TECHNATION Weekly Situation Report – April 17, 2020

Procurement as a priority for economic stimulus. This week we had on-going calls with government leaders in provincial and federal governments, including: the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade; The Chief Information Officer of Ontario; Ministry of Public Services and Procurement; and the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.  Our message is clear and simple – procurement is the single most powerful leader to drive economic stimulus in recovery: 36 per cent of our survey respondents are sharing that they are already severely economically impacted by COVID 19; and 60 per cent have already had multiple projects/ contracts cancelled or delayed.

Our goal – influence government to use their current ‘challenges’ programs through dedicated economic stimulus and targeted funding for the technology small and medium-sized organizations severely impacted.   Additionally, we will position the TECH2GOV Innovation Exchange (now live for technology companies across Canada – sign up here)  as an integral tool, enabling government of all levels direct access to registered technology solutions to support agile procurement needs.

REMOTE working reality has set in. We met this week with Ashok Krish – Tata Consulting Services expert in Digital Workplace Reimagination. Tata India moved 200K employees to a remote environment in a matter of days!  Ashok made some thought-provoking statements, highlighting the new world of remote working and technology’s role in simplifying the experience, while we learn the reality of:

• Working in an environment of ‘continuous interruption’ – from emails, calls, and tools to stay connected with colleagues, to kids, pets, or spouses in our office;
• Finding ways to empower employees to achieve more by creating a work environment that is flexible and secure; and
• Looking at the need for ‘high value meetings’ – where we carefully consider the necessity of each meeting and focusing on ‘go no/go’ or ‘buy don’t/buy’ results-oriented meetings.

Lots to consider as our remote reality continues to evolve!

Angela Mondou,

President and CEO, TECHNATION

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TECHNATION strongly believes in public sector procurement as a tool for economic development, especially as we formulate plans to restart the economy post-COVID-19. A letter regarding this was sent earlier today to the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade of Ontario.

Thank you to all companies that participated in the initial TECHNATION COVID-19 Survey. As we continue to track the impact of the public health crisis on our sector, we now ask you participate in the second survey, found here. This updated five-minute survey will help inform our conversations with public sector officials, including our feedback on proposed policies that impact our sector. For more information on the surveys: Andrew Walker.

The next federal PSBC will take place on April 30. We expect to hear from Shared Services Canada on large IT procurements. We’re continuing to stay abreast of the work of the federal government to prepare a PSBC that best reflects the needs of members. To register, click here.

New world order for procurement post COVID – 19?  We are taking every opportunity to have this discussion with municipal, provincial and federal leaders and we still have work to do. This week, TECHNATION provided an early submission to the TECH2GOV Innovation Exchange into the federal and provincial governments. Now live, tech companies across Canada have access to https://technationportal.ca, a one-stop-shop for government to access member company goods and services throughout the crisis and beyond.    If you haven’t already – add yourself to the list by clicking the ‘Add My Company’ link. For more information and to participate in the portal, please contact Andrew Walker.

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STUDENT WORK PLACEMENTS

There’s a number of top-tier students from across Canada that typically do their internships abroad; with the current health crisis this is no longer possible. Through the TECHNATION Career Ready Program, you can access these incredible young minds for your own organization this summer – and in doing so, can receive a subsidy of up to $7000.00 for each student you hire.

Additional funding (stackable with Career Ready) is available depending on your region:

• Ontario Cooperative Education Tax Credit (ON) – Up to $3,000.00
• Quebec Cooperative Education Tax Credit (QC) – Up to $3,000.00
• Tech Coop / Innovator Skills Initiative Grants (BC) – Up to $4,000.00
• Paid Work Experience Tax Credit (MB) – Up to $5,000.00

Learn more: www.itactalent.ca/careerready

Reach out: careerready@technationcanada.ca

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

TECHNATION, in association with industry partners, eSentire, KPMG, Bennett Jones, and CCTX held a successful free webinar “COVID 19 and Cybersecurity: Protecting your business” on April 16.  This well attended webinar provided expert insights on cybersecurity threats and risks and practical steps that organizations can take in remote and work from home situations.  If  missed it but would like to view a recording of this webinar, click here.

UPCOMING EVENTS & COMMITTEE MEETINGS

• April 22: Health Advocacy Committee. 4:00 p.m. EDT Go-to-Meeting
• April 30: TECHNATION Federal Public Sector Business Committee. 8:00 a.m. EDT. Go-to-Webinar

Industry Supported Events

• April 21: Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council (CAMSC): Webinar: Financial Support for Small and Medium Scale Businesses with Herb Zobell, Vice President Commercial Financial Services, Indigenous Markets, RBC. 11:00 a.m. EDT Learn more/ register

TECHNATION FUTURE SKILLS/ ADaPT PROJECT

Are you looking for entry level talent for free? Our ADaPT participants have recently completed 70+ hours of digital and professional skills, allowing them to stay current with emerging trends/technology and the future of work. Please contact Sangeeta.mehta@ryerson.ca for more information. ADaPT is a work-integrated learning program that addresses the gap between employer needs and graduate skills through intensive training. 

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In response to feedback from physicians and pharmacists managing patient consultations virtually during COVID-19, Canada Health Infoway’s PrescribeIT^® has initiated an EMR-Virtual Care Investment Program. Learn more

NexJ Health Inc., a provider of patient and family-facing engagement solutions for chronic disease management, announced the Connecting2gether research study being conducted in collaboration with The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is underway.

Macadamian Technologies and Bruyere Continuing Care joined forces to launch an employee COVID-19 screening mobile app. Learn more

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