TOGETHER WITH

Welcome to this week’s Sunday Briefing, brought to you by Switchboard. In this issue, meet the “matriarch of Canadian aquaculture,” learn more about the BCTEN coalition, find out which local firm is developing software for the Apple Vision Pro, and plenty more.

Now, onto today’s briefing. It’s 897 words, a three-minute read.

-James, @jimmermatthews

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$513K for Barnacle Systems

Barnacle Systems has made a $513,000 sale to the Canadian Coast Guard. Through a partnership with Innovative Solutions Canada, 39 of its BRNKL Rapid Deploy units are being installed on hazardous vessels across the country.

These remote monitoring devices are placed on board problem vessels and allow the Canadian Coast Guard to monitor the watercraft from afar, as well as be notified if they begin to sink, if they are impacted by weather conditions, and more. The device offers the Canadian Coast Guard near-real-time status updates and alerts, allowing for faster deployment of marine environmental and hazard response teams to high-priority areas.

“The Government of Canada is taking action to eliminate abandoned vessels from our waters,” said Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard. “By investing in new technologies, we enhance the Canadian Coast Guard's capacity to monitor, manage, and address marine risks, leading to greater protection of waterways today and for the future."

It’s the second time that Barnacle has linked up with a federal organization of late. In May, the company developed a remote monitoring solution in the Arctic for the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces. Barnacle was awarded a contract under the IDEAS initiative in partnership with Virginia-based surveillance tech supplier McQ, and created a unique version of its devices named BRNKL Arctic Deploy.

These projects built off more of the same from 2022 when Barnacle secured federal contracts with the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Special Operations Forces Command, and Defence Research and Development Canada. The company also won the Product Of The Year Award — an audience-voted recognition — at the 2022 Victoria Tech Community Awards.

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🏙️ Community catchup, powered by VIATEC

VIATEC has joined forces with other ecosystem developers across the province to launch the BC Technology Ecosystems Network (BCTEN). The umbrella organization aims to foster better collaboration across its members, supporting entrepreneurs with the pathways and resources to succeed under one hub.

“Whether it's connecting people, helping people find work, or putting on a pretty good variety of workshops or showcase events like Discover Tectoria, the organizations are more than an accelerator,” Dan Gunn, VIATEC CEO and BCTEN’s chair, told Vancouver Tech Journal. “This organization is a way for us to collaborate on our ideas beyond accelerator-like models, and do them better.”

📰 More Victoria innovation news

🚁 In the air: Parksville’s Ascent Helicopters has won a 10-year, $544 million contract to serve as B.C.’s air-ambulance helicopter provider.

🌊 On the water: Meet Linda Sams, sustainable development director for Cermaq Canada, and the “matriarch of Canadian aquaculture.” 

😎 In other realities: Victoria-based LlamaZOO announced the beta release of its digital twin editing software, which creates immersive, real-time replicas of physical assets. It can be experienced on desktops, tablets, VR headsets, and soon, Apple Vision Pro.

We asked — have you used AI to do your writing? For half of you, that’s a big ehn oh. The majority feeling is even that you will never use it. As humans, we at Victoria Tech Journal appreciate the solidarity. But, we still remain curious:

🕴️ Tech jobs of the week

Find your next career:

• Mid to Senior Software Engineer at SingleOps

• Office administration, receiving, shipping at Anchor Marine Electric

• Quality Assurance Engineer at Rooof

Hiring in Victoria? Reply to this email and let us know!

📅 Upcoming events

July 13: “Icebreaker” is a 4-Letter Word: You have a long list of things to do. The idea of devoting even a few minutes of a meeting to an “icebreaker” is an incredibly low priority. But is it? In this fast-paced session, experience a range of activities that are “fun with a purpose.”

July 17: How to Plan for the Use of AI in Enterprise Marketing Teams: Consider whether you should you allow the use of tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, and Microsoft Copilot by your marketing team.

Have an upcoming event? Reply to let us know.

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Email your requests to [email protected].