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Government of Canada backs Manitoba companies using AI to scale, compete and lead

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PrairiesCan announces more than $10.2 million in federal funding to support six innovative Manitoba businesses expanding their use of AI and digital technology

WINNIPEG, MB, July 7, 2026 /CNW/ – In a rapidly changing and increasingly competitive global economy, artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming industries and reshaping how businesses operate, creating new opportunities for innovation, productivity and economic growth. Across Manitoba, businesses are adapting to this new reality and finding practical ways to use artificial intelligence and digital technology to solve problems, improve productivity and compete in new markets.

As part of Canada’s AI for All strategy, the Government of Canada is helping small and medium-sized businesses adopt these tools, scale their operations, create good jobs and keep more talent, innovation and economic value here at home.

Today, the Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, joined The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce (WCC) to talk about what Canada’s new AI strategy means for local businesses.

While at WCC’s event, Minister Solomon, on behalf of the Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan), announced over $10.2 million in funding to support six Manitoba organizations developing and using AI in the province.

The funding announced today will support the creation of more than 170 jobs in Manitoba and assist 35 SMEs across multiple industries, including agriculture, construction, manufacturing, advertising and support services.

Quotes

“AI for All means making sure businesses, workers and communities across the country can use these technologies to solve real problems and share in the benefits. Manitoba businesses are already finding practical ways to use artificial intelligence to improve productivity and compete in a changing economy. Our government is investing in that momentum, helping local companies adopt new technologies, scale their operations, create good jobs and build more of Canada’s economic strength here at home.”

–The Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan)

“Businesses and innovators are the backbone of our economy, and many are looking to use artificial intelligence to unlock productivity. Our government is committed to scaling up our country’s AI industry, driving AI adoption and building a sovereign digital infrastructure. By harnessing AI and building trust in how it is developed and deployed, we are driving growth and shared prosperity in Manitoba and across the country.”

–The Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

“Thrilled to partner with PrairiesCan and see them continue to support tech and innovation in the province. Throughout Taiv’s history, we have promised to create jobs in Manitoba and have since followed through; creating over 75 jobs since 2025. This funding will let us continue to support the local economy as we build Taiv into a key part of Manitoba’s tech ecosystem. We’re grateful for the support and excited for what lies ahead.”

–Noah Palansky, CEO & Co-Founder, Taiv Inc.

Quick facts

On June 4, 2026, the Government of Canada launched Canada’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy: AI for All.The strategy will help ensure Canada leads in AI innovation while grounding the development and use of AI in trust, responsibility and national sovereignty.AI for All will help position Canada as a global leader in responsible AI while ensuring the benefits of this transformation are broadly shared. It is about making sure AI works for Canadians–strengthening our economy, improving public services, supporting Canadian companies and giving Canada greater control over its digital future.Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) and Regional Innovation Ecosystems (RIE)  funding applications are accepted on an ongoing basis with no deadline.Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative (RAII) funding applications will be accepted until December 31, 2028, or until funding has been fully committed or otherwise announced.

Backgrounder

Canada is a leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI). Ensuring Canadians, including small and medium-sized enterprises, take advantage of the opportunities presented by AI is critical for our competitiveness in a shifting global economy.

The projects announced today are helping Manitoba businesses adopt new technology, create jobs and compete in new markets, while keeping Canadian innovation and economic value here at home.

PrairiesCan announced investments for one non-repayable project under the Regional Innovation Ecosystems Program (RIE):

Manitoba Construction Sector Council Inc. $1,140,000
Manitoba Construction Sector Council will establish a drone and sensor library for small and medium-sized construction companies. Businesses will gain access to advanced equipment, hands-on training and technical support to improve productivity in the construction and housing sectors.

PrairiesCan announced investments for five repayable projects under the Business Scale-up and Productivity Program (BSP):

Aryval Ltd. $500,000
Aryval Ltd. will expand its event and enrolment management platforms for private and independent schools in Canada and the United States. The company will hire staff, strengthen cybersecurity and pursue new markets.

Construction Clock Inc. $471,352
Construction Clock will enable the adoption of AI technology that will improve internal processes and strengthen the company’s products and services, including SuperClock, an AI-enhanced version of its AutoClock platform.

ExpensePoint $2,319,784
ExpensePoint will modernize its expense-management platform through embedded card services and AI-powered automation. The company will also add new roles and strengthen employees’ skills in AI, data and digital security.

mode40 ltd. $800,000
mode40 ltd. will bring its AI-powered factory control software to more manufacturers by expanding its sales, deployment, customer success and technical support teams.

Taiv Inc. $5,000,000
Taiv Inc. will expand its AI-driven ad-replacement technology across North America. The company will manufacture and deploy more of its proprietary hardware, grow its team and reach new customers in Canada and the United States.

Associated links

Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan)Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI) in the Prairie provincesRegional Innovation Ecosystems (RIE) in the Prairie provincesBusiness Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) in the Prairie provincesOverview of Canada’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy: AI for All

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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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SPECTRUM EXPANDS ITS COMMUNITY INVESTMENT AND OFFERS AMAZON PRIME MEMBERSHIP TO QUALIFYING LOW-INCOME SPECTRUM INTERNET CUSTOMERS

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Key Takeaways:

New and existing customers who currently qualify for Spectrum’s low-income Internet Assist can enjoy all the benefits of Prime, included with their Internet subscription, at no additional cost.Prime is now included for legacy Spectrum customers with the benefit coming soon for qualified legacy Cox customers.

STAMFORD, Conn., Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Spectrum announced it is bringing Amazon Prime benefits to eligible Spectrum Internet customers. Existing and new customers who currently qualify for Spectrum Internet Assist, affordable internet for low-income customers with speeds up to 50 Mbps, can receive Prime membership included with their Internet subscription – at no extra cost.

Qualified Spectrum Internet customers can now enjoy everything Prime has to offer, including exclusive grocery savings and convenience, delivery benefits that saved members an average of $550 in delivery fees last year, award-winning entertainment through Prime Video, and so much more. Valued at $14.99 per month or $139 per year, qualifying Spectrum Internet customers can sign up for Prime through Spectrum’s simplified onboarding experience to get started and enjoy instant savings.

“Our goal at Spectrum is to give customers more value from the services they already count on every day,” said Adam Ray, Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer for Spectrum. “That value already includes the fastest mobile service at the lowest prices, and our inclusion of programming apps in our video services at no extra charge. And that value now extends to including Prime for low-income customers to help make everyday life a little easier while delivering incredible savings and entertainment – reflecting just a part of our ongoing investment to ensure the communities we serve can thrive.”

Qualified Spectrum Internet customers can now enjoy all of Prime’s savings, convenience, and entertainment. That includes everyday low prices and free delivery on 300 million items across 35 categories, tens of millions of which can be delivered the same or next day in eligible areas, including everyday essential grocery items like pantry staples, breakfast items, canned goods, baby foods, and more. Prime members also get free Same-Day Delivery on perishable grocery orders over $25 in most places, and members in more than 2,300 cities and towns can get fresh groceries, alongside electronics, books, pantry staples, snacks, and everyday household essentials like paper towels and toothpaste, delivered within hours. Plus, members enjoy exclusive deals every day and shopping events like Prime Day, fast, free delivery of prescription medications through Amazon Pharmacy, and exclusive savings on restaurant delivery and fuel.

Prime Video serves as an entertainment destination, offering unlimited streaming of movies and shows, plus access to must-see live sports including NBA, WNBA, NASCAR, and Thursday Night Football. Members also enjoy ad-free listening of 100 million songs and millions of podcast episodes with Amazon Music, cloud gaming with Amazon Luna, unlimited photo storage with Amazon Photos, and Alexa+, Amazon’s next-gen AI assistant that enhances the Prime experience, making it easy to shop, discover new entertainment, and manage photo content through natural conversation. With Amazon Family, members can also share a wide range of these benefits with one adult in their household, plus digital content with up to four children in their household.

More information is available at spectrum.com/AmazonPrime.

About Spectrum  
Spectrum is a suite of advanced communications services offered by Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR), the leading broadband and video company in the nation and the fastest growing mobile provider in its footprint, with services available to more than 70 million homes and small to large businesses across 45 states. Founded in 1993, Charter has evolved from providing cable TV to streaming, and from high-speed Internet to a converged broadband, WiFi and mobile experience. Over the Spectrum Fiber Broadband Network and supported by our 100% U.S.-based employees, the Company offers Seamless Connectivity and Entertainment with Spectrum Internet®, Mobile, TV and Voice products.

More information can be found at corporate.charter.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spectrum-expands-its-community-investment-and-offers-amazon-prime-membership-to-qualifying-low-income-spectrum-internet-customers-302859437.html

SOURCE Charter Communications, Inc.

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Land id® Expands Product and AI Leadership with Senior Executive Hires

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Chris Omland joins as Senior Vice President of Product and Jeff Lutzenberger is named Vice President of AI Platform Strategy

BOZEMAN, Mont. and AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Land id today announced the addition of Chris Omland as Senior Vice President of Product and Jeff Lutzenberger as Vice President of AI Platform Strategy. Omland will lead Land id’s product and engineering organization, while Lutzenberger will oversee the application of AI across Land id’s product and platform.

Two senior executive hires signal Land id’s acceleration into AI-powered property intelligence.

The hires come as Land id continues to expand its real estate and property intelligence platform, combining geospatial visualization, proprietary property data, and AI to help customers not just access information about a property, but understand what it means and act on it.

Lutzenberger brings deep experience in machine learning, large language models, and geospatial technology. He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering and spent nearly a decade at onX, where he helped build the geospatial pipelines and 3D technologies underpinning the company’s growth to more than 10 million users.

“The combination of geospatial information, proprietary data, and AI creates an entirely new way to understand a property and make decisions around it,” Lutzenberger said. “The foundation is already in place at Land id, and I’m excited to build on it, surfacing relevant insights and automating real estate workflows for every person and every property.”

Omland brings more than two decades of experience building and scaling enterprise software products. He held product leadership roles at Bozeman-based RightNow Technologies, acquired by Oracle in 2011, and more recently led Workiva’s platform product team as the company grew from $220 million to more than $800 million in annual revenue.

“Real estate is the world’s largest asset class, yet the information people need to understand a property and make decisions about it is still incredibly fragmented and difficult to interpret,” Omland said. “Land id has the data, technology, and team to bring that information together in a much more intelligent way. That creates an opportunity for Land id to power workflows across every step of the real estate lifecycle. That’s what made this opportunity so compelling to me.”

“Chris and Jeff bring exactly the kind of experience and leadership we need for Land id’s next stage of growth,” said Chris Hamilton, Chief Operating Officer of Land id. “We’ve built a strong foundation in property data and geospatial technology. Chris brings a proven ability to scale product organizations, and Jeff brings deep technical experience at the intersection of data, geospatial technology, and AI. Together, they significantly expand what we are capable of building.”

Omland and Lutzenberger will work closely across product, engineering, data, and AI as Land id develops its next generation of property intelligence capabilities, while remaining focused on the needs of customers across real estate, land management, agriculture, insurance, appraisal, and other property-driven industries.

ABOUT LAND ID
Land id® combines data, intelligence, and outcomes to underpin every property decision for the world’s largest asset class. The company unifies scattered data sources into a single, intuitive visualization and analysis solution for both web and mobile environments, allowing every category of real estate stakeholder to make better decisions in less time. With case studies ranging from expansive Mountain West ranches to remote recreational lodges, Land id is solving knowledge-based challenges beyond the built world. Land id is based in Bozeman, MT and Austin, TX. Learn more about Land id at https://id.land/about

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/land-id-expands-product-and-ai-leadership-with-senior-executive-hires-302859466.html

SOURCE Land id, Inc.

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3CLogic Releases AI Agent Evaluator to Automate QA and Scoring of Voice AI Agents

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New capability scores 100% of AI interactions with plain-language reasoning, enabling accountability and rich insights into Voice AI engagements and performance.

ROCKVILLE, Md., Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — 3CLogic today announced the release of AI Agent Evaluator, a powerful automated quality assurance (QA) and scoring engine built natively into its Voice AI Hub. The new feature scores 100% of Voice AI agent interactions based on configurable metrics including resolution, goal completion, and quality, while providing plain-language reasoning behind each rating without the need for manual transcript review.

As enterprise service desks and contact centers accelerate the deployment of conversational AI, industry focus has heavily centered on the raw power and scalability of Voice AI agents, while largely ignoring how to continuously validate their performance in the field. While many organizations rely on manual auditing or exporting of bot transcripts into standalone QA tools intended for human agents, 3CLogic recognized the need for a solution purpose-built for AI-based interactions.

“Operational leaders are increasingly asking if the voice AI agents they deployed are doing what they were designed to address,” explains Anshuman Rawat, CTO at 3CLogic. “Deploying Voice AI agents is relatively easy, but knowing if they are actually resolving issues or deflecting a live call to the satisfaction of the caller is the real challenge. AI Agent Evaluator replaces the guesswork and black-box metrics with objective, auditable scores at scale.”

Natively integrated into its Voice AI Hub, 3CLogic’s AI Agent Evaluator allows organizations to hold AI agents to the same rigorous standards as live agents while identifying opportunities for continuous improvement. Designed to eliminate the blind spots of legacy QA processes, the solution delivers immediate business value through the following key features:

Comprehensive QA Coverage: eliminates the inherent scaling limitations of manual sampling by automatically scoring every single Voice AI conversation to quickly identify critical performance issues.

Role-specific agent evaluations: enables administrative users to create custom “yardsticks” for each specialized voice AI agent (e.g.: IT support, billing, etc.) to be scored accurately against what constitutes success for each of their unique roles.

Automated task validations: verifies that required system actions (e.g.: submitting a case, updating a ticket, etc.) are in fact executed rather than relying solely on the transcript for confirmation.

Actionable Insights: delivers visual insights into the performance of Voice AI agents over time with real-time dashboards.

The release marks the latest milestone in 3CLogic’s ongoing mission to transform the Voice AI and contact center landscape, following recent innovations, including Outbound AI agents. From global IT managed services providers to major multi-hospital systems modernizing their service operations, the organization continues to deliver significant competitive advantages for leading enterprises. AI Evaluations is now generally available to all Voice AI Hub customers.

For more information, visit 3CLogic.com.

About 3CLogic
3CLogic transforms customer and employee experiences with its patented and award-winning AI-powered cloud contact center solutions purpose-built to enhance today’s leading CRM and Customer Service Management platforms. Globally available and leveraged by the world’s leading brands, its offerings empower enterprise organizations with innovative capabilities, such as intelligent self-service, Generative AI, Conversational AI, agent automation & coaching, and AI-powered sentiment analytics — all designed to lower operational costs, maximize ROI, and deliver better, faster, and more personalized interactions for IT, employee, and customer service. For more information, please visit www.3clogic.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/3clogic-releases-ai-agent-evaluator-to-automate-qa-and-scoring-of-voice-ai-agents-302858764.html

SOURCE 3CLogic

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