Technology

Statement – Government of Canada responds to the Report of the Auditor General of Canada on ArriveCAN

Published

2 years ago

February 12, 2024

OTTAWA, ON, Feb. 12, 2024 /CNW/ – The Government of Canada issued a statement today following the release of the Auditor General’s performance audit on ArriveCAN:

“We thank the Auditor General of Canada, Karen Hogan, and her team for their work and welcome the recommendations laid out in today’s report. Together with the recent review done by the Procurement Ombud, this report has identified unacceptable gaps in management processes, roles and controls that the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) take seriously.

Some recommendations in the report have already been implemented and the CBSA will take further action to ensure management practices are aligned with policies and processes to maintain the confidence of Canadians.

Some of the actions taken and planned by the CBSA as part of its procurement improvement plan include:

creating an Executive Procurement Review Committee to approve contracts and task authorizations, which is already providing additional oversight on all contracting activities, focusing on delivering value for money;requiring employees to disclose all interactions with potential vendors; andincreasing CBSA’s procurement group’s capacity to oversee all procurement activities and establish a centre of expertise to help employees fully understand their obligations and authorities.

In addition, PSPC will continue to strengthen all aspects of the federal procurement regime and will use the findings from this report to improve the way the Government of Canada does business with its suppliers. PSPC has already taken a number of steps, including implementing new measures to ensure that tasks and deliverables are clearly defined in professional services contracts, and updating the policy and guidance documentation used by procurement officials to ensure consistency.

PHAC is taking action to strengthen its preparedness for future public health emergencies, including through adapting tools to increase efficiency, strengthening emergency management and planning capacity, and putting in place contingency arrangements with key partners and stakeholders. PHAC will also update its guidance for interactions with potential contractors and ensure that the reinforced documentation process is compliant with the Treasury Board Directive.

The app was built during an extraordinary time and on an emergency basis. ArriveCAN data was an integral part of Canada’s monitoring program for the early detection and identification of new COVID-19 variants of concern, and critical to the federal government’s ability to monitor, assess, and respond to COVID-19 as it evolved. The CBSA was working as quickly as possible to replace a paper process that was not meeting public health needs and was also impacting the border with significant wait times that disrupted the essential flow of people and goods. The Auditor General recognized in her report that the Government improved the speed and quality of information collected at the border by using the app rather than the paper-based form.

Travellers saved significant time by using the app – about five minutes each time they crossed the border, saving hours of wait times. It was an effective and necessary tool to collect mandatory health information while facilitating travel and trade. Beyond the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the app remains available today for travellers who want to make their customs declarations in advance and save time at the border.

Despite these circumstances, we recognize that the gaps found by the Auditor General are unacceptable and we are taking steps to ensure all government departments are better positioned to undertake projects of this nature in the future.”

Technology

McRae Industries, Inc. Military Contract Award

Published

26 minutes ago

July 20, 2026

MOUNT GILEAD, N.C., July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — McRae Industries, Inc. received a contract award from the United States Government DLA Troops Support for Navy safety toe boots. This is a firm fixed price, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract that has a three-year ordering period. The estimated dollar amount for this award is $21,363,367 while the maximum award amount is $32,998,023.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes certain forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those projected, estimated, assumed or anticipated in any such forward-looking statements include: the effect of competitive products and pricing, the potential impact of tariffs on our business, uncertainties concerning the tariff refund program announced in March 2026, risks unique to selling goods to the Government (including variation in the Government’s requirements for our products and the Government’s ability to terminate its contracts with vendors), changes in fashion cycles and trends in the western boot business, loss of key customers, acquisitions, supply interruptions, additional financing requirements, our expectation about future Government orders for military boots, loss of key management personnel, our ability to successfully develop new products and services, and the effect of general economic conditions in our markets.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mcrae-industries-inc-military-contract-award-302829688.html

SOURCE McRae Industries, Inc.

Technology

Huntington Bank Named the United States’ Best Digital Bank for Consumers

Published

26 minutes ago

July 20, 2026

Prestigious global recognition from Euromoney highlights Huntington’s people-first, digitally powered approach to helping customers manage their financial lives

COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Huntington National Bank (Huntington), a top 10 U.S. commercial bank, today announced that it has been named the United States’ Best Digital Bank for Consumers as part of Euromoney’s 2026 Awards for Excellence, one of the global banking industry’s most respected and comprehensive award programs. This recognition reflects Huntington’s leadership in delivering customer-focused digital experiences that bring together the right tools, insights and capabilities to help people manage their money with greater confidence.

“At Huntington, we believe the future of banking is not simply digital—it is personal. Our digital strategy is rooted in the belief that banking should help people feel more confident about their financial decisions,” said Brant Standridge, president of consumer and regional banking at Huntington. “Bringing together data, technology and the expertise of our colleagues has allowed us to build a banking experience that is more personal, intuitive and responsive to the full context of our customers’ lives. This global recognition by Euromoney reinforces our commitment to this strategy and inspires us to continue raising the bar for the customers and communities we serve.”

For more than 30 years, Euromoney’s Awards for Excellence have recognized financial institutions that set the global standard in performance, innovation and client impact. The program evaluates financial institutions across more than 100 countries through a rigorous, independent and evidence-based assessment process designed to benchmark organizations against their peers.

According to Euromoney, Huntington was recognized for its innovative consumer digital banking platform, which combines personalized financial guidance, family banking solutions and customer-friendly features designed to improve financial well-being.

Through the bank’s mobile app and tools like The Hub, Huntington Heads Up, Teen Banking and Caregiver Banking, Huntington delivers personalized guidance directly within the digital banking experience. Customers can track spending and savings goals, receive proactive alerts that help them avoid fees and stay on track, learn healthy money habits, and support loved ones who may need assistance managing their finances. By embedding these capabilities into everyday banking, Huntington makes financial management more personalized and accessible, helping customers confidently navigate important financial decisions at every stage of life.

Huntington also recently ranked highest among regional banks in the JD Power 2026 Online Banking Satisfaction Study and the JD Power 2026 Mobile App Satisfaction Study, reflecting its leadership across online and mobile, driven by practical tools and financial education that helps customers get more from their money.

As the bank continues to grow – including through its recent partnerships with Veritex Bank and Cadence Bank – the company is expanding access to these award-winning digital capabilities and introducing more customers and small businesses to Huntington’s customer-centric and intuitive digital experiences.

To learn more about why Huntington was selected for this award, visit Awards for Excellence national winners 2026: US’s best digital bank for consumers – Huntington Bank – Euromoney.

About Huntington

Huntington Bancshares Incorporated is a $285 billion asset regional bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1866, The Huntington National Bank and its affiliates provide consumers, small and middle-market businesses, corporations, municipalities, and other organizations with a comprehensive suite of banking, payments, wealth management, and risk management products and services. Huntington operates over 1,400 branches in 21 states, with certain businesses operating in extended geographies. Visit Huntington.com for more information.

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SOURCE Huntington Bank

Technology

Voice-Only Outreach ‘Structurally Misses’ Gen Z and Millennial Debt Holders, Says Vodex AI CEO Ahead of ACA International Convention 2026

Published

26 minutes ago

July 20, 2026

Voice AI alone cannot solve modern debt collection challenges without context, orchestration, and complianceAI-powered engagement should combine voice, SMS, email, and account intelligence to improve consumer engagement and resolution ratesDROS will demonstrate its collections operating layer at ACA International Convention, July 22–24, Orlando

DOVER, Del., July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As debt collection agencies increasingly explore AI adoption, industry research shows that AI and machine learning are becoming important tools for improving collections operations. However, voice AI alone cannot address the industry’s biggest challenges around customer engagement, account context, and compliance, according to Anshul Shrivastava, Co-Founder and CEO of Vodex. What is needed is leveraging an intelligent engagement layer that knows the account, picks the right channel, and stays compliant, not another calling tool.

Voice AI without context creates engagement and compliance gaps

One of the most persistent challenges in debt collection is that consumers rarely answer calls from unknown numbers, making voice-only outreach increasingly ineffective. Equally challenging is identifying and engaging customers through the communication channel they are most likely to respond to—whether voice, SMS, or email—rather than relying solely on phone calls.

“Gen Z and millennials, a growing share of debt holders, prefer text, email, self-service, and digital solutions over phone calls. A voice-only strategy structurally misses them. Engagement isn’t about one channel; it’s about reaching each consumer on the channel they actually respond to,” shared Shrivastava.

This is where an average generic voice AI falls short. Off-the-shelf voice bots have no awareness of the account, the balance, the history, prior promises, disputes, or prior contact attempts. Without context, an AI call is just a robocall with better pronunciation. Most organizations have been deploying AI for the sake of it, instead of leveraging it for the right reasons, use cases, configuration, and partners.

“Such an approach can be counterproductive and may expose organizations to unnecessary regulatory risks, including compliance requirements under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Regulation F call frequency limits, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and applicable state-level regulations,” the CEO added.

Building an AI operating layer beyond standalone voice bots

“While closely following the collection space, working with peers and even while building Vodex, we constantly encountered such problems. Sure, voice AI helps, but it alone can never solve debt collection; the real gap lies in context and orchestration,” noted Shrivastava.

That’s when the team decided to launch an AI collection software DROS: context-aware AI agents that know the account, the history, and the right next step, and beyond that, an operating layer for collections engagement where teams can see their accounts, orchestrate outreach across channels, track promises to pay, and keep every interaction compliant, track an execution layer that sits on top of existing systems.

But how must collection agencies function now to be the most effective?

How collection agencies can build smarter AI strategies

While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, these are some hygiene checks that could help agencies:

Use AI in the right use cases first (payment reminders, promise-to-pay follow-up, early-stage outreach) rather than everywhere at onceDemand account context — if the AI doesn’t know the account history, it will damage consumer relationshipsTreat compliance as an architecture question, not a settings toggleThink omnichannel from day one, voice, SMS, email working together based on consumer preferenceChoose a partner who knows collections, not a generic AI vendor

The DROS team will be at the ACA International Annual Convention in Orlando, July 22–24, Booth #403, showcasing how they have shaped DROS and how it could help its industry peers. For further information, please visit DROS.

About DROS.ai

DROS.ai is an AI-native operating layer built for modern collections, helping teams manage engagement, context, prioritization, and execution without adding more fragmentation. It makes sure that debt buyers, lenders, and in-house receivables teams connect voice, SMS, email, workflows, and account decisions into one operating layer.

Media contact

For media queries, please contact
contact@dros.ai

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SOURCE DROS.ai