Last week, Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, and the Member of Parliament for Sherbrooke, Élisabeth Brière, announced an investment of $900,000, or just over €620,000, in BioAlert Solutions throughSDTC. This initial investment will enable the company to further develop its water quality monitoring technology to minimize the risks and costs associated with Legionella contamination of water.
Canada wants to be a global leader in clean technologies and is taking steps to do so. For example, 11 Canadian companies, nine of which were funded by SDTC, have been named to the 2021 Global Cleantech 100 list. The Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne said:
“The time has come to act decisively to fight climate change. Clean technology innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialization are key to making the essential transition to a healthier environment and a carbon neutral economy. Today’s announcement will strengthen our leadership in climate technologies and waste reduction, and help promote a truly Canadian success story.”
In December 2020, the Government of Canada announced a priority for “a healthy environment and a healthy economy,” Canada’s strengthened climate plan, which increased SDTC’s support by $750 million over five years.
SDTC is an arm’s-length federal funding agency and the largest for Canadian clean technology entrepreneurs. It provides support to address environmental challenges such as global warming, clean air, clean water and clean soil. Its support is critical in the hyper-competitive global clean technology market.
Legionella pneumophila bacteria are found in industrial and commercial water systems, cooling towers, jet baths, whirlpools, etc. When this pathogen becomes airborne and is inhaled by humans, they can acquire Legionnaires’ disease, (or Legionellosis), a severe and often fatal form of pneumonia.
BioAlert Solutions has developed an innovative technology to continuously monitor industrial and commercial water systems for the presence of this bacterium to prevent infection. Sherbrooke MP Élisabeth Brière commented:
“I am proud to see that once again, Sherbrooke companies like BioAlert Solutions are helping to put our city and Canada at the forefront of the global clean technology scene. This is what will allow us to have a sustainable future.”
This investment will allow BioAlert Solutions to develop and validate a water treatment performance indicator, improve its automated monitoring platform that detects Legionella contamination in cooling towers. This biodetection system will be used to reduce water consumption, the use of toxic biocides and the risk of illness. BioAlert Solutions CEO and co-founder Etienne Lemieu said:
“The support provided by SDTC allows BioAlert to greatly improve the performance of its system by integrating artificial intelligence into its monitoring and treatment support functions. BioAlert Solutions is confident that its technology can reduce the carbon footprint of cooling systems while improving public health protection.”
The Canadian government plans to continue investing in clean technologies for a stronger, greener, more sustainable economy that creates jobs. Today’s investment will promote economic growth and help Canada protect the environment and human health. Leah Lawrence, President and CEO of Sustainable Development Technology Canada, said:
“Canadian entrepreneurs are propelling the innovation that is leading the way to a more sustainable and prosperous future. Today’s investment will help BioAlert Solutions accelerate the development of its ideas and bring them to market, building on the strong public and private sector momentum in clean technologies.”
Translated from Le gouvernement canadien finance un système de traitement de l’eau basé sur l’intelligence artificielle
