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Minister Vandal announces investments to support infrastructure and economic development projects across Alberta

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More than $39 million to help Alberta communities attract investments, create jobs and transition to a sustainable green economy

WABAMUN,  AB, July 3, 2024 /CNW/ – Canada and the world are shifting away from coal-fired power, to protect our climate, and create a more sustainable and robust economy. The Government of Canada is investing in communities, workers and people impacted by the coal transition, and we are making sure that they are at the centre of our work.

Today, the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister for PrairiesCan, announced $39,432,507 for 10 projects – through the Canada Coal Transition Initiative (CCTI) and Canada Coal Transition Initiative-Infrastructure Fund (CCTI-IF) – to support sustainable economic growth in coal affected communities across Alberta. This funding, through PrairiesCan, is supporting the building of new infrastructure to attract new investments, help business grow, and create strong and resilient communities with more well-paying jobs.

Examples of projects receiving support include:

Parkland County is receiving $17,500,000 to upgrade the Wabamun wastewater facility, develop a water feature and redevelop the existing public waterfront park in the Hamlet of Wabamun.Paul First Nation is receiving $850,000 for a transition, training, and employment centre for entrepreneurship training and business support.The Town of Castor is receiving $891,000 to reconstruct and convert a campground area into a year-round multipurpose venue.The Town of Coronation is receiving $891,000 to renovate and retrofit two buildings into business incubator and accelerator centres that offer business supports and programming to foster commercial growth.The Village of Forestburg is receiving $313,000 to develop land and underground utilities for the proposed Jeanne Lougheed Historic Park and to the Flagstaff County border to support a proposed joint industrial park.

Projects receiving funding will support more than 680 jobs and help Alberta communities take advantage of economic opportunities reflective of the increasingly diversified Prairie economy.

In line with the principles of the Government of Canada’s Framework to Build a Green Prairie Economy, these investments are about working together on common interests, to make a sustainable and prosperous net-zero economy achievable by enhancing capacity and skills development in these communities and providing support to grow their businesses.

Quotes

“Transitioning to a low-carbon economy is good for our environment, our economy, our health, and our future. This government’s support for these 10 projects represents our prioritization of workers and communities impacted by coal transition. These investments will help create good-paying jobs, attract new investment opportunities and build a stronger, more sustainable economic future in Alberta and across the Prairies.”
–The Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister for PrairiesCan

“As we transition from coal, the federal government is doing our part with municipal and regional partners to ensure Albertans receive the support they need. Driving economic growth, creating the jobs of the future, and opening opportunities that make transition easier for Alberta’s coal communities is what today’s investments are all about.”
–The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages

“These investments are key to encouraging the future growth of our community and improving the quality of life of our residents, businesses, and visitors. This funding supports improvements to County infrastructure and will boost local tourism and development while leading to future economic prosperity and a sustainable economy. We look forward to the many opportunities and economic development that will arise from these investments – Parkland County’s future is bright.”
–Allan Gamble, Mayor, Parkland County

Paul First Nation is exceedingly pleased with the valuable contributions made towards our training and capacity building. With this assistance and support, we will greatly enhance our opportunities for economic and social development, as well as stimulate the economy while building good relationships and upstanding role model citizens. We would like to extend our thanks to PrairiesCan. It is our desire to take full advantage of this opportunity. By providing grass roots cultural teachings and rituals, we will provide our young people with the necessary tools to succeed.”
–Dennis Paul, Technical Advisor, Paul First Nation

Quick facts

Today’s investments bring total federal funding for Alberta communities to over $14 million invested since 2018 through the Canada Coal Transition Initiative (CCTI) and over $60 million invested since 2019 through Canada Coal Transition Initiative-Infrastructure Fund (CCTI-IF).The Canada Coal Transition Initiative (CCTI) supports skills development and helps communities adapt to a low-carbon economy.The Canada Coal Transition Initiative – Infrastructure Fund (CCTI-IF) aims to help communities move away from coal by investing in infrastructure.The Framework to Build a Green Prairie Economy is a long-term commitment to work differently, through stronger coordination among federal departments on investments for the Prairies and closer collaboration with Prairie partners on their priorities for a prosperous and sustainable Prairie economy.

Backgrounder

PrairiesCan is investing $39,432,507 for 10 Alberta projects to support skill development, infrastructure investment and economic diversification in impacted communities transitioning from coal-fired electricity generation. Projects receiving funding will have significant environmental and economic benefits, including supporting more than 680 jobs while enabling coal-affected communities to create new sources of economic growth.

PrairiesCan funding for these 10 projects is through the Canada Coal Transition Initiative (CCTI) and Canada Coal Transition Initiative – Infrastructure Fund (CCTI-IF).

Canada Coal Transition Initiative (CCTI) – $1,382,507

CCTI is an investment of $35 million over five years. It supports skills development and helps communities adapt to a low-carbon economy. The fund was launched on April 1, 2018, and ended March 31, 2023. Investments under CCTI have supported a total of 15 projects in Alberta.

Projects announced today as receiving support through the CCTI include:

Paul First Nation is receiving $850,000 to develop a transition, training, and employment centre for entrepreneurship training and business support.Paul First Nation is receiving $532,507 to conduct a feasibility and technical study for the requirements of a solar park development.

Canada Coal Transition Initiative-Infrastructure Fund (CCTI-IF) – $38,050,000

The CCTI-IF was launched on August 20, 2020. This $150 million fund aims to help communities move away from coal by investing in infrastructure. The initiative is set to end on March 31, 2025. To date, investments under CCTI-IF have supported a total of 14 projects in Alberta.

Projects announced today as receiving support through the CCTI-IF include:

County of Paintearth is receiving $2,300,000 to upgrade and develop wastewater and stormwater easement infrastructure for a mixed-use industrial park.Parkland County is receiving $17,500,000 to upgrade the Wabamun wastewater facility, develop a water feature and redevelop the existing public waterfront park in the Hamlet of Wabamun.Parkland County is receiving $12,400,000 to upgrade Spruce Valley and Pinchbeck-Bevington Road intersections on Highway 16A to increase access to Acheson Industrial Area.The Town of Castor is receiving $891,000 to reconstruct and convert a campground area into a year-round multipurpose venue.The Town of Coronation is receiving $891,000 to renovate and retrofit two buildings into business incubator and accelerator centres to offer business supports and programming to foster commercial growth.The Village of Forestburg is receiving $313,000 to develop land and underground utilities for the proposed Jeanne Lougheed Historic Park and to the Flagstaff County border to support a proposed joint industrial park.The Village of Forestburg is receiving $250,000 to develop the planning and design of the Forestburg South Industrial Subdivision.The Village of Forestburg is receiving $3,505,000 for design and construction of roadway and utility extensions in the industrial park in the Village of Forestburg.

Associated links

Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan)Green Prairie EconomyPowering Past Coal Alliance: phasing out coalTask Force: Just Transition for Canadian Coal Power Workers and Communities

Stay connected

Follow PrairiesCan on Twitter and LinkedIn

Toll-Free Number: 1-888-338-9378 TTY (telecommunications device for the hearing impaired): 1-877-303-3388

SOURCE Prairies Economic Development Canada

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Threekit Launches AI Sales Agent for Manufacturers

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The Threekit Sales Agent helps sellers who are overwhelmed with the complexity of selling manufactured products. It gets sellers to a proposal in seconds rather than hours and works with existing CPQ, B2B commerce, and ERP systems.

CHICAGO, June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Threekit today announced the Threekit Sales Agent, built on its new native AI platform. The Agent makes guided selling effortless by digesting a wide variety of customer requirements and recommending valid configured solutions instantly.

For 30 years, CPQ and ERP have been the backbone of how manufacturers quote, make and order products. But the modern seller expects something faster and more intuitive in the age of AI.

The Threekit Sales Agent is the first sales tool manufacturing sellers actually love.

Reps start with what they already have: notes, voice memos, photos, documents, RFPs, line drawings, competitive quotes. The Agent doesn’t wait for a complete spec. It reads the customer’s intent, works toward a valid quote, and takes the next step on its own – asking the rep what’s missing, flagging conflicts before they become errors, and proposing the next valid configuration the rep didn’t see.

When requirements change mid-deal, the Agent reasons through the impact and adjusts the proposal in place. No starting over. It catches a rule violation the rep would have shipped, spots an incompatible option and recommends the fix, and keeps the deal moving toward a quote it knows is valid. Threekit Sales Agent can be deployed across direct sales, channel sales, dealer networks, websites, and ecommerce.

“There’s a huge gap in the Guided Selling stage that sits in front of CPQ and B2B systems on the path to a quote,” said Matt Gorniak, CEO of Threekit. “There’s massive demand to use AI to make complex products easier to sell. We see it directly – revenue for our AI Sales Agent has grown more than 229% in the last year.”

Threekits AI platform built for enterprise trust, safety, reliability, and proof: more than 10M configuration-to-quote sessions monthly, a 99.8% SLA, ISO 27001 certification, and 150 enterprise customers. Threekit’s AI Sales agent has grown revenue 229% in the last year.

About Threekit

Threekit helps manufacturers make complex products easier to sell. Its AI Sales Agent reasons over product data, configuration logic, visual selling, governance, and enterprise integrations to drive a deal from customer request to valid, configured proposal on its own.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/threekit-launches-ai-sales-agent-for-manufacturers-302803654.html

SOURCE Threekit

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CENTEGIX Launches The Safety Signal Podcast, Where Crisis Meets Connection

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New podcast hosted by CMO Robb Monkman and national school safety leader Ron Self debuts with Chief Development Officer Dr. Roderick Sams

ATLANTA, June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — CENTEGIX, the leader in incident response and everyday safety solutions protecting more than 18 million people across 50 states, today announced the launch of The Safety Signal, a new podcast dedicated to the people, innovations, and conversations redefining what it means to feel safe at work.

Safety is earned in the moments most people never see. The Safety Signal brings you the people who live those moments, trading worst-case theory for what actually works.

Hosted by CENTEGIX Chief Marketing Officer, Robb Monkman, alongside co-host, Ron Self, a nationally recognized school safety leader, each episode bridges the gap between crisis and connection, bringing together educators, healthcare leaders, safety experts, and innovators to explore safety not just as a crisis response, but as a driver of culture, retention, trust, and organizational improvement.

“We are not just talking about technology,” said Monkman. “We are talking about the teacher who can focus on her students. The nurse who can focus on her patients. The leader who can focus on their people. That is what safety looks like when it actually works.”

Debut Episode: Safety as a School Improvement Issue

The first episode of The Safety Signal is available now, featuring CENTEGIX Chief Development Officer Dr. Roderick Sams, known to colleagues and partners as Rocky. A former award-winning principal, teacher, and coach, Dr. Sams brings a career built in classrooms and school buildings to a conversation about why safety sits at the center of every school improvement challenge facing leaders today.

Topics covered in the debut episode include the real cost of teacher turnover, the downstream impact of unsafe environments on enrollment and community trust, and what school leaders wish they had known sooner.

“Success is determined by where you end, not where you start,” said Dr. Sams. “Safe schools give every student and every educator a fighting chance at that.”

Where to Listen

The Safety Signal is available now at:

Website: https://www.centegix.com/resources/the-safety-signal-podcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJZvrdMqaTg
Spotify: Available now
Apple Podcasts: Available now
Amazon Music: Available now

Available wherever you get your podcasts.

About CENTEGIX

CENTEGIX is the leader in rapid incident response and everyday safety solutions, protecting more than 18 million people across 18,000+ locations in 50 states. The CENTEGIX Safety Platform, including CrisisAlert wearable panic buttons, Safety Blueprint critical incident mapping, Visitor Management, and Reunification, gives organizations the tools to plan for and respond to any emergency, from the everyday to the extreme. CENTEGIX serves K-12 and higher education, healthcare, government, commercial, and public safety organizations nationwide. CENTEGIX is backed by Charlesbank Capital Partners and Gauge Capital.

For more information visit www.centegix.com

CONTACT: marketing@centegix.com

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SOURCE CENTEGIX

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ICON International Launches Content and Entertainment Solution, Establishing New Pathways for Brand-Funded Film and Television

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Industry Veteran Aaron Tabas to Lead Offering with First Wave of Partnerships Including Imagine Entertainment, Pro Shop and more

STAMFORD, Conn., June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ICON International, the media-backed financial solutions company, today announced the official launch of its Content and Entertainment solution, a new practice dedicated to solving the industry’s most persistent challenges in content funding, production, and distribution. ICON will debut the offering this month at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity (June 22–26), where its executives will meet with brands, agencies, and producers to discuss how the new practice is rewriting the economics of brand-funded entertainment.

The new offering, led by industry veteran Aaron Tabas, has already established strategic partnerships with leading talent agencies, creators, and distributors. Leveraging ICON’s core strength as a media and financial solutions partner, the new offering gives brands, creators, and distributors access to innovative, flexible financing structures that make content initiatives more streamlined, cost-effective, and impactful.

“ICON has always sat at the intersection of media, content, and advertising,” said Reid Steinberg, EVP, Media Director at ICON International. “This new offering formalizes what we have long done best—connecting brands with culture through financial expertise and strategic partnerships.”

Three Core Solutions for Content Financing and Distribution
ICON’s Content and Entertainment solution offers partners three proprietary funding models:

Working Media Solution: ICON unlocks funding for a brand’s content initiatives by creating added value around its existing media investments.Media Trade Solution: ICON funds content projects on behalf of brands and distributors in exchange for future advertising inventory.Independent Financing: ICON serves as a traditional film and television financier, bringing its brand and distributor relationships and marketing expertise to the table alongside capital.

“Working with ICON has changed how we think about brand partnerships,” said Marc Gilbar, President of Brands, Partnerships & IP at Imagine Entertainment. “They came to the table not just with financing, but with a deep understanding of what it takes to make engaging content. ICON has given filmmakers and brands a new roadmap to making their most ambitious projects possible.”

Projects at Launch
From documentary film to scripted prestige television to indie features and viral social content, ICON has already assembled a diverse portfolio of projects that demonstrates the full range of what its funding and distribution models can offer clients. Across each, the throughline is bringing together best-in-class creative partners and giving them the resources to tell stories at the highest level.

Amelia, Feature Documentary in Partnership with CNN Films, Imagine Documentaries, Storyville Films and produced in association with ICON and Sandbox Films: ICON is a core funding partner on Amelia, a feature documentary billed as the definitive portrait of Amelia Earhart. Produced by CNN Films, Imagine Documentaries and Storyville Films, directed by Academy Award Nominated and Emmy-Winning Julie Cohen and Betsy West and set to air on CNN, the project represents the kind of premium, culturally significant content ICON was built to support. The partnership was brokered by CAA Media and Entertainment Partnerships and signals the caliber of relationships the solution brings to the table.The Artist, Limited Series in Partnership with The Network: ICON’s reach extends to scripted prestige television with The Artist, the Gilded Age murder mystery limited series from creator Aram Rappaport featuring an ensemble cast that includes Mandy Patinkin, Janet McTeer, Patti LuPone, Hank Azaria, and Zachary Quinto. ICON funded the program for The Network, the free, ad-supported streaming platform demonstrating the model’s ability to support not only individual titles but the platforms that distribute them. The Artist premiered on The Network over the 2025 holiday season and is streaming now at thenetwork.stream.Social Content Series, in Partnership with Dude Wipes and Pro Shop: ICON executed a social content series for DUDE Wipes in partnership with Pro Shop, a leading golf media company. The series, executed by Skratch Golf with its unique media rights, featured the PGA TOUR’s best players navigating pressure-packed on-course situations during one of the year’s most attended events, the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The program generated more than 3 million views across Skratch Golf’s media channels and exceeded engagement benchmarks.dAte, an Independent Feature Film: ICON is also putting its Independent Financing model to work on dAte, an indie horror film currently in production with Squid Farm Productions. The project showcases ICON’s role as a traditional film financier pairing capital with the brand relationships and marketing expertise that independent filmmakers rarely find in a funding partner.

“What we’ve built is a fundamentally different way for brands and creators to work together,” said Aaron Tabas, who leads ICON’s Content and Entertainment solution. “The projects we’re bringing to Cannes reflect what’s possible when you remove the financial friction from the creative process. We’ve partnered with some of the best producers, agencies, and distributors in the business, and we’re just getting started.”

ICON at Cannes Lions
ICON’s Content and Entertainment team, led by Tabas, will be on the ground at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, June 22–26, meeting with brands, agencies, producers, and distributors to discuss partnership and financing opportunities.

About ICON International
ICON International is a media-backed financial solutions partner that transforms underutilized resources into measurable growth. With the trust of over 350 organizations, ICON combines strategic know-how, creativity, financial expertise, and unmatched media partnerships to create enterprise value for its clients. For more information, visit www.iconinternational.com.

Media Contact: iconinternational@jainepr.com

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SOURCE ICON International

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