Technology

New Request for Proposals and Tools to Deploy Thousands More EV Chargers Across Canada

Published

2 years ago

July 3, 2024

OTTAWA, ON, July 2, 2024 /CNW/ – From coast to coast to coast, Canadians are saving thousands of dollars a year on gas by rapidly making the switch to electric vehicles, with over 320,000 new electric vehicles registered in 2023 alone. The Government of Canada is taking action to make it more affordable for Canadians to purchase, charge and drive electric vehicles (EVs) across the country while driving toward a net-zero future, including by making it easier to access public EV charging through historic direct investments, research and partnerships with the private sector and other levels of government.

Funding and Request for Proposals

To advance these efforts, today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, launched a new request for proposals (RFP) under the Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP). The RFP will support the deployment of EV chargers, including fast chargers, in public places across Canada such as highways and public lots. The RFP will also support the deployment of chargers at private locations, including multi-unit residential buildings, workplaces and where on-road vehicle fleets are serviced. Applications will be accepted until September 19, 2024.

This funding will deploy thousands of new chargers across Canada, building on the Government of Canada’s progress to deploy 84,500 EV chargers across Canada, including through ZEVIP, the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB)’s Charging and Hydrogen Refuelling Infrastructure Initiative, and incentive credits under both the Electric Vehicle Availability Standard and the Clean Fuel Regulations.

In addition to investments by provinces, territories, municipalities and the private sector, the federal government has supported approximately 20% of the nearly 30,000 public chargers that are operating in Canada. As a result, there were 70 percent more EV chargers in Canada in 2023 than in 2022, with thousands more on the way each year.

Supporting Deployment Through Tools and Research

Today, Natural Resources Canada released Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure for Canada: Updated forecasts of vehicle charging needs, grid impacts and cost for all vehicle segments (2024 EV Charging Needs Report).The independently produced report assesses the country’s charging landscape, guides decision-making and informs investment needs, including by provinces, territories, municipal governments and the private sector.

The 2024 EV Charging Needs Report provides a detailed regional analysis of public and private charging needs for both light-duty vehicles and medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, together with related grid readiness requirements and investments. The report highlights that a coordinated effort is needed from all levels of government, industry, utilities and other private-sector stakeholders to continue to accelerate deployment.

Additionally, to help investors, stakeholders, provinces, territories and communities determine the most suitable locations for chargers, the Government of Canada has developed the National Public EV Charging Planning Map.

These evidence-based tools will support the deployment of chargers in the areas with the greatest public charging need, including along routes, highways and communities.

Canadians are making the switch to electric vehicles, reducing their energy costs while driving down emissions. The Government of Canada will continue to support them in accelerating toward a prosperous, net-zero future, including by ensuring all new passenger vehicles sold in Canada are zero-emission by 2035; by supporting the deployment of public charging stations across the country; and by building out a Canadian-made electric vehicle supply chain that creates sustainable, good-paying jobs for Canadian workers.

Quotes

“Canadians are making the switch to EVs because it’s a great way to save money while ensuring clean air in our communities and fighting climate change. We’re making electric vehicles more affordable and charging more available where Canadians live, work, travel and play. Today, we launched another funding request for proposals via the Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program, which will help deploy thousands more chargers across Canada. This will put more Canadians in the driver’s seat on the road to a prosperous net-zero future.”

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

“Hundreds of thousands of Canadians are making the switch to an EV every year. They expect access to convenient, affordable and reliable charging — including in public spaces. Today’s call for proposals does that by investing in thousands more chargers and equipping the private sector and governments with the tools they need to deploy more chargers, faster.”

Julie Dabrusin
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and
to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Quick Facts

The federal government’s investment in EV charging infrastructure is supporting Canadians by reducing barriers to EV adoption while spurring investment and growth across Canada’s EV supply chain, including through Transport Canada’s Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles Program (iZEV), which makes zero-emission vehicles more affordable for Canadians and has received another $1.7 billion in Budget 2022; and,Budget 2024 announces the government’s intention to introduce a new 10-percent Electric Vehicle Supply Chain investment tax credit on the cost of buildings used in key segments of the electric vehicle supply chain for businesses that invest in Canada across three supply chain segments:electric vehicle assembly;electric vehicle battery production; and,cathode active material production.The Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) has made significant strides in the automotive and battery sector in recent years. Since 2017, the Fund has announced over $5.5 billion in funding toward the automotive and battery sector, of which approximately $5.3 billion has been directly in support of the EV transition.These investments include projects focused on producing battery materials, battery components and packs and on manufacturing EVs and developing vehicle components specific to low-carbon transportation (e.g., next-generation tires).Investing $3.8 billion in the mining, processing and recycling of critical minerals,Since 2016, the Government of Canada has allocated over $1.2 billion in funding to support the deployment of electric vehicle charging stations across the country.Since 2019, a total of over 40,000 EV chargers (Level 2 and Level 3) have been supported by ZEVIP.The 2024 EV Charging Needs Report provides an update to a 2022 NRCan-commissioned study, Updated Projections of Canada’s Public Charging Infrastructure Needs, based on changing trends in the EV market, charger utilization and assessment methodologies.As noted in the report, “The results are intended to support the Government of Canada — as well as provincial and municipal governments, utilities and other stakeholders — in planning to ensure that sufficient charging infrastructure will be deployed to support Canada’s targets”As of May 2024, NRCan’s infrastructure programs and the Canadian Infrastructure Bank’s Charging and Hydrogen Refueling Infrastructure Initiative had already committed funds for the installation of over 46,000 chargers across the country, with more than 14,000 of these federally funded chargers already in operation.EV charger deployment has seen significant growth: an average of 45 percent annually since 2016 and a jump to 72-percent growth between 2022 and 2023.With Budget 2023, the Government of Canada has now committed more than $40 billion to support Canada’s clean electricity sector, including related grid updates for EV charging infrastructure.This significant investment is building an EV charging network for Canadians, and we continue to work with all levels of government, industry, utilities and other private sector stakeholders to further accelerate deployment.

Related Information

Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program The Canadian Infrastructure Bank (CIB) Charging and Hydrogen Refuelling Infrastructure Initiative (CHRII)2030 Emissions Reduction Plan: Clean Air, Strong Economy Electric Charging and Alternative Fuelling Stations Locator Zero-emission vehicles: Incentives Building a green economy: Government of Canada to require 100% of car and passenger truck sales be zero-emission by 2035 in Canada

SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

Technology

MemeMax Officially Launches, Introducing a Meme-Native Perpetual Trading Infrastructure

Published

21 minutes ago

April 21, 2026

SEOUL, South Korea, SHANGHAI and NEW YORK, April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — MemeMax, a perpetual decentralized exchange (Perp DEX), has officially launched, positioning itself as a trading infrastructure purpose-built for the meme coin market.

As the memecoin sector has grown into a multi-billion-dollar asset class, the lack of derivatives infrastructure tailored to its unique dynamics has become increasingly evident. MemeMax enters the market aiming to address this gap by offering a perpetual trading environment designed specifically for meme-driven assets.

Major meme assets such as DOGE, PEPE, and WIF have historically exhibited extreme volatility driven by narrative cycles and community participation. However, existing trading platforms have struggled to fully accommodate these characteristics.

Why Traditional Perp DEX Models Fall Short for Meme Markets

Most existing perpetual DEXs were originally designed around assets like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), where liquidity depth, relatively stable volatility, and structured price discovery dominate market behavior.

Memecoins operate under a fundamentally different dynamic. Price movements are often driven less by fundamentals and more by narrative momentum, community coordination, and viral attention cycles. These assets tend to experience rapid expansions and collapses, often outpacing the assumptions embedded in traditional oracle and liquidation systems.

Despite this, most platforms continue to apply the same infrastructure across all asset classes—creating a structural mismatch when applied to meme markets. MemeMax takes a different approach:

rather than adapting meme assets to fit existing systems, it introduces a trading infrastructure designed specifically for meme-driven market behavior.

Trading the Full Meme Cycle

MemeMax is designed to enable users to trade across the entire lifecycle of a meme.

Shorting narrative breakdownsEntering early during revival phasesNavigating extreme volatility environments

To support this, the platform’s oracle and liquidation mechanisms are structured with high-volatility, lower-liquidity assets in mind, rather than being retrofitted from BTC-centric models

Redefining Trading as Participation

Another key distinction lies in how MemeMax reframes trading itself.

Rather than viewing trading as isolated execution, MemeMax positions it as continuous participation. On-chain user actions are interconnected within a broader system, where behavior contributes directly to the dynamics of the platform.

This reflects a broader shift in meme markets, where price formation is increasingly influenced not only by liquidity, but also by attention and user participation.

Max Points (MP): A Participation-Based Metric

At the core of the platform is Max Points (MP), a native utility system designed to quantify user engagement beyond simple trading volume.

MP is calculated based on multiple dimensions, including:

Profit and loss (P&L) experienceConsistency of platform activity

Note: Incorporating “time spent in positions” into the calculation is planned as an additional feature in a future update.

By incorporating these factors, MemeMax moves away from purely volume-driven incentive models and introduces a system that captures holistic user participation.

MP is expected to serve as a foundational metric across the ecosystem, with applications in reward distribution, seasonal events, and access to platform features. Early participation is designed to provide compounding advantages as the ecosystem evolves.

Max Points (MP): An Activity Reward System

As part of the platform’s reward system, Max Points (MP) exist to reward users for their activities. To encourage consistent user participation rather than just focusing on trading volume, MP operates on a flexible seasonal basis. Adapting to market trends, each season introduces new objectives and various forms of rewards, such as airdrops, recognizing the broader value of ecosystem participation beyond simple PnL.

Staking (Coming Soon)

The staking feature is currently in preparation and will be officially launched in the future as the platform continues to expand.

REKT Pack (In Preparation)

Additionally, it has been confirmed that a “REKT Pack” is currently in preparation. This feature aims to add a layer of entertainment by playfully sublimating user liquidations into meme culture, turning the unfortunate event of getting “rekt” into an engaging and fun experience for the community.

Seasonal Structure for Continuous Expansion

The platform operates on a continuously live trading environment, complemented by recurring seasonal events.

Each season introduces new participation mechanics and reward structures without resetting existing user data. This allows MemeMax to maintain continuity while continuously evolving alongside market dynamics.

Toward a Dedicated Financial Layer for Meme Markets

As memecoins continue to evolve into a distinct segment of the crypto market—driven by community behavior and narrative cycles—the need for specialized infrastructure has become more apparent.

MemeMax positions itself within this trend by treating memes not simply as speculative assets, but as behavior-driven market primitives, embedding these dynamics directly into its trading architecture.

According to the team, “MemeMax is not just another exchange listing meme assets—it is designed as the financial infrastructure that the meme ecosystem has been missing.”

Now Live and Closed Beta Successfully Concluded

A closed beta test was held on April 14 and successfully concluded with great interest from participants.

MemeMax is now live, with users able to access perpetual trading immediately. Participants can begin accumulating Max Points (MP) through on-chain activity and take part in upcoming seasonal events and reward programs. Early users may benefit from first-mover advantages in MP accumulation, positioning themselves favorably within the platform’s evolving incentive structure.

Learn More

Homepage: https://go.mememax.com/official-ptradeDocs: https://docs.mememax.comX (Twitter): https://x.com/MemeMax_Fi

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SOURCE MemeMax

Technology

Sonata Software Achieves AWS Migration and Modernization Competency Status

Published

21 minutes ago

April 21, 2026

EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. and BENGALURU, India, April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Sonata Software (NSE: SONATSOFTW) (BSE: 532221), a leading AI-first Modernization Engineering company, today announced that it has achieved Amazon Web Services (AWS) Migration and Modernization Competency status.

This designation recognizes Sonata Software’s technical expertise and customer experience in helping enterprises accelerate application migration and modernization on AWS. It also reflects the company’s capabilities in supporting organizations as they modernize critical applications, improve operational efficiency, and build agile, resilient, and scalable digital platforms.

The AWS Migration and Modernization Competency helps customers identify AWS Partners with validated capabilities in migrating and modernizing applications from on-premises environments or other cloud platforms. This designation reflects Sonata Software’s capabilities in supporting customers across transformation initiatives spanning application migration, modernization, and optimization on AWS.

“Achieving the AWS Migration and Modernization Competency is an important milestone for Sonata Software and reflects our continued focus on modernization-led transformation,” said Manu Swami, Chief Technology Officer at Sonata Software. “For many enterprises, application modernization is now central to improving resilience, accelerating software delivery, and creating a more adaptable technology foundation. Our focus is on helping clients reduce technical debt, modernize with engineering rigor, and build platforms that support continuous innovation at scale.”

“Achieving the AWS Migration and Modernization Competency reinforces Sonata Software’s position as a trusted partner for enterprises pursuing large-scale transformation,” said Anthony Lange, Chief Revenue Officer at Sonata Software. “Our clients are looking for modernization programs that move quickly, reduce risk, and deliver visible business impact. This recognition strengthens our ability to take that message to the market and underscores the value we bring in helping customers accelerate outcomes through our partnership with AWS.”

Sonata Software continues to strengthen its AWS-aligned capabilities across cloud migration, application modernization, data transformation, platform engineering, and AI-enabled software delivery. In addition to the AWS Migration and Modernization Competency, Sonata has recently achieved AWS DevOps and Generative AI Competencies, along with key AWS service certifications, further reinforcing its ability to help enterprises simplify complexity, modernize business-critical systems, and derive value from their AWS investments.

About Sonata Software

Sonata Software is an AI-first modernization engineering company that helps enterprises transform legacy systems into intelligent, scalable business platforms. Powered by its Platformation™ framework and Harmoni.AI platform, Sonata delivers AI-led modernization across cloud, data, AI, Dynamics, test automation, and managed services. Headquartered in Bengaluru, India, Sonata has more than $1.2 billion in revenue and 6,400+ AI engineers supporting global delivery across regions including the US, UK, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Australia, DACH, and the Nordics. With deep partnerships across Microsoft, AWS, Salesforce, and Snowflake, Sonata helps Fortune 500 enterprises accelerate innovation, improve efficiency, and drive sustainable growth.

For more information, please visit https://www.sonata-software.com/

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2961889/Manu_Swami_CTO_Sonata_Software.jpg
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2681656/5928499/Sonata_Software_logo.jpg

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SOURCE Sonata Software

Technology

BELLA+CANVAS Brings Coachella 2026 Merchandise to Life with Immersive “Museum of Merchandise” Experience

Published

21 minutes ago

April 21, 2026

Premium apparel leader transforms festival merch into a living archive of culture, creativity, and self-expression

INDIO, Calif., April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — BELLA+CANVAS, the industry leader in premium blank apparel, successfully concluded its role as the official blank apparel provider for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2026 merchandise program, delivering both product and a standout on-site activation across two record-setting festival weekends.

At the heart of Coachella’s merchandise ecosystem, BELLA+CANVAS powered official festival products featuring a custom “printed on BELLA+CANVAS” neck label, giving fans a deeper connection to the garments they take home as wearable memories.

Extending beyond product, the brand introduced a first-of-its-kind immersive installation, “Coachella Merchandise: Then and Now — A Retrospective of Coachella Over the Years”. The design-forward, walk-through experience hosted by BELLA+CANVAS reimagined festival merchandise as both cultural archive and creative canvas. Hundreds of festivalgoers explored “Coachella: Then & Now”, revisiting standout pieces from past years while engaging in live, on-site customization.

At the “Museum of Merchandise” experience, guests were invited to print the vintage Coachella designs onto new BELLA+CANVAS t-shirts and sweatshirts of their choosing, blending past and present through personal style. With eight archival designs and eight premium garment options, attendees created unique combinations that reflected their individuality. Through live customization and past inspiration, the experience transformed nostalgia into one-of-a-kind, wearable pieces tied to each guest’s festival journey.

Across both weekends (April 10–12 and April 17–19), the “Museum of Merchandise” drew strong engagement. From festivalgoers, creators, and a curated network of industry influencers, including screen printers, merch designers, and apparel decorators, the experience was amplified in real time across digital platforms.

“Festival merchandise today is more than something you buy. It’s something you become part of,” said Megan Spire, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, BELLA+CANVAS. “At Coachella, BELLA+CANVAS set out to elevate the role of the blank and show how it serves as the foundation for cultural storytelling, creativity, and identity.”

In addition to festivalgoers, media and partners were also offered exclusive access to guided walkthroughs, behind-the-scenes insights into the evolution of festival merchandise, and conversations at the intersection of fashion, music, and experiential storytelling.

As festival merchandise continues to evolve into a form of cultural currency, BELLA+CANVAS’ presence at Coachella 2026 reinforced its position not only as a supplier but as a defining force behind how those stories are created and worn.

About BELLA+CANVAS
BELLA+CANVAS is a premium apparel company redefining the role of the “blank” clothing product in modern fashion, retail, and brand storytelling. Known for its elevated quality, on-trend fits, and commitment to innovation, the company partners with leading brands, creators, and cultural institutions to power high-impact merchandise and experiential moments. By combining fashion-forward design with scalable production capabilities, BELLA+CANVAS sits at the intersection of apparel, creativity, and culture while serving as the foundation behind some of today’s most influential branded experiences.

Social:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bellacanvas/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bellacanvas/

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SOURCE BELLA+CANVAS