Latest news with #JimBalsillie
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Jim Balsillie donates $5 million to Wilfrid Laurier University to kick start digital sovereignty
Jim Balsillie, the Canadian businessman and philanthropist, has donated $5 million to Wilfrid Laurier University for the establishment of a digital governance initiative to build economic resilience and digital sovereignty. 'The nature and the structure of the global economy and global security has shifted foundationally in the last 30 years in a degree and rapidity that's unprecedented in mankind,' said Balsillie in an interview. 'And if you want to be a sovereign and secure and prosperous nation, you need the capacity for navigating that on a front-footed basis. So, this investment is all about that.' In a news release, the university in Waterloo, Ont., said Canada needs to 'shape policy and increase productivity amid growing threats to sovereignty and security.' It said the Balsillie donation will go toward setting up a legal advisory centre that tackles international trade and technology governance, and establishing professional training programs and a proposed graduate degree that focuses on 'law, digital sovereignty and global technology governance.' 'This is about building capacity to manage the expertise into these realms that are digital, whether it's AI, data, blockchain currencies, intellectual property, trade agreements, all of these things are the realms that this is contended, and Canada has had an eroding prosperity, it's had an eroding sovereignty because the terrain of protecting and advancing those is the digital realm,' said Balsillie, the former co-CEO of Research in Motion, the company that developed the Blackberry. He said the digital initiative is a 'natural addition' to the school, which is also home to the Balsillie School of International Affairs, a joint project of Laurier, the University of Waterloo and the Centre for International Governance and Innovation. Deborah MacLatchy, the president and vice-chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier, said the funding will 'stand up' the work students and faculty are doing on the topic of the digital future. While figures aren't yet known, the university hopes to add faculty and more students because of the new research and educational initiative. 'We're hearing a lot from companies, from government, about their capacity needs, meaning that they just don't feel that they have all the internal expertise or the up-and-coming expertise of students and grad students who have experience in this area,' said MacLatchy. 'And this gift will really allow us to really take a take a run at this in a way that will be unique across the country.' The hope is that other Canadian universities will eventually follow Laurier's lead, doing more research and education in the area. The issue of digital sovereignty, said Ann Fitz-Gerald, director of the Balsillie School of International Affairs, is 'about taking control of a state or any organization's digital destiny and autonomy.' This includes not just corporate data security or intellectual property or cross-border data transfer but also issues of national security, Fitz-Gerald said. 'There's a big policy shift towards the intangibles from the tangibles, and we need to make sure policymakers worldwide, not just in Canada, have the knowledge and skill sets to operate in this space,' Fitz-Gerald said. So much of what happens in a modern society, from immigration to business to justice, happens in the digital world and is driven by data. And so Balsillie's donation, Fitz-Gerald said, will help position Canada and Wilfrid Laurier and the Waterloo region at the forefront of that economic, social and political revolution. Indeed, as data can be siphoned off by corporate giants to aid foreign economic development, Canada could wind up being a loser unless it builds expertise in digital sovereignty. 'The best way that I have come to be able to explain it is that we have had, for time immemorial, a policy orientation and governance structures that are fit for a tangibles world. We now live in an intangibles world,' said Fitz-Gerald. 'We want to be able to manage its development and have a real … say in its safe and responsible development, and the safety and responsibility relates to the preservation of our sovereignty and national security and prosperity.' 'Fear and gratitude': Iconic photo captures Canada's role in a forgotten war Canada's first evacuation flight leaves Middle East amid Israel-Iran strikes Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
National Post
2 days ago
- Business
- National Post
Jim Balsillie donates $5 million to Wilfrid Laurier University to kick start digital sovereignty
Jim Balsillie, the Canadian businessman and philanthropist, has donated $5 million to Wilfrid Laurier University for the establishment of a digital governance initiative to build economic resilience and digital sovereignty. Article content 'The nature and the structure of the global economy and global security has shifted foundationally in the last 30 years in a degree and rapidity that's unprecedented in mankind,' said Balsillie in an interview. 'And if you want to be a sovereign and secure and prosperous nation, you need the capacity for navigating that on a front-footed basis. So, this investment is all about that.' Article content Article content In a news release, the university in Waterloo, Ont., said Canada needs to 'shape policy and increase productivity amid growing threats to sovereignty and security.' It said the Balsillie donation will go toward setting up a legal advisory centre that tackles international trade and technology governance, and establishing professional training programs and a proposed graduate degree that focuses on 'law, digital sovereignty and global technology governance.' Article content Article content 'This is about building capacity to manage the expertise into these realms that are digital, whether it's AI, data, blockchain currencies, intellectual property, trade agreements, all of these things are the realms that this is contended, and Canada has had an eroding prosperity, it's had an eroding sovereignty because the terrain of protecting and advancing those is the digital realm,' said Balsillie, the former co-CEO of Research in Motion, the company that developed the Blackberry. Article content Article content He said the digital initiative is a 'natural addition' to the school, which is also home to the Balsillie School of International Affairs, a joint project of Laurier, the University of Waterloo and the Centre for International Governance and Innovation. Article content Article content Deborah MacLatchy, the president and vice-chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier, said the funding will 'stand up' the work students and faculty are doing on the topic of the digital future. While figures aren't yet known, the university hopes to add faculty and more students because of the new research and educational initiative. Article content 'We're hearing a lot from companies, from government, about their capacity needs, meaning that they just don't feel that they have all the internal expertise or the up-and-coming expertise of students and grad students who have experience in this area,' said MacLatchy. 'And this gift will really allow us to really take a take a run at this in a way that will be unique across the country.'
Edmonton Journal
2 days ago
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Jim Balsillie donates $5 million to Wilfrid Laurier University to kick start digital sovereignty
Article content Jim Balsillie, the Canadian businessman and philanthropist, has donated $5 million to Wilfrid Laurier University for the establishment of a digital governance initiative to build economic resilience and digital sovereignty. 'The nature and the structure of the global economy and global security has shifted foundationally in the last 30 years in a degree and rapidity that's unprecedented in mankind,' said Balsillie in an interview. 'And if you want to be a sovereign and secure and prosperous nation, you need the capacity for navigating that on a front-footed basis. So, this investment is all about that.'
Cision Canada
2 days ago
- Business
- Cision Canada
Jim Balsillie donates additional $5 million to Laurier and the Balsillie School to establish Digital Governance Initiative and bolster Canada's productivity
Transformative investment will strengthen Canada's capacity in law, digital sovereignty, trade and technology governance WATERLOO, ON, June 26, 2025 /CNW/ - In an era of escalating digital disruptions threatening national sovereignty and economic resilience, Jim Balsillie, Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist, is making a $5 million investment in Wilfrid Laurier University and the Balsillie School of International Affairs to launch the urgently needed Digital Governance Initiative. The new Digital Governance Initiative is a bold and comprehensive response to Canada's need to shape policy and increase productivity amid growing threats to sovereignty and security. The initiative features a made-in-Canada legal advisory centre for international trade and technology governance and cutting-edge professional training programs, including a proposed graduate degree with an innovative focus on law, digital sovereignty and global technology governance. The gift follows an earlier $5 million donation from Balsillie to create the Technology Governance program at the Balsillie School. This transformative gift dramatically expands Canada's capacity-building for innovation and productivity economies. "Canada's economic prosperity, national security and human rights depend on whether we shape the rules of the digital economy—or become passive bystanders," said Balsillie. "The changing nature of international trade agreements, particularly around intangible assets like artificial intelligence, data and intellectual property, is complex and technical, and building capacity here is essential." With programs ranging from executive education to specialized graduate studies, the Digital Governance Initiative addresses pressing global technology governance challenges, empowering current and future business and government leaders to strategically navigate complex digital landscapes. The legal advisory centre bridges critical policy gaps, providing guidance to both capitalize on opportunities and counter threats posed by new international digital frameworks. "As geopolitical dynamics and digital disruption reshape the global economy, Canada must lead with innovation-driven governance," said Wilfrid Laurier University's President and Vice-Chancellor, Deborah MacLatchy. "Jim Balsillie's visionary support underscores the power of universities to cultivate agile leaders capable of turning digital risks into national opportunities." The initiative champions a uniquely Canadian approach to assertively protecting the country's digital sovereignty – one that is grounded in democratic inclusivity, accountability, reliability and transparency. "We cannot afford to lag, it's Canada's time to lead and universities have a role to play," said Director of the Balsillie School of International Affairs, Ann Fitz-Gerald. "Innovation without governance leaves us vulnerable; governance without innovation stagnates progress. Jim Balsillie's investment ensures that we are educating current and future leaders to excel at both, safeguarding our nation's future in an increasingly complex digital world." With its first executive programs launching in July, the Digital Governance Initiative will strategically position Canada as an authoritative leader in digital governance.
Globe and Mail
09-06-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Canada's innovation policies need overhaul to boost economy, experts say
Canada's outdated innovation policies are causing a loss of economic sovereignty amid critical shifts in global trade relations and the knowledge-based economy, experts say. While Canada continues to lead globally in education and research, innovation experts say the country's inability to plan past that phase is costing it hundreds of billions of dollars every year in data and intellectual property ownership. And with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement up for review in 2026, they argue the federal government should arrive at negotiations with a Canada-first approach. Speaking Monday at the Intersect conference at the Fairmont Royal York hotel in Toronto, Jim Balsillie, former co-CEO of Research In Motion Ltd., said Canada needs to have an offensive strategy heading into USMCA negotiations. 'The most important thing is to learn how the economy works, know that the agreement isn't worth the paper it's printed on,' said Mr. Balsillie, who is also a co-founder and chair of the Canadian Council of Innovators. Under the Trump administration, the U.S. is leading a shift in global economic policy to become more aggressive and transactional, Mr. Balsillie said. This, added to the emergence in recent decades of a new, knowledge-based economy, has heightened the need for governments to defend their industries and IP. Yet Canada continues to fall behind. Canada has 'ambition deficit' and regulations that are scaring away investment, Sabia says CIBC CEO says Canada needs to be on 'wartime footing' to bolster productivity 'We've got this funny disease where everybody helps their companies, but we don't help ours. In fact, we subvert them,' he said, pointing to sticking points such as the highly controversial capital gains tax increase or the federal government's investments in foreign companies. Mr. Balsillie also addressed Ottawa's claim that eliminating interprovincial trade barriers will add as much as $200-billion to the economy, calling it a 'myth' and a 'distraction.' 'The most meaningful barriers were addressed long ago. Clinging to this narrative distracts from creating serious national economic strategy,' he said. Dan Breznitz, the Munk chair of innovation studies at the University of Toronto, touted the country's investments in fundamental research for technology such as artificial intelligence as world leading. But that's where it stops, he said. When it comes time for companies to scale up and commercialize their research, they, unsurprisingly, go elsewhere. 'We just assumed that, somehow, because we have educated people and ideas, magic will happen in the market,' Prof. Breznitz said. 'Instead people do the rational thing: They look around and they say, 'It's almost impossible to do it in Canada.'' On Monday morning, while Prof. Breznitz was addressing the crowd at the Fairmont, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced he would ensure that Canada hits NATO's target to spend 2 per cent of GDP on defence this fiscal year. Prof. Breznitz said that's important – but not the kind of transformational policy Canada needs right now, after 20 years of slowly declining GDP numbers. 'We've got a prime minister that basically tells us right now, that if he will bring us back to that moment of slow decline, it will be the biggest transformation. I'm worried,' he said. Canada needs to gain strategic control of its talent and research, he said. It needs to figure out how to capitalize on its valuable industries, such as critical minerals, and engage and invest in its own technology. 'It is not okay that we are the lowest, by far, in the G7 in buying and engaging with new technology,' he said. Ultimately, Mr. Balsillie said, Canada's progress hinges on its ability to bring in and listen to new voices within its policymaking spaces who will help it adapt to the modern economy. 'The issue isn't only new ideas. It's escaping old ideas.'
