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According to the International Energy Agency's latest report on smart cities, new technologies and increased connectivity are opening massive opportunities for city-level authorities to develop efficient, sustainable energy solutions that enable municipalities to accelerate their transition towards a clean, low-carbon future. Although cities generate more than 80% of the global GDP, they consume over two-thirds of the world's energy and account for more than 70% of global CO2 emissions, which will require leveraging digital solutions to drive a sustainable energy transition and reach net zero by 2050. However, as a recent article from the Harvard Business School illustrates, advancing the concept of smart cities can be challenging and expensive. But, through well-designed public-private partnerships (PPPs), a Deloitte report highlighted that private-sector incentives could be aligned with economic growth and net-zero goals set by local municipalities to unlock the value of technology and bring a critical mass of players together to spur sustainable economic development. In Canada's capital, Ottawa, one initiative aiming to leverage PPP synergies in developing smart and connected cities is Area X.O . For the past 18 months, the Invest Ottawa-led project has been collaborating with government agencies, large corporations and startups to accelerate the development of technologies and urban mobility solutions by offering a state-of-the-art facility that allows entrepreneurs to create, test and build their technological products with stakeholders. Michael Tremblay, CEO and President
Invest Ottawa
In an interview, Michael Tremblay , CEO and President, and Sonya Shorey , VP of Strategy at Invest Ottawa, provide insights into Area X.O's work on ways new technological solutions are enabling cities to reduce emissions, the collaboration between partners to overcome hurdles in technology deployment and talent development strategies that can help scale smart city solutions. MORE FOR YOU
Developing data-centric solutions that provide cities with insights to reduce emissions
In 2018, the initial concept for Area X.O was developed as part of Invest Ottawa's Strategic Plan that aimed to leverage Ottawa's strengths in key high-tech industries, particularly smart mobility, telecommunication and cybersecurity, to position the regional economy for growth and create jobs. In recent years, smart, connected solutions that help drive sustainability within cities have generated strong interest from Canadian municipalities, with many commissioning plans to develop the necessary infrastructure to improve livability, transportation and energy usage. Seeing the potential to combine Ottawa's strengths with national and international interest for smart city solutions, Area X.O formally launched in 2020. Founded and operated by Invest Ottawa, it enables industry-leading R&D, testing, validation, and technology implementation that has already attracted large multinational corporations such as BlackBerry, Microsoft and Accenture to collaborate and co-develop solutions with innovative startups. As cities look to regenerate growth and transition to a low-carbon economy, Tremblay mentioned, "At Area X.O, we partnered with industry leaders to build the infrastructure that allows IoT and next-gen networks to gather in-depth city-level data insights. This enables the thorough evaluation of factors central to the climate crisis, such as food production, transportation, and buildings, using technology that optimises their functionality and performance." "To help achieve this goal, Invest Ottawa and its partners have developed a smart city living lab and command centre at Area X.O. It provides entrepreneurs, companies, regulators and leaders at the City of Ottawa with an ideal environment to create clean, green, and connected solutions that improve energy usage within cities," Tremblay added. For instance, Tremblay notes," to better understand GHG emissions resulting from differing tillage and fertiliser applications practices, Area X.O partnered with Fertilizer Canada, the University of Ottawa, and GPS Ontario to measure N2O emissions and develop a model that could predict emissions based on rainfall and temperature for each tillage method." According to Tremblay, "this work will have far-reaching impact and allow farmers to optimise their use of fertiliser and better understand their GHG footprint. " 
Given the pivotal role low-carbon solutions are projected to play in meeting net-zero objectives around the world, Tremblay highlighted that "Invest Ottawa has been collaborating with other strategic partners across Canada and around the world. We aim to help broker new linkages between SMEs and prospective customers and investors to help facilitate the export and adoption of new solutions being developed at Area X.O." By broadening opportunities for these emerging technologies, Tremblay noted that "Ottawa can actively help to address the climate crisis while attracting new investment and companies that continue to create high-quality jobs within the region. " 
Creating a collaborative ecosystem to foster smart city development 
Sonya Shorey, VP of Strategy
Invest Ottawa
In the OECD’s latest paper , many cities and countries joined the ‘smart city wave’ and included a sustainable recovery component in their plans to rebound from the COVID-19 crisis. By leveraging digital technologies, the World Economic Forum mentioned that smart city solutions could help relay real-time life-saving information, maintain the delivery of essential public services (such as healthcare through telemedicine) and achieve net-zero goals. Yet, despite this potential, a recent Forbes article and an op-ed by the OECD noted that smart city concepts have struggled to take off worldwide because of financial, privacy and ownership concerns, and the need for greater collaboration among stakeholders and buy-in from citizens to advance the technology. For these reasons, Tremblay highlighted that “Area X.O, a non-profit R&D complex, brings public and private stakeholders together in support of a shared goal: to develop new technologies, while attracting investment and creating new market opportunities and jobs that grow our economy.” Through this collaborative approach, he adds, “startups, innovators, companies, and government agencies leverage the combined capabilities, expertise, and strengths of the ecosystem to accelerate their R&D and product testing. This allows them to obtain feedback from early customers, adopters and regulators that fast tracks their entry to the market.”
Low-speed automated shuttle testing at Area X.O
Invest Ottawa
For example, a key project facilitated by Area X.O involves evaluating the potential of battery-powered autonomous vehicles to improve safety at road intersections. As part of the initiative , Shorey noted, “Area X.O has partnered with the University of Warwick, enabling project stakeholders to access their Safety Pool Scenario Database .” From this collaboration, Shorey highlights, “AreaX.O’s project stakeholders can leverage existing global data, learnings and results from worldwide autonomous vehicle tests, R&D projects, and demonstrations in order to optimise project workflow, reduce redundancy and improve productivity.” 
Shorey added, ‘Project partners such as Transport Canada and other regulatory bodies can then evaluate the outcomes from a strong testing process and use the insights to shape related policies and regulatory frameworks in order to facilitate the safe adoption of these technologies.” 
For Canadian municipalities that have recently shown strong interest in smart mobility and electrifying the transportation sector as part of their net-zero plans, Shorey remarked, “The solutions being developed at Area X.O can help these municipalities improve mobility within their jurisdiction and reduce emissions. This is because the battery-powered autonomous vehicles would operate along the most optimal routes to reduce energy consumption and recharge using the cleanest energy source − that is, predominantly hydroelectric power in the Ottawa area − from the grid.” 
Building a smart workforce is a key component to Area X.O’s growth plans 
According to ABI Research, investment in smart city infrastructure is estimated to reach US $375 billion by 2030. Climate change and the calls for more sustainable economic development and affordable living are driving forces aiming to reinvent cities for a greener and more inclusive urban future. However, a recent report from the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) notes that a smart workforce will be required for these initiatives to reach their full potential. This is vital given the critical role highly skilled talent plays in developing technologies and deploying solutions into the economy. Given the labour shortages and competitive hiring market for high-skilled talent in the Canadian economy, Tremblay commented that "attracting and retaining top talent in Canada's Capital is a vital part of Area X.O. 's long-term plans. Our R&D complex is enabling the development of exciting next-generation smart mobility solutions that leverage high-skilled tech talent from within and beyond our region. This includes the student talent emerging from our post-secondary institutions in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and the global talent our companies are attracting from around the world. " 
To help grow Ottawa's talent pool, our team has developed a strong database of top talent candidates," said Tremblay. This enables startups, scaleups and SMEs to identify, engage and recruit skilled professionals with highly sought expertise quickly and efficiently, and spend more time building their business. " 
Area X.O Command Centre
Invest Ottawa
In support of this talent attraction, retention, and employment strategy, Shorey stated, "Area X.O. also established and delivered an 18-month CAV Talent Catalyst pilot program during the pandemic. Focused on smart mobility and Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs), it offered participants a hands-on, interactive learning experience with industry leaders that are developing and employing cutting-edge technologies. These included 5G, A.I., machine learning, computer vision, LiDAR, BlackBerry Jarvis, cybersecurity, and more. Together, we delivered 13+ workshops that addressed 24 skills gaps and enabled 260+ participants from every walk of life to engage and learn from tech leaders and potential employers". Furthermore, in collaboration with local post-secondary institutions, companies and partners, Shorey adds, "Area X.O. has also been establishing various global talent acquisition, networking, retraining, and upskilling programs to develop a more diverse and inclusive talent pipeline." Building on the strengths of Ottawa's thriving innovation ecosystem, she notes, "we are attracting highly skilled talent and providing them with the autonomy to work on game-changing smart city solutions of the future."

Canada’s Area X.O Initiative Looks To Empower Cities’ Transition To A Net-Zero Future

On the outskirts of southern Ottawa, about 25 minutes from the Canadian Parliament buildings, sits a farm. It’s one of many in the fertile Ottawa Valley, the majority of which grow corn or other cereal crops. The valley is also home to orchards and vineyards, as well as  smaller parcels of acreage planted with fresh produce. But this farm is different. For one, it’s led and developed by Invest Ottawa , a nonprofit that receives a generous amount of funding from local governments. Unlike traditional farms, this one is not especially concerned about which crops it’s growing year to year. Instead, its most important output is data, and a good yield is determined by how much information they are able to collect and share with the farmers surrounding them—and across the world. The Smart Farm at Area X.O oversees more than 100 acres of farmland that’s dedicated to testing out anything and everything that might change the way people farm. Drones, agriculture tech, autonomous farm vehicles and robotics all come into play at the farm, which also partners with private companies and universities to analyze data collected from their agricultural experiments. The goal is simple: To find solutions to not just address current problems, but future issues that may pop up as a result of climate change. “The perfect project for us is one that includes industries big and small,” says Michael Tremblay, Invest Ottawa president and CEO. “So applied research from academia, the aggressive commercialization of industry. And of course, the regulators can help to adjust policy to make sure that some of these new technologies will find themselves available in the markets.” 
It’s a lofty goal, although it doesn’t scare Jordan Wallace, the one who’s actually in the dirt conducting the experiments. A born-and-bred farmer, Wallace grew up on a dairy farm in the Ottawa area. While he doesn’t have an engineering background, he says he takes on this work with a farmer’s mindset “and common sense.” 
Jordan Wallace in the command center. Photo courtesy of Invest Ottawa. This year, Wallace dug into some hefty experiments, including what he calls “fertile stripping,” or placing fertilizer in smaller, concentrated areas while working it into the soil. “We’re able to deliver a nutrient-rich zone that is fully encapsulated in soil. Because it’s all mixed, we don’t have the same nutrient leaching and the same volatilization of those nutrients up into the atmosphere. We have a better opportunity for that nitrogen,” Wallace says. From there, the team connects with doctoral students at schools like the University of Ottawa to analyze their data. “They’re developing a predictive algorithm that’s going to make it possible to input just a couple of simple parameters, such as temperature and rainfall, to predict what the carbon output might be, or the nitrous oxide output might be from a particular field,” says Susanne Cork, director of business development at Area X.O. “What we’re really trying to do is take these scientific discoveries that we’re making and make them accessible more broadly.” 
That prized data is how Wallace says the farm will actually make a difference—by removing some of the emotion from the business of farming. This will help “a farmer look at his farm as a commercial business, not just [viewing] farming the way that my grandfather did because that’s the way we always did it,” Wallace says. For example, what makes a productive yield? “It could be 100 bushels of corn, it could be 300 bushels of corn. If I’m not making any money at it, why am I doing this?” That’s what Wallace—and the smart farm—aims to do. To take the labor costs, time inputs and environmental impacts into consideration together in order to figure out what the end result might be. Now, the smart farm is hoping to expand and work with even more farmers. While their focus is still regional, they are looking to see what can transfer to international farms. This year, the farm has hosted delegations from Germany, Japan and India. More importantly, the focus of the farm is squarely on environmental challenges and issues that will continue to arise due to climate change, especially the climate’s impact on food supply and food insecurity. For that, collaboration is crucial. “What could a computer scientist or an engineer bring to the table from an agriculture perspective?” Cork asks. “We’ve got the Farmers Almanac, we’ve got many of these tried and true capabilities that have held everyone in good stead. But I would argue that the world has changed somewhat with respect to some of the forces that are putting pressure on us now. And I think, you know, we need to look a little further afield for where the answers are going to come from.”
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At This Farm, Data Is the Most Important Crop

Ottawa company that built successful vaccine booking systems working with local businesses on safe return to work Back to video
The company is working with Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards to launch a new digital tool aimed at helping employers keep track of workers’ vaccination status and updated pandemic protocols as they return to work. “Knowing who is vaccinated in workplaces will be key to protecting employees and customers as more people return to in-person work,” said Dr. Kumanan Wilson, a scientist and physician who is CEO of CANImmunize. The new system, called CANImmunize Shield, collects vaccination records while maintaining safety and privacy, encourages vaccine uptake and tracks vaccination rates among employees, the company says. In an interview, Wilson said the software could help prevent outbreaks by predicting individual immunity and creating “heat maps” to track workers who are unvaccinated or under-vaccinated and may be at risk. That could, eventually, include people who have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, but not a booster shot and whose immunity has waned. Advertisement
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Wilson said his company anticipated the challenges of returning to work and the need for solutions to track vaccination rates in the workplace. A key target of the system, he said, is the kind of businesses that have been most at risk of outbreaks throughout the pandemic — including manufacturing and warehouses. It is initially being rolled out at the tech innovation hub at Bayview Yards, which provides services and support to entrepreneurs and companies. More than 100 people there are currently using the tool as part of their return to the office. “We are committed to keeping the entrepreneurs, companies and community we serve healthy and safe during and beyond the pandemic,” said Michael Tremblay, president and CEO of Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards. Advertisement
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CANImmunize is itself a tech startup that launched not long before the pandemic began, having been spun off from work Wilson did on an immunization app at The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. Last fall, the company received funding to run a pilot project with its vaccine software at the Bruyère hospital during its flu vaccine campaign. That scheduling software reduced the time it took to vaccinate people by as much as 50 per cent and led to work on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout with Nova Scotia, Yukon and Prince Edward Island. Last week, CANImmunize received the Company of the Year award from the CAN Health Network — which helps support and encourage health technology solutions — for that work. The company’s highly-praised COVID-19 vaccine scheduling system in Nova Scotia left some Ontario residents asking why the province hadn’t used the Ottawa company for its system. Ontario’s U.S.-based system initially left many people scrambling to book vaccines. Wilson said companies, governments and individuals would likely have to remain vigilant about immunization status for a few more years with boosters and, likely, seasonal vaccines. For workplaces, that means understanding vulnerabilities in order to avoid disruptions. “I think the sense is that this is going to become endemic with sporadic outbreaks and there may be shutdowns. This is what workplaces don’t want,” Wilson said. Share this article in your social network
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Currently, there are 50,000 rapid tests at Invest Ottawa and the board of trade has ordered another 20,000 based on "keen interest." Author of the article:
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Businesses in Ottawa received their first deliveries of rapid antigen COVID-19 tests on Friday, with tens of thousands of individual kits to be distributed in the coming weeks. Almost 1,200 individual kits were handed out between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. by Rotary Club volunteers and staff members of the Ottawa Board of Trade at Invest Ottawa’s Bayview Yards, with 1,200 more kits to be distributed on Monday. In Ontario, local chambers of commerce and business advocacy groups like the Ottawa Board of Trade are distributing the rapid tests, which produce results within 15 minutes. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Try refreshing your browser, or
Rapid tests being deployed to local businesses Back to video
Eligible businesses — those who have between two and 150 employees — had to book appointments to receive the kits in advance. All slots for Friday were booked, as are Monday’s. The response on Friday was “very positive” with the business leaders in attendance in “great spirits,” said Andrée Paige, a Tiger Lily marketing associate for the Ottawa Board of Trade. Several different businesses were represented on Friday, including the Ottawa BlackJacks professional basketball team, she said. Collectively, 80-plus business were served. Advertisement
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Because of capacity and safety protocols, the Ottawa Board of Trade scheduled four appointments per 15-minute segments. Sarah Chown, managing partner of Metropolitain Brasserie Restaurant, told this newspaper last week that the rapid test program would add “another layer of protection” for employees and patrons. She said her business would pick up its test kits on Monday. “As an employer, your No. 1 concern is the health and safety of your employees during this whole thing. So you’re doing whatever you possibly can to ensure that (employees) don’t get sick because you don’t want to have an outbreak in your restaurant, you don’t want to have to close, you don’t want to be in the media getting attention, you know, and you don’t want them to be sick or in a hospital or in an ICU,” said Chown, who is also the Ottawa chair of the Ontario Restaurant Hotel and Motel Association. Advertisement
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“So this is another thing that kind of allow us to ensure that things like that don’t happen and for the public to know that it’s the program that we’re doing, and that, you know, a number of other businesses are going to be participating in. I think it’s just a good thing all around and don’t see any drawbacks to it.”
The kits will last two weeks. After that, employers will need to make more appointments to pick up additional tests. The Ottawa Board of Trade is also providing an instructional video on how to use the tests; Paige said some test kit recipients on Friday watched the video on site. Currently, there are 50,000 rapid tests at Invest Ottawa and the board of trade has ordered another 20,000 based on “keen interest,” Paige said in an email. The Ontario government has already sent more than 760,000 kits to chambers of commerce and boards of trade. Businesses looking to book appointments for the next few months can do so by visiting the Ottawa Board of Trade website . Share this article in your social network
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Rapid tests being deployed to local businesses

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The new partnership builds on a long history of collaboration between Invest Ottawa and Kanata North Business Association .

Area X.O Operated by Invest Ottawa Becomes a Strategic Partner of Hub350 - Invest Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario –October 21, 2021: The Kanata North Business Association (KNBA) and Hub350 today announced a strategic partnership with Invest Ottawa and Area X.O .

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