Welcome to this week's Sunday Briefing. In this edition:
ERA commits $51 million to emissions-reducing tech
Calgary's Patronscan faces renewed data privacy scrutiny
Red Deer adopts smart metering technology
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Alberta's Crop Diversification Centre North marks 75 years of agricultural research
Photo: Government of Alberta
Alberta's Crop Diversification Centre North is marking 75 years of agricultural research, having grown from a small tree nursery on a former federal fur farm outside Edmonton into one of the province's most significant agricultural research facilities.
CDC North was established in 1951 on 18 acres and has since expanded to 340 acres, housing nine greenhouses, the Alberta Plant Health Lab, the Bee Health Unit, and Western Canada's only seed potato repository. Over seven decades, the centre has collaborated with industry and post-secondary institutions on research, diagnostics, and crop health surveillance to support Alberta farmers.
"For 75 years, the work done on this site has had an outsized impact on Alberta's ag sector, and it's worth celebrating," said Tara Sawyer, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation.
Among CDC North's notable contributions is a provincial tree nursery that at its peak distributed 3.5 million seedlings annually for farm shelterbelts across Alberta. The Alberta Plant Health Lab provides diagnosis for Dutch Elm Disease, protecting what the province values at nearly one billion dollars worth of elms. The centre also operates an on-site clubroot disease nursery in collaboration with the University of Alberta.
CDC North is one of two Crop Diversification Centres in Alberta, alongside CDC South near Brooks. The facility's research plots are used by collaborators including the University of Alberta and Western Crop Innovations.
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📰 Need To Know
ERA invests nearly $51 million in Alberta innovation to cut emissions and grow the economy. This funding comes from the industry-funded Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) fund, delivered through ERA. Emissions Reduction Alberta
ID-scanning firm Patronscan faces renewed scrutiny over data privacy. Multiple US bars have now stopped using Calgary-based ID authenticator’s tech following criticism. Betakit
Red Deer mayor welcomes smart metering technology to ‘improve reliability’ of energy grid. The move is part of the administration’s “National Strategy for an Electrified Canadian Economy.” Calgary.Tech
ASIRT concludes investigation into AI-generated intimate images. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has concluded a Level 1 investigation of an Alberta Sheriffs peace officer involving AI-generated intimate images. Government of Alberta