Is Calgary the country's economic engine?

Welcome to this week's Sunday Briefing. In this issue, find out about a new partner for Neo Financial, a new team member for Carbon Upcycling, and advancements with OpenHouse.ai. Plus, read nine other stories you might’ve missed.

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🗳️ Question of the Week

Is Calgary the countrys’s economic engine?

Last week, Calgary Economic Development (CED) hosted 2025 Economic Outlook, a deep-dive discussion exploring what awaits the city in the new year.

The line-up of big name speakers included Alberta Premier Danielle Smith; Bruce Heyman, former U.S. ambassador to Canada; Mark Parsons, vice president and chief economist at ATB Financial; Calgary mayor Jyoti Gondek; and Brad Parry, president and CEO of Calgary Economic Development and CEO of the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund.

Overall, reviews of Calgary’s economic outlook were positive — and the city’s mayor even went so far as to call it Alberta and Canada’s economic engine.

ATB Financial’s latest economic forecast, released just ahead of the event, predicts Alberta’s real GDP growth to outpace the national average. The province’s GDP is expected to grow by 2.5 percent this year and 2.8 percent in 2025, surpassing Canada’s projected growth rates of 1.2 percent and 2.0 percent.

Several of the speakers highlighted the importance of diversification to Calgary’s current and future success. Once known almost exclusively for oil and gas, Calgary is now home to tech leaders like Neo Financial, Carbon Upcycling, and ZayZoon.

“This city that is home to everything — from oil and gas to machine learning and artificial intelligence to film and esports — is the city that drives the success of our province,” said mayor Gondek.

Looking ahead, the conversation naturally turned to the upcoming U.S. election and potential changes to Canada’s relationship with its largest trading partner.

“I think that we owe a deep debt of gratitude to our bilateral relationship and friendship over the years, but it will be severely tested coming up,” said Bruce Heyman, former U.S. ambassador to Canada.

With America as Canada’s largest trading partner, many businesses in Alberta are bracing for potential shifts in tariffs, immigration policies, and trade regulations.  

🤝 Funding, Deals, and Partnerships

• Platform Calgary and Boast partner to fuel growing companies and innovation in Calgary. The collaboration includes the launch of Boast Innovation Labs and an official Community Connect sponsorship with Platform Innovate Centre to connect leading tech innovators with key resources for growth. Boast.AI

• Neo Financial partners with CI Financial to launch suite of cutting-edge financial solutions. The partnership will introduce a new range of financial products designed to deliver an integrated financial experience to clients of CI Financial’s Canadian wealth management businesses. Neo Financial

• Enbridge collaborates with Microsoft to use AI for enhanced safety, emissions, reduction, and asset optimization. The company began implementing AI over five years ago. Enbridge

SPONSORED BY NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY

Tech is for all. Break into tech.

You don’t need a background in tech to have a future in it. If you or someone you know is interested in getting started in tech, join Northeastern’s Break into Tech webinar on November 7 at 2:00 p.m. PDT to explore their flexible pathway to a Master’s in computer science.

📰 Need To Know

• AI is turning data into deals for home builders. OpenHouse.ai's new sales app is designed to improve the buyer experience, automate admin tasks, and let sales teams focus on what they do best. OpenHouse.ai

• Long-term renewable energy and infrastructure executive, Juliane Kniebel-Huebner, joins Carbon Upcycling as chief operating officer. Juliane brings over 20 years of leadership experience in the energy and infrastructure sectors to Carbon Upcycling. Carbon Upcycling

• Student-run Enactus SAIT tackles Calgary’s challenges one project at a time. Enactus is a global non-profit network of students and partners who create sustainable community development projects that address social, economic and environmental issues. SAIT

• Calgary’s Next Economy: Scholarships Café connects students with post-secondary funding. The Scholarships Café portal uses artificial intelligence to help match prospective applicants with financial tools filtered by location, field, and qualifications. Livewire Calgary

• Oncolytics Biotech announces key progress and upcoming studies for breast and pancreatic cancer treatments, prepares for FDA accelerated approval path. Key milestones in gastrointestinal cancer clinical trials are expected in 2025, with potential for new registration-enabling studies. Oncolytics Biotech

• Humi launches Innovation Partner Program to support the growth of Canadian businesses. Platform Calgary is an early partner. Humi

💡Ideas & Insights

• Building resilient care networks with Chenny Xia. As the CEO of Gotcare, Xia is transforming how healthcare in the home is delivered regardless of your postal code, including service to over 100 remote communities. Thin Air Labs

• Lindy Drop from Lindy. Lindy is an AI assistant, designed to manage your daily tasks and act as an executive assistant for busy professionals. The Hard Part with Evan McCann