Technology

Amazon Expands Partnership with NHLPA, Pledging More Than $1 Million CAD to Community Organizations Across North America

Published

1 day ago

April 21, 2026

Amazon will deliver support to local community organizations in 32 North American cities during the 2026–2027 season

OTTAWA, ON, April 21, 2026 /CNW/ – Amazon Canada and the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) today announced an expansion of their ongoing partnership, with Amazon committing more than $1 million CAD to local community organizations in 32 North American cities during the 2026–2027 hockey season.

The partnership reflects Amazon’s broader commitment to supporting the communities it serves, and where its employees live and work. Since launching in 2024, the partnership with the NHLPA has focused on delivering local impact by working closely with players and community organizations across Canada and, more recently, the United States.

As the first event of the expanded partnership, Amazon and the NHLPA are kicking off in Ottawa, where three local organizations with connections to NHLPA Goals & Dreams will each receive a $25,000 CAD donation to support their work making hockey more accessible and inclusive: Ottawa Power Wheelchair Hockey League, Canadian Blind Hockey Association, and Next Shift Canada.

“This expansion of Amazon’s partnership with the NHLPA will support hyperlocal community projects in 32 cities across North America,” said Brian Huseman, Vice President of Public Policy and Community Engagement at Amazon. “Our $1 million CAD commitment will further demonstrate that creating positive community impact requires not only investment in jobs and infrastructure, but meaningful local engagement and support for the causes that matter most.”

“The NHLPA is proud of the continued growth of our partnership with Amazon,” said Marty Walsh, Executive Director, NHLPA. “Through this joint initiative with Amazon and NHLPA Goals & Dreams, players across the league will continue giving back in the communities that support them every season. We look forward to expanding these meaningful connections next season to all 32 cities.”

Through the 2025–2026 NHL season, the partnership delivered more than $60,000 CAD in donations in Canada and more than $230,000 USD in the U.S., with organizations already seeing the impact–from expanding facilities to increasing access to critical community programs.

As part of the expanded partnership, NHL players will visit Amazon facilities in all 32 cities throughout the 2026–2027 NHL season, connecting with employees and presenting donations to local organizations making a meaningful impact in their communities.

Additional Quotes
“We sincerely thank Amazon and the NHLPA for their $25,000 CAD donation. This support is transformative–it will inspire the next generation, break down barriers, and help ensure that the future of hockey is more diverse, inclusive, and representative of everyone who loves the game.” – Mack Janes, Next Shift Hockey

“The Ottawa Power Wheelchair Hockey League is built on the idea that hockey should be accessible to everyone, regardless of physical ability. Support from NHLPA Goals & Dreams has already helped us create meaningful opportunities for our athletes, and this new commitment alongside Amazon will have a direct impact on our ability to grow the game in Ottawa. This investment goes beyond equipment or programming; it strengthens a community where athletes can compete, connect, and thrive.” – Louis Fiset, Ottawa Power Wheelchair Hockey League

“Canadian Blind Hockey is so grateful for the support of our amazing partners at the NHLPA who have helped us grow the Para sport of Blind Hockey for more than a decade,” said Matt Morrow, Executive Director of Canadian Blind Hockey. “The NHLPA Goals & Dreams program has provided Blind Hockey players with equipment since our first-ever Children and Youth Camp back in 2014, and they’ve been with us as we’ve grown the sport across the country from Victoria, BC to St. John’s, NL – including our fantastic program here in the nation’s capital. The continued support from the NHLPA, and the generous gift from our new partners at Amazon is going to go a long way to ensuring that every Canadian who is blind or visually impaired has the chance to play Canada’s national winter game next season.”

“It’s always special to give back to the communities that support us as players and I’m thrilled to be a part of this incredible announcement between the NHLPA and Amazon today,” said NHLPA member Matthew Schaefer. “This partnership is going to benefit charities all across the league and having the chance to see the impact firsthand here today in Ottawa to kick it off is very special.”

“Hockey has always been connected to community, and this partnership between the NHLPA and Amazon is another example of how we as players can give back and connect with people off the ice,” said NHLPA member Tom Wilson. “I’m proud to be here today on behalf of all NHLPA members to celebrate how the expansion of this partnership will help in more cities and to hit the ice with these three awesome local charities in Ottawa.”

About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

About the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA)
The National Hockey League Players’ Association, established in 1967, is a labour organization whose members are the players in the National Hockey League. The NHLPA works on behalf of the players in varied disciplines such as labour relations, product licensing, marketing, international hockey and community relations, all in furtherance of its efforts to promote its members and the game of hockey. In 1999, NHLPA Goals & Dreams was launched as a way for the players to give something back to the game they love. Over the past 26 years, tens of thousands of deserving children in 45 countries have benefited from the players’ donations of hockey equipment. NHLPA Goals & Dreams has donated more than $27 million to grassroots hockey programs, making it the largest program of its kind. For more information on the NHLPA, please visit www.nhlpa.com.

SOURCE Amazon Canada

Technology

RhythMedix Launches Next-Generation RhythmStar® SL Cardiac Monitor

Published

9 minutes ago

April 22, 2026

Advancing Remote Cardiac Monitoring with Faster Insights, Greater Comfort, and Seamless Connectivity

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — RhythMedix, LLC (RhythMedix), a nationwide U.S.-based cardiac monitoring company, today announced the launch of its next-generation RhythmStar® SL cardiac monitoring wearable. The third-generation design significantly enhances the patient experience, improving comfort, wearability, and patient adherence. These advancements are enabled by a compact lead configuration, waterproof IPX-6 rating, and increased battery life.

RhythmStar continues to differentiate through its built-in cellular connectivity, enabling ECG data to be automatically transmitted to the cloud for seamless, prompt review across all monitoring modes – without requiring device return by mail for data processing.

When paired with the company’s proprietary Augmented Arrhythmia Intelligence™ (AAI), RhythmStar SL delivers precise arrhythmia detection by combining advanced algorithms with a multi-layered data review process.

“RhythmStar represents our commitment to delivering a better way to monitor, one that prioritizes both patient comfort and clinical performance,” said Brian Pike, CEO of RhythMedix. “By combining a more wearable design with seamless data transmission and expert review, we’re helping clinicians access the insights they need, when they need them.”

“RhythMedix is taking a truly visionary approach to cardiac monitoring by combining patient-friendly design with advanced technology and expert oversight, helping clinicians make more confident, timely decisions,” stated George Shaw, MD, Electrophysiologist at AHN Allegheny Health Network. “It’s a meaningful step forward in how we deliver and manage cardiac care.”

With over 2 million hearts monitored to date, RhythMedix continues to advance remote cardiac monitoring through technology designed to improve both patient adherence and clinical workflow. The company will be exhibiting at HRS 2026 (Booth #531), including in-booth discussions with leading electrophysiologists.

About RhythMedix

Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, RhythMedix is a fully integrated cardiac monitoring company providing end-to-end device manufacturing, software development, and 24/7 U.S.-based monitoring services. With no third-party dependence, RhythMedix delivers a seamless and secure remote cardiac monitoring experience for clinics, health systems, and patients nationwide.

To learn more, visit rhythmedix.com.

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SOURCE RHYTHMEDIX

Technology

Copyright Enforcement Dialogue 2026 in Taipei Reinforces Regional Public-Private Cooperation Against Digital Piracy

Published

9 minutes ago

April 22, 2026

TAIPEI, April 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On April 22, 2026, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) Asia Pacific concluded the Copyright Enforcement Dialogue: Taipei 2026, convening senior policymakers, law enforcement authorities, judicial representatives, and industry experts from across Asia–Pacific to advance coordinated action against copyright infringement and digital piracy, ahead of World Intellectual Property Day on April 26.

Organised in collaboration with the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) and the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with the participation of international and local enforcement agencies, the dialogue reinforced the importance of cross border collaboration, effective regulatory frameworks, and public–private partnerships to protect intellectual property and support the creative economy.

In her welcome address, Sue Wang, Deputy Minister of Culture and Chairperson of the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), underscored the role of copyright protection in sustaining a healthy creative ecosystem: “The foundation of culture is copyright protection. If there was no copyright protection, there would no culture in the world. Therefore, copyright protection is the core of every culture.”

Across four expert panels, participants examined the evolving piracy landscape, shared regulatory and enforcement challenges, the role of public–private collaboration in real–world enforcement, and the growing threat posed by illegal streaming devices, drawing on legal, technical, and investigative perspectives. A dedicated piracy case study session led by Taiwan’s law enforcement authorities showcased recent investigative efforts and reinforced the value of information–sharing and technical cooperation.

Addressing Taiwan’s enforcement framework, Hung Sheng-I, Director of the Copyright Division at the Intellectual Property Office, Ministry of Economic Affairs, said, “By integrating the Set-Top Box Act with domain seizure and follow-the-money mechanisms, Taiwan has established a comprehensive and enforceable framework that serves as a powerful shield for IP protection in the digital environment.”

Itae Choi, Executive Director of the Copyright Overseas Promotion Association (COA), said: “We must be grateful to all users who love and enjoy our content. It is essential to widely communicate the value of their voluntary and legal use, so that those who consume it unlawfully may be encouraged to join them. To this end, we will intensify our efforts in raising awareness and fostering a culture of respect among content users.”

Choi also emphasized the central role of cooperation in effective copyright enforcement: “Cooperation is vital in every field, but it is especially crucial in addressing copyright infringement. Private sector efforts cannot succeed without the collaboration of public authorities such as law enforcement and the judiciary. We are, in effect, running a three–legged race together — and to win, we must stay in step with one another.”

Noting the level of international participation, James Cheatley, Vice President, VOD, Digital Affairs and Intellectual Property, Asia Pacific at the Motion Picture Association, said the dialogue reflected the shared nature of the challenge posed by piracy: “We have industry leaders, government policymakers, and law enforcement experts from five countries taking part in this dialogue. That level of international cooperation reflects the reality that piracy is a shared challenge — one that requires coordinated approaches and collective solutions across governments, enforcement authorities, and industry.”

Tatsuya Otsuka, Deputy Senior Director of International Affairs of Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA), said, “Strengthening cross-border collaboration is essential to ensure effective anti-piracy measures. This dialogue provided a wonderful opportunity for us to share challenges and insights and continue to advance international efforts to combat piracy.”

Toshinao Yamazaki, Director of the Intellectual Property Affairs Division at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said sustained dialogue was key to long–term protection of creative industries: “Ultimately, protecting the creative ecosystem hinges on robust public-private collaboration and sustained international dialogue. I am confident this Copyright Enforcement Dialogue 2026 will serve as a pivotal step to further enrich the global IP ecosystem and collectively build a more prosperous and sustainable future.”

In closing remarks, Dawn Barriteau, Vice President, Content Protection, Asia Pacific, Motion Picture Association, reaffirmed MPA and ACE’s commitment to working with governments and enforcement partners across the region to strengthen copyright protection and disrupt piracy networks.

“Effective copyright enforcement is not just about protecting content — it is about protecting jobs, investment, and the long-term health of the creative industries. Today’s dialogue demonstrates how industry, governments, and law enforcement can work together to address piracy with practical, coordinated solutions.” Barriteau added that continued regional cooperation is essential as piracy networks become increasingly sophisticated and transnational: “No single stakeholder can address digital piracy alone. Meaningful progress depends on sustained public–private collaboration, information–sharing, and strong policy frameworks that keep pace with technological change.”

The Copyright Enforcement Dialogue: Taipei 2026, held in the lead-up to World Intellectual Property Day, builds on MPA’s longstanding collaboration with regional stakeholders and reflects a continued focus on practical enforcement solutions, policy dialogue, and capacity building to support Asia Pacific’s creative economy.

View images here.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/copyright-enforcement-dialogue-2026-in-taipei-reinforces-regional-publicprivate-cooperation-against-digital-piracy-302750424.html

SOURCE Motion Picture Association (MPA) Asia Pacific

Technology

Form.io Launches Enterprise-Grade Toolset for Governed Agentic Coding

Published

9 minutes ago

April 22, 2026

New MCP Server, Skills, Agentic Coding Plugin, and Universal Agent Gateway (UAG) keep AI-generated applications on the rails for enterprise development teams.

DALLAS, April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Form.io, the enterprise data platform trusted by regulated industries and government agencies worldwide, today announced the introduction of its Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server, Skills, and Agentic Coding Plugin, adding to the existing Universal Agent Gateway (UAG). Together, this comprehensive purpose-built toolset brings schema-governed infrastructure to agentic coding environments. The release equips enterprise development teams with the tools to harness AI coding agents like Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf, while maintaining the architectural consistency, compliance posture, and data governance required by regulated organizations.

As agentic coding accelerates across the enterprise, organizations are discovering that velocity without standardization creates technical debt at an unprecedented pace. Applications generated across independent teams can diverge in architecture, data handling, and compliance posture — creating fragmentation at scale and introducing the need for additional resources and controls to manage the process. This ultimately undermines the efficiency gains of new agentic coding processes.

“Labor used to be the pain point for enterprises. Now it’s chaos”, said Heather Hornor, COO of Form.io. “Five teams solving the same problem, five different ways, without any standardization, because each AI agent made a different decision, is a problem. This problem isn’t new, but it’s surfacing faster and more disruptively than ever before. Thankfully, it’s solvable at the infrastructure layer – where systems can be governed, monitored, and audited continuously over time. Form.io provides that layer, from development through runtime. And we’re the only company delivering it inside the customer’s own self-hosted development and runtime environments.”

The Toolset

MCP Server: Connects to the customer’s self-hosted Form.io deployment. AI coding agents receive governed access to read, create, and scaffold the full data layer — forms, resources, actions, APIs — without data leaving the enterprise security boundary.Skills: Platform specific guidance that teaches AI agents how to build applications leveraging Form.io — applying standardized compliance-ready data patterns by default instead of improvising per project.Agentic Coding Plugin: Integrates Form.io’s MCP Server and Skills directly into the developer’s coding environment, enabling AI agents to automatically trigger tools and apply standardized patterns based on prompt context. Coordinates interactions between MCP tools and Skills so complex, form-based applications can be built entirely within the agentic coding interface.

“This is the logical extension of the JSON-based, open-source platform we’ve been building for more than a decade,” said Travis Tidwell, CTO and Co-founder of Form.io. “The same open architecture that made Form.io extensible for human developers makes it the natural foundation for agentic development processes.”

The new build-time toolset operates independently from Form.io’s Universal Agent Gateway (UAG), the company’s runtime governance layer for production agentic workflows. Together, they provide enterprises with governance and auditability across the full lifecycle of agentic coded software — from the first prompt in a developer’s Agentic Coding Plugin to the production workflows running in regulated environments.

For organizations adopting governed agentic coding, the Form.io MCP Server, Skills, Agentic Coding Plugin, and UAG are part of Form.io’s enterprise-grade agentic coding toolset. Explore the full toolset at https://form.io/ai/

For agentic workflows in production, visit the Universal Agent Gateway at https://form.io/uag/

Enterprises can learn more, request a demo, or get started at form.io

About Form.io: Form.io is the enterprise application infrastructure platform where a single JSON schema governs everything a modern application needs — including data collection UIs, validation rules, workflow actions, data models, and auto-generated APIs with RBAC.

One schema. One source of truth. One governance layer. That’s a form.

Form.io’s self-hosted platform serves regulated industries and government agencies requiring architectural consistency, data sovereignty, and formal compliance — including central banking groups across the US, EU, and Australia, global government agencies, and leading organizations in healthcare, financial services, and insurance.

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Visit form.io.

For press inquiries and additional information, please contact: media@form.io

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SOURCE Form.io LLC