SaskatchewanThe federal government has announced more than $1.3 million in interest-free loans for three Saskatchewan companies to help boost AI innovation in the country.Funding aims to help companies harness AI and complete globallyJeffery Tram · CBC News · Posted: Aug 11, 2025 8:13 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoOttawa is giving more than $1.3 million in interest-free loans to three Saskatchewan businesses to boost AI development. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images)The federal government has announced more than $1.3 million in interest-free loans for three Saskatchewan companies to help boost AI innovation in the country.Eleanor Olszewski, the minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, said the investments will help the companies using AI to “scale up and innovate.””I think it’s a really exciting opportunity for these three Saskatchewan companies,” Olszewski said in an announcement on Monday in Regina.Ground Truth Agriculture, based in Saskatchewan, is receiving $586,900 to complete and commercialize its AI-driven grain grading system. Greenwave Innovations Inc. will receive $425,000 to enhance its energy monitoring platform for commercial and industrial buildings. Offstreet Technology Inc. is getting $300,000 to enhance its cloud-based guest registration parking technology and expand its market in North America.”They are interest-free loans and so they are repayable,” Olszewski said.’This money is huge for us’Kyle Folk, CEO of Ground Truth Agriculture, said the funding comes at a critical time as the company pushes its new technology into the marketplace.”This money is huge for us,” Folk said. “It allows us to grow beyond the borders of Saskatchewan.”Folk says the company’s AI system automates grain grading — a process that has been done by hand for more than a century.”Hard red spring wheat, for instance, has 50 to 60 visual characteristics that humans have to assess by looking at it — we can do it through AI and have trained models that can identify all of those characteristics,” he said.Eleanor Olszewski, the minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, says the money will accelerate AI adoption and boost the Canadian economy. (Richard Agecoutay/CBC)Olszewski said the money is in response to a rapidly evolving global market.”As other companies around the world begin to use AI, we won’t be able to compete unless we are doing the same increase in productivity that is going to help our businesses grow and create jobs,” she said. “We need to stop being as afraid of AI as we are.”The three projects are expected to create 50 jobs and generate $30.5 million in revenue growth, including $5.6 million in exports.”When we invest in Saskatchewan, we’re really investing in the entire Canadian economy as well,” Olszewski saidABOUT THE AUTHORJeffery is a reporter with CBC Saskatchewan in Regina. He previously worked at CBC Toronto as an associate producer. You can reach him at jeffery.tram@cbc.ca.
Federal government announces $1.3M for 3 Sask. businesses to boost AI development
