econext‘s CEO Kieran Hanley joined the VOCM Morning Show on March 31, 2022 to discuss Newfoundland and Labrador’s opportunities as they relate to Canada’s recently released 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan.
Month: March 2022
Introduction to Cyber Defense
April 13, 2022 – April 14, 2022
Learn about the fundamentals of Information Technology Security and understand how to recognize cyber threats and vulnerabilities so that you can implement an effective IT Security defense.
This introduction to cyber defense is a fast-paced way to get up to speed on IT security. This entry-level track takes a combined light technical and high-level view of business challenges and solutions for practical IT security goals, providing a solid foundation for those new to their role in cyber security. Participants will gain an in-depth understanding of IT security defense, vulnerabilities and modern threat types, security team roles, and approaches for today’s active IT security defense.
Key Learning Outcomes
- Understand a brief history of hacking
- Identify the foundational controls of Information Technology Security
- Recognize modern cyber threats, vulnerabilities, and exploits
- Apply knowledge on how IT attacks are carried out and mitigated
- Navigate recent cyber-attack case studies for key lessons learned
- Be prepared to orchestrate a defense in depth IT Security program
Continuing Education Contact Hours: 14
This course has been endorsed by techNL as a valuable professional development option for member organizations.
Centre of Excellence in healthcare cybersecurity at Eastern Health (COE) – Skills Development Feedback request
Background
Eastern Health is undertaking ground-breaking work to create a Healthcare Cyber Security Center of Excellence (COE) to secure healthcare digital assets in the face of growing cyber threats and increased global demand for digital health services.
The COE is a ‘first of its kind’ concept that addresses the challenge of cybersecurity in healthcare systems through an investment in technological capacity, an integrated approach to deployment, and a systematic approach to knowledge transfer and development of local skills and innovative capacity.
Thus, this investment is expected to result in spillover benefits in innovation, education/skills development and, overall, in the province’s economic development. The COE is not intended to only identify and address current technological gaps in healthcare cybersecurity but will be a means to address multiple associated needs inherent in cybersecurity across the provincial economy. Thus, there will be a positive spillover effect on the economy of the province and the region.
This is a mission focused, game-changing approach with global impact. Since 2018, Eastern Health has facilitated strategic discussions with Israel’s world-leading cyber ecosystem as well as other global and local innovation partners to develop, refine, and promote a new approach to healthcare cybersecurity.
At the heart of this new approach, creating a cybersecurity Centre of Excellence (COE) proposes a change in how healthcare IT systems finance the security of digital assets by addressing this through innovation and regional economic development policy. The COE is a first of its kind concept that meets the challenges of cybersecurity in healthcare systems through:
- An investment in technological capacity.
- An integrated approach to deployment.
- A systematic approach to knowledge transfer and development of local skills and innovative capacity.
- Expected spillover benefits in the province’s economic development.
- Building local skills and technology capacity.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s education, training, and skills development ecosystem will benefit from:
- Our colleges and universities becoming centres of multidisciplinary courseware in cyber-health.
- Our education system producing graduates with sought-after technical skills.
- The COE as an epicentre of healthcare cybersecurity specialized training.
- The COE focusing on knowledge transfer, offering opportunities for the province’s youth.
Status
The planned Centre of Excellence in healthcare cybersecurity at Eastern Health (COE) will bring specific opportunities for skills development that can meet the cybersecurity needs of NL companies. While these skills will initially be developed in the context of healthcare cybersecurity, they will also be readily applicable to cybersecurity issues in other sectors within the digital economy. In that context, we hope you will be able to answer some or all of the following questions:
A – What cybersecurity skills gaps do you foresee over the next 2-5 years in your specific sector of the economy and for your company?
B – What areas of cyber security skills specialties (eg: monitoring & design, incident response, penetration testing, threat intel & forensics, cloud security, etc.) are needed and could be addressed through the COE capabilities?
C – Can you prioritize the needs in terms of timing? ( ie: when will shortages become critical?)
D – Any other ideas for skills development in the cybersecurity and / or IT space?
E – How can the COE’s Management Team best ensure integrating with the local high tech community, thus maximizing its relevance to the community needs?
Feedback is due before Wednesday, 20 April, 2022.
All returns can be send to paul.ryan@mi.mun.ca
Atlantic Environmental Training & On-Site Services Inc.
Providing environmental health and safety training today for a safer and healthier tomorrow.
Atlantic Environmental Training and On-Site Services Inc. (AET) is a Nova Scotia company with over forty years of experience in regulatory compliance, environmental training and project management of environmental issues. Areas of expertise include:
- EMS development & implementation
- Development and implementation of environmental training courses
- HAZWOPER certification/training
- Environmental auditing including ISO 14000 series audits
- Hazardous waste management including PCB wastes
- Environmental health and safety planning
- Pollution prevention and sustainable development
- Conducting of environmental assessments
- Environmental project management
- Provision of services Canada wide
Staff certifications include Environmental Auditor (ISO 14000), EMS Lead Auditor, NETA Environmental Trainer (USA), NFPA 472, Environmental Technician (SCETTNS), DFO Certification in Engineering & Aquatic Environments & TDGA and WHMIS Trainer.
econext, City of St. John’s working together to explore options for helping homeowners finance energy efficiency retrofits
For Immediate Release
March 28, 2022
econext and the City of St. John’s have joined forces to bring other municipal and non-municipal partners together to explore the potential for new programming to help homeowners finance energy efficiency retrofits.
“While we know that a wide variety of energy efficiency retrofits can pay off even over a short period of time, the up-front costs associated with them continues to be a barrier for some homeowners,” said Kieran Hanley, Executive Director of econext. “It is beyond the means of many individuals and families to make those purchases today, even if it means savings tomorrow.”
“We are excited to be partnering with the City of St. John’s to explore what might be possible in terms of programming to address this challenge locally, and to work with other municipal partners to find what can work throughout Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Hanley. Hanley notes creative approaches exist in other jurisdictions that might be replicated in this province. These approaches leverage local, provincial, and federal funds to realize a benefit for the residents.
“In other jurisdictions homeowners can access low-interest loans, borrow from their future savings, combine multiple grants, or even borrow from the expected increase in their home’s value that results from investing into energy efficiency measures,” said Hanley.
“These programs are seeing high uptake and federal funding in other parts of Canada, and we want to conceptualize what is possible here at home.” The collaboration between econext and the City of St. John’s will evaluate municipal programming that exists in other jurisdictions, explore their applicability within the local context, and then structure a proposed program for Newfoundland and Labrador that can scale with municipalities.
“Our goal in this partnership is to address gaps in programming and reduce long-term household energy poverty by leveraging funding from other levels of government and matching those funds directly with homeowners who need it,” said Councillor Ian Froude, Council lead for Sustainability. “The upfront costs of installing a heat pump, or insulating a basement, for example, is often out of reach for residents on a fixed income. The City of St. John’s can play a bigger role in helping residents access funding to cover these upfront costs, and that’s what this partnership is all about.”
Home heating is a major contributor to the province’s greenhouse gas emissions. “Increased energy efficiency retrofit activity will reduce our overall greenhouse gas emissions and put the province on a better path to reaching net zero by 2050,” said Hanley. For electric heated homes, retrofits will help build resiliency in and increase the reliability of the province’s electricity grid, helping to keep rates from rising.
Hanley said a program would help grow the clean economy. “Increasing energy efficiency across the board will create new green jobs and business opportunities in every corner of Newfoundland and Labrador.”
econext is an association of businesses that accelerates clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador and works on behalf of over 200 members to foster environmentally sustainable economic development. More information can be found at https://econext.ca.
Media Contact:
Kieran Hanley
kieran@econext.ca
Celebrating 25 Years – Newfoundland Power Announces EnviroFest 2022
For Immediate Release // March 21, 2022
(St. John’s, NL): Newfoundland Power and its employees are celebrating 25 years of EnviroFest, the cornerstone of their employee-driven, community-based Environmental Commitment Program. Newfoundland Power is pleased to announce it is now accepting proposals for EnviroFest 2022. These annual grants encourage sustainability and positive environmental action by assisting community-minded organizations or groups with their environmentally friendly projects in communities across the province.
“It is with great pride that we look back over the past 25 years and the difference our employees have made in communities all across our province, from Port aux Basques to St. John’s, and everywhere in between,” says Gary Murray, President and Chief Executive Officer, Newfoundland Power. “We have partnered with more than 300 community groups, completed over 110 environmental projects, planted in excess of 3,000 trees and shrubs, and inspired thousands to take better care of the places where we live, work and raise our families.”
Newfoundland Power is focused on operating with sustainability in mind and making responsible decisions today that reduce any environmental impacts in the future. EnviroFest is the Company’s annual celebration of the environment, providing funding and offering support to a wide variety of organizations throughout the province to assist with their green projects. Whether it’s improving a park area, enhancing a trail system, starting a recycling program or transforming a green space, Newfoundland Power and its employees are committed to sustainability and creating awareness about the importance of preserving our environment for future generations.
Organizations are invited to submit proposals by 4:00 p.m., Thursday, April 14, 2022. Successful applicants will be announced on Earth Day, Friday, April 22, 2022. A minimum of five grants of up to $5,000 each will be awarded. For more information on how to apply, visit newfoundlandpower.com.
Newfoundland Power is the primary distributer of electricity on the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador. With a customer base of approximately 272,000 accounts, Newfoundland Power is committed to safety, dedicated to the highest level of customer service and delivers reliable electricity at the lowest possible cost. For more information on Newfoundland Power’s programs, services and community partnerships, please visit newfoundlandpower.com.
For further information, please contact: Michele Coughlan, Manager, Public Affairs
Phone: (709) 737-2821 / Cell: (709) 682-1470 mcoughlan@newfoundlandpower.com
25th Pitch and Pick – Winter 2022
Wed, 6 April 2022
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM NDT
The amazing companies in our intensive Evolution program have been working hard for eight weeks. The top start-ups have been selected to compete in the 25th edition of Pitch & Pick!
We want to give our awesome entrepreneurs a chance to pitch their idea to representatives from academia, public and private funding agencies, and the local tech community. A panel of expert industry judges will crown the winner, and the audience will be able to vote for a Community Choice recipient.
A special thanks to our host venue, Verafin, and our Evolution supporters Ray Agency, Springboard Atlantic, BDO Canada, TD Canada, Hickman Group, and Cox & Palmer for making this event possible.
Non-medical masks are recommended for attendees. If you are unable to attend inperson, a live-stream will be made available to the public via Zoom with link to follow. Space is limited, RSVP today!
Doors will open to public at 2:30 pm, and parking is free in surrounding areas.
REGENERATION: SOIL, FOOD, COMMUNITY: Building a Sustainable Food System in Newfoundland & Labrador
You are invited to join a province-wide online public engagement conference that will focus on practical details and innovative models for growing food that is good for us and for our environment. People who grow and gather food at the household, community and commercial level will help us define actions needed to rebuild a sustainable food system. We will also examine how food is distributed and shared to define steps needed to create food justice in our province.
Conference Dates: MAY 5-6-7, 2022
In this time of climate crisis and food insecurity, we need to adapt and change our food production and food sharing in this province to restore ecological balance and health in our communities. This online conference has been organized by Food Producers Forum, with support from the Faculty of Medicine and the Office of Public Engagement, Memorial University, to bring people together to identify how we can do this.
This three-day event will consist of an introductory plenary, followed by five thematic seminars and four forums to focus on actions we can take to create a sustainable food system. In each session, we will be gathering ideas and recommendations for sustainable food production in our province. The conference will wrap up with a general meeting to confirm actions needed to restore capacity for local food production and sharing.
Low emissions oil and gas production an important contribution in the fight against climate change
econext supports Bay du Nord development
For Immediate Release
March 21, 2022
“The science is clear: the world must decarbonize,” said Kieran Hanley, econext’s Executive Director. “What is also true is that the process of moving beyond fossil fuels is an enormous global undertaking that will take many years.”
“Thus, in a world that still needs oil – the reality is that the continuous pursuit of low-emissions production is a worthy contribution to the fight against climate change.” Hanley said that during this period of transition, oil should come from a place like Canada where environmental, safety, and human rights standards are high. 
“We cannot impact the speed at which other nations decarbonize, nor can we impact global demand for oil,” said Hanley. “What we can do is change the game in terms of how oil is produced.” Hanley points to The Net Zero Project as an important effort in that regard for Newfoundland and Labrador – and Canada. “The energy transition involves both decreasing the impact of oil and gas activities and large investments into clean energy projects.”
“Newfoundland and Labrador can become a clean energy powerhouse,” said Hanley, alluding to the rich cache of undeveloped renewable energy resources in the province. Hanley said that the province should have a ‘laser-like’ focus on the decarbonization of its domestic economy and the development of clean energy. “Electrifying transportation and industries, creating the hydrogen economy, building wind and offshore wind projects – this is the future of our province, but we need financial resources to accomplish that.”
“We should be focused on this future; but without the ability to progress reasonable projects like Bay du Nord, reaching that potential will become infinitely harder for this province.” Hanley said that revenues accrued from the project should be re-invested into Newfoundland and Labrador’s clean energy future.
The impact of the offshore industry goes well beyond revenues and royalties; it has played a central role in developing the province’s cleantech sector. “Previous offshore projects have helped to create a wave of ocean technology firms which now export their products and services worldwide, helped to establish internationally-recognized research and development resources and capacity within the province, and helped to foster a world-leading cluster of companies and institutions developing and deploying environmental sensing, monitoring, and characterization technologies.” Hanley said that a targeted focus on emissions reductions can have a similar transformational effect on clean technology development in the province – a prospect supported by the results stemming from Canada’s highly impactful Emissions Reduction Fund.
Canada is the fourth largest producer of oil and gas in the world. Hanley said that the country has a responsibility to push the boundaries of technology and processes to ensure that what is produced is the most environmentally sound as is possible. “The Bay du Nord project represents a step-change in greenhouse gas emissions intensity for oil projects in Canada, and production offshore Newfoundland and Labrador is already 30 percent below the global average.”
“The Bay du Nord project is extremely important for the future of our provincial economy on a number of different fronts,” said Hanley. “It is an important part of Newfoundland and Labrador’s energy transition and is key to helping us unlock our clean energy potential.” Hanley said the project has undergone one of the world’s most rigorous regulatory processes, and that econext is confident that it will be approved.
“Finding the right balance on environment and economy is a difficult business,” said Hanley. “The Bay du Nord project is a big step in the right direction.”
econext is an association of businesses that accelerates clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador and works on behalf of over 200 members to foster environmentally sustainable economic development. More information can be found at https://econext.ca.
Media Contact:
Kieran Hanley
Executive Director
kieran@econext.ca
econext supportive of Newfoundland and Labrador investments into electrification
For Immediate Release
March 18, 2022
econext is indicating its support for recent announcements from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador that will support electrification – the process of switching from fossil-fuel based activities to electric ones.
This week the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced additional investments for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, rebates for EV and plug-in hybrid vehicles, and assistance for homeowners to switch from oil to electric heating.
“Here in this province we have access to rich renewable energy resources,” said Kieran Hanley, econext’s Executive Director, “and so it makes complete sense on a number of levels to invest in electrification initiatives.”
“Each process that we electrify helps reduce the province’s greenhouse gas emissions, creates green jobs, and helps mitigate electricity rate increases,” said Hanley. “We encourage the provincial government to move quickly to do what it can to facilitate electrification throughout the economy.”
Hanley said that a long-term electrification strategy should be put in place that includes investments into fuel switching for public transportation, marine transportation, heavy industrial activities such as mining, and building heating.
“Newfoundland and Labrador has the potential to be a global leader in the energy transition as we pursue net zero – and the degree to which we can electrify our economy will play a big role in that.”
econext made a series of specific recommendations around renewable energy and electrification in a submission to the provincial government in the development of its renewable energy plan. Click here to review econext’s recommendations.
econext is an association of businesses that accelerates clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador. econext works on behalf of over 200 members to foster environmentally sustainable economic development. More information can be found at https://econext.ca.
Media Contact
Kieran Hanley
kieran@econext.ca
