Former BlackBerry exec Jim Balsillie to co-lead Manitoba innovation task force

CBC News

· Posted: May 22, 2025 6:25 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

A erstwhile BlackBerry enforcement volition beryllium co-chairing a caller task unit whose extremity volition beryllium to usage emerging tech to propel productivity successful Manitoba.

Jim Balsillie, the erstwhile co-CEO of Research In Motion, the Waterloo, Ont.-based tech institution down the BlackBerry, has been tapped to assistance thrust innovation successful the state arsenic portion of an advisory radical that includes respective Manitoba concern leaders, the state said successful a Thursday quality release.

The innovation and productivity (or "IP") task force volition counsel the NDP authorities connected implementing caller and emerging technologies to "support the system and beforehand data-driven decision-making," the merchandise said.

Its mandate includes creating a strategic program that's expected to beryllium delivered to the province's exertion minister later this year.

Minister of Innovation and New Technology Mike Moroz said successful the quality merchandise his department is considering implementation of artificial intelligence, an intelligence spot argumentation and "sovereign cloud strategies" to store and process information without going to jurisdictions that don't person the aforesaid protections Manitoba has.

Balsillie said successful the quality release there is "tremendous accidental for Manitoba to turbocharge its economical resilience and prosperity" through "sovereign strategies crossed each sectors and industries."

Other members of the task unit announced Thursday were:

• Adam Herstein, spouse astatine Pitblado Law.
• Clara Buelow, manager of selling and communications astatine the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce, and erstwhile pb connected the Digital Manitoba Policy Initiative.
• Jacqueline Keena, managing manager of the Enterprise Machine Intelligence Learning Initiative.
• Gerry Price, president of Price Industries.
• Gautam Srivastava, prof of machine subject astatine Brandon University.
• Debra Jonasson-Young, enforcement manager of entrepreneurship astatine the Asper School of Business.
• Dr. Ernest Cholakis, laminitis of Cholakis Dental Group.