“World’s first” coming to small-town Alberta

Welcome to this week's Sunday Briefing. In this issue, read about carbon dioxide removal coming to Innisfail, Alberta, plus six other stories you’ve missed.

Have a great day. We'll see you again on Wednesday.

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🗳️ Question of the Week

“World’s first” coming to small-town Alberta

Golfing, skydiving, camping, or paying a visit to the world's first carbon removal innovation and commercialization centre—all things that you’ll one day be able to do in Innisfail, Alberta.

Deep Sky, the Canadian carbon removal project developer, has chosen the town located in the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor for its new hub, Deep Sky Labs. The project represents a number of firsts:

• It’s an industry first for the private development of scalable carbon dioxide removal

• It’s the first cross-technology project in the world

• It’s the first commercial direct-air-capture project in Canada

"I cannot overstate the significance of the world's first carbon removal innovation and commercialization centre, and what this means for Canada and our planet at large," said Damien Steel, CEO of Deep Sky. "This project serves as a testing ground from which the nascent industry can grow into Canada's multi-trillion-dollar enterprise.”

Steel believes that this facility represents a giant step forward for the health of our planet and the Canadian economy. “Prioritizing quality and speed, we're proud that this facility went from concept to construction in less than a year," he said.

Deep Sky Labs neighbours other proposed green projects, including a solar farm and waste-to-energy plant. Set to open this winter, construction will begin imminently.

🤝 Funding, Deals, and Partnerships

• Alberta invests in trade interest at Telus Spark. The funding will help create a series of exploration spaces designed to encourage young people to pursue a career in the trades. Construction Business

• AbaData Acquires OpLynx. AbaData, which creates surface land mapping software, will integrate OpLYNX’s technologies and approaches into its existing platforms. AbaData

📰 Need To Know

• Innovator of the week: Nathan Nasseri transforms home buying with virtual reality. ResVR uses virtual reality to create immersive home layouts for home builders, allowing buyers to add customizations and upgrades during a virtual tour. Avenue Calgary

• Catapult helps immigrants launch business dreams in Calgary. The company’s CEO says it has aided newcomer entrepreneurs who have been held back by not knowing Canadian business customs or who lack credit history. Calgary Herald

• International community shouts out technology. Among the 120 projects featured in the 2024 edition of the Global CCS Institute is a promising carbon-capture technology developed by InnoTech Alberta, in conjunction with Alberta Innovates. Alberta Innovates

• Alberta emerges as top destination for international engineering technology professionals. A recent survey conducted by the Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta (ASET) has highlighted the province’s attractiveness as a destination for internationally trained engineers. Calgary.Tech