Health Innovation Roundup

Headlines

• Prairies Economic Development Canada has invested an additional $50 million in Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation through the Canadian Critical Drug Initiative to support construction of the Critical Medicines Production Centre — a partnership with the University of Alberta to enable large-scale Canadian pharmaceutical manufacturing. The investment is expected to create more than 350 jobs and support at least 60 early-stage life sciences companies. CEO Andrew MacIsaac said the facility's final fitout is now underway.
• Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation CEO Andrew MacIsaac told CBC's This is Edmonton about the organization's plans to produce a generic GLP-1 weight loss drug for Vimy Pharma at the Critical Medicines Production Centre. "One of the amazing things about the work we're doing here is we're building something that is part of the supply chain of the pharmaceutical industry," he said. "Most people don't really think about the supply chain of the pharmaceutical industry unless there's a shortage." Vimy Pharma said it will make its application to Health Canada for the drug soon.
• Fedora Pharmaceuticals will present preclinical findings for its lead antibiotic candidate, FPI-2119, at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases congress in Munich. CEO Christopher Micetich said the results "reinforce earlier findings and position FPI-2119 as a compelling antimicrobial candidate with potent activity across a wide range of challenging pathogens."
• A pill case developed at the University of Alberta and manufactured in Edmonton has been credited with saving lives from heart attacks. The SMHeartCard, created by entrepreneur James Stewart and U of A researchers, uses a special polymer blend to keep aspirin and nitroglycerin pills stable — a world first, Stewart said — and his office has received more than 200 calls from people crediting it with saving their lives.
• Skies Mag profiled Volatus Aerospace and its work delivering medical supplies by drone from the Edmonton International Airport to Montana First Nations Clinic — a complex beyond-visual-line-of-sight route through active airspace. The company, which has completed over 11,000 commercial operations across Canada, also announced a 200,000-square-foot drone manufacturing hub near Montreal to serve civil and military markets.
• Alberta Agriculture and the University of Calgary tested thermal drones with AI to detect wild boar, achieving detection accuracy of more than 75% in field work. The project also produced a habitat suitability map to predict where feral herds are most likely to be found in Alberta.
• Casey and Diana, which dramatizes Princess Diana's 1991 visit to Toronto's Casey House AIDS hospice during the height of the crisis, runs at the Citadel Theatre until April 26. PlayWright at the Citadel is one of the restaurants participating in A Taste for Life, a fundraiser for HIV Edmonton's food programs and services.
• BioAlberta has opened nominations for its Annual Achievement Awards, recognizing individuals and organizations making meaningful contributions to life sciences in Alberta, with a deadline of May 15.
• The University of Alberta is accepting applications for the Innovation Catalyst Grant, a two-year, $250,000 entrepreneurial award for recent graduates building science-based hardware products. Intake for the fifth cohort begins this spring, with fellowships starting in January 2027.
• The Edifier Awards recognized Zaki Hirabe of the Edmonton Police Service's Community Council as community leader and Kristiena Bobocel of Eye District as maverick, among others. The annual program from Edify honours those who contribute to civil, social, and business life in Edmonton. They'll be honoured at an event on April 23.
• NAIT's 2026 Celebrates award recipients include two in the field of dental technology and two working to improve outcomes for underserved communities. Celebrated dental technologist Daniel W. Yeung received the Distinguished Friend of the Institute Award, while digital dentistry specialist Seth Potter won the Spirit of NAIT Alumni Award. Ashaman Rabo received the Alumni Award of Excellence for her work improving water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions in East Africa, and Patrick Twinn received the same award for his work in Indigenous advocacy, community service, and leadership.
• NAIT published its quarterly community roundup for Q1 2026, recognizing alumni and staff achievements. The school shone a spotlight on a Dow Western Canada Technical Excellence Award for the Applied Research team's microplastics study of the North Saskatchewan River and the appointment of Mark Kay of Iron Fit Personal Training to the St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce.
• Translational Research in Oncology was named among Canada's top small and medium employers by Mediacorp Canada in its 13th annual ranking.
• The Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute has added Veer Gidwaney and Peter Tertzakian to its board of directors. Gidwaney is a three-time entrepreneur whose most recent company, Ansel Health, was acquired in 2025; Tertzakian is the founder of Studio.Energy.
• A University of Alberta study found that the cerebellum — a brain region traditionally linked to balance and movement — also plays an active role in reading and spelling. Researchers scanned 33 adults performing spelling tasks and found strong connectivity between the cerebellum and the brain's language regions. The findings could help improve dyslexia research and literacy therapies, said professor Jacqueline Cummine of the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.

Social innovation

• Hexagon Wellness and NorQuest College's Colbourne Institute for Inclusive Leadership published a study measuring housing security among African, Caribbean, and Black youth in Edmonton, finding that women and 2SLGBTQIA+ respondents reported significantly lower scores than men. Notably, Black youth who had been in Canada longer tended to have lower housing security scores — a finding researchers said was surprising and warrants further study. "I thought that was an interesting determinant of health and approach," Brooke Leifso of the Colbourne Institute told Taproot. "(It's) something that needs to be looked at."
• The Elizabeth Fry Society of Northern Alberta closed its Community of Hope Emergency Shelter in northeast Edmonton, eliminating nearly 100 shelter spaces. The City of Edmonton declined to extend the lease for the temporary site at 504 Belvedere Way NW, which the city said was never intended for long-term use and is now on sale for development. The society confirmed that clients were transitioned before the closure and that it is seeking a new site, with assistance from the city for new permits. The shelter served more than 3,400 people since April 2024.
• MacEwan University's Social Innovation Institute is seeking equity-deserving entrepreneurs — including immigrants, Indigenous entrepreneurs, women, and people with disabilities — to participate in hour-long listening sessions for a research study on inclusive entrepreneurship.
• IslamicFamily is hiring a part-time communications assistant to create content for social media, newsletters, and video, sharing stories from youth, families, newcomers, and staff.
• Members of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association Edmonton have launched an anti-racism project called Sama-Sama: our stories, our visions. Sama-Sama brings together voices from Alberta's Filipino community, exploring migration, identity, and discrimination through art and short video reels. "Our stories are important," Ryan Lacanilao told CBC Edmonton's Radio Active. "The stories of people who are newcomers here, the stories of people who are racialized and their experiences here — they were able to tell the stories on their own terms." The art is up until April 30 at the Mill Woods branch of Edmonton Public Library, which will also host a video launch on April 19.
• Project Adult Literacy Society has launched an inaugural young adult cohort, offering reading, writing, and math training to peopled aged 18 to 25. Executive director Monica Das said learners who don't receive adequate support can hit a wall that deters them from learning."There are quite a few learners who might fall behind and need that extra support," she told CBC Edmonton's Radio Active. "This can lead to frustration, low self-esteem, lack of confidence, and eventually dropping out of the school."
• Taylor Cheung of the YMCA of Northern Alberta highlighted the organization's financial assistance program for summer day camps, describing the support available to families who struggle to afford the cost of summer programming for their children. "We really want to reduce any barriers that may exist for families interested in camps," Cheung told CBC Edmonton's Radio Active. "Whether those are financial barriers, technology barriers, or even language barriers."
• Sea Change Brewing Co. is bringing back the Man Crush mandarin ale in support of the Winnifred Stewart Association and the Joey Moss Memorial Fund. Both recipients support people of diverse abilities, particularly in employment, with the latter named for the beloved figure known for advocacy and work with the Edmonton Oilers and the Edmonton Elks. Sea Change has raised more than $47,000 for Winnifred Stewart and the Moss fund since 2024.

More health news

• The Alberta government introduced Bill 29, which would allow Albertans to pay out of pocket for private diagnostic testing without a doctor's referral. Primary and Preventative Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange said the legislation would free up the public system and give Albertans more control over their health, though doctors have previously warned of potential shortages and unnecessary testing.
• The Alberta government announced $22 million in funding for school security upgrades and staff emergency training. The move comes after the February school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, BC. School boards will receive funds based on student enrolment for cameras and window coverings, with $2 million specifically for staff training.
• United Nurses of Alberta called on the provincial government to strengthen safety measures in hospitals following the stabbing at the Royal Alexandra Hospital emergency room.
• Physician Kathryn Andrusky argues that Alberta's proposed MAID legislation focuses too narrowly on eligibility while restricting patient access. Under the proposed framework, physicians would be prohibited from referring patients to MAID services outside Alberta — a shift that would place the burden of navigating care on seriously ill patients.
• The Globe and Mail published an explainer on Alberta's healthcare procurement controversy, examining the people, companies, and government agencies involved in the Alberta Health and Alberta Health Services story.
• Former Alberta Health Services CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos is seeking contempt findings and restraining orders against podcasters James Di Fiore and David Wallace, alleging they "assaulted, maligned, intimidated, punished, harassed, and defamed" her.
• Students at the University of Alberta urged the province not to pass Bill 48, which would expand online betting and gambling privatization, citing concerns about the mental health impacts of increased gambling advertising.
• Short-term disability absences lead to $21.9 million in overtime and 518,000 lost working hours in 2025, according to an audit of the city's Abilities Management Program. Mental health-related claims rose roughly 25% since the pandemic, and auditors concluded the city only "partially" met its disability management objectives, citing documentation gaps and consultants managing roughly double the recommended caseload. Still, the report concluded short-term disability accounted for only 0.5% of total work hours and 0.2% of payroll.
• CBC Edmonton AM health and medical columnist Raj Bhardwaj shared tips on managing seasonal allergies, which affect one in five Canadians. He advises people with seasonal allergies to start taking allergy meds now rather than wait for the spring bloom, to shower before bed, to rinse their nasal cavities, and to avoid "first-generation" antihistamines like Benadryl. Bhardwaj said allergy season is getting longer, in part due to climate change.
• Sturgeon County council approved a $25,000 investment in a new public notification system following one of 52 recommendations from the review of the 2025 Redwater Recreation Area wildfire. Residents will need to sign up to receive alerts by phone, text, or email, and the system is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2026.

Happenings

Here are some events coming up over the next seven days:

• April 15: A Taste for Life at various locations
• April 15: Edmonton Death Café starting at 6:30pm at Felice Cafe
• April 15-16: Alberta Health & Safety Conference at Edmonton Convention Centre
• April 17-18: Inclusion Alberta Family Conference at Fantasyland Hotel
• April 18: Edmonton Death Café – South Side Gathering starting at 1pm at Square 1 Coffee (Windsor)
• April 18: The Art of Consent: A Watercolour Experience starting at 1pm at Arcadia Brewing Co.
• April 20: Reading Between the Barcode Lines starting at 5pm at Magpie Books

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• April 29: Invest In Alberta's Continuing Care Think Tank at Fairmont Hotel Macdonald
• May 2: Families Facing Diabetes Conference at Chateau Louis Hotel & Conference Centre
• May 2-10: natIgnite at University of Alberta (Donadeo Innovation Centre For Engineering)

Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.