The IT Nerd

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.

Today, TELUS released its fourth annual Indigenous Reconciliation & Connectivity Report, detailing how the company embeds Reconciliation within its business, and sharing inspiring stories of connectivity and modern technology enabling transformative outcomes for Indigenous businesses and communities. Last year, TELUS was the first technology company in Canada to launch a public Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan, and remains committed to Indigenous engagement as a cornerstone of its actions moving into 2023 and beyond.

TELUS’ Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan is underpinned by four pillars with measurable targets and timelines. Key milestones for 2022 include:

• Connectivity: In partnership with Indigenous governments, TELUS connected 12 more Indigenous lands to broadband Internet in 2022. Now, more than 83% of homes, small businesses, and governing bands on Indigenous land can access high-speed internet and participate in digital tools.
• Enabling social outcomes: The Indigenous Communities Fund provided $100,000 in grants to five Indigenous-led organizations, focused on mental health and well-being; language and cultural revitalization; access to education; and community building. Another $100,00 will be allocated to additional projects by the end of 2022.
• Cultural responsiveness & relationships: In partnership with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, and Indigenous artist Carey Newman (Hayalthkin’geme), TELUS committed $1 million to launch the digital Witness Blanket project to further amplify truth-telling from Indigenous voices and Survivors about the residential school system.
• Economic Reconciliation: The TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good invested $6 million in Indigenous-owned for-profit companies.

To ensure Indigenous ways of knowing are represented in TELUS’ Reconciliation Action Plan, TELUS established an Indigenous Advisory Council consisting of Indigenous leaders, subject matter experts and Elders, to provide ongoing guidance on the implementation of the company’s commitments and targets. The Indigenous Advisory Council is guided by Luc Lainé of the Huron-Wendat Nation, Shani Gwin of Métis Nation Alberta, Carol Anne Hilton of Hesquiaht Nation, and  Dr. Kim van der Woerd of ‘Namgis First Nation. In addition to these members, the council will be adding up to six new members in 2023.

Last year, TELUS provided relief to Indigenous communities affected by the fires, floods and mudslides across B.C. Its network team worked around the clock to maintain and repair service to keep customers connected, donated hundreds of mobile devices, and delivered more than 8,650 pounds of food and essential goods including PPE by boat, car and helicopter to residents in need.

To learn more about TELUS’ commitment to Reconciliation and to read the 2022 Indigenous Reconciliation and Connectivity Report, visit telus.com/reconciliation.

Walmart Canada and TELUS Health announced today a new strategic initiative to bring TELUS Health’s full suite of total health and wellbeing solutions to all Walmart associates in Canada. This robust suite of health services will provide Walmart Canada associates and their families with confidential access to hundreds of health professionals from a variety of disciplines to support every step of their healthcare journey.

This enhanced offering will provide associates and their eligible dependents with a single source to access a full suite of services to improve their overall wellness, whether they need counseling on a variety of topics, including mental health, nutrition advice and more, a virtual consultation with a clinician, or want to improve their lifestyle habits through weight loss, more exercise or better eating. Programs include:

• Virtual Care: associates and their family will have access to primary care from trusted clinicians, 24/7 and on-demand for text and video consultations. Drawing from diverse backgrounds, these healthcare professionals are trained to deliver inclusive care in a variety of languages, including occupational awareness, gender and sexual identity, ethnocultural diversity and faith, allowing associates to be matched with a compatible clinician.
  
• Employee Enablement: This next generation platform transforms traditional Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) into a single convenient and collaborative access point so that associates can more easily manage their physical and mental health, wellbeing, and work/life integration. Unique to this platform are dedicated care advocates who develop compassionate and guided care plans that support associates on their path towards improved health, mindfulness, performance and self-esteem. 
  
• Wellbeing: associates in Canada will be able to embrace wellbeing and improve their overall health by engaging with like-minded communities and taking part in friendly challenges with colleagues to help build healthier habits, with the resources and goal-setting support they need to sustain newly-gleaned habits.

Associates can access the TELUS Health suite of solutions in French and English 24/7 via a single smartphone app or direct telephone number. associates will also be able to access the services in 220 other languages and dialects through specialized translation services, the first client to do so.

TELUS Health has more than a decade of experience in virtual care services delivering a national, employer-focused suite of programs that make health and wellness more accessible for associates and their families.

In my attempt to see how the great Rogers outage in July affected the Canadian telco landscape, I’ve been tracking the Q3 results of the “big three” telcos here in Canada. Yesterday Bell released their Q3 numbers and they showed “best-ever” growth in Q3. Today TELUS released their numbers and I’ll let TELUS CEO Darren Entwistle give you the highlights:

“In the third quarter, the TELUS team once again demonstrated continued execution excellence, characterized by the potent combination of industry-leading customer growth, resulting in strong operational and financial results across our business,” said Darren Entwistle, President and CEO. “Our robust performance reflects the chemistry of our globally leading broadband networks and customer-centric culture, which enabled our strongest quarter on record, with total customer net additions of 347,000, up more than 8 per cent, year-over-year. This included strong mobile phone net additions of 150,000, up 11 per cent over last year and the best quarterly result since the third quarter of 2010; record high connected device net additions of 124,000; and industry-leading total fixed net additions of 73,000. Our leading customer growth is underpinned by our consistent, industry-best client loyalty across our mobile and fixed product lines. Notably, again this quarter, blended mobile phone, PureFibre internet, security and voice churn were all at or below one per cent. Moreover, our industry-leading postpaid mobile phone churn of 0.76 per cent represents the eighth quarter out of the last 11 below 0.80 per cent.”

So to recap, TELUS added 347,000 new customers. And 150,000 of the new customers are mobile customers, representing “the best quarterly results since the third quarter of 2010” and an 11 percent increase year over year. The other thing that I notice is their churn rate, or people who leave TELUS continues to be low. Thus these are good numbers for TELUS. The only thing that might be a negative is this:

Internet net additions were 36,000 in the third quarter of 2022, a decrease of 10,000, due to modestly higher churn compared to relatively low churn rates during heightened pandemic restrictions in the prior year, in addition to macroeconomic pressures impacting consumer purchasing decisions. This was partly offset by our success in driving strong gross additions through bundled product offerings, including the TELUS Whole Home bundle and our bundling of mobility and home services.

TELUS only has its Internet offerings in Western Canada, so they don’t have the same opportunity to steal customers from Rogers that Bell has. Though if anyone from TELUS is reading this message, if you come east to Ontario, Quebec and beyond, I am certain that you can grab your share of customers from both Rogers and Bell.

So with two of the “big three” reporting. And both showing growth with low amounts of churn, that leaves Rogers to report. That’s going to happen on the 9th of November, and it will be interesting to see how bad Rogers churn numbers are, and what the rest of their results look like.

Today, TELUS launched its Mobility for Good for Indigenous Women at Risk program in Ontario, in partnership with Native Child and Family Services of Toronto (NCFST) and Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto (NWRCT). While Indigenous women and girls comprise only four per cent of the total female population in Canada, they represent 24 per cent of female homicide victims and are 12 times more likely to be murdered or go missing than any other women in Canada. Developed in partnership with Indigenous-led organizations, Mobility for Good for Indigenous Women at Risk provides free smartphones and fully subsidized talk, text and data plans to Indigenous women, girls or gender diverse people, serving as a critical lifeline to Indigenous-led services, wellness resources, and their support networks.

With the support of TELUS, NCFST and NWRCT are starting to distribute smartphones and plans to support Indigenous women in Ontario who are at risk of, or surviving, violence. Since launching the program in 2021, TELUS and their partners in B.C. and Alberta have supported nearly 1,000 Indigenous women. TELUS plans to partner with additional Indigenous-led organizations across Canada to further expand the reach and impact of this program into the future.  

TELUS Mobility for Good for Indigenous Women at Risk is part of the TELUS Connecting for Good portfolio of programs that gives individuals in need in Canada access to TELUS’ world-leading technology. To date, TELUS’ Connecting for Good programs have supported more than 315,000 individuals since inception.

TELUS has a longstanding commitment to strengthening relationships with Indigenous Peoples, including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities, acknowledging that our work spans many Traditional Territories and Treaty areas. Last year, TELUS announced its Indigenous Reconciliation Commitment and Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan. For more information on TELUS’ Reconciliation commitment, please visit telus.com/reconciliation. 

TELUS has got some great initiatives launching this week and I’d like to highlight two of the announcements that they’ve got on the go this week:

Meet TELUS’ Friendly Future Makers

Today TELUS announced the seven recipients of our inaugural Friendly Future Makers Awards. Launched this past August, Friendly Future Maker Awards program is a nation-wide search for young Canadians creating positive and long-lasting change in their communities. 

After receiving hundreds of heartfelt nominations across the country, seven Friendly Future Makers were selected by a panel of TELUS judges. Each Friendly Future Maker will receive a prize pack worth $7,000, including $5,000 to be placed in an RESP or to help fund an initiative of their choosing, a $1,000 TELUS gift card, and a $1,000 donation to a registered charity of their choice.

Here is the link to the media release for more information.

Supporting Amnesty International Canada

In light of the continued unrest in Iran, throughout November, TELUS is raising funds through TELUS Friendly Future Foundation to support Amnesty International Canada’s work in protecting women’s and children’s human rights globally. 

To help support this initiative, Canadians can text DONATE to 41010 to give $20 to TELUS Friendly Future Foundation in support of Amnesty International Canada.

In addition, TELUS Health has initiated a 24/7 free crisis hotline available to all those in need of emotional support at 1-844-751-2133. International support is also available here.

There will be more coming from TELUS later this week so watch for posts in the coming days.

TELUS is celebrating the completion of its $45 million PureFibre build in Leduc, connecting more than 13,000 homes and 2,000 businesses directly to gigabit Internet speeds while expanding cellular coverage throughout the region. In partnership with the City of Leduc, TELUS also connected 17 municipal sites, including the RCMP station and local fire hall, dramatically enhancing the speed and reliability of the network for emergency responders in the city. The entire project was designed and built in just 20 months, making it one of TELUS’ fastest builds to date. 

A 100 per cent fibre-to-the-premise network means that every part of the TELUS PureFibre network is built with state-of-the-art fibre optics, right up to the connection point at the home or business, ensuring customers have the fastest most capable network available. With the only true all fibre network in Western Canada, TELUS delivers the best network performance available anywhere in the world, including the fastest upload and download speeds, providing significant benefits for applications like 4K streaming, video conferencing, web surfing, gaming, smart home automation and smart home security. For those working from home, a PureFibre connection means upload speeds will not lag during peak hours and the rest of the family can simultaneously participate in online learning or virtually connect with healthcare practitioners. TELUS PureFibre is also providing innovative solutions to support the agriculture industry with connected technology to meet the ever-growing requirements of the planet. 

This investment builds upon TELUS’ continued commitment to bring world-class connectivity to communities across the province. Since 2000 through 2021, TELUS has invested $220 billion nationally in network infrastructure, operations and spectrum, including more than $60 billion in Alberta over the past century. Since 2000, TELUS along with its team members and retirees in Alberta have gifted $200 million dollars and 3.2 million volunteer hours across the province.

For more information, please visit telus.com/purefibre.

TELUS has been awarded the Sustainability Excellence Award at the World Sustainability Awards 2022 for its global leadership and commitment to building a better, more sustainable future. Held in Munich, judges recognized TELUS for its ambitious sustainability strategy, environmental business practices and rapid progress on diversity and inclusion. TELUS was also recognized at the Global Good Awards 2022 in London, placing bronze as Global Good Company of the Year. Both of these award ceremonies recognize individuals, organizations, and businesses around the world who are driving positive social and environmental change. 

TELUS’ recognition at the World Sustainability and Global Good Awards follows a number of international accolades recognizing TELUS’ global leadership in sustainability, corporate citizenship, social purpose, and environmental and social reporting, including:

• 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
• Dow Jones North American Index ranked TELUS as the top North American company in environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance in the telecommunications sector for the 21st year in a row 
• Awarded the Terra Carta Seal for leadership on climate change energy transition
• Recent 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 #8
• Recognized by Corporate Knights in its Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations, and as one of the Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada in 2021

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