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Piera Systems Selected by the Province of Ontario for its “Vape Detectors and Building Safety Initiative”

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Piera’s intelligent particle sensors with AI identify sources of indoor pollutants including vape, smoke

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Oct. 2, 2024 /CNW/ – Piera Systems Inc., today announces its Canāree IX6 Vape Detector with Noise Monitoring has been selected as a Vendor of Record (VOR) by Supply Ontario, for the Province of Ontario’s Initiative to reduce vaping in school buildings and other public spaces. 

Student vaping continues to grow with 13.4% of middle and high school students that vape daily (source: Ontario CAMH OSDUHS 2023 study).  While vaping can be less harmful than smoking, many vapes have much higher nicotine levels leading to lower impulse control, mood disorders, disrupting attention and learning, increasing the risk of future addiction to other drugs.

The Province of Ontario’s “Vape Detectors and Building Safety Initiative” provides funding to install vape detectors with noise monitoring to identify vaping and smoking incidents in seconds, alert school officials with location, time and duration information.  Simultaneously, sound level sensors identify loud, sustained noises indicating activities that require school staff attention. Sensors do not record sound or video ensuring privacy.

Canāree can also integrate to available video security systems, where location and time data can be used to determine if individuals or repeat offenders can be identified.  In addition, signage will indicate vape and smoke free zones so students can know when monitoring is in effect.  Devices are installed in tamper-proof locations and their status monitored continuously.

“Indoor air pollution has a significant impact on human health and productivity and our unique ability to identify vape and smoke accurately and quickly at an affordable cost was a key reason for our selection for this initiative,” said Vin Ratford, CEO of Piera Systems. “We are honoured to be selected as a supplier and applaud the provincial government for allocating funding to reduce indoor vaping, smoking, and the health impacts caused by secondhand smoke.”

Funding is available immediately to Ontario Public Service ministries including all Ontario schools. The deployment process will begin once vendors are selected by individual school districts. Additionally, other non-OPS entities, including public libraries, hospitals, universities, schools, etc. may choose to use the VOR. 

Canāree monitors are currently deployed worldwide in schools, hospitals, hotels, commercial and residential spaces to monitor air quality, classify pollutants, and provide alerts on vaping and smoking activity delivering significant health benefits. 

The Canāree Platform

The Canāree IX6 Vape Detector with Noise Monitoring is based on Piera System’s Canāree IX platform of AI-based intelligent Indoor Environment Monitors (IEM) that detect various gases and particulate aerosols in real-time, capable of identifying sources of pollution as well as providing feedback on mitigation steps to clean the air, reduce health risks, and other environmental factors that affect inhabitants like vape and smoke.

The base Canāree IX model, the IX6, includes as standard, Piera Systems’ own intelligent particle sensor, the IPS7100, volatile organic compounds (VOC), temperature, relative humidity, pressure, and noise sensors. The IX can be customized to include additional sensors such as CO2 (NDIR-based), CO, NO2, SO2, O2, O3, ammonia, and vibration detectors.

All Canāree models collect real-time air quality data locally and send that data to Piera’s SenseiAQ cloud for remote monitoring, analysis and alerting. SenseiAQ then displays the data on a dashboard including Air Quality Index (AQI) scores, color-coded to EPA/EEEC standards along with vape/smoke/AQ alerts. APIs are available to support third-party integrations such as video security systems, air quality management systems (AQMS), building management systems (BMS) and IoT device management.

Canāree was selected as a finalist in the AI/Machine Learning category of the 2024 Best of Sensors Awards for “Classifying Pollutants Using Industry’s Most Accurate Low-cost PM Sensor.”  The awards program presented by Sensors Converge and Fierce Electronics honors the best in sensor technologies and the sensor ecosystem, people and companies.

About Piera Systems, Inc.

Piera Systems Inc. (Mississauga, ON) mission is to make air quality measurement as accurate, simple, and pervasive as temperature, enabling a major improvement in the health of all humans. The IPS family of intelligent particulate matter sensors uses a custom, patented particle-counting microchip to determine particulate matter’s size, count, and mass. Then, by utilizing AI/ML techniques, Piera can identify pollution sources such as vape, smoke, cooking, construction dust, and more, either at the edge or in the cloud. Our SenseiAQ air quality monitoring platform monitors and alerts users to poor air quality and pollution events.

Headquartered in Canada, more information on Piera Systems’ air quality solutions can be found at https://www.pierasystems.com

About Supply Ontario

Supply Ontario is a crown operational agency of the Ontario government that leads and manages procurement-related work on behalf of the Ontario government. Its mandate is to strengthen supply chain management and procurement across the public sector, ensuring that Ontario ministries, provincial agencies, and broader public services such as hospitals, school boards, children’s aid societies, and more have access to high-quality, timely, reliable products at the best value.  The Vape Detectors and Building Safety Provisions (Tender 19788) will be used by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement Service – Ontario and includes:

Vape Detectors (includes installation and maintenance services and related accessories)Building Safety Provisions of safety lighting, security cameras, motion sensors and signage (includes installation and maintenance services and related accessories as needed)

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/piera-systems-selected-by-the-province-of-ontario-for-its-vape-detectors-and-building-safety-initiative-302265859.html

SOURCE Piera Systems Inc.

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Loto-Québec joins forces with the Université de Sherbrooke to secure the digital future

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MONTRÉAL, Oct. 2, 2024 /CNW/ – Loto-Québec is proud to announce its support for the Université de Sherbrooke’s cybersecurity expertise centre. Intact Financial Corporation and Sherweb, along with several university specialists, participate in this centre, which is a significant step in the fight against increasing cyberthreats.

With the pivotal role digital technology plays in our lives and the unprecedented speed at which information moves, cybersecurity has become a top priority for all major organizations. Since integrity sits at the core of its operations, Loto-Québec contributes to digital security research by supporting the creation of the Research Chair in Post-Quantum Cybersecurity.

“We’re very proud to collaborate with the Université de Sherbrooke in this leading-edge project. I’m especially sensitive to the challenges and viewpoints of the digital industry, having worked in the field of information technology in the past. For Loto-Québec, this partnership is a tangible way of supporting research to find solutions to cyberthreats, particularly those that arise from progress in quantum computing,” says Jean-François Bergeron, President and Chief Executive Officer at Loto-Québec.

Professor Marc Frappier, a renowned cybersecurity expert, leads the expertise centre, which will play a vital role in developing new approaches to protecting Québec companies, public or private, against current and future threats. Its work will directly benefit many companies and society in general.

Source and for more information:

Renaud Dugas
Spokesperson and Media Relations Director
Loto-Québec
renaud.dugas@loto-quebec.com

SOURCE Loto-Québec

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C4G Sales Professional Enrichment Podcast: Your Key to Daily Growth

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TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — C4G is excited to announce the upcoming launch of the C4G Sales Professional Enrichment Podcast, hosted by the esteemed John Kailunas II. This innovative podcast is dedicated to helping sales professionals enhance their skills and grow both personally and professionally. The series launched on October 2nd, 2024, with new episodes released every Wednesday.

The C4G Sales Professional Enrichment Podcast aims to provide listeners with practical insights across a broad range of topics essential to achieving peak performance in sales. Each episode will cover subjects including:

Prospecting techniquesEffective team buildingClient event planningStrategic exit planningFamily and community leadership

In addition to these topics, John Kailunas II will delve into many other subjects that impact the performance of sales professionals, offering valuable strategies and real-world applications.

Each session is designed to be concise yet impactful, running approximately 40 minutes, allowing busy professionals to easily integrate personal development into their daily routines. Listeners can access the podcast on major platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, and other leading audio services.

“We believe that continuous learning is essential for success in sales,” said Kailunas. “Our goal with the C4G Sales Professional Enrichment Podcast is to provide actionable insights and inspiration that empower sales professionals to improve each day.”

Join Us on This Journey

Tune in to the C4G Sales Professional Enrichment Podcast and discover a wealth of knowledge that can transform your career and enhance your personal growth.

For more information about the podcast, please visit www.catalyst4growth.org or follow us on social media.

About C4G

C4G is committed to enriching the lives of sales professionals through innovative training, resources, and community support. Our mission is to empower individuals and organizations to reach their full potential by fostering continuous improvement and personal growth.

For more information, press only:
Samantha Kronemeyer

info@catalyst4growth.org 

For more information about the podcast:
www.catalyst4growth.org 

Contact:
John A Kailunas II
Catalyst4Growth
info@catalyst4growth.org 
616-822-8594

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/c4g-sales-professional-enrichment-podcast-your-key-to-daily-growth-302266046.html

SOURCE Catalyst4Growth

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Canada and Nova Scotia Announce Major Investment in Wildfire Equipment and Enhance Wildfire Resilience

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HALIFAX, NS, Oct. 2, 2024 /CNW/ – With wildfires increasing in frequency and severity across Canada — impacting our health, economies, communities and wildlife — the Governments of Canada and Nova Scotia are supporting Canadians and Nova Scotians whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by wildfires.

Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, with the Honourable Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables, announced a joint investment of nearly $30 million over five years under the Government of Canada’s Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate Program (FMWCC) – Equipment Fund and the Resilient Communities through FireSmart (RCF) Program.

A joint investment of $25.6 million through the FMWCC – Equipment Fund is supporting Nova Scotia’s efforts to purchase wildfire firefighting equipment such as helicopters, fire trucks, communication vehicles, incident command trailers, weather monitoring stations, technology upgrades, personal protective equipment and more. This investment increases Nova Scotia’s response capacity by buying and upgrading specialized firefighting equipment and training more personnel to support surge capacity needs. This investment will further enhance safety for communities and firefighters and improve wildfire resource sharing across Canada.

This funding also builds on last year’s contribution of $169,292 to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) to deliver wildfire firefighter training to Indigenous participants from several Mi’kmaq communities throughout Nova Scotia. The contribution came from Natural Resource Canada’s (NRCan) FMWCC – Training Fund, which provides support primarily to Indigenous communities and organizations to train firefighters and increase NRCan’s understanding of the needs and barriers in this space. Staff from the CIFFC and the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables have delivered this training to 21 Mi’kmaw firefighters in 2023.

Through the RCF Program, Nova Scotia and NRCan will invest up to $3.9 million over five years aimed at preparing for wildfires, reducing risks before they occur and expanding the adoption of FireSmart principles and practices in Nova Scotia. With this funding, Nova Scotia will deliver educational and awareness activities related to wildfire prevention and community-based risk reduction. Nova Scotia is also using the funding to increase capacity to conduct wildfire risk assessments and develop tools to support wildfire prevention and mitigation. This initial investment is part of a series of joint investments aimed at supporting provincial and territorial efforts to advance FireSmart principles and practices to prevent wildfires and mitigate their impacts.

While reinforcing our country’s ability to respond to wildfires when they occur is essential, proactive investment will also help reduce risks before a wildfire happens. The federal government has invested in both areas by supporting fire agencies across the country to better prepare for and respond to wildfires and by implementing community-level measures to prevent and reduce the impacts of wildfires.

Keeping Canadians safe and healthy is a top priority for the Governments of Canada and Nova Scotia. By working with provinces, territories, Indigenous communities and international allies, the federal government continues to address and support the fight against wildfires to protect Canadian lives, as well as the health, safety, homes and livelihoods of our communities across the country.

Quotes

“The Government of Canada is providing provinces, territories and partners with the support they need to address the challenges posed by wildfires. Today’s announcement with the Government of Nova Scotia highlights our commitment to working together to mitigate and respond to wildfires through the FMWCC Program and the promotion of FireSmart Canada as a national program. Through tangible and fast-flowing funding, the Government of Canada is helping for future challenges and longer, more intense wildfire seasons.”

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

“We had our worst wildfire season in recorded history last year, and we don’t want to ever see that kind of devastation again. We know that wildfire is one of our top climate change risks, and we’re taking action to both prevent and prepare for them. Through agreements with our federal partners, we’re investing in equipment — including replacing our fleet of four helicopter water bombers — and we’re stepping up our prevention measures to help keep our people and our communities safe.”

The Honourable Tory Rushton
Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables.

Quick Facts

The FMWCC – Equipment Fund was launched in 2022 to proactively invest in and support provincial and territorial fire agencies’ efforts in strengthening fire management capacities and capabilities across the country. By facilitating the purchase of firefighting equipment, such as fire crew trucks and personal protective equipment, the fund aims to increase capacity to respond to wildfires.Under Natural Resources Canada’s FMWCC – Equipment Fund, provinces and territories must cost-share investments with the Government of Canada for equipment, such as vehicles, mobile units, avionics upgrades (parts), hoses, pumps and enhanced communications equipment, and for the repair of aging equipment and training.The FMWCC – Training Fund is providing $28 million over five years, starting in 2022–23, to train 1,000 firefighters and incorporate traditional knowledge in fire management. The fund includes a two-year Wildfire Training Pilot that ended in 2023–24 valued at $8.2 million, resulting in a total of 10 projects that mainly supported Indigenous organizations and communities. Over the next three years, starting in 2024–25, the Wildfire Training Fund has $16.8 million available to support successful applicants under the Call for Applications, which ended in February 2024.FireSmart Canada, a national program within the CIFFC, empowers Canadians to increase neighborhood resilience to wildfires and minimize their negative impacts. It offers resources, programs and recommendations designed to help individuals, landscape planners, forest managers and others protect homes and communities from wildfires.Visit Canada.ca/wildfires for a complete list of links to various federal supports for individuals impacted by wildfires.

Related products

Canadian Wildland Fire Information System: Monthly and Seasonal ForecastsCanadian Wildland Fire StrategyFighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate ProgramWildFireSat: Enhancing Canada’s ability to manage wildfiresWildfire Resilient Futures InitiativeWildfires -– Canada.caCanada’s National Adaptation Strategy: Building Resilient Communities and a Strong Economy

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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

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