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PacifiCan announces $18.3 million to scale up local businesses, boost exports, and opens intake for business growth program

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Government of Canada funding will help businesses across the province grow, export and compete

SURREY, BC, March 3, 2025 /CNW/ – Across British Columbia, ambitious entrepreneurs are growing their companies and creating prosperity, in sectors from agriculture to life sciences. PacifiCan is investing in this growth.

Today, the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada (PacifiCan), announced $18.3 million in PacifiCan funding for seven British Columbian companies to scale up their operations, create more jobs, accelerate growth, and bring made-in-B.C. products to markets around the world.

Among these companies, HealthTech Connex, a life sciences company based in Surrey, is receiving over $3.7 million to expand its operations. The company’s advanced brain imaging medical device, NeuroCatch® Platform, evaluates cognitive function within six minutes and is designed to help healthcare practitioners, researchers, and clinicians provide the best health care to their patients. PacifiCan’s investment will allow HealthTech Connex to commercialize their device across North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe.

EggSolutions Vanderpol’s, a family-owned and operated egg processor based in Abbotsford, is receiving $5 million to expand manufacturing. With PacifiCan’s support, this company will purchase new equipment, move to a larger manufacturing facility, and improve wastewater treatment capability to reduce its environmental footprint. This investment will strengthen Western Canadian supply chains, increase food security, and bring more B.C.-made products to Canadian consumers.

The investments announced today are expected to create over 270 jobs, grow the local economy, and bring B.C. innovation to more people and markets locally and globally.

Today Minister Sajjan also announced that the next intake for the Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) program will open on March 4, 2025. The portal will remain open for companies to submit expressions of interest until April 30, 2025.

Through the BSP program, PacifiCan makes repayable contributions to high-growth businesses in B.C. that are scaling and bringing innovative goods, services or technologies to market.  Potential applicants can learn more about the BSP program on PacifiCan’s website.

Quotes

“British Columbians are known around the world for innovation. Business leaders across the province are transforming industries like agriculture and digital technology. PacifiCan is here to support these businesses. The investments announced today will strengthen B.C. companies’ competitiveness and help to ensure long-term prosperity for all British Columbians.”

-The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada

“HealthTech Connex focuses on delivering advanced healthcare by connecting science and innovation to real world impacts in brain health. In medicine, you can’t treat what we can’t measure. NeuroCatch represents a global breakthrough to ensure there are objective and accessible vital signs for our brains. This PacifiCan investment will greatly help rapidly scale NeuroCatch deployment further across the globe to all points of care where clinicians need a simple and powerful tool to evaluate the cognitive health of their patients.”

-Dr. Ryan D’Arcy, Co-Founder, President & Chief Scientific Officer, HealthTech Connex

Surrey is the hub of innovative B.C. businesses who are creating solutions for complex problems for Canadians and around the world. Our investment in HealthTech Connex demonstrates how supporting local companies can create more opportunities right in our own backyard. Today’s news of PacifiCan’s new intake for the Business Scale-up and Productivity program is an opportunity for more innovative Surrey companies to scale their innovative goods and bring their technologies to diverse markets.” 

-Randeep Sarai, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence and Member of Parliament for Surrey Centre

“As a city that thrives on innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, Surrey is proud to see local businesses like HealthTech Connex benefiting from the substantial investment by PacifiCan. This funding not only supports the growth of cutting-edge technologies that improve healthcare access but also aligns with Surrey’s commitment to fostering a vibrant economy. By empowering businesses to scale and compete globally, we are shaping a future where prosperity is shared by all British Columbians. Together, we are building a sustainable and inclusive economy that meets the needs of today and tomorrow.”

Brenda Locke, Mayor, City of Surrey

Quick Facts

PacifiCan is the federal economic development agency dedicated to British Columbians. PacifiCan works with partners who are building innovative businesses, creating quality jobs, and supporting inclusive growth throughout our province.Funding announced today was provided through PacifiCan’s Business Scale-up and Productivity program and the Jobs and Growth Fund.The Business Scale-up and Productivity program makes strategic investments in key economic sectors, helping innovative companies accelerate their growth and compete globally.The Jobs and Growth Fund helps job creators, and the organizations that support them, to future-proof their businesses. This includes building resiliency and growth by transitioning to a green economy, fostering an inclusive recovery, enhancing competitiveness, and creating jobs across British Columbia.

Associated Links

PacifiCanBusiness Scale-Up and Productivity Program Jobs and Growth FundHealthTech ConnexEggSolutions Vanderpol’s

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Toll-Free Number: 1-888-338-9378
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Backgrounder

Today, the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada (PacifiCan), announced $18.3 million in repayable  funding for seven British Columbian companies to scale up their operations, create more jobs, accelerate growth, and bring made-in-B.C. products to markets around the world.

The projects announced today are:

Business Scale-Up and Productivity Program

4AG Robotics
$2,500,000

Funding will enable 4AG Robotics to scale up its robotic mushroom harvesting technology. The Salmon Arm-based company’s robots use artificial intelligence to help farmers pick, trim, and package mushrooms, significantly reducing production costs and boosting productivity. This investment will allow 4AG to expand manufacturing, hire more employees, and increase sales globally.

EggSolutions Vanderpol’s
$5,000,000

Funding will allow EggSolutions Vanderpol’s (ESV), B.C’s only family-owned and operated egg processor, to expand manufacturing and reach new markets. ESV produces traditional egg products such as albumen, yolk, and whole eggs, as well as specialty products for Asian markets. This investment will allow EggSolutions to move to a larger manufacturing facility and purchase the first and only tamagoyaki machine in North America, making the Abbotsford-based company the exclusive producer of fresh Japanese omelettes for Canadian and Asian markets.

ESV will increase its production capacity, bringing more B.C.-made products to existing markets, and expand to markets outside of North America. PacifiCan’s funding will also allow EggSolutions to improve wastewater treatment capability, which will convert waste into fertilizer and reduce the company’s environmental footprint.

HealthTech Connex
$3,767,850

Funding will enable HealthTech Connex, a life sciences company based in Surrey, to expand its operations. The company’s advanced brain imaging medical device, NeuroCatch® Platform, evaluates cognitive function within six minutes at the point-of-care. This investment will allow HealthTech Connex to commercialize its device across North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe.

MarineLabs
$1,800,000

Funding will help MarineLabs, a Victoria-based company, grow its ocean data network. MarineLabs makes sensors that track weather and waves for ports and ship operators in real-time. In addition to creating new jobs, this investment will help the company add more sensors and improve its forecasting tools, making marine travel safer and more efficient. 

Mustimuhw Information Solutions
$3,266,398

Funding will help Mustimuhw Information Solutions, an Indigenous-owned software company in Duncan, expand its digital health platform. The company develops software that helps First Nations and Indigenous health and family-services organizations manage medical records and other personal data in a culturally sensitive way. This investment will help Mustimuhw Information Solutions launch and scale up a new community wellness and housing management application, making it easier for Indigenous communities to manage these services.

VitaminLab
$921,278

Funding will help VitaminLab, a Victoria-based health and biotech company, expand its operations. VitaminLab creates personalized vitamin supplements using health data. This investment will support the company’s move to a larger facility, introduce automation, and meet growing demand for its products.

Jobs and Growth Fund

Pledge Resource Managers
$1,100,000

Funding will help Pledge Resource Managers, an Indigenous and woman-owned clean technology company in Kelowna, scale up production of its smart shower system. The RainStick Shower is the first in North America to filter and recirculate water in real-time, reducing household water use by 80%. This investment will allow the company to bring manufacturing in-house, hire more employees, and meet growing demand for its product around the world.

SOURCE Pacific Economic Development Canada

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Pillsbury Notice of Data Breach

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NEW YORK, July 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP (“Pillsbury”) was among many law firms targeted by sophisticated social engineering attempts in an incident last year. While the firm quickly detected and blocked the activity, an unauthorized actor was able to access some of the firm’s documents during a short window of time. Pillsbury notified any impacted clients last year and undertook a detailed process to review the accessed documents for personal information. Pillsbury then began notifying individuals whose personal information was affected. That process is now complete, and today, Pillsbury is publishing substitute notice as a final step.

For more information, please visit the substitute notice on our website at https://www.pillsburylaw.com/en/breach-notice.html

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pillsbury-notice-of-data-breach-302828892.html

SOURCE Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

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From Remote Racing to Embodied AI: Fibocom and Intedigo Bring 5G Bidirectional Data Transmission into Real-World Applications

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SHANGHAI, July 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — From July 17 to 20, Fibocom and Intedigo will jointly present a cross-regional, beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) teleoperation demonstration at Booth H3-C408 during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2026. Visitors will be able to enter a remote driving cockpit and control a real race car located at HURA PARK in Jiading, Shanghai, steering, accelerating, and braking in real time while experiencing how 5G connectivity enables remote operation.

More than an immersive driving experience, the demonstration provides a live validation of 5G bidirectional data transmission for embodied AI teleoperation. The vehicle continuously sends live track video, vehicle status, and operating data to the remote cockpit, while control commands are transmitted back to the vehicle, creating a closed-loop teleoperation system. Stable, low-latency, and highly reliable connectivity is essential for high-dynamic maneuvers such as high-speed cornering, precision braking, and continuous lane changes.

Developed by Intedigo, the remote driving system connects a real race car with an immersive remote driving cockpit. It supports 1080p@60Hz video transmission, glass-to-glass (G2G) video latency of less than 80 ms, and control latency of less than 10 ms. The demanding racing environment magnifies differences in video continuity and control responsiveness, making communications performance directly perceptible, measurable, and verifiable.

At the joint demonstration, Fibocom’s FM160 5G module provides cellular connectivity for the system. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon™ X62 5G Modem-RF System, the FM160 supports SA and NSA network architectures as well as 3GPP Release 16. On the downlink, it supports NR Carrier Aggregation (NR CA) with bandwidth of up to 120 MHz, delivering peak speeds of up to 3.5 Gbps in NSA mode and 2.5 Gbps in SA mode. On the uplink, it supports UL MIMO and delivers peak speeds of up to 900 Mbps in SA mode. These capabilities support the continuous transmission of HD video and vehicle status data, along with reliable delivery of control commands.

As embodied AI moves into factories, data centers, logistics operations, and industrial parks, robots are becoming increasingly capable of performing tasks autonomously. Yet complex environments, unexpected events, and edge cases still require Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) remote intervention to help ensure safe and reliable operation.

Daniel Liu, CEO of Intedigo, said:

“5G represents the pinnacle of human communications and the starting point of machine communications. In the past, communications connected people to people; in the future, they will connect people to robots and robots to robots. Remote racing is simply the easiest entry point for people to understand this concept. What we are truly validating is a communications system capable of supporting remote collaboration for embodied AI. HURA makes low-latency remote driving a tangible experience, while RoBOX extends this capability to robots and a broader range of intelligent terminals. Together with Fibocom, we hope to enable more machines to receive remote assistance whenever needed while remaining continuously connected and operating reliably.”

Simon Tao, VP of Wireless Solutions Business Group and General Manager of MBB BU at Fibocom, said:

“As embodied AI enters real-world industrial environments, reliable connectivity will become the foundation for telemetry feedback, remote control and operational management. Fibocom’s 5G solutions, represented by FM160, provide the cellular connectivity required for continuous on-site data transmission and reliable control command delivery. Fibocom will continue collaborating with ecosystem partners such as Intedigo to bring cellular connectivity to more robots, autonomous machines and mobile intelligent terminals, enabling embodied AI systems to stay continuously connected and respond reliably in real-world applications.”

From remote race cars to robots, unmanned equipment, and mobile intelligent terminals, 5G is evolving from connecting people to connecting machines. This joint demonstration makes the capabilities of 5G bidirectional data transmission directly perceptible, experiential, and verifiable, helping pave the way for embodied AI to scale across real-world applications.
 

About Fibocom

Fibocom, founded in 1999, is China’s first wireless communication module company listed on both the A-share and H-share markets (300638.SZ, 0638.HK). As a global leading provider of wireless communication modules and AI solutions, Fibocom leverages wireless communication and artificial intelligence as its core technologies to provide integrated hardware and software solutions that empower industry applications. These solutions accelerate the transformation from “Connect Everything” to “Intelligent Connectivity” across diverse industries.

Fibocom’s one-stop solutions encompass cellular communication, AI, automotive, and GNSS modules, as well as AI toolchains, supporting industry-side and mainstream large model integration, and providing AI Agent, global connectivity, and cloud services, driving the digital intelligence upgrades in industries such as robotics, consumer electronics, low-altitude economy, intelligent transportation, smart retail, and smart energy.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/from-remote-racing-to-embodied-ai-fibocom-and-intedigo-bring-5g-bidirectional-data-transmission-into-real-world-applications-302828996.html

SOURCE Fibocom Wireless Inc.

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DR. PHONE FIX ANNOUNCES SECOND TRANCHE CLOSING OF NON-BROKERED CONVERTIBLE DEBENTURE UNIT FINANCING

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/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/

EDMONTON, AB, July 18, 2026 /CNW/ — Dr. Phone Fix Canada Corporation (“Dr. Phone Fix” or the “Company”) (TSXV: DPF) is pleased to announce that, further to its news release dated May 19, 2026 and June 24, 2026 (the “Prior News Releases”), it has closed the second tranche of its non-brokered private placement (the “Offering”) of convertible debenture units of the Company (each, a “Unit”). The Company issued 726 Units, at a price of $1,000 per Unit, for aggregate gross proceeds of $726,000. Each Unit is comprised of (i) one $1,000 principal amount unsecured convertible debenture of the Company (a “Convertible Debenture”) and (ii) 3,125 common share (“Common Share”) purchase warrants of the Company (each, a “Warrant”). Additional detail on the Offering, including terms of the Convertible Debentures and Warrants, is set out in the Prior News Releases.

In connection with the Offering, the Company paid a finder’s fee consisting of an aggregate cash fee of $50,820 and issued an aggregate of 317,625 common share purchase warrants of the Company (each, a “Finder’s Warrant”) to certain qualified arm’s length parties. Each Finder’s Warrant is exercisable to acquire one Common Share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.22 prior to the date that is 24 months from the date of issuance.

All securities issued pursuant to the Offering, including any Common Shares issuable upon conversion of the Convertible Debentures or exercise of the Warrants and Finder’s Warrants, are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the closing of the Offering, in accordance with applicable securities laws and TSX Venture Exchange (the “TSXV”) policies. 

The Offering remains subject to final acceptance of the TSXV.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described in this news release in the United States. Such securities have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act, or any state securities laws, and, accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States, or to or for the account or benefit of persons in the United States or “U.S. Persons”, as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an exemption from such registration requirements.

About Dr. Phone Fix

Dr. Phone Fix is a national, award-winning, eco-friendly, and customer-centric leader in Canada’s cell phone and electronics repair and certified pre-owned device industry. Founded in 2019, the Company now operates 44 retail locations nationwide through a standardized and scalable operating platform designed to support consistent execution across multiple markets, delivering fast, reliable, and environmentally conscious repair services alongside a curated selection of certified pre-owned devices and premium accessories. Dr. Phone Fix maintains strong partnerships with OEMs and certified suppliers, ensuring consistently high-quality standards across its national footprint. With a focus on responsible device lifecycle management, customer service, and operational discipline, Dr. Phone Fix continues to set the benchmark for device care and resale in Canada.

www.docphonefix.com

NEITHER THE TSXV NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSXV) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

Forward-Looking Information and Cautionary Statements

Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as “may”, “should”, “anticipate”, “expect”, “potential”, “believe”, “intend” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements relating to: the final acceptance of the Offering by the TSXV; and the expected use of proceeds following the closing of the Offering. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on certain assumptions and expected future events, namely: the Company’s financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events; the TSXV will provide its final acceptance of the Offering; and the Company will be able to obtain the financing required in order to develop and continue its business and operations. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: the Company’s inability to obtain TSXV final acceptance for the Offering; the potential failure to complete the balance of the Offering or to raise the full anticipated gross proceeds; market conditions and investor demand for the Company’s securities; the Company’s inability to deploy the proceeds as currently intended; and general economic and market conditions. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and reflect the Company’s expectations as of the date hereof and are subject to change thereafter. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

 

SOURCE Dr. Phone Fix

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