Welcome to this week’s Sunday Briefing. In this issue, read about Origen Air in Forbes, a new CEO for Tiny, and Axolotl as Canadian representation.

Now onto today’s briefing. It’s 865 words: a three-minute read.

-Emily, [email protected]

By the way, if you're not already subscribed, you can fix that here.

Certn is under investigation

The offices of the federal and provincial privacy commissioners announced Tuesday that Victoria-based Certn is under investigation to assess its compliance with the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and provincial Personal Information Protection Act.

Certn provides background check services, including tenant screening services to landlords—this is the area both privacy commissioners are investigating.

“The personal information that is collected on behalf of landlords during the screening of potential tenant applications raises important privacy considerations. Landlords, and the services that they employ, must comply with Canadian privacy laws,” said Philippe Dufresne, Privacy Commissioner of Canada. “This means collecting, using, and disclosing tenants’ personal information appropriately, with consent and sufficiently accurate information, which is important as it may ultimately impact an individual’s ability to find a place to live.”

In a statement shared with media, Certn said that the company is cooperating with investigators.

Certn recently announced a new partnership with Kobalt.io and in March co-founder and CEO Andrew McLeod joined the Canadian Council of Innovators.

📰 More Victoria innovation news

💪 Who runs the world: Origen Air founder and CEO Susan Blanchet was included in Forbes as one of five female founders leading the charge for a sustainable future.

🤝 I’m movin’ out: Victoria holding company Tiny announced a new CEO, Jordan Taub. Taub was most recently CEO of WeCommerce, Tiny’s e-commerce software platform.*

🌎 I’m on top of the world: Victoria’s Axolotl Biosciences was selected for the 2024 BioTools Innovator Program. Axolotl, involved in the 3D printing of human tissue, is one of only two Canadian companies chosen to participate.

*Tiny co-founder Andrew Wilkinson is an owner of Overstory Media Group

🕴️ Tech jobs of the week

Find your next career:

• Business Analyst at EducationPlannerBC

• Accountant at VertiGIS

• Accounts Payable/Office Clerk at ASL Environmental Sciences

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

📅 Upcoming events

June 4-25 | Data Management & Analytics Roadshow 2024

In the ever-evolving landscape of data and analytics, this conference stands as a beacon for industry leaders, professionals, and innovators seeking to navigate the complexities of today’s information age. Discussions will unravel the paramount importance of data governance, efficient data management, and the strategic application of AI.

From understanding strategic frameworks for robust data governance to exploring the ethical implementation of AI, attendees can anticipate gaining actionable perspectives and knowledge essential for navigating the intricacies of the information age.

June 13 | Tech Nachos

​Victoria Tech Nachos… a covert group at the intersection of nachos and technology. A no-speaker, social-only, no-sponsor, nacho-friendly event.

June 15 | Canada Learning Code: Managing Data with SQL

Learning to use and manipulate data from databases is an incredibly valuable skill that you can apply back on the job across many different sectors and types of jobs, and which will add to your value as an employee. Completing this workshop may also spark your interest in pursuing more training for a job focused on data, such as a data analyst.

If you’ve heard about databases, but aren’t sure how to use them, this workshop is designed for you! The workshop will cover query basics, and you’ll practice these transferable skills within the SQLite data base (similar to MySQL) through some fun exercises.

Ongoing | Entry for the Health Terminology and Interoperability Standards Certificate Program

In the Health Terminology and Interoperability Standards Certificate Program (HTIS) offered by the University of Victoria's School of Health Information Science, you will learn about the exciting field of standards and interoperability, critical topics for making healthcare more modern and efficient. Learn how data is represented, exchanged, standardized, and applied to improve our healthcare systems and about the details, challenges, implementations, and acceptance of modern data-driven health information exchange.

Have an upcoming event? Reply to let us know.

🙋 I need a…

We at Victoria Tech Journal know you, our community, pretty well. Are you searching for someone in your field to have coffee with, a hiring hookup, a lead on local investors, or suggestion for a great Victoria tech tool? Whatever you’re hunting for, let us know. We’ll post it in this section and make it happen.

Email your requests to [email protected].

Have something or someone we should know about?

Reply or email [email protected] so we can work together to spotlight the lesser-known stories of Victoria's tech ecosystem.