Connect with us

Technology

Canada and New Brunswick Announce Major Investment in Wildfire Equipment and to Improve Community Resilience Against Wildfires

Published

1 year ago

on

MONCTON, NB, Feb. 14, 2025 /CNW/ – With wildfires increasing in frequency and severity across Canada — impacting our health, economies, communities and wildlife — the Governments of Canada and New Brunswick are supporting Canadians whose lives and livelihoods are at stake.

Today, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, and the Honourable John Herron, New Brunswick Minister of Natural Resources, announced a joint investment of $40.1 million over four years through the Government of Canada’s Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate Program (FMWCC) – Equipment Fund and the Resilient Communities through FireSmart (RCF) Program.

This joint investment is supporting the purchase of equipment such as tanks and pumps, drones, trucks and heavy equipment. By buying and upgrading equipment, upskilling training to personnel and establishing a group of Indigenous firefighters, New Brunswick will be better prepared to respond to local wildfires and provide support when other regions in Canada experience high fire activity.

This joint investment will also support wildfire preparation through the application of FireSmart practices in New Brunswick. This will help prevent wildfires and mitigate their impacts at the community level.

By working together with provinces, territories, Indigenous communities and international allies, the federal government is supporting the fight against wildfires in communities across the country.

Quotes

“The Government of Canada is providing provinces, territories and partners with the support they need to fight wildfires. Today’s announcement with New Brunswick is part of our commitment to work cooperatively as we prepare to fight worsening wildfires. Through fast-flowing funding for firefighting tools, vehicles and personnel, we are helping communities prepare for future challenges.”

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

“As Canadians experience the growing impacts of climate change, it is our government’s priority to provide timely and meaningful support to our communities. In New Brunswick, the increasing frequency and severity of wildfires due to worsening drought conditions highlight the local impact of climate change. In response to the growing threat of wildfires, we have announced significant funding to strengthen fire management efforts and protect New Brunswickers for years to come.”

The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor
President of the Treasury Board and Member of Parliament for Moncton–Riverview–Dieppe

“With the expected impacts of climate change to our province, we must begin to make large investments now in order to be prepared for the future challenges. By investing and upgrading equipment and training as well as participating in the national FireSmart program, we will be better equipped to prepare for, mitigate, respond to and recover from wildfires in addition to protecting our homes, communities and our province.”

The Honourable John Herron
New Brunswick Minister of Natural Resources

Quick Facts

Both Canada and New Brunswick are providing $12.8 million each over four years through the FMWCC – Equipment Fund.Canada and New Brunswick are each providing $7.25 million over four years through a contribution agreement under the Resilient Communities through FireSmart (RCF) Program.Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) FMWCC – Equipment Fund was launched in 2022 to proactively invest in and support provincial and territorial fire agencies’ efforts in strengthening fire management capacities and capabilities across the country. By facilitating the purchase of firefighting equipment, such as fire crew trucks and personal protective equipment, the fund aims to increase capacity to respond to wildfires.Under the FMWCC – Equipment Fund, provinces and territories must cost-share investments with the Government of Canada for equipment, such as vehicles, mobile units, avionics upgrades (parts), hoses, pumps and enhanced communications equipment, and for the repair of aging equipment and training.FireSmart Canada, a national program within the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, empowers Canadians to increase neighbourhood resilience to wildfires and minimize their negative impacts. It offers resources, programs and recommendations designed to help individuals, landscape planners, forest managers and others protect homes and communities from wildfires.Through NRCan’s RCF Program, the Government of New Brunswick will take the following actions:Create specific jobs to oversee wildfire prevention initiatives;Implement a province-wide FireSmart communications strategy;Conduct risk assessments and vegetation management projects at the community level; andComplete a comprehensive wildfire risk analysis to identify and prioritize mitigation efforts in high-risk communities.Visit Canada.ca/wildfires for a complete list of links to various federal supports for individuals impacted by wildfires.

Associated Links

Canadian Wildland Fire Information System: Monthly and Seasonal ForecastsCanadian Wildland Fire StrategyFighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate ProgramWildFireSat: Enhancing Canada’s ability to manage wildfiresWildfire Resilient Futures InitiativeWildfires – Canada.caCanada’s National Adaptation Strategy: Building Resilient Communities and a Strong Economy

Follow us on LinkedIn

SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Technology

eSign.AI Named Sole Electronic Signature Technology Provider for Hong Kong Government’s CorpID Project, Building the Foundation for Digital Signing Infrastructure in Hong Kong

Published

12 hours ago

on

May 8, 2026

By

HONG KONG, May 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As Hong Kong’s Digital Corporate Identity Platform (CorpID) counts down to its phased launch, eSign.AI has been appointed as the sole electronic signature vendor in the project, responsible for delivering core digital signing capabilities including digital signatures, certificate management, and signature verification services. CorpID is led by Nexify, a seasoned government systems integrator, as the prime contractor. The platform is expected to launch in phases starting late 2026, with multiple CorpID-based e-government services going live in mid-2027.

CorpID: Government-Grade Digital Identity Infrastructure for Hong Kong Enterprises

The Digital Corporate Identity Platform (CorpID) is an enterprise-level digital services platform launched by the Hong Kong SAR Government, developed under the oversight of the Digital Policy Office (DPO). It is designed to serve as the business equivalent of “iAM Smart,” providing a unified digital identity foundation for Hong Kong enterprises. CorpID’s core mission is to build an integrated digital government infrastructure — offering unified identity authentication, digital signing, form pre-filling, and e-licence storage — replacing paper-heavy, cumbersome traditional processes and enabling smart city development through seamless data connectivity.

The platform is open to companies incorporated under the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622) and businesses registered under the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310), including sole proprietorships and partnerships. The DPO requires all enterprise-related e-government services to support CorpID within 18 months of launch, and will continue expanding ecosystem coverage through sandbox initiatives, cross-industry identity standard interoperability, and fully online registration processes.

eSign.AI: The Digital Signing Engine Behind CorpID

eSign.AI is an AI-native electronic signature and contract automation platform built for enterprises worldwide, offering a complete signing framework from simple electronic signatures to the highest-level compliant digital signatures — meeting diverse regulatory requirements across industries and jurisdictions.

On the identity verification front, eSign.AI has completed integration with iAM Smart, enabling individual identity verification through Hong Kong’s citizen digital identity system, and providing legally valid digital certificate services for both enterprises and individuals.

Looking ahead, the eSign.AI SaaS platform will be deeply integrated with CorpID, providing enterprise and individual identity verification for Hong Kong businesses, and supporting both electronic and digital signing that complies with Hong Kong’s Electronic Transactions Ordinance — connecting the full digital contracting lifecycle for government and enterprise alike.

Getting Ahead of the AI Era: From eSignGlobal to eSign.AI

The electronic signature industry is undergoing a structural shift from “tooling” to “intelligence.” Market data underscores this acceleration: the AI-powered contract analysis tools market has grown from USD 3.32 billion in 2025 to USD 4.3 billion in 2026, at a CAGR of 29.6%. Signing is just one node in the contract lifecycle — document generation, workflow orchestration, compliance tracking, and post-execution management are all being transformed by AI, and the industry window is closing fast.

In April 2026, the company officially rebranded from eSignGlobal to eSign.AI, completing its strategic transformation from an e-signature tool provider to an AI-native contract automation platform. As the company’s spokesperson noted, this rebrand is not cosmetic — it is an acknowledgment of where the product actually is. Customers were already using eSign.AI to automate workflows that go far beyond the signature itself.

eSign Automation Skill was launched alongside the rebrand — an AI-powered signing automation framework for enterprise workflows that enables complete contract signing through natural language interaction, with no manual intervention required. Whether it is single-party approval, multi-party sequential signing, or large-scale parallel execution, an AI Agent can orchestrate the entire workflow in a single call. All signature initiations and status queries return structured JSON outputs, directly parseable by leading large language models and intelligent workflow systems.

eSign Automation is now available in the OpenClaw ecosystem and supports integration via Claude MCP, ChatGPT, and other leading AI platforms.

By combining AI automation capabilities with CorpID’s government-grade digital identity infrastructure, eSign.AI delivers a complete solution for Hong Kong enterprises — from identity verification to intelligent signing to full workflow automation.

About eSign.AI

eSign.AI (formerly eSignGlobal) is an AI-native electronic signature and contract automation platform built for enterprises worldwide. The platform serves over 100 countries and regions, covering core industries including financial services, manufacturing, real estate, human resources, and healthcare — with 1,500+ scenario applications and 3,000+ ecosystem partners. eSign.AI holds ISO 27001, ISO 27701, and ISO 27018 certifications and supports major regulatory frameworks including the U.S. ESIGN Act / UETA, EU eIDAS, HIPAA, GDPR, and 21 CFR Part 11. Infrastructure is anchored by independent data centers in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Frankfurt, Germany.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/esignai-named-sole-electronic-signature-technology-provider-for-hong-kong-governments-corpid-project-building-the-foundation-for-digital-signing-infrastructure-in-hong-kong-302766763.html

SOURCE eSignGlobal

Continue Reading

Technology

The 9th AskGamblers Awards Finalists Announced as Voting Starts

Published

12 hours ago

on

May 8, 2026

By

The highly anticipated 9th AskGamblers Awards has officially moved into the voting phase. Following a rigorous selection process, the finalists across 5 premier categories have been revealed: Best Casino, Best New Casino, Best New Slot, Best Sportsbook, Best Provider. Players are invited to cast their votes until 11 June.

BELGRADE, Serbia, May 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The voting stage of the 9th annual AskGamblers Awards has officially begun. The list of finalists is announced, and the first votes are already coming in. 

Players will have a chance to vote for their favourites until 11 June, when the winners will be announced at the gala ceremony in Belgrade. There’s a total of 5 categories where popular votes are taken into consideration:

Best CasinoBest New CasinoBest SportsbookBest New SlotBest Game Provider

There aren’t any big changes to the voting process compared to last year. The votes from the prominent members of AskGamblers Forum will be counted in as well, while some award winners will be announced directly by the AskGamblers teams. 

These include: Best Crypto Casino, Best Partner, and Best Manager categories, while the AskGamblers Superstar Award is expected to be handed to the operator that illustrates the brand values best.

Dijana Radunović, General Manager at AskGamblers, is excited for voting to start: “We’re seeing some familiar contestants, but there are a lot of new names, so it will be exciting to see who comes up on top.”

“We invite players to vote for their favourites! This is a chance for you to speak your mind and support operators and games that shape this industry,” Radunović added.

Before the AskGamblers Awards Ceremony that takes place on 11 June, Charity Night is scheduled for 10 June.

About AskGamblers

AskGamblers.com strives to provide current, objective, and accurate information and guide its users towards a safe gaming experience. The way we deliver our services, from the online casino, sportsbook, slot, and bonus reviews to our trusted Complaint Service, is best described by our motto: ‘Get the truth. Then play.’

For more information about AskGamblers and AskGamblers Awards, please contact dijana.radunovic@g2m.com.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/askgamblers/r/the-9th-askgamblers-awards-finalists-announced-as-voting-starts,c4346370

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/the-9th-askgamblers-awards-finalists-announced-as-voting-starts-302766772.html

Continue Reading

Technology

SUNMI Wins 2026 Red Dot Design Awards with Five Products, Leading Global Commercial Industrial Design

Published

12 hours ago

on

May 8, 2026

By

SINGAPORE, May 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The winners of the 2026 German Red Dot Design Award were officially announced. Five of SUNMI Technology’s flagship products won awards: the CPad Business Tablet, CPad PAY, FLEX 3 Interactive Display, the V3 handheld POS Terminal and L3 Industrial PDA. These products stood out with three core design concepts: integration, versatility and human-centricity.

Known as “The Oscars” of global industrial design, the Red Dot Award has strict evaluation criteria covering aesthetics, ergonomics, scenario adaptability and sustainability. SUNMI adheres to original commercial scenario customization, rejecting crudely modified consumer devices. All winning products are originally developed for real commercial scenarios such as cash register, food delivery, industrial inspection and store operations, covering the entire commercial track with high scenario adaptability. Meanwhile, it practices ESG concepts, adopting eco-friendly materials and modular structures to extend equipment service life, reduce consumable consumption, and implement low-carbon and long-term design, which perfectly meets the Red Dot’s sustainability evaluation criteria.

Simplify Complexity: With highly integrated design, SUNMI eliminates the “patchwork feeling” of cluttered devices and tangled cables in traditional commercial scenarios, streamlining store operations and saving space.All-in-One Versatility: Beyond a single tool function, SUNMI’s products achieve flexible transformation through modular and multi-form designs to proactively adapt to changing business needs. The CPad series with modular accessories and FLEX 3’s Lego-style modular design enable multi-scenario application and long-term reuse.Human-Centric Design: Every detail is human-oriented, focusing on real pain points to enhance scenario experience. The L3 Industrial PDA reduces high-frequency work fatigue through scientific weight distribution; the V3 Smart POS Terminal balances large-screen visibility and grip comfort; CPad PAY integrates full-link functions to simplify workflows.

These honors stem from SUNMI’s long-term commitment to a sustainable society, original commercial R&D and ESG. In the future, SUNMI will uphold its core concepts, expand the boundaries of commercial industrial design, and empower global businesses with user-oriented, eco-friendly and high-value products.

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2081156/sunmi_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/sunmi-wins-2026-red-dot-design-awards-with-five-products-leading-global-commercial-industrial-design-302766777.html

Continue Reading

Trending