The IT Nerd

As Canadians face mounting economic uncertainty, devastating humanitarian crises and social injustices plaguing communities at home and abroad, TELUS continues to deliver on its commitment of being the Most Giving Company in the world, generously devoting $125 million and 1.44 million volunteer hours last year alone. While leading North American companies invest 1 per cent of pre-tax profits in society, for the third consecutive year, TELUS has invested 5 per cent of its pre-tax profits back in the community. Since 2000, the TELUS family has led with purpose, gifting $1.5 billion in cash, in-kind contributions, time and programs, including 2 million days of global volunteerism. 

As urgently highlighted in the most recent Giving Report, issued by Canada Helps, the last 15 years has seen a steady decline in charitable donations by Canadians and this is expected to decline even further as lasting effects of the pandemic, economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions and inflation continue. Last year’s Giving Report highlighted how one in four Canadians (25 per cent) expect to give less in 2022 than they did in 2021, while in contrast, one in four Canadians (26 per cent) expect to use or are already using charitable services in 2022 for basic necessities. 

While purpose-driven initiatives are often first to see corporate cuts or underfunding during recessionary times, TELUS’ focus on putting ESG and social responsibility at the centre of its business strategy ensures that it can continue to deliver critical and sustainable support for our team, communities and Canadians who need our help now more than ever. 

Over the last three years, TELUS’ giving has steadily increased:

• TELUS Friendly Future Foundation directly impacted the lives of more than 1 million youth in 2022 by granting $10.6 million to 548 charitable organizations. 
• TELUS gave over $30 million in 2022 to establish a new innovative bursary fund to support economically-disadvantaged Canadian youth to get access to a post-secondary education, even if they can’t afford it.
• TELUS enabled $6.6 million in community giving in 2022 for humanitarian and emergency relief around the world, directly helping those impacted by the conflict in Ukraine, Hurricane Fiona and Hurricane Ian, the flooding in Pakistan, and the unrest in Iran.
• Delivering on TELUS’ $10 million commitment to support Indigenous Reconciliation, TELUS has granted donations to 15 community programs supporting food security, cultural revitalization and the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples across Canada.
• Launching our first-ever summer camp for Canadian youth focused on inclusivity, well-being, and customized nature experiences.
• TELUS has expanded low cost internet, mobility, health and technology programs to support 342,000 marginalized individuals to date, including expanding Internet for Good to thousands of low-income seniors in BC, Alberta, and Quebec; expanding the reach of our Mobility for Good program for government assisted refugees and Mobility for Good for Indigenous Women at risk to Ontario.

To learn more about how TELUS is helping create a friendlier future for all, visit telus.com/purpose.

As a result of the devastating impacts of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, TELUS is helping their customers stay connected with loved ones during this difficult time. 

Effective immediately, TELUS is waiving all roaming charges for calls, text and data overages for customers currently in Turkey and Syria, as well as long distance home phone, mobile calls and SMS charges for those in Canada reaching out to friends and family in the impacted regions until February 28, 2023. 

TELUS and Koodo customers can support the relief efforts for those impacted by the earthquakes from their personal mobile device by texting DONATE to 41010 to give $20 to TELUS Friendly Future Foundation in support of earthquake relief in Turkey and Syria. 

For more information and new updates on this announcement, follow TELUS on Instagram and check out the TELUS website where they will share the latest information. 

TELUS has been recognized by Corporate Knights in its Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations as the top North American telecommunications company, ranking 37th overall for its global leadership and commitment to building a better, more sustainable future. This improved placement is an increase from 49th in 2022 and 54th in 2021, recognizing TELUS’ ongoing commitment to make sustainability a core part of its business and allocating meaningful resources to reduce its carbon footprint. The Corporate Knights ranking is based on a rigorous assessment of nearly 7,000 public companies with more than US$1 billion in revenues and is one of the world’s most valued and transparent rules-based sustainability ratings. TELUS was also recently recognized on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the 22nd year in a row, leading the Canadian telecommunication industry in environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance.

TELUS’ recognition by the Corporate Knights and Dow Jones Sustainability Index follows a number of international accolades recognizing TELUS’ global leadership in sustainability, corporate citizenship, social purpose, and environmental and social reporting, including:

• Received an A- rating from the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), placing in the top 10 per cent globally
• Being named one of Canada’s Top 100 Greenest Employers
• Recognized as the only telecommunications company listed in the Wall Street Journal’s top 100 Most Sustainably Managed Companies in the World
• Awarded the Terra Carta Seal for leadership on climate change energy transition
• Recipient of several 2022 Loyalty360 Awards including the Social Impact and Corporate Social Responsibility and CSR & Social Impact Awards
• Featured in Sustainability Magazine’s Top 100 Companies in Sustainability, ranking 8th
• Recognized by Corporate Knights as one of 2022’s Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada

To learn more about TELUS’ commitment to a more sustainable future, visit telus.com/sustainability.

It’s Data Privacy Week – an issue that is top of mind as federal government is about to discuss.

Bill C-27, proposed to strengthen Canada’s private sector law while ensuring the privacy of Canadians will be protected and that innovative businesses can benefit from clear rules as technology continues to evolve.

In a recent poll, commissioned by TELUS, only 30 per cent of Canadians trust organizations to protect their personal information, and more than half of Canadians feel confident data and technology can be used to positively impact healthcare, education, safety and security. Here’s some other key points from the TELUS Data Trust Survey:

About the survey:

• The purpose of TELUS’ Data Trust Survey was to explore Canadians’ feelings around data privacy and trust to drive conversations in light of rapid digital transformation of our economy and lives.
• Trust, as it pertains to data, is essential to technological and social innovation. With data breaches on the rise, it’s more important than ever for organizations to protect the data entrusted to them and to be transparent about how data is used and protected to maintain and build trust.

Methodology:

• Audience: Responses were nationally representative from 2,016 Canadian adults, 18years of age or older
• Timeframe: August 31, 2022 to September 19, 2022
• Location: Canada
• Language: English, French
• Sample provider: Dynata, Inc.Key Survey Findings

Canadians care about their data privacy.

• 97% of Canadians feel they understand what personal information is.
• More than eight-in-ten claim to understand how their personal information can be usedonline.
• Three-quarters of Canadians take regular steps to protect their personal information.
• More than half are extremely concerned about personal information and online privacy.

Half have experienced a breach, impacting their trust.

• In the last two years, almost half of Canadians experienced some sort of breach.
• Since experiencing a breach, two-thirds of Canadians have become more guarded with their personal information.
• Since experiencing a breach, 30% of Canadians have lost trust with the company associated with the breach.

Canadians believe in the power of technology for good.

• Half of Canadians are extremely excited about technology improvements.
• More than half of Canadians feel confident data and technology can be used topositively impact healthcare, education, safety and security.
• 42% believe that sharing data with trustworthy companies can provide them with usefulproducts and services

Trust matters to Canadians when choosing companies to engage with.

• 79% of Canadians agree that a company’s reputation for how it treats personal information and privacy changes the way they think about the company or brand.
• 62% are more likely to buy products or use services from companies they trust.
• Only 31% trust organizations to protect their personal information.
• Nearly one-quarter of Canadians say they don’t trust telecoms, 14% say they don’t trustvirtual care providers.

The University of Windsor (UWindsor) and TELUS today announced the launch of a 5G connected campus and commercial lab to support advanced research with 5G technology and establish the university as a go-to centre for innovation. TELUS, a world-leading communications technology company, is investing $5 million as part of a multi-year agreement that began in 2020 to fuel the development of new applications for 5G technology. The collaboration will not only support multidisciplinary research in the agriculture, advanced manufacturing, and connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) sectors, but will transform UWindsor campuses to enhance teaching, innovation and collaboration.

Beyond the development of the 5G commercial lab, the central space in the Ed Lumley Centre for Engineering and Innovation will be named the TELUS Atrium. The area is fostering collaborative concept discovery, ideation and creativity as students and researchers build solutions that meet today’s global challenges. Initial joint projects include:

Equipping connected vehicles for cross-border travel using 5G

• Working with the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and policy makers to better equip connected vehicles to solve cross border challenges, including congestion and supply chain obstacles, using 5G.

Developing new cybersecurity applications for connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) 

• In collaboration with Mitacs, a nonprofit national research organization, this project will explore the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning to identify potential vulnerabilities and access points in CAVs, enhancing safety and security.

Exploring the effective use of AI and Internet of Things (IoT) sensors in high-tech greenhouses to enable more efficient food production

• UWindsor has partnered with Horteca to launch a two-acre, fully-operational connected research greenhouse in Harrow, Ontario. Using 5G network technology, the greenhouse will use IoT and compute capabilities to make food production more scalable, while reducing cost and footprint.

TELUS’ next generation networks are unleashing human productivity and contributing to improved health and educational outcomes, supporting environmental sustainability, fostering entrepreneurship, bridging the socio-economic divide, and driving economic growth. The agreement will build on the strength of existing partnerships to provide UWindsor and industry and community partners with the infrastructure, expertise and processes to enable new collaborations driving future public-cooperation agreements.

The TELUS 5G network currently reaches approximately 80 per cent of the Canadian population from coast-to-coast as part of its significant $70 billion investment to further develop infrastructure and operations through 2026, demonstrating its commitment to connecting Canadians and driving remarkable social outcomes in our communities. To learn more about TELUS’ 5G network visit telus.com/network.

To learn more about UWindsor’s research and innovation programs, visit http://uwindsor.ca/research-partnerships.

The Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing (CCAW), a new not-for-profit organization launched on November 17, 2022, is on a mission to support farmers and their families with a research-to-action approach to mental health. With TELUS Health’s expertise and proven ability to deliver, the CCAW has welcomed them as the exclusive clinical and technology provider for Canadian farmers who are facing catastrophic events, as well as for farmers who don’t have access to provincial and federal programming.

From floods, to pandemics and supply chain disruptions, farmers face many uncontrollable and unforeseen events that can impact their mental health. These types of events often result in higher than average rates of stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues among farmers. According to the 2019 Report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, 45% of farmers reported high stress levels, and 45% indicated they would not reach out for help if they were in need, due to the stigma around mental health.

The Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing is a research-to-action organization supporting farm mental health across Canada. For more information visit www.ccaw.ca.

As Spring Activator‘s Women-led Impact Investor Challenge, presented by the TELUS Pollinator Fund came to a close Tuesday evening, we are excited to announce Dr. Karolina Valente of Voxcell BioInnovation Inc. was awarded a $100k+ investment from a cohort of both experienced and emerging impact investors.  

VoxCell BioInnovation Inc. is creating fully vascularized, human-like cancer tissue models by combining a custom high-resolution 3D bioprinter, advanced vascularization software, and proprietary bioinks. VoxCell aims to accelerate the development of life-saving anti-cancer drugs by providing tissue models that can identify viable candidates earlier in the drug-development pipeline.

The Impact Investor Challenge was created to help impact-driven businesses receive the capital and knowledge needed to succeed.The Pitch Finale is the pivotal moment in which we collectively make this happen for one impact venture! 

More details can be found here.

Propagate, a commercial agroforestry platform, has closed a $10M Series A led by Belgium-based The Nest. Other investors included Agfunder, the TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good, Techstars, and Neglected Climate Opportunities, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust, and more.

Propagate is a software, development and financing ecosystem that makes it easy for farms to transition acreage to agroforestry. Their platform provides access to agronomic insights, technical assistance, and financing so that farms can reduce risk while integrating fruit, nut, and timber trees with animal or crop farming systems.

Founded in 2017, Propagate is a Techstars-backed company, a portfolio company of Elemental Excelerator as well as a partner of USDA’s Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities. Propagate currently advises over 20,000 acres of agroforestry, supporting over 760,000 trees & shrubs. The company also actively manages over 600+ commercial acres, and growing, through its regional agroforestry hubs.

Today, the startup works with farmers, agribusinesses, and service providers to design and install tree-crop systems that work in tandem with existing farm operations. The Propagate ecosystem of products & services includes regenerative farm planning and management software (Overyield), commercial agroforestry development (Propagate Farm Services), and equity investments for agroforestry transition (Agroforestry Partners).

Overyield is a SaaS-based agroforestry farm planning and management software that provides farm design, crop suitability as well as agronomic insights so that the cost, revenues, yield projects, and labor assumptions are transparent by crop by year in order to make implementation easier. This platform can take a project idea from computer screen to productive agroforestry in a matter of hours. As a testament to this timeline, it used to take 80 hours to map out an installation but with Overyield’s project assessment and profitability scoping tools, it only takes eight.

This fundraise will support the company’s efforts to roll out profitability and production forecasting tools within Overyield, hire more experts to the team, and ultimately plant more trees onto the 158 million acres of farmland that are suitable for tree crops in the US. This capital injection follows some serious momentum for the maturing startup. The company raised a $1.5 million seed round in 2020 and in the past year, it has doubled business while planting an additional 37,000 trees in 2022 on farms in NY, Ohio, Kentucky, and Hawaii to name a few locations as well as being awarded as a partner in a $60 million grant from the USDA Climate-Smart Commodities program.

Now the opportunity to scale agroforestry is larger than ever. With $9 trillion earmarked for funding of ESG opportunities between 2022 – 2025, and increasing commitments from corporations to reduce emissions, agroforestry is the most effective climate solution that exists today for the food & ag industry.

Steinberg notes that a 2-3x net increase in profitability per acre is possible with agroforestry. While the long term business case offers an attractive return, overcoming the financing gap is paramount to realizing agroforestry’s value. The Propagate team looked to the solar industry for inspiration, and recently launched Agroforestry Partners to support the growing industry’s project finance needs.

With a comprehensive platform that is already being put to work to institutionalize agroforestry, Propagate is continuing to bring its software, development and financing products to market while supporting tree crop types from shrub fruits like blackcurrant and elderberry to chestnut to timber. The team is also working on Mediterranean and tropical crops with an eye towards global agroforestry needs and plans to expand its team.

Desjardins Insurance and TELUS Health have announced today a new collaboration that will bring TELUS Health’s leading health and well-being services to members and other eligible individuals from group insurance plans administered by Desjardins. With access to hundreds of health professionals and other certified advisors, Desjardins will now be able to offer an improved range of services that will better support a positive work-life balance at every step of the wellness journey.

As Canada’s largest Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) provider, TELUS Health was able to quickly customise a solution for Desjardins when they were in search of a new supplier, taking into account the unique needs and expectations of members of Desjardins’ group insurance plans. The joint effort with Desjardins is an ideal example of how TELUS Health can work alongside its clients to build healthy communities across Canada.

Building upon their long-standing business relationship, TELUS Health successfully and rapidly extended its Employee and Manager Assistance Programs (EAP/MAP) for Desjardins to include:

• Mental Health Support: access to a range of clinical professionals to address growing mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression;
• Crisis Management: broad support options in case of personal crises, traumatic events or workplace incidents;
• Legal and Financial Support: general advice from certified professionals;
• Referral Services: connections to a wide variety of ancillary services, including finding the right care for their loved ones, whether that be a daycare or a senior’s residence.

TELUS continues to grow its Residential Smart Building footprint with the completion of RED Lower Lynn, a new rental development located in North Vancouver’s vibrant Lynn Creek community. In partnership with west coast modern design builder Adera, this six-storey, 88-unit complex features TELUS’ cutting edge smart building technology and automation, offering luxury and comfort paired with savings and efficiency. Residents at RED Lower Lynn can control their smart suites from their smartphones through the easy-to-use TELUS Residential Smart Building app, giving them the flexibility to remotely lock and unlock their keyless doors, or adjust their lights from anywhere, at any time. 

With TELUS Residential Smart Building, residents are conveniently notified on their smartphone when someone opens the door, the temperature needs to be adjusted, or someone requires entry. RED Lower Lynn’s building operators are also using TELUS Residential Smart Building to access the latest in security technology, 24-hour monitoring, and tools to increase building efficiency, which reduces their carbon footprint and operating expenses. 

To help showcase TELUS Residential Smart Building technology and what it can offer residents and building operators, TELUS has secured a demo suite inside RED Lower Lynn located at 1550 Oxford St, North Vancouver. Anyone in the Vancouver area can experience the benefits of living in a Smart Building by emailing smartbuilding@telus.com to arrange a tour. 

Find out more about TELUS Residential Smart Building, powered by Canada’s fastest network, by visiting telus.com/smartbuilding.