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Calgary Herald

Liberal cabinet minister announces $11 million for Alberta businesses

Article content Edmonton Centre Liberal MP and cabinet minister Eleanor Olszewski brought the federal bacon home Tuesday with $11 million in funding to support high tech for seven Alberta businesses and organizations to leverage artificial intelligence (AI), digital adoption and advanced manufacturing. Article content It's the first official announcement from the PrairiesCan portfolio for Olszewski. Elected in April, the freshman member of Parliament was immediately catapulted to ministerial portfolios for emergency management and community resilience and Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) — a fit niche for a province growing its reputation as an innovation hub, tapping her background as a local trailblazer for women as the first female partner at an Edmonton law firm. Article content Article content Article content Olszewski said Canadian companies face 'unprecedented global uncertainty, unprecedented economic unpredictability,' on market access, hiring, and supply chains — not just from tariffs being imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Article content Article content 'It's the unpredictability that goes with whether or not there'll be more, whether they'll be higher, whether they'll affect different sectors,' she said. Article content Opportunities come with the challenges, as well as cause for great optimism, she said. Article content 'We've been able to capitalize on some great opportunities and build on leadership that Alberta companies are showing to Alberta, to Canada and to the world,' Olszewski said, citing the seven 'high-growth' companies included in the package. Article content 'Sponsoring companies like this, companies that are advancing technology and innovation, it's really more than bringing just a product or just a service to market because, ultimately, it's really about empowering people and our communities to be resilient, to be adaptable and to be prosperous. Article content Article content 'Whether it's equipping farms in southern Alberta with AI to increase their productivity, or introducing automated production lines to a commercial bakery in Edmonton, today's investments are really about unleashing the incredible ingenuity of Alberta innovators,' she said. Article content Article content PrairiesCan is investing $10,901,711 in repayable and non-repayable funding for seven projects in Alberta to enhance productivity, scale up, boost production efficiencies, and tackle challenges with innovative technologies. Article content These include $1.15 million for 48Hour Discovery, and $2 million for Crust to relocate and install advanced automated production lines. Article content Corey Smith, president and CEO at RAM Elevators + Lifts, said the capital-intensive industry will make good use of $2 million to expand manufacturing capacity. Article content 'All three areas are exploding in North America because people are thinking about aging in place and public accessibility is as top as top of mind as ever. Almost every state or province has legislation around when public spaces need to be accessible by. So this little Edmonton company is well poised to take advantage of the North American market,' Smith said.