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The Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec invest close to $21.5 million in public transit in Sherbrooke

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SHERBROOKE, QC, Feb. 19, 2024 /CNW/ – Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Transport and Quebec Lieutenant, and Geneviève Guilbault, Deputy Premier and Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, announce an investment of $21,445,679 to modernize the Société de transport de Sherbrooke (STS) and electrify its vehicles. The governments of Quebec and Canada are investing $12,482,553 and $8,963,126 respectively.

For the occasion, the ministers were accompanied by Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, MNA Élisabeth Brière, MNA for Saint-François Geneviève Hébert, MNA for Richmond André Bachand, Sherbrooke Mayor Évelyne Beaudin and STS President Laure Letarte-Lavoie. The projects funded will benefit the community by providing residents with a modern, efficient public transit network.

Firstly, more than $18.6 million will support the electrification of the STS operations centre. This sum also covers the expansion of the main building, the installation of a new electric entrance, and the acquisition and commissioning of charging stations for the 40 future 100% electric buses. These vehicles come from the contract announced on May 8, 2023 for the acquisition of 1229 electric city buses from Nova Bus.

In addition, $2.8 million is being invested to improve the customer experience. More specifically, boarding will be made easier and faster thanks to 140 new validators capable of accepting payment by credit card and QR code, which will be installed on the front and rear of all vehicles. The STS will also acquire 120 validators for paratransit to replace its token payment system and simplify fare management. Finally, passengers will be able to use Wi-Fi on board buses thanks to the acquisition and installation of a 5G/LTE modem communication system.

These projects will improve the capacity, quality and safety of the City of Sherbrooke’s existing public transit network, while helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and thus combat climate change.

This investment in public transit will help make this community more inclusive and enhances the quality of life for users of these services by making it easier for them to get around.

Quotes

“When we invest in public transit, we’re not only fighting climate change, we’re also investing in the well-being of local residents. Like the people of Sherbrooke, who will soon have access to a more modern, reliable and efficient bus service. We continue to deliver for Quebecers through investments that will make a real difference to their everyday lives.”

The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Transport and Quebec Lieutenant, on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

“This is further proof that our government is massively supporting public transit in our regions. By offering direct benefits such as a 100% electric service adapted to the reality of its users, we are investing in improved services and quality of life for Quebecers.”

Geneviève Guilbault, Deputy Premier of Quebec and Minister of Transports and Sustainable Mobility

“Today’s investment in the city of Sherbrooke’s public transit system is a promise of efficient, convenient travel throughout the city, and an opportunity to contribute to the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of National Revenue and Member of Parliament for Compton—Stanstead

“In Sherbrooke, 53% of greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation. So we need to work on moving away from the single-occupant car and towards active and public transportation. Today’s investment will not only support the Société de transport de Sherbrooke in its efforts to completely electrify its bus fleet, but will also enable it to offer a more efficient and reliable service to the population. By modernizing our public transit infrastructure, we’re making it easier and more convenient for residents to choose environmentally-friendly means of getting around.”

Élisabeth Brière, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Member of Parliament for Sherbrooke

“This investment shows our commitment to developing sustainable mobility initiatives throughout Quebec, including in Sherbrooke. The STS will be able to significantly improve both the experience and its energy performance. Together, we’re building an efficient transportation network, where quality of service and respect for the environment go hand in hand.”

Geneviève Hébert, Member of National Assembly for Saint-François

“Like us, many organizations in our region have great ambitions when it comes to electrification. Sometimes, all that’s needed is financial leverage to turn words into deeds, and I’m delighted that we can help modernize the STS operations centre, install charging stations inside the garage to accommodate the new electric vehicles, and enhance the user experience.”

André Bachand, Member of National Assembly for Richmond

“The development of sustainable mobility is one of my administration’s priorities. With this major financial support for five projects, our government partners are backing the STS’s energy transition and making it easier for the entire Sherbrooke community to get around. All the members of the municipal council welcome these investments in our public transit system with great appreciation.”

Évelyne Beaudin, Mayor of Sherbrooke

” The Société de transport de Sherbrooke is very grateful for the support offered today by the governments of Canada and Quebec. In addition to the technological advances they will enable, these investments will help us deploy a public transit network that meets our ambitions, is accessible and innovative, and is in line with our strategic objectives. The entire population of Sherbrooke will benefit from these projects.”

Laure Letarte-Lavoie, President of the Société de transport de Sherbrooke

Quick Facts

The amounts break down as follows :The Government of Quebec is investing $12,482,553 through the Programme d’aide gouvernementale aux infrastructures de transport collectif;The Government of Canada is investing $8,963,126 through the same program. These funds come from the Public Transit component of the Integrated Bilateral Agreement Canada – Quebec for the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.The Société de transport de Sherbrooke is contributing $1,579,322.The Public Transit Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program supports the building, expansion, and upgrading of urban and rural transit networks.Investments in public transit help Canadians get where they need to be, create new manufacturing and construction jobs, reduce pollution, and make life more affordable.Including today’s announcement, 26 infrastructure projects or project bundles under the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream have been announced in Quebec, with a total federal contribution of more than $2.8 billion and a total provincial contribution of more than $5.4 billion.Today’s funding brings the Quebec government’s support for the STS to approximately $115.2 million since 2019. This amount includes:Up to 40 electric buses from the contract to acquire up to 1229 electric city buses from Novabus announced on May 8, 2023;$4.7 million from the one-time $400-million budget envelope allocated to public transit organizations to support the recovery of their services hard hit by health measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic.The federal government is investing $14.9 billion over the next eight years in reliable, fast, affordable, and clean public transit. This funding includes $3 billion per year in permanent, predictable federal public transit funding which will be available to support transit solutions beginning in 2026-27.

Associated Links

Backgrounder : The Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec invest close to $21.5 million in public transit in Sherbrooke

Investing in Canada: Canada’s Long-Term Infrastructure Plan
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/icp-publication-pic-eng.html

Public Transit Infrastructure Stream
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/pti-itc-eng.html 

Federal infrastructure investments in Quebec
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/prog-proj-qc-eng.html

Strengthened Climate Plan
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/climate-plan-overview.html 

Programme d’aide gouvernementale aux infrastructures de transport collectif
https://www.transports.gouv.qc.ca/fr/aide-finan/transport-collectif/PAGITC/Pages/PAGITC.aspx 

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Vivalink Recognized with 2024 Global Healthcare IT Solutions Award by Frost & Sullivan

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Vivalink honored for enabling technology leadership with its innovative remote patient monitoring solutions

CAMPBELL, Calif., Jan. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Vivalink, a leading provider of digital healthcare solutions, receives Frost & Sullivan’s 2024 Global Healthcare IT Solutions Enabling Technology Leadership Award. This distinction highlights Vivalink as a leader in the global remote patient monitoring (RPM) market for worldwide clinical applications of hospital-at-home, cardiac monitoring and clinical trials.

Frost & Sullivan’s Enabling Technology Leadership Award recognizes companies that apply their technology in new ways to improve existing products and services and elevate the customer experience. Its primary criteria includes Vivalink’s leveraging of technology to improve efficiency, application diversity and creativity, as well as its customer impact through performance, customer experience and brand equity.

Vivalink’s medical-grade wearable technology enables providers to deliver patient-centered care for hospital-at-home services, ambulatory cardiac monitoring, and remote clinical trials. Unlike traditional RPM systems, Vivalink offers continuous, real-time monitoring for a variety of specialties, including cardiology, oncology and neurology, while supporting chronic condition management, early interventions, and specialized applications.

“Frost & Sullivan commends Vivalink for its strategic focus on addressing critical unmet needs and limitations within traditional remote patient monitoring systems, thus accelerating its leadership in the increasingly competitive space,” said Dr. Rishi Pathak, research director at Frost & Sullivan. “With its flexible, versatile, and scalable Biometrics Data Platform and unique business model, the company strategically positions its platform as a convenient, cost-effective, and advanced solution, helping Vivalink capture significant market share.”

This award highlights Vivalink’s commitment to innovation, creativity, and ability to launch new solutions with far-reaching impact and application. Through its evolving solutions, Vivlink enables the integration of RPM technologies for modern healthcare delivery and optimized patient care.

“It is an honor to be recognized as a global leader of health IT solutions, highlighting our commitment to providing informed, continuous data that drives modern healthcare delivery models,” said Jiang Li, PhD and CEO of Vivalink.

For a copy of the detailed award write-up, see: www.vivalink.com/HealthIT_Award

About Vivalink
Vivalink is a provider of digital healthcare solutions for remote patient monitoring in healthcare and clinical trials. By combining medical wearables, advanced algorithms, and clinical applications, we provide a more effective and accessible approach to patient care worldwide.

About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan is the Growth Pipeline Company™. We power our clients to a future shaped by growth. Our Growth Pipeline as a ServiceTM provides the CEO and the CEO’s growth team with a continuous and rigorous platform of growth opportunities, ensuring long-term success. To achieve positive outcomes, our team leverages over 60 years of experience, coaching organizations of all types and sizes across 6 continents with our proven best practices. To power your Growth Pipeline future, visit Frost & Sullivan at http://www.frost.com.

Media Contact:
pr@vivalink.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vivalink-recognized-with-2024-global-healthcare-it-solutions-award-by-frost–sullivan-302347191.html

SOURCE Vivalink

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IDEMIA Awarded 10-Year Blanket Purchase Agreement from the General Services Administration for Next-Generation Identity Proofing for Login.Gov

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IDEMIA offers trusted identity proofing and verification platforms backed by decades-long history of partnership with government agencies.

RESTON, Va., Jan. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — IDEMIA Public Security North America, a leader in identity security and authentication services, has been awarded a 10-year blanket purchase agreement (BPA) worth up to $194.5 million from the General Services Administration (GSA) for its identity proofing capabilities. IDEMIA is one of 8 technology providers selected by GSA to accelerate the deployment of next-generation identity proofing technologies for Login.gov, a secure sign-in platform used by the public to create a single digital account that can be used to access multiple federal, state and local government agency sites.

After a rigorous qualification process by GSA, IDEMIA was selected for its robust and trusted identity proofing and verification technology, designed to ensure that individuals are who they say they are and prevent identity-related fraud, and its long-standing history of more than 60 years serving government agencies. IDEMIA’s Identity and Verification (ID&V) solution incorporates document authentication technology with comprehensive checks, such as digital tampering detection, document identification, font anomaly detection, liveness detection, and face capture. It complies with the highest security standards and is certified by the Kantara Initiative as compliant with NIST SP 800-63 rev. 3 Component Service at Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2).

IDEMIA’s identity proofing technology supports both active and passive facial liveness detection during authentication to ensure the person behind the camera is an actual individual. This technology has been awarded Level 1 and Level 2 compliance by iBeta in accordance with the ISO/IEC 30107-3 standards and most recently the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Department (DHS S&T). In addition, IDEMIA has incorporated accessibility and usability design feedback from Applause, a world leader in testing and digital quality, to ensure that IDEMIA’s identity proofing technology conforms with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

“We look forward to serving GSA as a committed technology partner, supporting their digital transformation efforts to improve identity verification and customer experience of Login.gov, which is accessed by millions of users,” shared Donnie Scott, CEO, IDEMIA Public Security North America.

IDEMIA’s ID&V solutions are trusted by public and private organizations across the globe. It serves as the backbone of IDEMIA’s Mobile ID issuance technology, which has been rolled out in New York, Arizona, Delaware, Iowa, and Mississippi, with more states to launch in the coming months.

To learn more about IDEMIA’s Identity and Verification solutions, click here.

About IDEMIA Public Security North America
IDEMIA Public Security North America is a leader in identity security and authentication services to governments and private companies operating in North America. Our mission is to Unlock the World, Make It Safer – helping people access what matters most, more quickly, more safely, and more securely, in both the physical and the digital worlds. Our best-in-class technology helps to authenticate and secure physical and digital transactions. IDEMIA is recognized by the National Institute of Standards (NIST) as a top-ranking participant in the Institute’s passenger facilitation simulation testing as well as in its regular Biometrics Technology Evaluations rankings, reinforcing the trustworthiness and reliability of IDEMIA’s facial recognition solutions for government and consumers alike.  

Learn more at www.na.idemia.com / Follow @Idemia_NA on Twitter and on LinkedIn.

Media contact:  
Genevieve de Vera
IDEMIA Public Security North America
(978) 808-7047
genevieve.devera@us.idemia.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/idemia-awarded-10-year-blanket-purchase-agreement-from-the-general-services-administration-for-next-generation-identity-proofing-for-logingov-302347160.html

SOURCE IDEMIA Identity & Security USA LLC

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Topaz Labs to Expand Addison, TX Headquarters from 7,000 to 27,000 Square Feet; Add 130 High-Tech Jobs

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The Town of Addison secures Topaz Labs with a $200,000 grant to build amenities and collaborative spaces for a new office.

ADDISON, Texas, Jan. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Topaz Labs, the leading provider of AI-powered photo and video enhancement technology, and the Town of Addison announce an award of a $200,000 Amenities and Collaboration Grant to Topaz Labs to support the expansion of its headquarters, nearly tripling its current size.

” Topaz Labs is exactly the kind of company we love to see grow here in Addison,” said Wayne Emerson, Director of Economic Development at the Town of Addison. Their innovative work in AI and commitment to the Town make them the perfect partner.

The company will lease 28,208 square feet of office space — up from their current 7,000 square feet and expects to invest at least $2.5 million to customize the space with innovation labs and collaborative workspaces for staff. Topaz Labs will become the sole office tenant at Building 900, the newest building in Village on the Parkway, a vibrant mixed-use destination offering premier shopping, dining, and entertainment experiences.

As AI continues to be a booming industry nationally and locally in DFW, Topaz Labs expects to add 130 high-tech jobs by the end of 2027, further contributing to Addison’s reputation as a hub for innovation and technology.

” Topaz Labs is exactly the kind of company we love to see grow here in Addison,” said Wayne Emerson, Director of Economic Development at the Town of Addison. Their innovative work in AI and commitment to the Town make them the perfect partner. We’re also thrilled for their employees, who will enjoy working in a brand-new, highly amenitized building surrounded by great restaurants, entertainment options, and walkable amenities at Village on the Parkway.”

” We’re so excited for the future of Topaz Labs in Addison,” said Eric Yang, CEO at Topaz Labs. “We sought a vibrant, safe, and energetic community with like-minded professionals doing their best work. We’ve found all of that in Addison.”

” This transformative lease aligns seamlessly with Topaz Labs’ rapid growth in the AI industry, as well as our partnership with the Town of Addison. We are honored to have represented them in securing this exceptional space for their headquarters,’ said Nick Lee, President – Office Division and Principal at NAI.

Topaz Labs will begin occupying its new office space in May of 2025.

About Addison

Addison, Texas, is the Address for Success—a vibrant 4.4-square-mile urban hub offering over 200 restaurants, 22 hotels, 12 million square feet of office space, and upscale residential options. Home to Addison Airport, one of the busiest general aviation airports in Texas, and providing prime access to a diverse and highly skilled workforce, Addison is a strategic location for businesses to thrive. Addison is a premier destination in North Texas, known for its world-class special events and exceptional amenities. Learn more at http://www.addisoned.com/

About Topaz Labs

Topaz Labs is the innovator in AI image and video enhancement software for enterprise-scale and professional videographers, cinematographers, post-production specialists, and consumer photographers alike to improve images and video at a speed and scale never before seen. Topaz Labs allows users to upscale, sharpen, and remove noise from blurry or otherwise imperfect images and videos. The company has 1.5 million customers worldwide. For more information, please visit www.topazlabs.com.

About NAI

NAI Robert Lynn, established in 1962, is a leading commercial real estate firm specializing in Dallas/Fort Worth. With a comprehensive range of services—including office, retail, industrial, property management, capital markets, corporate services, site selection, land, and consulting— the firm combines local expertise with global reach to deliver tailored solutions for clients. Their deep-rooted presence and proactive market approach have solidified their reputation as industry leaders. For more information, please visit www.nairl.com.

Media Contact

Wayne Emerson, Town of Addison, 1 9724507076, wemerson@addisontx.gov, addisoned.com

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/topaz-labs-to-expand-addison-tx-headquarters-from-7-000-to-27-000-square-feet-add-130-high-tech-jobs-302346695.html

SOURCE Town of Addison

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