it wasn’t a research goal, there is a decent chance that these dynamics influence lots of household decisions.

“I think what we’ve uncovered might be just a core dynamic of how households make decisions – this in-sync versus oppositional dynamic and the fact that sometimes there’s a champion for a cause and the other person has to be dragged along,” she said. “There’s very real potential that this applies to a whole bunch of different household decision making, from installing a heat pump to getting a new couch to adopting a dog.”

Journal

Nature Energy

DOI

10.1038/s41560-026-02104-8

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Family dynamics are a missing piece in understanding residential solar adoption

Article Publication Date

9-Jul-2026

The Wood-Wide Web: How Canadian forest research is reframing ecology and business

Dr. Tim Sandle
July 7, 2026

Digital Journal

Evergreen conifers are less able to survive in drought conditions than other heartier trees that line the landscapes. Source – US Geological Survey

Forests are often described in terms of individual trees, timber volume, carbon storage, or biodiversity. Yet one of the most influential developments in forest ecology over the past three decades has been the recognition that trees are not merely isolated competitors for light, water and nutrients. They are also connected through underground fungal networks that can move resources and information through forest ecosystems.

Much of this shift in thinking is associated with the work of Canadian forest ecologist Suzanne Simard, Professor of Forest Ecology at the University of British Columbia and leader of the Mother Tree Project.

Simard’s internationally recognised research helped establish that trees can be linked below ground through common mycorrhizal networks — fungal threads associated with roots. Her landmark 1997 Nature paper, “Net transfer of carbon between ectomycorrhizal tree species in the field,” demonstrated carbon transfer between paper birch and Douglas-fir connected by shared ectomycorrhizal fungi.

The idea has since become widely known as the “wood-wide web”, a phrase that captures the sense of forests as connected systems. While the metaphor has sometimes outrun the science, the underlying research has opened up serious questions about how forests regenerate, how seedlings survive, how carbon moves below ground, and how forestry practices might need to change in response to climate stress.

From competition to connection

Traditional forestry models often placed heavy emphasis on competition: trees competing for sunlight, water and soil nutrients. This view underpinned management practices such as clear-cutting, replanting and removal of competing vegetation. Simard’s research challenged this simplification by showing that mixed-species forests may involve resource exchange as well as competition.

Her work indicated that carbon can move between tree species through fungal networks, with seasonal and ecological context appearing to matter. For example, paper birch and Douglas-fir may exchange carbon under different light conditions and stages of growth. Such findings suggest that neighbouring species may function less as simple rivals and more as participants in a complex adaptive system.

This does not mean that forests operate as harmonious wholes or that every tree altruistically supports every other tree. Rather, the science points to a more nuanced ecological reality. Competition, facilitation, kinship effects, nutrient exchange and fungal mediation may all occur simultaneously, depending on species, fungal partners, climate, soil type and disturbance history.

The importance of “mother trees”

One of Simard’s most influential ideas is that large, older trees can act as highly connected hubs within mycorrhizal networks. These “mother trees” may play an important role in supporting forest regeneration by linking seedlings into existing fungal networks and contributing to below-ground resource flows.

The Mother Tree Project, established in 2015, investigates how retaining large trees and protecting below-ground connections can influence forest recovery after harvesting and disturbance. The project examines different levels of tree retention across climatic gradients in British Columbia, with attention to seedling survival, forest resilience and climate adaptation. This matters because forestry is entering a period of heightened uncertainty. Wildfire, drought, insect outbreaks and climate-driven stress are altering regeneration patterns across many regions. If old trees and fungal networks improve seedling establishment, then forest management focused solely on above-ground timber yield may miss key drivers of long-term ecosystem recovery.

Canadian science with global reach

Simard’s work has had particular resonance because it emerged from Canada’s forest landscapes, especially British Columbia’s mixed forests. Canada holds vast forest resources, and decisions about harvesting, replanting and conservation carry consequences for ecosystems, rural economies, Indigenous stewardship, biodiversity and carbon accounting.

Her research has also become globally influential because it speaks to a broader rethinking of ecology. Forests are increasingly understood as dynamic networks involving trees, fungi, bacteria, wildlife, soil chemistry, hydrology and climate feedbacks. This systems view is relevant not only to Canadian forestry but also to restoration projects in Europe, tropical reforestation, agroforestry and carbon-market planning.

At the same time, the field remains scientifically active and sometimes contested. Some researchers have questioned how far evidence for common mycorrhizal networks should be generalised, especially when popular accounts imply intentional tree communication. Simard and colleagues responded in 2025 that decades of peer-reviewed research support the existence and ecological relevance of common mycorrhizal networks, while acknowledging the need for careful interpretation and further study.

One reason the science is economically important is carbon. Forest carbon accounting has traditionally focused heavily on trunks, branches, leaves and soils. Yet mycorrhizal fungi are central to moving plant-derived carbon below ground and shaping whether this carbon is stored, respired or stabilised in soil. Recent ecological research suggests that mycorrhizal associations influence both above-ground biomass carbon and soil carbon dynamics. Different fungal partnerships, such as ectomycorrhizal and arbuscular mycorrhizal associations, appear to support different carbon and nutrient pathways.

This has practical implications for carbon markets and climate policy. If forest restoration or harvesting strategies damage fungal networks, they may reduce long-term carbon storage or impair regeneration. Conversely, practices that retain older trees, protect soil structure, maintain species diversity and support fungal health could improve carbon outcomes. For Canada, this links directly to economic opportunity. Better understanding of mycorrhizal systems could support more credible forest-carbon projects, improved restoration protocols, climate-resilient forestry and innovation in soil-carbon monitoring.

The first opportunity lies in regenerative forestry. Instead of treating forests as timber inventories, management can be designed around maintaining ecological function. Retention forestry, mixed-species planting, protection of old-growth remnants and reduced soil disturbance may all help preserve the biological infrastructure that supports forest recovery.

The second opportunity concerns forest restoration services. As governments and companies invest in restoring degraded landscapes, there is growing demand for evidence-based methods that improve seedling survival and ecosystem resilience. Simard’s work suggests that successful restoration may require attention not only to which tree species are planted but also to the existing fungal networks and legacy trees that help new growth establish.

The third opportunity is carbon finance. Carbon offset schemes increasingly need stronger evidence that claimed carbon gains are durable and ecologically credible. Incorporating fungal network health, soil-carbon dynamics and forest resilience into project design could improve the credibility of forest-based carbon programmes.

The fourth opportunity is agriculture and agroforestry. Although Simard’s best-known work concerns forest trees, mycorrhizal fungi also matter in farming systems. There is growing interest in practices that protect soil fungi, reduce excessive disturbance and improve nutrient cycling. Canadian agricultural discussions increasingly connect fungal networks with soil health and carbon management.

The next stage of development will depend heavily on measurement. Forest managers and investors need tools that can assess fungal diversity, soil carbon, root connectivity, seedling establishment and ecosystem resilience. Advances in DNA sequencing, isotopic tracing, remote sensing, machine learning and soil analytics could turn previously invisible fungal processes into measurable management indicators. This creates space for Canadian innovation. A country with major forestry, agriculture and climate-technology sectors is well positioned to develop practical tools for below-ground ecosystem assessment. The business opportunity is not simply selling trees or carbon credits; it is building the scientific infrastructure for resilient land stewardship.

Canada’s hydropower future: Science, storage and innovation in a water-rich nation

Dr. Tim Sandle
July 4, 2026

Image: — © AFP/File Chanakarn Laosarakham, Sergei GAPON

Canada’s energy story is, in large part, a water story. Hydroelectricity remains the country’s dominant renewable power source, converting the potential and kinetic energy of flowing water into electricity through turbines and generators. Natural Resources Canada describes hydroelectricity as energy extracted from flowing and falling water, with output determined principally by water flow rate and hydraulic “head” — the difference in water level before and after the turbine. In 2022, Canada’s hydroelectric stations generated 393,789 gigawatt-hours, accounting for 61.7 percent of national electricity generation, while in 2021 the country had 595 hydroelectric stations and 82,232 megawatts of installed capacity.

This makes Canada one of the world’s leading hydroelectric nations. The resource is geographically uneven, concentrated especially in Québec, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba and Ontario, where river systems, glaciated landscapes, elevation changes and large drainage basins create favourable conditions for hydroelectric development. WaterPower Canada notes that hydro facilities generate more than 63 percent of Canada’s electricity and that Canada is the fourth-largest hydroelectricity generator globally; Natural Resources Canada similarly identifies Canada as the third-largest producer of hydroelectricity in the world.

Science and technology of hydropower

Scientifically, hydropower is deceptively simple but technically sophisticated. Water stored behind a dam or diverted through a run-of-river installation passes through a penstock and strikes turbine blades. The rotating turbine shaft drives a generator, where electromagnetic induction converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. The amount of extractable power depends on the density of water, gravitational acceleration, the available head, water flow, and turbine-generator efficiency. This is why hydropower engineering is not simply about building dams; it involves hydrology, fluid dynamics, materials engineering, control systems, ecological science and grid-management mathematics. Natural Resources Canada emphasizes that both flow rate and head are central to hydroelectric energy extraction.

The advantage of hydropower over many other renewable energy technologies is not only that it is low-carbon, but that it is controllable. Reservoir-based hydro can function as dispatchable generation, increasing or decreasing output quickly to match electricity demand. Hydro-Québec notes that reservoir generation can respond almost instantly to demand fluctuations, while WaterPower Canada highlights the “battery-like” value of water storage and hydropower’s ability to provide flexible baseload electricity and long-duration storage.

That flexibility is becoming more important as Canada increases wind, solar, electrified transport, heat pumps, data centres and other electricity-intensive infrastructure. Variable renewable energy sources require balancing technologies that can compensate when the wind drops or solar output falls. Hydropower can provide frequency regulation, reserve capacity, voltage support and rapid ramping. In this way, the scientific role of hydropower is shifting: it is no longer simply generation, but system stabilization. Canada Energy Regulator analysis shows that storage is increasingly important for grid reliability and for complementing variable renewable resources, including through pumped storage hydropower.

Ontario and Alberta are leading the way

One of the most significant innovations is pumped-storage hydropower. This technology uses low-cost or surplus electricity to pump water from a lower reservoir to a higher reservoir. When demand rises, the water is released back downhill through turbines to generate electricity. It is, in effect, a large gravitational battery. WaterPower Canada describes pumped storage as a system capable of gigawatt-hour scale storage, rapid response and long service life, while the Ontario Pumped Storage Project describes the technology as storing excess electricity during low-demand periods and releasing it during peak periods.

Ontario is currently home to one of the most closely watched Canadian pumped-storage proposals. The Ontario Pumped Storage Project, proposed for Meaford on Georgian Bay, is designed to provide 1,000 megawatts of flexible capacity for up to 11 hours. This is sufficient, according to project materials, to power around one million homes for that duration. The Ontario project is being advanced as demand in the province is forecast to rise substantially by 2050, with pumped storage positioned as a way to store surplus electricity and release it when the grid needs it most.

Alberta provides another example through the Canyon Creek Pumped Hydro Energy Storage Project near Hinton. This proposed closed-loop system would use two off-stream reservoirs connected by a buried penstock, with capacity of up to 75 megawatts and up to 37 hours of full-capacity generation. The scientific significance of closed-loop pumped storage is that it can reduce direct interaction with natural river systems compared with conventional open-loop designs, while providing grid-scale flexibility.

Innovation is also emerging in river-current energy. In February 2026, Natural Resources Canada announced a $4 million investment in ORPC Canada to deploy and operate the RivGen Power System in the St. Lawrence River from 2026 to 2029. Unlike conventional hydro, river-current systems can generate electricity from natural river flow without requiring large dams or major reservoirs. The project will examine real-world operation, environmental integration and its potential contribution to local clean-energy needs, including for urban and remote communities.

This is technologically important because it expands the definition of hydropower. Instead of relying exclusively on high-head dams or large reservoirs, kinetic river turbines can use lower-head, distributed water resources. Such systems may be particularly relevant for remote, northern or Indigenous communities where diesel dependence remains a challenge and where modular renewable systems could improve energy resilience. Natural Resources Canada states that the ORPC project is intended to support communities with clean, reliable energy matched to local resources and needs.

Digital technology and AI: Hydropower innovation

Digital technologies are another frontier. Modern hydropower increasingly depends on sensors, digital twins, real-time hydrological forecasting, machine learning, predictive maintenance and advanced grid controls. Hydro-Québec, one of the world’s largest hydropower producers, emphasizes its research infrastructure and more than 500 experts working across generation, transmission, distribution and energy use. Its research centre supports technological innovation across the electricity system, including optimization of infrastructure and energy-storage technologies.

Artificial intelligence can improve hydroelectric operations by forecasting inflows, optimizing reservoir dispatch, anticipating turbine wear, reducing unplanned outages and improving ecological flow management. While hydropower assets are long-lived and some Canadian facilities have operated for more than a century. However, their performance can be improved through refurbishment, digital control upgrades and more efficient turbine designs. WaterPower Canada notes that refurbishments can increase performance and extend facility lifetimes, while Hydro-Québec highlights continuous investment and innovation to improve system reliability.

Environmental science is central to the future of Canadian hydro-power. Hydroelectricity is low-carbon at point of generation, but projects can affect fish migration, sediment dynamics, wetlands, water temperature, methylmercury formation, riverine habitat and Indigenous land use. The next generation of hydropower projects therefore requires better environmental modelling, fish-friendly turbines, adaptive flow regimes, biodiversity monitoring and meaningful Indigenous partnership. WaterPower Canada’s 2026 report on Indigenous partnership pathways highlights evolving models of ownership, procurement, workforce development and stewardship across Canada’s hydropower sector.

Hydro-Québec’s Eastmain-1 development provides one example of a more systematic sustainability approach. The project achieved Gold-level certification under the Hydropower Sustainability Standard and received recognition from the International Hydropower Association, with attention given to environmental mitigation and collaboration with Indigenous communities. This reflects a broader scientific and governance trend: hydropower is increasingly judged not only by megawatts generated, but by lifecycle sustainability, ecosystem protection and social legitimacy.

The economic and scientific importance of hydropower is also linked to Canada’s wider clean-energy transition. In March 2026, Natural Resources Canada announced $28.9 million for clean-energy innovation projects across Canada, including renewable energy and smart-grid initiatives. WaterPower Canada’s 2026 summit similarly focused on financing the next generation of hydropower, including grid modernization, storage, Indigenous equity partnerships and rising electricity demand from electric vehicles, data centres and artificial intelligence.

The era of building only large dams is giving way to a more diverse scientific landscape: upgraded turbines, digitalised control rooms, pumped-storage reservoirs, modular river-current devices, improved ecological science and integrated grid modelling. Hydropower’s role is also changing from “renewable electricity producer” to “renewable system enabler”. This is set to be the technology that helps make other clean technologies more dependable.

Canada’s battery storage revolution: The science and innovation powering the clean-energy future

Dr. Tim Sandle

July 8, 2026

DIGITAL JOURNAL

More powerful batteries are enhancing EV range. Image by Tim Sandle

Battery energy storage is gradually becoming one of the most important technologies underpinning the global energy transition. Solar panels and wind turbines may generate the headlines, but batteries increasingly provide the flexibility needed to make renewable energy reliable, dispatchable and commercially viable. In Canada, this shift is creating a convergence of world-class science, industrial innovation and large-scale infrastructure investment.

The country has long been recognized for its expertise in battery chemistry and materials science. Today, Canada is seeking to convert that scientific excellence into a globally competitive battery ecosystem spanning research, manufacturing, grid-scale deployment and critical mineral supply chains.

At the most fundamental level, battery storage solves a problem that has challenged electricity systems for more than a century: balancing supply and demand. Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind are intermittent and electricity generation does not always coincide with consumption. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) allow excess electricity generated during low-demand periods to be stored and released later when demand rises. This improves grid reliability, reduces curtailment of renewable energy and can lower overall system costs.

Important in this context, Canada’s electricity demand is expected to rise significantly as transportation, heating and industry electrify. Large-scale batteries are increasingly being viewed as essential infrastructure rather than optional add-ons.

A number of technological developments are helping to meet this demand. For instance, Dalhousie University has become internationally recognised for battery research through the work of Professor Jeff Dahn, one of the world’s leading battery scientists. His team continues to investigate advanced lithium-ion and emerging sodium-ion battery technologies that could dramatically extend battery lifetimes while reducing reliance on scarce raw materials.

Sodium-ion batteries represent one of the most intriguing areas of current research. Unlike lithium-based systems, sodium-ion batteries use abundant and inexpensive sodium derived from common salt. Researchers at Concordia University and their partners are investigating sodium-ion batteries as a potentially lower-cost solution for stationary energy storage applications, particularly in remote communities and renewable-energy installations.

At the University of Waterloo, the Ontario Battery and Electrochemistry Research Centre (OBEC) is developing next-generation battery technologies, including solid-state batteries that promise enhanced energy density, improved safety and longer service life compared with conventional lithium-ion systems. Meanwhile, the University of British Columbia and the Western Canada Battery Consortium are exploring advanced energy storage materials, manufacturing techniques and circular-economy approaches designed to improve battery sustainability and recyclability.

Building an innovation ecosystem

What distinguishes Canada’s current approach is the effort to link academic research directly with commercialisation. In 2025, the federal government announced more than $22 million in funding for battery innovation projects focused on advancing production technologies, improving battery performance and strengthening domestic supply chains. The supported projects include advanced electrode materials, next-generation cell designs, coated current collectors and novel anode technologies.

Examples include NOVONIX’s zero-waste battery material production technologies, Calumix’s conductive coating platforms, and Nanode Battery Technologies’ work on high-capacity tin-based materials for lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries. These innovations aim to improve performance while reducing environmental impacts and manufacturing costs. The creation of the Canadian Battery Innovation Centre at Dalhousie University is another significant milestone. Scheduled as Canada’s first university-based battery prototyping facility, the centre will enable rapid battery design, fabrication and testing entirely within Canada, reducing dependence on overseas development infrastructure.

Such scientific progress is increasingly being matched by large-scale deployment. Ontario has emerged as Canada’s leading battery storage market. The Oneida Energy Storage project entered commercial operation in 2025 with a capacity of 250 MW and 1,000 MWh, making it one of the largest operating battery storage facilities in the country. The project demonstrates how utility-scale storage can strengthen grid stability while supporting renewable energy integration.

The pace of growth continues to accelerate. Ontario’s Napanee Battery Energy Storage System, commissioned in 2026, provides 250 MW of capacity and can supply power for approximately 250,000 homes during peak demand periods. Even larger projects are under development, such as the Skyview 2 facility, which is projected to become Canada’s largest battery storage installation, while projects such as Hagersville and Dryden demonstrate increasing confidence in long-duration storage solutions.

The next frontier: AI and intelligent storage

Battery innovation is extending beyond chemistry. Here, Canadian companies are increasingly integrating artificial intelligence, predictive analytics and advanced control systems into battery management. These technologies enable batteries to optimize charging cycles, predict equipment degradation and respond dynamically to electricity market signals.

Projects now under development with Canadian research institutions aim to create ultra-fast response battery systems capable of supporting AI data centres, electrified ports and future advanced nuclear energy systems. These applications signal the emergence of batteries not merely as storage devices, but as intelligent infrastructure platforms. The challenge now is scaling these innovations rapidly enough to meet growing electricity demand and increasing global competition.

How AI and digital twins are transforming project management in Canada

Dr. Tim Sandle

July 8, 2026 DIGITAL JOURNAL

Project management rarely attracts the same level of attention as artificial intelligence, renewable energy or biotechnology. Yet behind many of Canada’s largest infrastructure, healthcare, transportation and technology projects, are several innovations. Over the past year, many Canadian organizations have embraced digital twins, artificial intelligence and data-driven delivery models, changing how complex projects are planned, monitored and executed.

Faced with rising project complexity, labour shortages, supply-chain uncertainty and pressure to deliver value more quickly, project leaders are seeking new approaches that move beyond traditional schedules, spreadsheets and status reports. The result is an emerging generation of project management tools that are more predictive, data-centric and, probably, ‘intelligent’.

The rise of the digital twin

One of the most significant developments has been the adoption of digital twins for major public infrastructure projects.

A digital twin is a dynamic virtual representation of a physical asset, process or project. Unlike a static model, it continuously incorporates data throughout a project’s lifecycle, creating what many practitioners describe as a “single source of truth” for decision-making.

Ontario has become a leader in this area. The province is actively testing digital twin technologies on complex infrastructure projects including hospital developments, transit expansions and the redevelopment of Ontario Place. Infrastructure Ontario and its partners are evaluating how virtual modelling can help identify design conflicts, reduce delays and improve coordination between project stakeholders long before construction begins. The technology also has safety benefits. By accurately mapping underground utilities and existing infrastructure before work starts, project teams can reduce the risks associated with unforeseen site conditions. This lowers the likelihood of costly rework while improving schedule predictability.

Digital twins can continue operating after project completion, supporting asset maintenance, operational optimisation and lifecycle management. This creates a seamless connection between project delivery and long-term asset performance.

A recent white paper produced by the Future of Infrastructure Group and Arup argues that digital twins could improve capital and operational efficiency by between 20 and 30 percent if adopted widely across Canadian infrastructure projects. The report identifies digital twins as a solution to persistent challenges such as cost overruns, fragmented communications and project delays. Infrastructure projects typically involve multiple organizations, contractors, consultants and regulators. Each stakeholder often operates with their own systems and datasets. Digital twins help integrate information into a unified environment, improving transparency and enabling more informed decision-making.

Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation has also established a roadmap linking Building Information Modelling (BIM) and digital twin technologies, with a long-term objective of integrating digital twins into future infrastructure contracts.

Artificial intelligence enters the project office

If digital twins provide visibility, artificial intelligence provides insight. AI is now being incorporated into project management offices (PMOs), where it is helping organizations move from reactive reporting to proactive decision-making. Rather than simply documenting what has already happened, AI systems can identify emerging patterns and forecast future outcomes.

Applications include schedule optimization, resource allocation, risk forecasting, change impact analysis and portfolio prioritization. AI can analyse large volumes of project data significantly faster than human teams, enabling earlier identification of potential problems. For example, a project management system may detect subtle indicators suggesting a schedule delay several months before conventional reporting methods would identify the issue. Similar approaches can be used to highlight potential budget overruns, resource bottlenecks or stakeholder concerns.

The long-term objective is the “AI-augmented PMO.” Traditionally, project management offices have focused heavily on governance, reporting and standardization. AI is enabling a shift toward decision intelligence, where project teams receive data-driven recommendations rather than simply historical reports. In this environment, project professionals spend less time compiling information and more time interpreting insights, engaging stakeholders and making strategic decisions. AI becomes an analytical partner rather than a replacement for human expertise.

This approach aligns closely with Canada’s broader artificial intelligence strategy, which emphasizes practical deployment of AI across industry and government to improve productivity and competitiveness. The federal government’s recently announced AI for All strategy seeks to expand AI adoption across multiple sectors of the economy.

This shift is driving the adoption of common data environments, integrated information platforms and digital engineering approaches that allow project participants to work from shared datasets. Such systems reduce duplication, improve consistency and make it easier to identify emerging risks. The trend is particularly relevant for complex infrastructure programmes, where delays frequently arise due to poor information flow between stakeholders. Better data integration means fewer surprises and stronger governance.

A shift toward predictive project management

Perhaps the most important change occurring in Canada is the move from retrospective reporting to predictive management. For decades, many project reviews focused on answering a relatively simple question: what happened? Modern project management technologies instead ask: what is likely to happen next?

Digital twins provide a real-time picture of project status. AI analyses patterns and future risks. Integrated data environments create transparency across organizations. Together, these innovations enable project teams to anticipate problems before they occur rather than reacting after issues emerge.

Can children be partisan?

New study finds evidence of partisan behavior among 5- to 9-year-olds—and ways to remedy it

New York University

Experimental Method Image — image:
A sample trial from the partisanship task. Two characters made conflicting claims about the identity of an ambiguous object. The participating child had to adjudicate these claims. In the group condition, one of the characters was from the participating child's group and the other character was from the other group. In the control condition, the two characters did not belong to groups but otherwise looked identical to the characters from the group condition. Image courtesy of Bethany Lassetter.
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Credit: Image courtesy of Bethany Lassetter

As we move closer to Election Day 2026, voting preferences are moving back into focus—and with it, analyses of what drives partisanship at the polls. However, asked less often is when Americans show evidence of partisan behavior: Shortly or well after turning legal voting age? As teenagers? In elementary school?

A team of psychology researchers has found evidence of partisan behavior in children aged five to nine—they frequently endorsed their own group’s claims even when evidence suggested otherwise, indicating group affiliation influenced their responses. However, the scientists also uncovered a potential remedy to such responses: When incentivized to tell the truth about what they had seen or when they could provide answers under the veil of privacy, the children were much less likely to adopt their own group’s claims.

“Even young children will side with their group over the evidence of their own eyes, but mainly when they’re responding publicly and when being accurate doesn’t count for much,” explains Andrei Cimpian, a psychology professor at New York University and the senior author of the paper, which appears in the journal Cognition. “However, if you allow them to respond in private or give them a reason to care about accuracy, the partisanship effect disappears.”

The researchers, who included first author Bethany Lassetter, an NYU postdoctoral fellow at the time of the study, Natalie Hutchins, a doctoral student at the University of Virginia, and Lucas Butler, an associate professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, note the potential significance of the latter finding in offering insight into the developmental origins of political partisanship.

“Partisanship may start not as a conviction about what’s true, but as a way of showing you belong or you’re loyal to your group,” observes Lassetter. “But there’s an encouraging implication here too: Conditions that reward accuracy or that lower the social stakes of an answer can pull people back toward the evidence.”

The study included different groups of children, aged five to nine, in three experiments.

In the first, children were introduced to two groups, the green group and the orange group, differentiated only by the color of their t-shirts. The children then chose whether they wanted to be in the green group or the orange group, thereby creating an ingroup based on shared t-shirt color. A series of manipulation checks confirmed that they viewed their group more positively than they did the other group. Children in a control condition were not introduced to groups—however, all participants saw the same experimental stimuli.

Next, children saw several pairs of fictional characters, one from their group and one from the other group, who made conflicting claims about objects with ambiguous identities (for example, an animal that looked equally like a horse and a cow). Characters in the control condition wore green and orange t-shirts, but no groups were ever mentioned. Children were asked what they thought the pictured objects were (a horse or a cow?).

Overall, compared to children in the control condition, children in a group (green or orange) were significantly more likely to endorse the claims made by their group’s character about what the pictures showed—regardless of what images actually depicted.

The results raised a key question: Were the children siding with their group because they thought the group was accurate or, instead, because they wanted to be loyal and go along with what their group said?

To examine this, the authors asked another group of children, aged six to nine, to undertake the same experimental task. However, unlike in the first experiment, the children were told their answers would be communicated privately. In a third experiment, with another sample of children aged six to nine, children were put into two groups: One group received the experimental treatment identical to the first experiment, whereas another group was told that the more answers they got correct, the bigger the prize they would receive at the end—this was a way of testing if incentives to tell the truth would outweigh group identification.

The impact of privacy and “truth incentives” was clear: Children who answered privately were more likely to accurately report what they saw than were those who answered publicly. Similarly, those in the truth-incentive group were more likely to accurately report what they saw than were those who received no such incentive.

Taken together, the experiments indicated that children’s partisanship appears to be less about a search for truth and more about a desire for social connection, the authors conclude—and point to potential remedies for diminishing responses not supported by evidence.

“Understanding these early tendencies, and the conditions under which they intensify, diminish, or solidify into genuine belief, may ultimately help explain how group-based distortions in belief take hold and how they might be mitigated,” the authors write.

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