Government of Canada invests in small businesses to safeguard food

  • 12 July 2022
  • Funding
C$950,000 in funding awarded to help safeguard Canada’s food, plants, and animals
Parliament of Canada
Image from the Parliament of Canada’s Facebook page

The Canadian government has announced a total of C$950,000 in funding for four small-businesses under the Innovative Solutions Canada programme in order to help safeguard Canada’s food, plants, and animals.

The government stated it is committed to investing in innovation that supports small business efforts to develop new or improved tools, technology, methods and processes for the benefit of Canadians, the environment and the economy.

This funding will allow businesses to respond to challenges, including the detection of marine biotoxins, foot-and-mouth disease vaccine matching, and detection of granulomas for tuberculosis surveillance.

The four businesses receiving funding are:

• Bioimaging Research Solutions (Guelph) received C$150,000 to develop an automated tool that will scan specific lymph nodes within carcasses to identify tissues at higher risk for presence of bovine tuberculosis.

• Silk Way Services (Toronto) received $150,000 to use advanced diagnostic imaging systems to identify tissues at higher risk for presence of bovine tuberculosis.

• Shaddari (Montreal) received $350,000 to apply artificial intelligence in determining the best vaccines to use during a foot-and-mouth outbreak of the disease.

• Sensoreal (Montreal) received $300,000 to complete a prototype for a rapid screening device that can be used to detect paralytic shellfish toxins found in Canadian coastal waters.

Canada’s minister of health Jean-Yves Duclos said: “Protecting the wellbeing of all Canadians means safeguarding Canada’s food, plants, and animals. Our government is proud to partner with Canadian small and medium businesses to help them develop new efficient technologies which will serve to better protect Canada’s food supply.”

Marie-Claude Bibeau, minister of agriculture added: “Our farmers take great care of their animals and our government continues to invest in research and innovation to keep herds healthy. Preventing and treating animal diseases is a key to the success of the sector.”

François-Philippe Champagne, minister of innovation, science and industry, commented: “Our government understands that giving Canadian businesses the tools and opportunities to grow and innovate is paramount to their success. With their leading-edge solutions, today’s awardees truly demonstrate the power of innovation when it comes to solving challenges and finding innovative ways to ensure Canada’s food safety.”