Edmonton, Calgary are clean technology cities to watch in North America, report says
CBC
Edmonton is a North American leader when it comes to attracting clean technology investment and innovation.
That's according to a report by a collection of Canadian companies leading clean tech work who will be presenting their findings at COP28, the United Nations annual climate change conference.
Clean tech looks at how companies and organizations can reduce emissions and focus on more environmentally conscious methods of reaching net-zero targets.
Policymakers, advocates and researchers are among those who attend the conferences to decide on policies to limit global temperature rises and adapt to climate change.
Kendra MacDonald is the CEO of Canada's Oceans Supercluster, which looks at industry investment and innovation. She is part of the team that is presenting the report at COP28.
MacDonald said her team has done work looking at how "blue tech," also known as the ocean economy and related technologies, can join forces with climate technology.
"We really focus on changing the way we do business in the ocean by increasing digitalization, sustainability and inclusion," MacDonald said in an interview.
The report found the top two clean tech "ecosystems to watch" in North America are Edmonton and Calgary.
The report also found that despite global slowdowns, Edmonton technology and innovation companies continue to attract the interest of investors. Venture capital investment pulled in $76.3 million across 23 deals in 2022 and Edmonton continues to grow its reputation as a low-cost, high quality of life destination for startups looking to access young, educated talent.
"As we think about ocean, we don't always think about the centre of the country," MacDonald said.
"There's so many tremendous technologies that are sitting in Alberta."
The report points to Edmonton software company Jobber, which raised $100 million US in venture capital funding, as one of the highlights of the city's tech sector.
This First Person column is the experience of Shannon Flaman, who lives in Red Deer, Alta. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
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