Source: Government of Canada News
Marine coordinators will be responsible for building relationships and integrating Indigenous Knowledge in proposed federal policies, programs, processes, directives, regulations, or legislation concerning marine safety and environmental protection. Additionally, the coordinators will help establish partnerships to better support the cooperative management of coasts and waterways.
Source: Government of Canada News
Climate change is one of today’s greatest challenges. Developing countries are often the hardest hit by climate change, and many have limited capacity to adapt to its impacts. As part of its efforts to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, Canada is committed to doing its part to strengthen climate action and economies in vulnerable regions of the world so that we can all benefit from a healthy environment that is rich in biodiversity.
Source: Government of Canada News
On January 29, 2025, Marc G. Serré, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, along with Member of Parliament Viviane Lapointe and Member of Parliament Anthony Rota, announced over $2.7 million in funding for five projects based in Northern Ontario under Natural Resources Canada’s Climate Change Adaptation Program (CCAP).
Source: Government of Canada News
Mr. Guilmette currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Boralex, where he is responsible for several divisions, including Finance and Accounting, Taxation, Investor Relationst and Internal Controls. Prior to this, he served as Interim Chief Investment Officer at the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB), and held previous roles as the Senior Vice-President of Infrastructure Investments PSP Investments, and as Senior Director Private Equity Investments at the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec.
Source: Government of Canada News
Foreign interference poses a growing threat to Canada’s democratic institutions. The Government of Canada is working to ensure that Canadians can maintain their trust in Canada’s democratic institutions. This includes a series of measures already in place, as well as ongoing work to further strengthen our electoral system against foreign interference.
Source: Government of Canada News
Canada is imposing sanctions against individuals and entities in relation to the Lukashenko regime’s ongoing gross and systematic human rights violations in Belarus, as well as its support of Russia’s violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Source: Government of Canada News
Please be advised that the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Natan Obed, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, will announce progress on the Inuit Nunangat Policy to ensure Inuit voices guide federal decisions.
Source: Government of Canada News
The Honourable Terry Duguid, Minister responsible for PrairiesCan will host a business roundtable to discuss the potential impacts of United States tariffs imposed on Canadian goods and to hear what industry needs to protect jobs and stay competitive during uncertain times.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
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Source: New Zealand Governor General
Kei aku rangatira o Ngāi Tahu, tēnā koutou. Nāu rā te karanga, kia haramai ahau, i tēnei rā o Waitangi. Nāu anō te tino mōhio, ki te manaaki tangata. Nā reira aku mihi nui. Tēnā koutou katoa.
I wish to specifically acknowledge: the Right Honourable Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister; the Right Honourable Gerry Brownlee, Speaker of the House of Representatives; Rear Admiral Mathew Williams, Vice Chief of Defence Force; Tā Tipene O’Regan, Member of the Order of New Zealand; Mr Justin Tipa, Chair of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, and your wider iwi leadership team; Mr Riki Tainui, representative for Ōnuku Rūnanga, and all representatives and whānau from Papatipu Rūnanga across Te Waipounamu.
And, finally, to all distinguished guests, including representatives from central and local government, and all who have travelled to be here today – tēnā koutou katoa.
Thank you for inviting me and my husband, Dr Davies, to Ōnuku, this beautiful place, to join with you in commemorating Waitangi Day this year. I know that the last Governor-General to attend commemorations at Ōnuku was my predecessor, Dame Patsy Reddy, six years ago, and I am honoured to be here today, in this very special part of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Standing in this place, bearing, as it does, such deep history, and looking out at this harbour, of such astonishing beauty, I cannot help but be reminded of the whakataukī: ‘Whatungarongaro te tangata toitū te whenua. As people disappear from sight, the land remains.’
I stand here and I think of those moments so significant in the history of Ngāi Tahu, Te Waipounamu, and Aotearoa, that have taken place here, on this whenua. I picture the HMS Herald entering Akaroa Harbour on the 28th of May 1840, and of Edward Williams and William Stewart coming ashore to explain the document they carried.
In the following days, your tupuna surely gave deep consideration to what this Treaty might mean for Ngāi Tahu: for their tamariki and mokopuna, and for future generations – many of whom are gathered here today. I imagine Iwihau and Hone Tīkao returning to this place, on the 30th of May 1840, and signing that seventh sheet of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Of course, it was also here, 158 years later, that the then Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Jenny Shipley, standing where I am now, delivered the Crown’s apology to Ngāi Tahu – expressing profound regret for the Government’s breaches of Te Tiriti in its dealings with your iwi, and initiating the process of redress and healing.
I wholeheartedly commend Ngāi Tahu for all that you’ve achieved in these intervening years. You continue to be great leaders, collaborators, and champions, not only for this region, but for all of New Zealand – across the spheres of education and agriculture; business and the arts; innovation and sustainability – and working always with the vision, generosity, and enterprise for which your iwi is so rightly renowned.
On that note, I wish to take this opportunity to again acknowledge Tā Tipene O’Regan. It has truly been one of the great honours of my term as Governor-General to present you, Tā Tipene, with your Order of New Zealand – our country’s highest civilian honour – for all you’ve done for Ngāi Tahu, and for Aotearoa.
It was the author and former Governor-General of Canada, John Buchan, who said: ‘The task of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.’ Thank you, on behalf of all New Zealanders, Tā Tipene, for the clarity, intelligence, and selflessness of your leadership, and the greatness you have elicited through your service over so many years.
Across all its endeavours, Ngāi Tahu continues to seek the very best outcomes for your people, and for this precious land. I was deeply impressed by your Climate Change Strategy, emphasising, as it does, not only the urgency of the issues, but a model for principled, collective action in facing them.
Perhaps most profoundly, it speaks to those often-neglected facts: that we are each a part of the natural world – and that, in the irreversible degradation and loss of the environment around us, we are, in turn, losing some deep and irreplaceable part of ourselves – inhabiting and sharing this beautiful, fragile earth which is our only home.
I was moved to find that the pou in this whare behind me represent not only rangatira from the Banks Peninsula, but from across the country – including my own tupuna. In doing so, it stands beautifully for the way that, no matter where we may be from, we are bound together as people of Aotearoa: for the enduring nature of the relationship we share, enshrined in our Treaty.
In such a way, I believe Te Tiriti o Waitangi to be this nation’s taonga: a gift given to us by our tupuna, and our guiding light towards a vision of nationhood conceived, debated, and pledged, at Waitangi, Ōnuku, and across Aotearoa.
As our minds begin to turn towards 2040, the bicentenary of Te Tiriti, and to the long-term future of this country, it is our rangatahi who will lead us there, guided by our elders. I urge us to do all we can to empower them – to be examples in the way we conduct ourselves; to hold onto our own youthful sense of hope and purpose; and to be there for each other, in the spirit of understanding, goodness, and grace with which our Treaty was signed, here, 185 years ago.
In this, our national project, I can think of no better guiding principle than the few, very simple lines of New Zealand poet, Jenny Bornholdt:
Always refer back
to the heart.
It is where
the world
began.
My sincerest thanks once again to Ngāi Tahu for inviting and hosting us so graciously and generously here today. I wish you all the very best for the rest of your day of celebrations, and for your hopes and aspirations for these years ahead.
He ao te rangi ka uhia, he huruhuru, te manu ka tau. Tēnā tatau katoa.
Source: Australian Treasurer
As is customary in Australia, I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, on whose lands I am recording these remarks, and all First Nations people joining this international workshop.
Thank you to our OECD Public Management and budgeting colleagues, Jon Blondal, Andrew Blazey and the team for helping to coordinate this event and offering me the opportunity to provide this opening address. This event is being run by the OECD in collaboration with the Australian Centre for Evaluation in the Department of the Treasury. The Australian Government is delighted to be contributing to global efforts to advocate for better evidence. And we are keen to connect with international endeavours that promote its generation, synthesis and sharing in public policy.
Today, I want to discuss how countries can collaborate to better create and use evidence. This is a substantial reform. Indeed, I argue that randomised trials and better use of evidence isn’t just another worthy public policy tweak. It’s bigger than that. Much bigger. Effectively using evidence to make policy decisions is a public administration reform on par with the biggest changes in good government that humanity has put into place. It is the seventh phase of good government.
Let’s take a quick moment to run through the major milestones in the history of public administration.
Throughout history, there have been 6 big reforms in public administration.
The first was the rise of bureaucracy and professionalised governance. It was during the 18th and 19th centuries that public administration shifted from patronage and informal systems to emphasising impartiality, specialisation, and accountability. Democratic institutions and a robust civil society provided the conditions for an independent and accountable civil service.
The second big reform occurred in the early 20th century. The efficiency revolution – scientific management of public administration that focused on efficiency and rational organisation – was inspired by industrial principles.
In response to economic crises and post‑WWII recovery, we saw the rise of the third big reform – the welfare state and the expansion of government responsibilities in social welfare, healthcare and economic planning.
The fourth big reform in public administration in the late 20th century was market‑oriented governance. We saw governments adopt private‑sector practices like outsourcing, performance metrics, and competition.
Concerns about accountability also carried through to the fifth big historic reform – the era of digital transformation and e‑governance. The early 21st century saw technology revolutionise public administration. It enabled data‑driven decision‑making and citizen engagement.
Building on the lessons learnt during the digital transformation, the past decade has seen the move towards adaptive governance – the sixth big reform in public administration. Top‑down processes were swapped out for more flexible, collaborative and cross‑sector approaches that embrace ‘long‑term systems thinking’ to address interconnected crises such as climate change (Brunner and Lynch 2017).
Each of these 6 big reforms from the past 3 centuries has helped to reshape government and improve citizens’ lives.
Today I want to argue that we are on the cusp of a seventh big reform in public administration.
It will involve the widespread adoption of randomised trials as a means of testing policies by providing a counterfactual.
This reform should include the synthesis of quality evidence about what works, and what doesn’t, to provide public administrators with irrefutable knowledge that can improve people’s lives.
Let’s consider a couple of examples to see how this might work in practice.
Eye care is often a neglected field of public health in developing economies.
In rural Bangladesh, a randomised trial of providing free reading glasses involved more than 800 adults with jobs requiring close attention to detail, such as tea pickers, weavers, and seamstresses (Jacobs 2024). The study found that when workers were given free reading glasses, they earned 33 per cent more than those who were not given glasses (Sehrin et al. 2024).
Speaking to The New York Times, Dr Nathan Congdon, one of the authors of the study findings, said that ‘…what makes the results especially exciting is the potential to convince governments that vision care interventions are as inexpensive, cost‑effective and life‑changing as anything else that we can offer in healthcare’ (Jacobs 2024).
As well as garnering evidence on what does work, the widespread adoption of randomised trials must also include quality evidence about what doesn’t work.
In 2014, the US state of Massachusetts launched a 4‑year intervention program called the Juvenile Justice Pay for Success Initiative (Patrick DL 2014). The program aimed to reduce recidivism and improve employment outcomes in young men who were at high risk of re‑offending (Third Sector 2024).
The initiative involved an experimental financial contract called ‘Pay For Success’ – also known as a social impact bond. Funders assumed the US$27 million up‑front financial risk. And the government would only refund the cost of the program if a third‑party evaluator and validator determined that the initiative achieved a reduction in the number of days the young men spent in jail, and improvements in their employment and job readiness (Patrick DL 2014).
At the end of the 4‑year program, a randomised trial found no discernible effects on reincarceration or employment (Coalition for Evidence‑Based Policy 2025). Neither the recidivism nor employment outcomes were sizable enough to trigger the repayment under the pay‑for‑success contract (Roca et al. 2025).
When the evaluation of a social program does not produce the hoped‑for results, it’s difficult to avoid feelings of disappointment.
But this has been the reality for some time.
We know from the history of large, well‑conducted randomised trial evaluations that only a small percentage find that the intervention being evaluated produces a meaningful improvement over the status quo.
As Peter Rossi attested in his 1987 Iron Law of Evaluation, ‘The expected value of any net impact assessment of any large‑scale social program is zero’ (Arnold Ventures 2018a).
But here’s the light on the hill.
The ‘iron law’ applies to most fields of research. That includes medicine, where 50–80 per cent of positive results from initial clinical studies are overturned by a subsequent randomised trial (Arnold Ventures 2018a).
In medicine, the move towards randomised trials continues to save lives and stop unnecessary interventions.
For every new treatment such as AIDS drugs, the HPV vaccine and genetic testing – medicine has discarded old ones, like bloodletting, gastric freezing and tonsillectomy (Leigh 2018).
The willingness to test cures against placebos, or the best available alternative, is how we make progress. In public policy, we can do the same. If it works, we use it; if not, it’s back to the lab.
The key is having a big, ambitious goal to strive towards.
I propose the primary goal of government evaluation should be to find interventions that work.
More specifically – to build a body of programs backed by strong, replicated randomised trial evidence of important, lasting improvements in people’s lives.
In other words, evidence that provides policymakers with confidence that if another jurisdiction were to implement the program faithfully in a similar population, it would improve people’s lives in a meaningful way.
Imagine being able to confidently draw from a codified body of social programs and interventions that your jurisdiction could test, deploy and regulate.
In the United States, the Coalition for Evidence‑Based Policy points towards Saga Education, a high‑dosage mathematics tutoring program for year 9 and 10 students in low‑income US schools that underwent 3 rigorous randomised trials. This program produced sizable, statistically significant effects on students’ maths scores on the district tests at the end of the tutoring year (Arnold Ventures 2024a). I’ll come back to this program a bit later.
Similarly, the Coalition for Evidence‑Based Policy points to 2 job‑training programs for low‑income adults that were both shown to increase long‑term earnings by 20 to 40 per cent. These programs focused on the fast‑growing IT and financial services sectors, where jobs are well paid, and employees are in high demand (Arnold Ventures 2022a and 2022b).
Finding interventions that work should be evaluators’ central goal. It is the only plausible path by which rigorous evaluations will improve the human condition. If we don’t allocate spending based on rigorous evidence, it is hard to see how governments can make progress on critical social problems.
Here in Australia, a think tank study examined a sample of 20 Australian Government programs conducted between 2015 and 2022 (Winzar et al. 2023).
Their report concluded that 95 per cent of the programs, which had a total expenditure of over A$200 billion, were not properly evaluated. And its analysis of Australian state and territory government evaluations reported similar results.
The researchers noted that the problems with evaluation started from the outset of program and policy design. They also estimated that fewer than 1.5 per cent of government evaluations use a randomised design (Winzar et al. 2023).
This finding echoes the Australian Productivity Commission’s 2020 report into the evaluation of Indigenous programs (Productivity Commission 2020).
This report concluded that ‘both the quality and usefulness of evaluations of policies and programs affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are lacking’, and that ‘Evaluation is often an afterthought rather than built into policy design’ (Productivity Commission 2020).
If we accept that the central goal of evaluation is to find interventions that work, there are important implications for researchers and research funders.
It means that it makes sense to evaluate an intervention, using a large randomised trial, only if there is a strong signal in prior research.
Examples of prior research could include a pilot randomised trial, a high‑quality quasi‑experiment, or a randomised trial of a related program.
This is the approach that Arnold Ventures is taking in the US via the Coalition for Evidence‑Based Policy, the US nonprofit relaunched under the leadership of Jon Baron (Coalition for Evidence‑Based Policy n.d.).
Rigorous testing enabled Arnold Ventures to create a growing body of proven interventions in education and training (Coalition for Evidence‑Based Policy n.d.). It’s an approach also being used by the US Department of Education in its Investing in Innovation Fund, which was recently renamed the Education Innovation and Research Program. It has yielded a much higher success rate in identifying interventions with true effectiveness. In 2019, robust evidence standards used by the Fund (as it was at the time) resulted in positive impacts for 40 to 50 per cent of its larger grants.
Compare this to the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, which had a much lower hit rate of success – just 17 per cent – for its larger grants (Arnold Ventures 2019).
Arnold Ventures (2018b) proposes a strategy for policy and researchers that involves 3 tiers of evidence – top, middle and low.
Expand the implementation of programs backed by strong (‘top tier’) evidence of sizable, sustained effects on important life outcomes.
Fund and/or conduct rigorous evaluations of programs backed by highly promising (‘middle tier’) evidence, to hopefully move them into the top tier.
Build the pipeline of promising programs through modest investments in the development and initial testing of many diverse approaches (as part of a ‘lower tier’).
This is about systematising our use of evidence: a familiar approach in medicine, but one that has not been standard practice for all policymakers.
It is about producing tangible proof that randomised policy trials improve lives, in that way that we already have tangible proof that randomised medical trials save lives.
As a specific example of this kind of approach, in the US state of Maryland, a partnership between Arnold Ventures and the state government is already scaling‑up proven programs.
In August last year, the high‑dosage maths tutoring program for 9th and 10th graders I mentioned earlier (Saga Education) and ASSISTments – an educational tool for mathematics – received scale‑up funding under the US$20 million Maryland Partnership for Proven Programs with Arnold Ventures (Arnold Ventures 2024b).
In the UK, the development of the What Works Network is a world‑leading achievement which owes credit to the network of evidence‑based policymakers. That includes the extraordinary David Halpern, who will be speaking on the panel shortly (for an excellent snapshot of his recommendations for the coming decade, see Halpern 2023).
Across health and housing, education and employment, hundreds of UK randomised trials have been conducted. For a practitioner, policymaker or curious member of the British public, it is now easier than ever to see what we know, and what we do not (Leigh 2024a).
For example, the Education Endowment Foundation has run literally hundreds of randomised trials in the education sector. It uses these findings, alongside rigorous evaluations conducted outside the UK, to advocate for evidence‑based education policies (Education Endowment Foundation n.d.).
The Education Endowment Foundation has commissioned 316 research projects (208 of which are randomised trials). Sixty per cent of schools in England have taken part in a randomised trial funded by the Foundation. Seventy per cent of school leaders use the Education Endowment Foundation’s teaching and learning toolkit when making their funding decisions on spending for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Here in Australia, we are committed to taking a stronger approach towards evidence‑based policymaking.
In July 2023 we established the Australian Centre for Evaluation in the Department of the Treasury.
The main role of the centre is to collaborate with other Australian Government departments to conduct rigorous evaluations, including randomised trials. Such agreements have already been forged with federal agencies responsible for employment, health, education and social services.
Led by Eleanor Williams, armed with a modest budget of A$2 million per year and just over a dozen staff, the Centre operates on smarts and gentle persuasion, not mandates or orders (Leigh 2024b).
No agency is forced to use the services of the Australian Centre for Evaluation, but all are encouraged to do so. This reflects the reality that evaluation, unlike audit, isn’t something that can be done as an afterthought. A high‑quality impact evaluation needs to be built into the design of a program from the outset (Leigh 2024b).
The centre takes an active role in considering aspects that are relevant to all evaluations, such as rigorous ethical review and access to administrative microdata. The Australian Bureau of Statistics is playing a pivotal role in brokering access to administrative data for policy experiments.
Collaboration with evaluation researchers outside of government is critical, too. Thanks to a joint initiative by the Centre and the Australian Education Research Organisation, we now have the Impact Evaluation Practitioners Network, which is bringing together government and external impact evaluators.
The centre has several randomised trials currently underway, and I await the results with interest.
In the next month, the centre will release a Randomised Controlled Trial Showcase Report, featuring examples of public policy‑related trials in Australia.
Another organisation doing extraordinarily thorough research across the whole of social policy and the social sciences is the nonprofit Campbell Collaboration.
For example, the Campbell Countering Violent Extremism evidence synthesis program is a global research initiative that is attracting attention here in Australia. The program originated from a 5‑country partnership of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US (Campbell Collaboration n.d.). Professor Lorraine Mazerolle from the University of Queensland is one of the principal investigators on the program (Campbell Collaboration n.d.).
Bringing a ‘what works’ philosophy to social policy is vital to helping the most vulnerable.
And it is by no means a new idea. It follows the path forged by the prominent social scientist Donald Campbell.
He is of course, the ‘Campbell’ in the Campbell Collaboration, which was named after him to honour his substantial contributions to social science and methodology.
Over 50 years ago, Dr Campbell wrote Methods for the Experimenting Society, outlining his vision for helping governments to produce better‑informed policies and social interventions via research and evaluation (Campbell 1991).[1]
In this paper, Campbell forewarns policymakers of the ‘over‑advocacy trap’, where advocates of a new social program or policy make exaggerated claims about its effectiveness in order to get it adopted (Campbell 1991). He effectively highlights the tension between the need for strong advocacy to get social programs funded and adopted, and the need for rigorous evaluation to determine their true effectiveness (Campbell 1991).
Thirty years after Dr Campbell wrote Methods for the Experimenting Society, the US Department of Education was allocating over a billion US dollars each year to an after‑school program called the 21st Century Community Learning Center initiative.
The program, which was initiated in 1998, saw children attending the centres for up to 4 hours of after‑school programs, where they partook in everything from tutoring to drama to sports. It attracted high‑profile advocates, including the former Californian governor and Mr Universe, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
It’s no wonder then, that a randomised trial by Mathematica in 2003 startled everyone with its findings (Haskins 2009). Attending the after‑school program raised a child’s likelihood of being suspended from school (Leigh 2018). And there was no evidence that the after‑school program improved academic outcomes.
The program’s prominent advocates had fallen head‑first into the over‑advocacy trap.
American political scientist Ron Haskins commented on how easy it was for Schwarzenegger to flex his celebrity muscle to overcome a negative evaluation. ‘The lesson here, yet again, is that good evidence does not speak for itself in the policy process and is only one – sometimes a rather puny – element in a policy debate’ (Haskins 2009).
Overcoming denial in the face of irrefutable evidence requires continuous collaboration and sustained momentum. In 2025 and beyond, we will need both to reach the tipping point on the widespread use of rigorous impact evaluation across public policy. It will be harder to run roughshod over good evidence if OECD nations continue to collaborate – both internally with non‑profit researchers outside of government, and externally with other nations.
Philanthropic foundations in the UK, US and other OECD nations have a strong track record in supporting randomised policy trials. Initiatives such as the Maryland Partnership for Proven Programs and Arnold Ventures, which I mentioned earlier, demonstrate that the ‘what works’ philosophy in social policy is gaining traction.
Here in Australia, the Paul Ramsay Foundation launched a A$2.1 million open grant round in 2024. Its structure is similar to a successful model that the Laura and John Arnold Foundation has deployed in the United States over the past decade (Leigh 2024c).
The grants, which last for 3 years and are valued at up to A$300,000 each, will support up to 7 experimental evaluations conducted by non‑profits with a social impact mission. For example, improving education outcomes for young people with disabilities, reducing domestic and family violence, or helping jobless people find work (Paul Ramsay Foundation 2024).
The Australian Centre for Evaluation supported the open grant round, and is helping to connect grantees with administrative data relevant to the evaluation, and I am excited to see what we learn from these studies (Leigh 2024b).
One of the most appealing advantages of well‑conducted randomised trials is that they resonate well with 3 democratic principles: non‑arbitrariness, revisability and public justification (Tanasoca and Leigh 2023).
This gives us good democratic reasons to seek out such evidence for policymaking. Indeed, the more democratic a regime is, the more likely it is to conduct randomised trials (Tanasoca and Leigh 2023).
Recall the first big public administration reform – the growth of a professionalised civil service – rested on the development of democratic institutions. Nobel laureates Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson call this the ‘red queen effect’, in which societies offering more public goods also need to offer more democratic social power (Acemoglu and Robinson 2019).
The seventh reform – randomised trials and evidence‑based policymaking – takes us further along the corridor. Things are not true simply because politicians assert them. Policies must be backed by evidence, and citizens must be able to test and trust that evidence.
Democracies are on this journey together, and international collaboration is vital to reaching the tipping point.
This is not about the performative use of words like ‘evaluation’ and ‘evidence’. It is about raising the quality and quantity of evidence, which is one reason that I keep referring to randomised trials. I acknowledge the work of the OECD towards achieving the goal of institutionalising rigorous evaluation across public policy areas, as per the OECD Recommendation of the Council on Public Policy Evaluation (OECD 2022).
The second annual update of the Global Commission on Evidence also confirms the many signs of momentum towards the Commission’s 3 implementation priorities to formalise and strengthen domestic evidence‑support systems, enhance and leverage the global evidence architecture, and put evidence at the centre of everyday life (Global Commission on Evidence 2024).
We’re here because we care about good government. And because we understand that evaluation and evidence science are not fields in their infancy.
Just as we don’t put homeopathy on the same level as science‑based medicine, it is a mistake to think that evidence‑free policy is on a par with evidence‑based policy.
OECD governments have decades of experience about how to identify evidence gaps, put policies to the test, and implement the most effective programs (Leigh 2024a).
Policymaking by focus groups and gut‑feel alone is the modern‑day equivalent of bloodletting and lobotomies in medicine (Leigh 2024a). Which is why the seventh big reform to public administration must focus on finding interventions that work. And on building a body of programs backed by strong, replicated randomised trial evidence of important, lasting improvements in people’s lives.
This goal requires OECD nations to get behind the momentum of the Global Commission on Evidence.
This will have massive benefits. It will save lives. It will save dollars. And it will make government work better.
So let’s make it happen.
My thanks to officials in the Australian Centre for Evaluation for valuable drafting assistance, and to Jon Baron, President and CEO of the Coalition for Evidence‑Based Policy, and David Halpern CBE, President Emeritus at the Behavioural Insights Team, for valuable discussions that helped shape this speech.
Acemoglu D and Robinson JA (2019) The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty, Penguin, New York.
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Arnold Ventures (13 April 2018b) ‘How to solve U.S. social problems when most rigorous program evaluations find disappointing effects (part 2 – a proposed solution)’, Straight Talk on Evidence, accessed 15 January 2025.
Arnold Ventures (18 June 2019) ‘Evidence‑Based Policy ‘Lite’ Won’t Solve U.S. Social Problems: The Case of HHS’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program’, Straight Talk on Evidence, accessed 15 January 2025.
Arnold Ventures (26 October 2022a) ‘Year Up’, Social Programs That Work, accessed 15 January 2025.
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Brunner R and Lynch A (2017) ‘Adaptive Governance’, Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Climate Science, doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190228620.013.601.
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Global Commission on Evidence to Address Societal Challenges (2024), ‘Global Evidence Commission update 2024: Building momentum in strengthening domestic evidence‑support systems, enhancing the global evidence architecture, and putting evidence at the centre of everyday life’ [PDF 5MB], McMaster Health Forum, Hamilton, accessed 17 January 2025.
Halpern D (2023) ‘Foreword’, in Sanders M and Breckon J (eds) The What Works Centres: Lessons and Insights from an Evidence Movement, Bristol University Press, Bristol.
Haskins R (17–18 August 2009) ‘Chapter 3 With a scope so wide: using evidence to innovate, improve, manage, budget’ [roundtablee presentation] Strengthening Evidence‑based Policy in the Australian Federation, Session 1 Evidence‑based policy: Its principles and development Canberra, accessed 16 January 2025.
Jacobs A (4 April 2024) ‘Glasses Improve Income, Not Just Eyesight’, The New York Times, accessed 15 January 2025.
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Patrick DL (29 January 2014) Massachusetts Launches Landmark Initiative to Reduce Recidivism Among At‑Risk Youth [media release], Commonwealth of Massachusetts, accessed 14 January 2025.
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Tanasoca A and Leigh A (2024) ‘The Democratic Virtues of Randomized Trials’, Moral Philosophy and Politics, 22(1):113–140, doi:10.1515/mopp‑2022–0039.
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[1] Campbell’s paper was written around 1971 and used in presentations to the Eastern Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association. It was revised and first published in 1988 (see Campbell 1991).
Source: United Nations 4
Air taxis, “autonomous autos” and reusable rockets are just some of the future transport solutions that inventors all over the world are striving to make a reality, while patents for combustion engines are “flatlining”, the UN intellectual property agency (WIPO) said on Thursday.
Latest information gleaned from patent filings featuring in WIPO’s Technology Trends report on the Future of Transportation, offers a tempting glimpse of a not-so distant and enticing future where there’s less traffic pollution, fewer snarl-ups and air travel to the other side of the world – made possible in just a few hours.
“Analysis of patents shows that inventors are working hard to ensure that how we get around tomorrow is cleaner and better than today,” maintained WIPO, which said that patent filings for future transportation solutions have grown by 700 per cent over the last two decades, from 15,000 inventions in 2003 to 120,000 in 2023.
“Autonomous ships and smart ports are revolutionizing transportation at sea; electric vehicles, high-speed trains and smart traffic management systems are driving change on land,” WIPO insisted.
“Vertical take-off and landing aircraft are offering new ways to travel by air, while reusable rockets and satellite technology are pushing what is possible beyond the earth’s atmosphere.”
Driving this trend is the recognition that transportation accounts for more than one-third of CO2 emissions globally, which has encouraged the development of sustainable technologies that reduce the environmental impact of transportation.
These include the adoption of electrified propulsion, the shift to renewable energy sources and the promotion of public and shared transport options.
Digitalization is also revolutionizing the transportation sector, WIPO insists, pointing to the rise of autonomous driving, “which is projected to generate from $300 billion to $400 billion in revenue by 2035”.
According to the Geneva-based UN agency, intellectual property supports this kind of groundbreaking innovation – such as wireless charging for electric vehicles – by encouraging investment in research and development.
Competition is fierce as firms jostle for access to rare earth minerals, while AI is also taking centre stage, WIPO says.
“The report also shows flatlining growth in patenting activity for legacy products like the internal combustion engine and other fossil fuel-based systems” such as catalytic converters, the UN agency noted.
Its data indicated that more than 1.1 million inventions have reshaped transportation since 2000, introducing the prospect of sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel-based systems such as renewable energy cells, air taxis and self-piloting cargo ships.
In the driver’s seat of this travel transformation are China, Japan, the US, South Korea and Germany, which represent the world’s top inventors. Land transportation patents dominate global filings, at 3.5 times more than for air, sea and space combined. The US, meanwhile, has filed the most international patents.
The largest area of growth in patenting is related to sustainable propulsion – such as batteries for electric vehicles or hydrogen fuel cells – which represent efforts to ensure that people and goods are moved around in a “cleaner, more climate-friendly fashion”.
Experts with an eye on imaginative transport solutions for the future say that AI is also poised to play a key role. They point to the rise of autonomous driving, although infrastructure has not adapted swiftly enough for such vehicles to take over, the WIPO report notes.
The scarcity of minerals, meanwhile, will determine whether the world can massively adopt electric cars – vehicles that report co-author Christopher Harrison says may not be miracle solutions for private owners.
“Having these rare and limited raw earth minerals in an electric vehicle for personal use that’s been utilized only a few per cent of the day is not an effective use of those tools,” he told journalists.
In the air sector, drones will continue their sky-high ascension.
“I would not like to look up at a sky full of drones delivering pizzas or a pair of gloves to my house and causing visual and noise pollution,” said Robert Garbett, the founder of Drone Major Group, cited in the WIPO report.
“If a delivery is to a remote location that is really hard to get to, people will be more likely to accept it as a beneficial solution,” he added, citing emergency medicine as an example.
According to WIPO, transport patent growth in China has been strong given its recent dominance of the electric vehicle market. But other countries have also contributed with strong patent filings activity including Sweden, Italy, India and Canada.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
02.05.25
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Finance Committee, voted against advancing Howard Lutnick, President Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of the Department of Commerce, to the full Senate for consideration.
In a committee markup today, Sen. Cantwell expressed her concerns with Lutnick’s support for President Trump’s proposed tariffs. She also pointed to Lutnick’s failure to commit to fully allocating the funds approved by Congress under the Cantwell-led CHIPS & Science Act, as well as his waffling on whether he’d protect NOAA – including NOAA’s crucial missions and functions, and the workforce delivering those services to the American people.
Sen. Cantwell had previously questioned Lutnick on these topics in a committee hearing last week – video of that hearing is HERE.
ON TRADE & TARIFFS
“Tariffs and trade wars are a major problem for my state, where two out of every five jobs are tied to trade-related industries,” Sen. Cantwell said in today’s committee meeting. “The Commerce [nominee] has said he’s advocating for the president’s policy [that] would cost my constituents $5 billion or more. We need a secretary that understands that these products and these issues need coalition building, not throwing down gauntlets that will lose jobs for my farmers.”
Yesterday, Sen. Cantwell delivered a speech on the Senate floor calling for the United States to repudiate the trade philosophy of Trump — whose proposed 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico and 10% tariff on goods from China would spark a trade war, drive up costs for American consumers, harm domestic businesses across hundreds of industries, and compromise the United States’ global leadership in the free trade ecosystem. A video of that speech is HERE; a transcript is HERE.
In Washington state, two out of every five jobs are tied to trade and related industries. In 2023, the state imported $19.9 billion of goods from Canada – primarily oil, gas, lumber, and electrical power — making our northern neighbors Washington state’s largest trade partner. Also in 2023, the state imported $1.7 billion in goods from Mexico, including motor vehicles, vehicle parts, and household appliances. More information about how President Trump’s proposed tariffs will impact businesses and consumers in the State of Washington is HERE.
ON CHIPS & SCIENCE FUNDING
“Over the last four years, there has been much investment in infrastructure [for] manufacturing that this committee has supported. Semiconductor expansion — $450 billion right here in the United States, thanks to the CHIPS & Science Act — and Mr. Lutnick, in various answers to various members of the committee, did not give a full commitment to making sure this money continues to go out the door,” Sen. Cantwell said in today’s committee meeting.
Sen. Cantwell was the main architect and key negotiator of the CHIPS & Science Act. In her position as Commerce chair, she was instrumental in securing the science R&D funding authorizations in the 11th hour of negotiations. A key component of the legislation is the Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (Tech Hubs) program that was authored by Sen. Cantwell to strengthen U.S. economic and national security with investments in regions across the country. Earlier this month, the American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center (AAMMC) in Spokane was awarded $48 million from the program to establish the first-of-its-kind testbed facility in the United States focused on developing advanced thermoplastic materials – new types of lightweight, heat-moldable, and recyclable materials that can replace metal in aircraft parts. The AAMMC will serve as the nation’s hub for creating and testing these innovative materials that are essential for more rapidly building fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly aircraft.
ON DISMANTLING NOAA
“[NOAA] makes up more than 60% of the Commerce budget. When asked for the record if NOAA should be dismantled, as called for in [Project 2025], Mr. Lutnick would only say, if confirmed, he would figure it out. Given how central NOAA is for providing accurate weather forecasting, managing our fisheries, protecting our fishermen from Russian and Chinese illegal fishing, I was looking for a stronger commitment,” Sen. Cantwell said today.
Project 2025 calls for NOAA to be “dismantled and many of its functions eliminated,” calling it part of the “climate change alarm industry.” NOAA provides critical services to the Nation including weather forecasts, extreme storm tracking and monitoring, tools to enable communities to adapt to sea level rise and climate change, supporting fisheries management, and conserving marine mammals and other protected species.
Sen. Cantwell is a champion of NOAA and helped secure $3.3 billion in NOAA investments in the Inflation Reduction Act to help communities prepare for and adapt to climate change, boost science needed to understand changing weather and climate patterns, and invest in advanced computer technologies that are critical for extreme weather prediction and emergency response. Her Fire Ready Nation Act, bipartisan legislation to strengthen NOAA’s ability to help forecast, prevent, and fight wildfires, passed the Commerce committee unanimously today and now heads to the full Senate for consideration.
Video of Sen. Cantwell’s remarks on her Lutnick vote is HERE; audio is HERE; and a transcript is HERE.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
***VIDEO HERE***
Trump Administration is still blocking hundreds of billions of dollars passed by Congress
ICYMI: Murray Hold Press Call With WA State Orgs About Jobs at Risk Due to Funding Freeze
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is helping lead Senate Democrats in holding the Senate floor for a full 30 hours ahead of a final confirmation vote on Russell Vought to serve as Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Senator Murray delivered an hour-long floor speech and her remarks below touch specifically on how the Trump Administration is still blocking hundreds of billions of dollars of approved funding under Trump’s executive orders, and what sort of pain this illegal funding freeze could mean for Washington state and the country:
On infrastructure:
“All of these projects, and many more have been thrown into complete uncertainty because of President Trump’s Executive Orders. It is just completely unclear when, or if these projects are going to get the funds they are counting on and owed—from the bills Congress passed.
“And that is not just causing chaos, it is not just causing delays, it is causing harm and alarm—because it could mean construction grinds to a halt, and workers lose jobs. It could mean the work will go un-started—or perhaps in some cases—unfinished.
“Plus, it will mean increasing costs for cities, counties, states, and Tribes for those projects that somehow make it through this. And while there are many more infrastructure projects in my state I still haven’t even touched on, not to mention the other projects across the country. There are so many other projects, organizations, and people who are being harmed right now by President Trump’s reckless funding freeze. “
On foreign assistance:
“When people are starving, you cannot just feed them money—you need to have already made the investments to grow food. When democracies are in crisis, you can’t just cut them a check—you need to have helped them build strong institutions. When a deadly disease outbreak strikes—you are going to learn very quickly that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
“Freezing foreign assistance is not putting America first—it is guaranteeing America comes in last. Because every funding gap we leave is an opportunity for our adversaries to step in, fill the gap, and play the hero while casting us as the villain.”
[…]
“And let’s be clear—it is not just U.S. leadership on the line here. There are U.S. jobs at stake here. That reality is hitting home hard this week. Back in Washington state, there are some world class organizations that I know may have to lay people off this week—hundreds of people—all because of President Trump’s funding freeze.
“International aid organizations may make a difference around the world—but they support American jobs too. People who have a paycheck and family. People who work incredibly hard—and who are incredibly proud of the work they do to make the world a better place and reaffirm U.S. global leadership…
“But they are being sent packing—not because they’ve done anything wrong, not because this work isn’t important. But because President Trump and Elon Musk are listening to whacko conspiracists and ultra-isolationists—while ignoring the experts, ignoring the obvious realities, and again ignoring the law. We should all stand against this”
The full text of Senator Murray’s remarks on the funding still being frozen by President Trump can be found below, and video can be found HERE.
“And let me make one thing perfectly clear—even before this latest whirl of chaos, President Trump was already illegally blocking billions of dollars. And even after the OMB guidance was reversed, he is still holding back all of those funds through his illegal executive orders.
“You don’t have to take it from me. You can take it directly from the White House Press Secretary, quote: ‘This is not a rescission of the federal funding freeze… The President’s [Executive Orders] on federal funding remain in full force and effect, and will be rigorously implemented’
“So, now that was the chaos of last week, I want to talk about the chaos that remains—what we are still seeing this week, and what it means for folks back home, and across the country. Because there is still significant confusion, and the remaining freezes are still causing significant pain.
“For example, I’ve heard from cities in my state, and from the Washington State Department of Transportation. Now, it is still hard to get a clear picture, given the chaotic roll out, roll back, and more. But they are telling me they are concerned about infrastructure projects all over my state that are already getting delayed now—and could get derailed entirely because President Trump is still illegally blocking funding we passed with his executive orders.
“If this illegal freeze continues, people will lose jobs and communities will lose out on projects that have been in the works for years.
“Trump is blocking money to repair electric chargers, to install heavy duty chargers for trucks, to make critical repairs to bridges in order to protect the safety of millions of drivers, and to install new chargers along major roads in my state like I-90, US-97, US-2, US-195, and US-395. Stopping these projects is just pointlessly hurting commuters and businesses, it is costing construction workers, it is killing jobs.
“Trump is holding up road projects that make streets safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers, like a safer streets project in Richland, Washington, and critical safety barriers in Spokane—not to mention the Liberty Park Land Bridge in Spokane, which would reconnect communities, and provide more green space for families to enjoy.
“Or funds for the city of Lakewood’s plans to revitalize its downtown and bring in more retail space, and restaurants, and health care services, and financial services, make upgrades to roads, and provide a new festival area, park areas, and more.
“Trump’s freeze is also a concern for the Samish Indian Nation as it works to improve safety and access to their land at the Campbell Lake Road intersection—which has seen growing traffic in recent years—and for a project led by the Tulalip Tribe to improve the interchanges along I-5 exits. The congestion on these ramps can get so bad it backs up to the main highway!
“We want to get these projects done, we want to get them done—and the last thing we need is uncertainty about these stalled funds.
“There’s also a project underway to upgrade the technology at our border with Canada—replacing and improving the outdated wait time system to improve accuracy and help our inspection and transportation agencies. This will help travelers headed to Canada avoid long wait times at the border and help fans from around the world, by the way, who are travelling between Seattle and Vancouver for next year’s World Cup move quickly—but not if Trump’s executive orders stop all of this funding!
“Same for the efforts to update our state-wide planning with a new electronic system that would make the process for planning, and specifications, and estimates more efficient.
“And, of course, in Washington state—we can never forget about fish, which are crucial to our culture, and our economy, in many ways. Trump’s ongoing funding freeze is putting projects to improve fish habitats on ice—replacing the culvert at Thornton Creek, replacing the failing culvert at Wapato Creek, which is right underneath the Pierce County Terminal at the Port of Tacoma, or removing the fish barrier culverts at Johnson Creek which will open up nearly 3,000 meters of upstream habitat.
“Not to mention other wildlife preservation work, like an undercrossing structure and wildlife barriers east of Winthrop. And work on our waterways. Funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is still not restored today for some projects on the Lower Columbia River, projects like stormwater infrastructure that will help keep toxins out of water and restore wetlands and protect the ecosystems.
“Our ports, our ports—so critical for not only Washington state’s economy, but for the whole country—are caught up in this too. There are port projects now on hold across my state, including for electrical infrastructure and shore power for vessels. These impacts are being felt from Anacortes to Port Angeles to Vancouver. Frozen funding is hurting working families in Washington and across the country, and it is making our economy less competitive.
“And, we cannot forget our ferries—which are so crucial to many commuters in my state. Washington state ferries are looking to improve their data with a better system for collecting, analyzing, and reporting wait times at all of our terminals. This would give them useful information to improve efficiency and make life better for the people they serve. Losing that funding means more people will miss ferries and long waits in line for Washington state commuters crossing the water to work, to school, to medical appointments.
“We also have absolutely essential electric transmission and distribution projects that are on hold now and in jeopardy. These are projects that are necessary, helping reduce our wildfire risks, ensure grid reliability, improve resilience to natural disasters, and lower costs for ratepayers across my state of Washington.
“And these are funded under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—that is a law that Republicans and Democrats worked together to pass–it’s a program that Republicans thought was important enough to provide $10.5 billion. After what we have seen in recent months and years, I don’t know how you can say with a straight face that modernizing our grid isn’t absolutely vital to the future of our country. You don’t have to listen to me—Secretary Burgum and Secretary Wright said as much in their confirmation hearings.
“But this project—all of these projects, and many more have been thrown into complete uncertainty because of President Trump’s Executive Orders. It is completely unclear when, or if these projects are going to get the funds they were counting on and they were owed—from bills Congress passed and were signed into law.
“And that is not just causing chaos, it is not just causing delays, it is causing harm and alarm—because it could mean construction grinds to a halt, and workers lose jobs. It means the work will go un-started—or perhaps in some cases—unfinished.
“Plus, it will mean increasing costs for cities, counties, states, and Tribes for those projects that somehow make it through all of this. And while there are many more infrastructure projects in my state I still haven’t even touched on, not to mention the other projects across the country. There are so many other projects, and organizations, and people who are being harmed right now by President Trump’s reckless funding freeze.
“I know there are medical researchers, still worried their work will be considered ‘woke’ when in reality, it is actually pretty darn important we understand the roots of health disparities—things like why the maternal death rate is so much higher for Black or Native American women.
“Yet, researchers are being told that their research is at risk of being defunded if they are examining issues of ‘equity,’ or ‘barriers to care,’ or even if they are specifically studying ‘females.’
“And, there are hospitals in my state, and across the country, worried that some of these programs—which are appropriately focused on someone’s gender or race—are in jeopardy.
“For example, we know pulse oximeters are less accurate for people with darker skin tones—making sure these clinical measurements are accurate will save lives, and can have life and death consequences for patients. And we know women have much higher rates of autoimmune disorders than men—we need to take a look at why that is.
“We also need to invest in training the next generation of scientists, including from diverse backgrounds. Studies show that diversity in the scientific workforce leads to greater innovation and productivity. But there is a serious concern that lifesaving work is going to get caught up in President Trump’s sweeping illegal executive orders.
“Another impact of Trump’s actions? The National Park Service has rescinded all of its employment offers for summer seasonal staff. Now that doesn’t just mean people will be facing longer wait lines and dirtier bathrooms—though they will. It could mean park closures throughout this entire summer, and it will mean delayed responses to emergencies—making people less safe.
“And outside our national parks, Trump is also freezing regional clean up efforts. Things like stopping illegal dumping and improving air quality in our communities.
“And M. President, let’s talk about foreign assistance, because, for decades now—there has been widespread, bipartisan understanding that promoting stability abroad, promoting democracy, improving health, strengthening trade, and building partnerships is crucial to US leadership.
“But Trump’s executive orders put all of that at risk by illegally freezing funds. I have heard from organizations that operate all over the world about how they were unable to deliver the life-saving aid that millions of people rely on due to these stop-work orders. That meant millions of doses of lifesaving drugs sat un-used on shelves. Time-sensitive prevention methods against diseases like malaria were not carried out, putting millions at risk. Training for more than 64,000 health care workers were put on hold. Hundreds of millions of metric tons of U.S.-grown commodities sitting—and at the risk of spoiling—in transport, instead of reaching their final destinations across the world to feed people in need.
“And despite a so-called ‘waiver’ from the U.S. State Department to resume work, much of this life-saving aid is still today on hold. Without a start-work order, those organizations fear they are taking on significant risk in continuing operations. Put simply: this was already unacceptable.
“And now, over the weekend—President Trump and Elon Musk have decided against all reason, against all evidence, and against the law, mind you, to completely dismantle USAID. And that is on top of the illegal funding freeze that has already been pushing U.S. businesses, nonprofits, and international aid groups to make tough choices, for truly pointless reasons.
“It should be obvious that these cuts will hurt people across the world. These cuts will mean people starve. These cuts will mean people don’t get clean water. These cuts will mean more disease outbreaks with higher death counts. These cuts will mean less help for victims of violence, and higher death rates for pregnant women.
“And anyone with an ounce of humanity can see this freeze will get devastating, fast. And—it is important to note—it will get devastating in ways you cannot just make up for with more money later once the damage is done. That is just not how it works.
“When people are starving, you cannot just feed them money—you need to have already made the investments to grow food.
“When democracies are in crisis, you can’t just cut them a check—you need to have helped them build strong institutions.
“When a deadly disease outbreak strikes—you are going to learn very quickly that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
“These are not lessons we need to learn the hard way—by letting people die. We know it all, painfully well, right now. And so, to freeze this funding, is asking for disaster—and not just for other countries across the world, but for us, for the U.S. and for our families here at home.
“Freezing foreign assistance is not putting America first—it is guaranteeing America comes in last.
“Because every funding gap we leave is an opportunity for our adversaries to step in, fill that gap, and play the hero while casting us as the villain. How are we supposed to lead the world if we are unwilling to invest in it?
“I will tell you right now—China is not holding back. They are investing constantly—because they know they aren’t just building infrastructure across the world, they are building stronger partnerships. And we just counted ourselves out of that competition.
“You want to end U.S. global dominance? You want to tell the world the U.S. is done being a leader? You want to tell other countries—we cannot be trusted to keep our word?
“Because that is exactly what we are doing if we let Trump get away with illegally cutting off global aid—with the stroke of a pen—and letting the richest man in the world cut off help for some of the poorest people in the world.
“And let’s be clear—it is not just U.S. leadership on the line here. There are U.S. jobs at stake here. That reality is hitting home hard this week. Back in Washington state, there are some world class organizations that I know may have to lay people off this week—hundreds of people—all because of President Trump’s funding freeze.
“It is a scene that is not isolated to Washington state—I know it is playing out across the country as well, with thousands of layoffs across 38 states and counting. And I know, so long as President Trump’s lawless war on foreign aid continues—so will these layoffs. We will see hundreds, if not thousands more every week.
“International aid organizations may make a difference around the world—but they support American jobs, too. People who have a paycheck and family. People who work incredibly hard—and who are incredibly proud of the work they do to make the world a better place and reaffirm U.S. global leadership.
“But they are being sent packing—not because they have done anything wrong, not because this work is not important. But because President Trump and Elon Musk are listening to whacko conspiracists and ultra isolationists—while ignoring the experts, ignoring the obvious realities, and again ignoring the law. We should all stand against this.”
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
QUEBEC CITY, Canada, Feb. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LeddarTech® Holdings Inc. (“LeddarTech” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: LDTC), an automotive software company that provides patented disruptive AI-based low-level sensor fusion and perception software technology, LeddarVision™, today announced that it has received approval from the Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) to transfer the listing of its securities from the Nasdaq Global Market to the Nasdaq Capital Market. The Company’s Common Shares and publicly traded warrants will continue to trade under the symbols “LDTC” and “LDTCW,” respectively. The transfer of the Company’s listing to the Nasdaq Capital Market is not expected to have any impact on trading in the Company’s securities. This transfer is expected to take effect as of the opening of trading on February 6, 2025.
As previously disclosed, the Company received notifications from Nasdaq indicating the Company had failed to comply with certain continued listing requirements for the Nasdaq Global Market. In connection with the transfer of its listing to Nasdaq Capital Market, the Company had either cured such deficiencies or met the applicable standards on the Nasdaq Capital Market, and will be subject to robust Nasdaq Capital Market listing standards going forward.
“We look forward to further growth and development of LeddarTech on the Nasdaq,” said Frantz Saintellemy, President and CEO of LeddarTech. “We are excited about our business momentum, as demonstrated by the selection of LeddarVision, our fusion and perception software solution, by one of the world’s leading commercial vehicle OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) for their advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) program for 2028 model year vehicles. We believe this win along with other recent announcements validate our commercial strategy and reflect the momentum that is building with our business.”
About LeddarTech
A global software company founded in 2007 and headquartered in Quebec City with additional R&D centers in Montreal and Tel Aviv, Israel, LeddarTech develops and provides comprehensive AI-based low-level sensor fusion and perception software solutions that enable the deployment of ADAS, autonomous driving (AD) and parking applications. LeddarTech’s automotive-grade software applies advanced AI and computer vision algorithms to generate accurate 3D models of the environment to achieve better decision making and safer navigation. This high-performance, scalable, cost-effective technology is available to OEMs and Tier 1-2 suppliers to efficiently implement automotive and off-road vehicle ADAS solutions.
LeddarTech is responsible for several remote-sensing innovations, with over 170 patent applications (87 granted) that enhance ADAS, AD and parking capabilities. Better awareness around the vehicle is critical in making global mobility safer, more efficient, sustainable and affordable: this is what drives LeddarTech to seek to become the most widely adopted sensor fusion and perception software solution.
Additional information about LeddarTech is accessible at www.leddartech.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter (X), Facebook and YouTube.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this Press Release may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (which forward-looking statements also include forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws), including, but not limited to, statements relating to LeddarTech’s selection by the OEM referred to above, anticipated strategy, future operations, prospects, objectives and financial projections and other financial metrics and ability to comply with Nasdaq Capital Markets listing standards in the future. Forward-looking statements generally include statements that are predictive in nature and depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, and include words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “likely,” “believe,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend” and other similar expressions among others. Statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results could differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement as a result of various factors, including, without limitation, our ability to continue to maintain compliance with Nasdaq continued listing standards following our transfer to the Nasdaq Capital Market, as well as: (i) the risk that LeddarTech and the OEM referred to above are unable to agree to final terms in definitive agreements; (ii) the volume of future orders (if any) from this OEM, actual revenue derived from expected orders, and timing of revenue, if any; (iii) our ability to timely access sufficient capital and financing on favorable terms or at all; (iv) our ability to maintain compliance with our debt covenants, including our ability to enter into any forbearance agreements, waivers or amendments with, or obtain other relief from, our lenders as needed; (v) our ability to execute on our business model, achieve design wins and generate meaningful revenue; (vi) our ability to successfully commercialize our product offering at scale, whether through the collaboration agreement with Texas Instruments, a collaboration with a Tier 2 supplier or otherwise; (vii) changes in our strategy, future operations, financial position, estimated revenues and losses, projected costs, projects, prospects and plans; (viii) changes in general economic and/or industry-specific conditions; (ix) our ability to retain, attract and hire key personnel; (x) potential adverse changes to relationships with our customers, employees, suppliers or other parties; (xi) legislative, regulatory and economic developments; (xii) the outcome of any known and unknown litigation and regulatory proceedings; (xiii) unpredictability and severity of catastrophic events, including, but not limited to, acts of terrorism, outbreak of war or hostilities and any epidemic, pandemic or disease outbreak, as well as management’s response to any of the aforementioned factors; and (xiv) other risk factors as detailed from time to time in LeddarTech’s reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including the risk factors contained in LeddarTech’s Form 20-F filed with the SEC. The foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. Except as required by applicable law, LeddarTech does not undertake any obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contact:
Chris Stewart, Chief Financial Officer, LeddarTech Holdings Inc.
Tel.: + 1-514-427-0858, chris.stewart@leddartech.com
Leddar, LeddarTech, LeddarVision, LeddarSP, VAYADrive, VayaVision and related logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of LeddarTech Holdings Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other brands, product names and marks are or may be trademarks or registered trademarks used to identify products or services of their respective owners.
LeddarTech Holdings Inc. is a public company listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “LDTC.”
Source: University of South Australia
06 February 2025
Australian households and businesses should benefit from lower interest rates and improved market conditions, in what a University of South Australia economist predicts will be a year of recovery for the country.
UniSA’s Credit Union SA Chair of Economics Dr Susan Stone says global economic growth is expected to improve in 2025, with G20 economies averaging growth rates of 3.35%. India and Indonesia are stand out markets and will benefit Australia as they are both major export markets.
Dr Stone says inflation is also expected to further recede, with central banks having reached their monetary policy targets in nearly half of the world’s advanced economies (US, UK, Canada, Japan etc) and close to 60% for emerging market economies (India, Brazil, South Africa etc).
“Inflation is coming down in Australia and rate cuts are expected in the first half of the year, with many economists predicting one at the February meeting. However, there are still lingering concerns about Commonwealth payments affecting the CPI (consumer price index) numbers, with rents still growing strongly, services inflation running over 4%, a continued tight housing market and low unemployment,” she says,
“All of this implies that spare capacity is limited in the economy and that any increase in demand accompanied by lowering interest rates could rekindle inflation.”
Dr Stone, a former OECD and United Nations economist, says the labour market picture is more nuanced, with growth in full-time employment post-COVID-19 slightly ahead of part-time work, but this varies significantly by sector. The strongest employment increases have been in electricity, gas and water (EGW) and construction nationally.
“EGW has more than doubled its employment growth since COVID (compared to the 10-year average) but it has come mainly through part-time work – 11% growth versus 3% growth in full-time jobs,” Dr Stone says. “The construction and health sectors were the next highest at 1.6% and 1.5% growth respectively. Both experienced stronger growth in full time workers than part-time.
“Professional, scientific and technical services employment has actually grown at a slower rate in Australia since COVID with the average annual rate of 0.8% versus the average rate of 0.9% since 2014. However, manufacturing, while small, shows much stronger employment gains since COVID then in the 10-year period overall. In this sector, part-time employment has actually fallen while full-time has increased.
“We see the construction sector really bouncing back from pre-COVID averages, with full-time job growth (at 1.7%) more than twice the rate as prior to COVID (0.7%) while part-time job growth remained the same (1%). Thus, tight conditions in the construction industry job market are likely to continue into 2025.”
As inflation comes down and real wages rise, some recovery in household finances can be expected which should increase household spending. A key to growth in Australia’s economy for 2025 and beyond is business investment, Dr Stone says.
“We saw volume measures of retail spending finish the year up, especially for household goods, which means people aren’t just spending more because of price increases. As the price index (CPI) continues to fall faster than the wage index (WPI), along with the expected cut in interest rates, household budgets should recover in 2025,” she says.
Following Donald Trump’s official inauguration as the United States’ 47th president, like many countries, Australia is adapting to his return and promise of new tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China.
Dr Stone says Australians may be affected by the additional trade barriers as even though the US accounts for only 5% of Australian exports, it still ranks as Australia’s fifth-largest export market.
“We export a relatively small number of commodities to the US but it’s still an important customer for our advanced manufacturing sector. The US imports many of our high technology products such as hi-tech engines, aircraft and space parts and machine tools,” she says.
“The US is also our second largest services export market, making up more than 10% of our total services trade. Service inputs are things like software, engineering or transport services that help produce international goods such as toys, laptops and refrigerators.”
Dr Stone says overall, 2025 should be a year of recovery with Australian households and business benefitting from lower interest rates and improved market conditions.
“Overseas markets are likely to remain rocky, but a weak dollar will help exports. Structural challenges in the housing market, innovation and business investment will need to be addressed to ensure sustained growth,” she adds.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Contact for interview: Dr Susan Stone, University of South Australia Credit Union SA Chair of Economics E: Susan.Stone@unisa.edu.au
Media contact: Melissa Keogh, Communications Officer, UniSA M: +61 403 659 154 E: Melissa.Keogh@unisa.edu.au
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
TORONTO, Feb. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AGF Management Limited reported total assets under management (AUM) and fee-earning assets1 of $54.4 billion as at January 31, 2025.
| AUM ($ billions) |
January 31, 2025 |
December 31, 2024 |
% Change Month-Over- Month |
January 31, 2024 |
% Change Year-Over- Year |
||||||||
| Total Mutual Fund | $31.4 | $30.1 | $25.1 | ||||||||||
| Exchange-traded funds + Separately managed accounts | $2.7 | $2.8 | $1.6 | ||||||||||
| Segregated accounts and Sub-advisory | $6.8 | $6.4 | $7.0 | ||||||||||
| AGF Private Wealth | $8.6 | $8.4 | $7.7 | ||||||||||
| Subtotal (before AGF Capital Partners AUM and fee-earning assets1) |
$49.5 | $47.7 | $41.4 | ||||||||||
| AGF Capital Partners | $2.8 | $2.8 | $0.1 | ||||||||||
| Total AUM | $52.3 | $50.5 | 3.6 | % | $41.5 | 26.0 | % | ||||||
| AGF Capital Partners fee-earning assets1 | $2.1 | $2.1 | $2.0 | ||||||||||
| Total AUM and fee-earning assets1 | $54.4 | $52.6 | 3.4 | % | $43.5 | 25.1 | % | ||||||
| Average Daily Mutual Fund AUM | $30.8 | $30.5 | $25.0 | ||||||||||
1 Fee-earning assets represent assets in which AGF has carried interest ownership and earns recurring fees but does not have ownership interest in the managers.
| Mutual Fund AUM by Category ($ billions) |
January 31, 2025 |
December 31, 2024 |
January 31, 2024 |
||||||
| Domestic Equity Funds | $4.5 | $4.4 | $4.1 | ||||||
| U.S. and International Equity Funds | $19.7 | $18.6 | $14.3 | ||||||
| Domestic Balanced Funds | $0.1 | $0.1 | $0.1 | ||||||
| U.S. and International Balanced Funds | $1.7 | $1.6 | $1.6 | ||||||
| Domestic Fixed Income Funds | $1.9 | $1.8 | $1.7 | ||||||
| U.S. and International Fixed Income Funds | $3.2 | $3.3 | $3.1 | ||||||
| Domestic Money Market | $0.3 | $0.3 | $0.2 | ||||||
| Total Mutual Fund AUM | $31.4 | $30.1 | $25.1 | ||||||
| AGF Capital Partners AUM and fee-earning assets ($ billions) |
January 31, 2025 |
December 31, 2024 |
January 31, 2024 |
|||
| AGF Capital Partners AUM | $2.8 | $2.8 | $0.1 | |||
| AGF Capital Partners fee-earning assets | $2.1 | $2.1 | $2.0 | |||
| Total AGF Capital Partners AUM and fee-earning assets | $4.9 | $4.9 | $2.1 |
About AGF Management Limited
Founded in 1957, AGF Management Limited (AGF) is an independent and globally diverse asset management firm. Our companies deliver excellence in investing in the public and private markets through three business lines: AGF Investments, AGF Capital Partners and AGF Private Wealth.
AGF brings a disciplined approach, focused on incorporating sound, responsible and sustainable corporate practices. The firm’s collective investment expertise, driven by its fundamental, quantitative and private investing capabilities, extends globally to a wide range of clients, from financial advisors and their clients to high-net worth and institutional investors including pension plans, corporate plans, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations.
Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, AGF has investment operations and client servicing teams on the ground in North America and Europe. With over $54 billion in total assets under management and fee-earning assets, AGF serves more than 815,000 investors. AGF trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol AGF.B.
AGF Management Limited shareholders, analysts and media, please contact:
Ken Tsang
Chief Financial Officer
416-865-4338, InvestorRelations@agf.com
Source: Government of Canada regional news
Christine Boyle, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation –
“In B.C., we are taking direct action to address the urgent and critical need for culturally supportive housing on reserve and off reserve by working in partnership with First Nations and Indigenous organizations. Together, we are laying a strong foundation so communities can thrive and making positive changes in people’s lives by meeting their fundamental needs.”
Mark Miller, CEO, Connective –
“We understand that stable, appropriate housing is a critical step in preventing crises and a foundation for accessing additional supports, overcoming barriers and pursuing personal independence. The transitional housing program at 3rd and London is an exciting opportunity to diversify local responses to homelessness, while leveraging our expertise to help individuals work toward long-term stability.”
Keith Fielding, president, Peachland Seniors’ Support Society –
“We’re thrilled to see the second phase of our seniors’ housing project underway. Phase 2 adds 73 new homes to the Residences on Sixth project, bringing the total to 147 units. Our thanks to BC Housing for this second partnership and to the District of Peachland for leasing the land.”
Chief Michael Wyse, Snuneymuxw First Nation –
“We celebrate Snuneymuxw families moving into La’lum’utul, new homes that are part of our ongoing work to create more affordable housing options for our people. We are grateful for our continued partnership with BC Housing and the meaningful results we are achieving together.”
Fran Hunt-Jinnouchi, executive director, Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness –
“Sacred Cradle House will meet a critical need in Victoria to keep First Nations, Métis and Inuit families together through culturally supportive housing, Indigenous approaches and child-rearing practices, including decolonized harm reduction and land-based healing.”
Bob Hughes, CEO, ASK Wellness Society –
“As we prepare to open our doors, ASK Wellness Society is proud and humbled to help bring the Access Hub Committe’s vision to life. This collaborative effort highlights the power of partnership in addressing the urgent shelter needs of Kamloops’ North Shore, providing support, hope and wraparound services to some of the most vulnerable members of our community.”
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BTQ Technologies Corp. (CBOE CA: BTQ) (FSE: NG3) (OTCQX: BTQQF), a global quantum technology company focused on securing mission-critical networks, today announced that Nicolas Roussy Newton, Co-Founder and COO will present live at the Small Cap Growth Virtual Investor Conference hosted by VirtualInvestorConferences.com, on February 6th, 2025
DATE: Thursday February 6, 2025
TIME: 11:00am ET
LINK: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event.
It is recommended that online investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates.
Learn more about the event at www.virtualinvestorconferences.com.
Recent BTQ Highlights:
About BTQ
BTQ was founded by a group of post-quantum cryptographers with an interest in addressing the urgent security threat posed by large-scale universal quantum computers. With the support of leading research institutes and universities, BTQ is combining software and hardware to safeguard critical networks using unique post-quantum services and solutions.
Connect with BTQ: Website | LinkedIn
About Virtual Investor Conferences®
Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly traded companies to seamlessly present directly to investors.
Providing a real-time investor engagement solution, VIC is specifically designed to offer companies more efficient investor access. Replicating the components of an on-site investor conference, VIC offers companies enhanced capabilities to connect with investors, schedule targeted one-on-one meetings and enhance their presentations with dynamic video content. Accelerating the next level of investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences delivers leading investor communications to a global network of retail and institutional investors.
CONTACTS:
BTQ Technologies Corp.
Bill Mitoulas
Investor Relations
+1.416.479.9547
bill@btq.com
Virtual Investor Conferences
John M. Viglotti
SVP Corporate Services, Investor Access
OTC Markets Group
(212) 220-2221
johnv@otcmarkets.com
Neither CBOE Canada nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister
Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Minister of Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs, Dominic LeBlanc, the Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, Anita Anand, and Canada’s Ambassador to the United States, Kirsten Hillman, met virtually with Canada’s premiers to discuss the Canada-U.S. relationship and economic prosperity.
The Prime Minister provided an update on his recent conversations with the President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump, during which the President decided to pause the implementation of U.S. tariffs against Canadian goods for a period of 30 days. The Prime Minister and the premiers reiterated their determination to continue engaging with U.S. partners at the federal, state, and local levels to prevent the imposition of any tariffs on Canadian exports and emphasize the benefits of Canada-U.S. co-operation. The Prime Minister welcomed the premiers’ upcoming mission to Washington, D.C., under the auspices of the Council of the Federation, as a significant opportunity for engagement and advocacy.
The Prime Minister and Minister LeBlanc discussed progress in the implementation of Canada’s $1.3 billion border plan. The Government of Canada has been redoubling its efforts to uphold border security with new helicopters and technology, enhanced co-ordination with U.S. law enforcement agencies, increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl, and nearly 10,000 frontline personnel working on protecting the border. This Monday, the Prime Minister announced further commitments to appoint a Fentanyl Czar, list cartels as terrorists, ensure 24/7 eyes on the border, and launch a Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl, and money laundering. The Prime Minister also signed a new intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl, backed with an investment of $200 million. The Prime Minister thanked premiers for their ongoing efforts to complement Canada’s border plan and committed to continue working in close partnership as the Government of Canada implements the recently announced new measures.
With the current pause in the proposed U.S. tariffs, First Ministers recognized the important opportunity to build a long-term prosperity agenda for Canada. They welcomed the positive conversations that took place at the meeting of the Committee on Internal Trade in Toronto, Ontario, on January 31, 2025. First Ministers endorsed the recommendations of Internal Trade Ministers to strengthen the Canadian Free Trade Agreement, advance mutual recognition and labour mobility, and explore opportunities to open new domestic markets in key sectors. They looked forward to making progress on these important priorities.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the upcoming Canada-U.S. Economic Summit that the Council on Canada-U.S. Relations will hold in Toronto on February 7, 2025. Building on the Council’s work to date, the Summit will bring together Canadian leaders in trade, business, public policy, and organized labour to explore ways to grow Canada’s economy, make it easier to build and trade within the country, diversify export markets, and rejuvenate productivity.
The Prime Minister and the premiers agreed to remain in close contact and to continue standing up for Canadian consumers, jobs, and businesses. They agreed to reconvene in two weeks’ time, or sooner if necessary, to discuss next steps in Canada’s engagement with the United States.
Source: Government of Canada regional news
More families in Kimberley will have access to affordable, quality child care with 148 new child care spaces opening soon at Marysville Elementary school.
“This new child care centre in Kimberley will benefit hard-working families and the whole community for years to come,” said Rohini Arora, B.C.’s parliamentary secretary for child care. “It is a great example of how we are working with community partners to build new child care centres where people need them most throughout B.C.”
Construction of a new child care centre on school grounds was made possible by more than $8.8 million from the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund. This fund is jointly supported by provincial investments and federal funding under the 2021-22 to 2025-26 Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.
“Everyone deserves access to affordable child care close to home. These new spots in Kimberley support our children’s well-being and help meet parents’ needs,” said Jenna Sudds, federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development. “It’s a significant investment in our children’s future and the strength of our communities.”
School districts throughout B.C. are partnering with the provincial government to create new child care spaces to help address the child care needs of families within their communities. Child care on school grounds makes life easier for families by requiring only one dropoff and pickup location, streamlining their daily routines, reducing stress and creating a smoother transition for children.
“This project certainly represents an example of what can be accomplished through exemplary community collaboration,” said Aaron Callaghan, superintendent, Rocky Mountain School District. “Our heartfelt thanks go out to everyone involved in this undertaking, including the City of Kimberley and Columbia Basin Trust. We are especially grateful to our partner, Summit Community Services Society, whose expertise and dedication will now bring this facility to life, providing essential child care services for families in Kimberley.”
Since 2018, ChildCareBC’s accelerated space creation programs have helped fund the creation of more than 40,000 new licensed child care spaces in B.C., with more than 23,000 of these operational. Funding the creation of new child care spaces is part of the Province’s ChildCareBC plan to build access to affordable, quality, inclusive child care as a core service families can rely on.
Quote:
Johnny Strilaeff, president and CEO, Columbia Basin Trust –
“This new facility represents an incredible achievement for Marysville and the surrounding community, providing local families with greater access to high-quality child care. We are proud to have partnered with Rocky Mountain School District, Summit Community Services Society, the City of Kimberley and the Province to make this project a reality. Supporting projects like this not only helps families thrive, but also strengthens the foundation of our communities across the basin.”
Learn More:
For more information about ChildCareBC, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare
More information about the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund is available here: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare/newspacesfund
For more information about the Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, visit:
https://www.canada.ca/en/early-learning-child-care-agreement/agreements-provinces-territories/british-columbia-canada-wide-2021.html
Source: International Association of Drilling Contractors – IADC
Headline: Welcome to IADC’s 2025 Executive Committee!
Kevin Neveu is President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Precision Drilling Corporation and has held these positions since joining the company in 2007. Mr. Neveu has 43 years of experience in the oilfield services sector holding various technical, marketing, and management positions over his career. Mr. Neveu holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and is a graduate of the University of Alberta and is a registered Professional Engineer in the province of Alberta. He has also completed the Harvard Advanced Management Program in Boston, Massachusetts.
Named to his current position in February 2022, Mr. Mackenzie is responsible for identifying innovative technologies that create demonstrable value for Transocean’s customers and differentiate Transocean from its competitors in addition to leading Transocean’s Marketing organization. Mr. Mackenzie served previously as Senior Vice President, Marketing, Innovation and Industry Relations; Vice President, Marketing and Contracts; Managing Director, Business Development and Strategic Accounts, and as a Marketing Director with increasing roles of responsibility in the United States, France, and Dubai. He brings over 20 years of industry experience and prior to his time in Marketing, Mr. Mackenzie served in various operational and project roles around the globe, starting his career at Transocean as a rig-based engineer in 1997. He has worked on all manner of drilling rigs in Algeria, Nigeria, Cameroon, Angola, Brazil, and the US Gulf of Mexico.
Mr. Mackenzie currently serves as Vice President for Offshore Division of the International Association of Drilling Contractors and on various committees for the Offshore Energy Center.
Mr. Mackenzie graduated from the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program in 2016 and received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Strathclyde in Civil Engineering with Environmental Studies in 1997.
Mr. James has served as founding President, CEO and Board Member of Enterprise Offshore Drilling LLC since 2016. He previously served as Sr. Vice President – Marketing of Hercules Offshore from 2006 through 2016 and was responsible for managing worldwide marketing activity for Hercules drilling divisions. Prior to that he held various leadership roles at Transocean Offshore (including R&B Falcon and Cliffs Drilling), was founding President of Field Drilling Company and Vice President of Southland Drilling. He currently serves on the IADC Executive Committee and is a board member of IADC Drillers PAC and is a former Chairman of the IADC Houston Chapter. Mr. James obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Southwest Texas State University in 1981.
Ms. Yeung was named Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Controller of Noble in November 2023. Prior to joining Noble, she served at Ernst & Young LLP, an accounting and professional services firm, in various roles of increasing responsibility since January 2007. Most recently, Ms. Yeung served as Audit Managing Director from October 2020 through September 2023, and as Audit Senior Manager from July 2014 through October 2020, serving clients across a range of industries including offshore drilling.
Ms. Yeung is a certified public accountant and received a Bachelor of Accountancy and a Bachelor of Business Administration, Finance from Loyola University.
Lee Womble is Vice President and Global Accounts Director for SLB with global responsibility for drilling contractor accounts over all SLB divisions and basins.
He joined Cameron Iron Works in 1988 as a Product Design Engineer after receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Lee received his registered Professional Engineer license from the State of Texas in 1993 and obtained his first patent in 1994. He has since managed engineering, repair operations, manufacturing, field service and sales.
Mr. Womble has since held numerous positions throughout his 36-year career such as Design Engineer, Repair and Sales Mgr., Regional Manager, Director and now Vice President since 2007. He has lived in locations such as the US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Lee has served on committees for API, AADE, IADC and The Joint Industry Task Force. He is currently focused on help SLB lead in technology, performance, and customer centricity.
Gene Stahl was appointed as President, North American Drilling in 2023 and previously held the position of Chief Marketing Officer since 2019. Since joining Precision Drilling in 1993, Mr. Stahl has progressed his way through the organization holding several positions with increasing responsibility, including Contracts, Investor Relations, Engineering, Manufacturing, Rig Construction, Procurement, Field Training and Development, and Health, Safety and Environment (HSE). Mr. Stahl holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Calgary and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School, Advanced Management Program.
Jon Richards currently serves as Vice President Operations for Noble Corporation. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Worldwide Operations for Diamond Offshore. Mr. Richards joined Diamond Offshore in 1997 and has over 27 years of experience in the offshore drilling industry.
Jon started his career as an Operations Development Trainee with Diamond and has since held various leadership roles and responsibilities managing operations in the United States, United Kingdom, West Africa, and Brazil. Jon holds a degree in Business Management from Texas Tech University and participates in various roles as a member of the IADC. In his free time, Jon enjoys spending time outdoors with his family and volunteering with youth sports.
Jim Nowotny is the Vice President International and Offshore Business Development at Helmerich & Payne. He has extensive domestic and international leadership experience in multiple areas of the offshore and land drilling industry, including marketing and business development, commercial and technical contracts, operations, manufacturing, and engineering. He has worked in the energy industry since 1995.
Prior to joining Helmerich & Payne, he worked for an international oil field equipment manufacturer. There he was responsible for four manufacturing business units within Canada and the USA. He oversaw all aspects of business operations, including the manufacturing, engineering, and business development groups. Jim also worked for over 16 years in various roles for Atwood Oceanics, an international offshore drilling contractor. He worked in increasing roles of responsibility in the areas of engineering, operations, marketing, and business development.
Jim has a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University and has completed several executive education courses at Columbia Business School, Harvard Law School and Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Source: Microsoft
Headline: How real-world businesses are transforming with AI – with 50 new stories
Updated February 5, 2025: The post contains 50 new customer stories, which appear at the beginning of each section of customer lists. The post will be updated regularly with new stories.
One of the highlights of my career has always been connecting with customers and partners across industries to learn how they are using technology to drive their businesses forward. In the past 30 years, we’ve seen four major platform shifts, from client server to internet and the web to mobile and cloud to now — the next major platform shift to AI.
As today’s platform shift to AI continues to gain momentum, Microsoft is working to understand just how organizations can drive lasting business value. We recently commissioned a study with IDC, The Business Opportunity of AI, to uncover new insights around business value and help guide organizations on their journey of AI transformation. The study found that for every $1 organizations invest in generative AI, they’re realizing an average of $3.70 in return — and uncovered insights about the future potential of AI to reshape business processes and drive change across industries.
Check out the top 5 AI trends to watch from IDC and Microsoft
Today, more than 85% of the Fortune 500 are using Microsoft AI solutions to shape their future. In working with organizations large and small, across every industry and geography, we’ve seen that most transformation initiatives are designed to achieve one of four business outcomes:
In this blog, we’ve collected more than 300 of our favorite real-life examples of how organizations are embracing Microsoft’s proven AI capabilities to drive impact and shape today’s platform shift to AI. Today, we’ve added new stories of customers using our AI capabilities at the beginning of each section. We’ll regularly update this story with more. We hope you find an example or two that can inspire your own transformation journey.
Generative AI is truly transforming employee productivity and wellbeing. Our customers tell us that by automating repetitive, mundane tasks, employees are freed up to dive into more complex and creative work. This shift not only makes the work environment more stimulating but also boosts job satisfaction. It sparks innovation, provides actionable insights for better decision-making and supports personalized training and development opportunities, all contributing to a better work-life balance. Customers around the world have reported significant improvements in employee productivity with these AI solutions:
New Stories:
We’ve seen great examples of how generative AI can automate content creation, ensuring there’s fresh and engaging materials ready to go. It personalizes customer experiences by crunching the numbers, boosting conversion rates. It makes operations smoother, helping teams launch campaigns faster. Plus, it drives innovation, crafting experiences that delight customers while lightening the load for staff. Embracing generative AI is key for organizations wanting to reinvent customer engagements, stay ahead of the game and drive both innovation and efficiency.
New Stories:
————————————————————————————————————————–
Transforming operations is another way generative AI is encouraging innovation and improving efficiency across various business functions. In marketing, it can create personalized content to truly engage different audiences. For supply chain management, it can predict market trends so companies can optimize their inventory levels. Human resources departments can speed up the hiring process, while financial services can use it for fraud detection and risk assessments. With generative AI, companies are not just refining their current processes, they’re also discovering exciting new growth opportunities.
New Stories:
————————————————————————————————————————–
Generative AI is revolutionizing innovation by speeding up creative processes and product development. It’s helping companies come up with new ideas, design prototypes, and iterate quickly, cutting down the time it takes to get to market. In the automotive industry, it’s designing more efficient vehicles, while in pharmaceuticals, it’s crafting new drug molecules, slashing years off R&D times. In education, it transforms how students learn and achieve their goals. Here are more examples of how companies are embracing generative AI to shape the future of innovation.
New Stories:
————————————————————————————————————————–
Read more:
IDC InfoBrief: sponsored by Microsoft, 2024 Business Opportunity of AI, IDC# US52699124, November 2024
Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Saskatchewan RCMP continues to investigate two incidents that occurred in southeast Saskatchewan on February 4, 2025.
Update on suspicious deaths on Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation:
Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes investigators remain on the scene of the suspicious deaths of four individuals on Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation. Residents will continue to notice an increased police presence in relation to the investigation.
We are investigating the deaths as homicides. Initial investigation suggests the residence may have been targeted.
We are working with the Saskatchewan Coroners Service to formally identify the victims and are still limited in what we are able to share. What we are able to confirm is that the victims are two adult males and two adult females.
Though formal identification is pending, our family liaison team is providing investigational updates to loved ones we believe may be impacted by these homicides. We are also actively referring them to Victim Services for support.
Update on pointing firearm incident on Zagime Anishinabek:
As noted early this morning, Keagan Panipekeesick was arrested by Regina Police Service at a residence on Mathieu Crescent in Regina.
He has been charged with one count of pointing a firearm, Section 87(2), Criminal Code and one count of possession of a firearm contrary to order, Section 117.01(1), Criminal Code.
He will appear before a Justice of the Peace today; details of his first court appearance are not yet available.
Two other individuals were also taken into custody at the residence. Officers continue to investigate their involvement, if any, with the firearm pointing incident.
At this time, investigators are examining into whether the firearm pointing incident and the homicides are connected. We are unable to confirm a link at this time.
We are committed to continuing to provide updates as they become available. If an imminent risk to public safety is identified, we will notify the public.
Source: Government of Canada regional news (2)
“I met with the Prime Minister and my fellow premiers this morning to discuss how we can work together to take decisive action on the war on fentanyl, and border security.
“Alberta is looking forward to the imminent appointment of a ‘fentanyl czar’ to coordinate our nation’s response to the fentanyl crisis, as well as funding and resources from the federal government to assist our province’s law enforcement initiatives to tackle this issue.
“As a province, in addition to the border security measures already taken, I have instructed my government to take immediate steps to significantly increase police and prosecutorial resources to go after the fentanyl labs, kingpins and dealers that are responsible for killing 49,000 Canadians since 2016.
“We will also continue to move forward with our recovery treatment centres and will be moving forward, this year, with promised compassionate intervention legislation and the construction of secured mandatory treatment facilities in Edmonton and Calgary.
“In addition, Alberta will continue its diplomatic efforts with U.S. lawmakers and officials. To this end, I will join my fellow premiers in Washington D.C. next week and will attend the National Governors Association convention the week thereafter.
“Finally, in addition to our nation’s shared effort to address fentanyl, it is imperative that a federal election is called immediately after the Liberals have chosen their party leader so that we have a Prime Minister with a strong mandate to negotiate a new Canada-U.S. trade agreement. This cannot be properly negotiated by our country from a position of strength without a Prime Minister with a strong and clear mandate from Canadians.
“To this end, we call on all Liberal leadership candidates and federal party leaders to agree to an election to commence in March at the very latest.”
Source: US House of Representatives – Democratic Caucus
The following text contains opinion that is not, or not necessarily, that of MIL-OSI – February 05, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar and Vice Chair Ted Lieu held a press conference on House Republicans’ failure to lower the high cost of living while prioritizing stealing taxpayer dollars from vital programs to pay for tax giveaways to billionaires.
CHAIRMAN AGUILAR: Good morning. House Democrats had a productive Caucus this morning. Leader Jeffries laid out our path forward as we push back against the chaos and the corruption that we’ve seen from Donald Trump’s White House.
One thing is clear: with Trump and Republicans in control, America will be less safe and more expensive. We are less safe because an unelected billionaire with controversial ties to China has access to personal information for every American, including potentially tax and Social Security information. We’re less safe because President Trump released violent criminals into our communities, some with records of domestic violence, rape and attacking police officers. We are less safe because hundreds of FBI agents are on the verge of being fired for not being sufficiently loyal to Donald Trump. Women who serve in the military are less safe today because of an executive order Donald Trump signed preventing them from traveling across state lines to seek abortion care.
America is more expensive because egg prices are at an all time high, and Republicans in Congress have not taken a single step to reduce the cost of living. The reckless Republican tariffs will increase costs for households by $1,200 each year. Everything from groceries to alcohol to lumber used to build homes will be more expensive. The Republican rip off will increase health care costs by stealing from Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and corporations.
The American people voted for solutions to their economic challenges and instead got a corrupt White House in an America that is less safe and more expensive. Vice Chair Ted Lieu.
VICE CHAIR LIEU: Thank you, Chairman Aguilar. Leader Jeffries has laid out a 10-point plan to fight back against the lawless actions of the Trump Administration. That plan has three themes. There’s going to be a legislative strategy, a mobilization strategy and a litigation strategy. To that end, over 25 lawsuits have already been filed. We expect that a number of these actions by the Trump Administration will be reversed because all the courts have to do is follow the law. And in fact, if you look at what happened, a number of Trump’s actions have been stopped or the Administration has simply folded.
The Administration wants you to think that they are invincible, that they are just rolling right along and doing all these things. That is simply not true. A number of times they have been stopped, and they have had to back down. So, for example, on the birthright citizenship order, a Reagan-appointed federal judge declared it unconstitutional, put an injunction on it. And then with the OMB freeze memo, there was pushback from Democrats, from the American people, and they had to rescind that memo, and a judge also declared that memo to be illegal. And then most recently, you saw Trump’s signature issue, the tariffs. He backed out because of the reaction from the stock market and the reaction from the American people. Basically, Canada and Mexico are doing what they said they were already going to do. So essentially, Donald Trump simply folded on that issue. So, I want people to understand their power to shape public sentiment.
And not only are the Trump Administration’s actions ludicrous, they are harming people. So, I’ll end on this example: In California, Donald Trump ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to release a whole bunch of water from these dams when no one needed it. So, over 2 billion gallons of water has now been wasted in California. This water from Northern California isn’t even going down to Southern California. It’s largely going to evaporate when farmers don’t need it, and so Republican Congressman David Valadao is going to have to answer to his farmers when in the summer months, they need water and they don’t have enough.
Those are the harmful actions of this Administration, and I want people to understand that pushing back against this Administration gets them to fold.
Video of the full press conference and Q&A can be viewed here.
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Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The RCMP’s Provincial Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit has charged a Bible Hill man with child pornography offences.
On December 12, 2024, the ICE Unit and Digital Forensic Services, assisted by Colchester County District RCMP, searched a home on Pictou Rd. and seized electronic evidence.
Investigators were directed to the residence after an electronic service provider notified law enforcement that child pornography was being shared using their service.
As a result of the search and subsequent investigation, 48-year-old Adam Franklin was arrested on February 4. He’s been charged with Transmitting Child Pornography and Possessing Child Pornography (two counts).
Franklin, who’s also facing a previous charge of Invitation to Sexual Touching, was released by the courts on conditions. He’s scheduled to appear in Truro Provincial Court on March 12.
In Nova Scotia, it’s mandatory for citizens to report suspected child pornography; anyone who comes across child pornography material or recordings must report it to the police. Failure to report could result in penalties similar to those for failure to report child abuse under the Child and Family Services Act. Be a voice for children who are victims of sexual exploitation by reporting suspected offences to your local police or to Canada’s national tip line: www.cybertip.ca.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
February 05, 2025
Warren Questions Greer on Trade Agenda, Tariff Exemptions for Trump’s Allies and Special Interests
“Tariffs are an important strategic economic tool, but Donald Trump’s desire to start and stop random trade wars will not protect jobs, keep Americans safe, or bring down costs for families.”
Text of Letter (PDF)
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (BHUA) and member of the Senate Finance Committee, wrote to Jamieson Greer, nominee to be U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), ahead of his February 6, 2025 confirmation hearing, probing his views on trade. Senator Warren asked Mr. Greer to address her concerns with the administration’s tariff strategy, corporate influence over trade agreements, corporations offshoring of jobs, and other trade-related concerns.
The USTR is responsible for developing and promoting the U.S. trade agenda and leading trade negotiations on behalf of the U.S., playing a critical role in the economy. This week, the Trump administration announced new tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China. During the last Trump administration, corporations and their lobbyists abused tariff exclusion loopholes to receive secretive exemptions from President Trump and his trade team. The Commerce Department’s Inspector General found that the process for receiving an exemption was “neither transparent nor objective.”
“(T)he President does not appear to have a strategic plan in place to ensure that his proposed tariffs are implemented in a way that secures wins for hardworking Americans and precludes carveouts for special interests,” wrote Senator Warren. “Instead, he has threatened, and withdrawn tariff threats in a chaotic and haphazard manner that has only resulted in uncertainty for American consumers, workers, and manufacturers, as well as our allies.”
Large multinational companies have also gained outsized influence in trade negotiations and trade disputes. For decades, membership of the trade advisory committee has leaned heavily in favor of billionaire corporations and their industry associations, and Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions have allowed corporations to sue governments—including the United States—for pursuing public policies they may disagree with. Senator Warren encouraged Mr. Greer to pursue the removal of ISDS provisions from trade agreements with U.S. allies.
Senator Warren also wrote that she believes large corporations have too many incentives to move jobs and manufacturing abroad. “In order to reverse the negative effects offshoring has had on the American economy, the Administration must invest in domestic industry and eliminate incentives for corporations to hide their profits abroad,” the senator wrote.
Senator Warren also expressed support for the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program to help American workers whose jobs are displaced by trade. “Renewing TAA is a no-brainer, and I hope you will support it to make sure that workers at home get a fair deal,” said Senator Warren.
In order to better understand Mr. Greer’s approach to trade, Senator Warren asked him to prepare to answer questions on his vision for the Trump administration’s trade agenda on February 6, 2025, the date of his confirmation hearing.
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Thomas Stuart, Lecturer in Communications, Gustavson School of Business, University of Victoria
United States President Donald Trump’s early executive actions have set American manufacturing on a collision course with his administration’s fossil-fuel-driven agenda. It’s clear that climate change policies run counter to his vision of American primacy.
Trump wasted no time reversing the green initiatives of his predecessor, former president Joe Biden. He withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement for a second time, rolled back environmental regulations and froze green energy funding.
Read more:
The impact of Donald Trump’s anti-climate measures on our heating planet
However, these reversals have exposed complications in Trump’s economic platform. For all his promises to revive American industry and reduce reliance on foreign production, Trump’s opposition to clean energy threatens green technology investments and other incentives that drive U.S. manufacturing development.
Trump’s Strategic National Manufacturing Initiative promised to “stop outsourcing” and turn the U.S. into a “manufacturing superpower.” Yet his plans to cancel the electric vehicle mandate and reduce regulations promoting clean energy undermine the manufacturing sector’s shift toward green technology.
In the long run, Trump’s own actions may undermine his vision of an American manufacturing renaissance by cutting crucial investments, putting the U.S. at odds with a global economy increasingly focused on clean technologies.
Republican congressman John James recently applauded Trump’s reversal of green policies during a congressional hearing. Yet, in the same breath, James called for the administration to continue “onshoring the future of automotive jobs and manufacturing,” a policy he linked to Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Other Republican representatives from Michigan, Georgia and North Carolina increasingly find themselves walking along the same rhetorical tight-rope.
While Biden’s IRA has been widely criticized by the Trump administration, the act has brought Republican districts significant green investments and manufacturing jobs.
“While the bulk of the IRA is damaging policy, we must not neglect the sector-wide energy tax provisions that manufacturers and job creators rely on in my district and around the country.”
The green manufacturing boom is not an abstract concept, but a tangible economic engine, particularly in districts with established fossil fuel industries like Chatham County, N.C. Here, manufacturer Wolfspeed’s new US$5 billion dollar semiconductor plant sits in the heart of traditional coal country.
Since 2022, the private sector has invested US$133 billion in clean energy and electric vehicle (EV) technology. Manufacturing investments alone have jumped by three times over the previous two years, totalling US$89 billion.
Biden-era policy has largely driven the America’s green energy economic development. The IRA provided a staggering US$312 billion in planned investments in EV and battery manufacturing.
Eighty-five per cent of this funding flows into Republican-voting districts — areas that have historically voted against climate-focused legislation like the IRA. Yet the rewards of these green tech policies have been a boon for local economies.
Georgia, for instance, has become a model for the American green energy transformation. In the first two years of the IRA, about US$15 billion dollars flowed into the state. Since then, Georgia has added a projected 43,000 new green jobs.
Meanwhile, North Carolina’s Randolph County has seen the largest investment in green technology in U.S. history. Under the previous administration, it received about US$14 billion in funding, allowing Toyota to build a manufacturing megasite.
By 2030, the site is expected to create 5,000 jobs in the area, with wages averaging 80 per cent more than the county median salary. Once fully operational, the site will manufacture enough batteries annually to power and maintain up to 500,000 EVs.
As Trump continues to roll back environmental protections and withdraw from climate agreements, whether he can still deliver the manufacturing revival he promised remains to be seen.
In one respect, his policies may lead to a consolidation in the green technology sector. Despite his administration’s retreat from broader green energy policies, Trump says he will continue securing the U.S. supply of critical minerals for EV batteries.
This could reflect the influence of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is serving under Trump as a “special government employee.” Tesla, which relies on these critical minerals for its EV production, would benefit from a stable supply.
Musk resents regulatory interventions, particularly those that encourage competition. On a call with investors, Musk said Tesla might feel a slight impact from lost subsidies. However, he suggested the real damage would be to competitors who are scrambling to catch up in an industry where raw materials are king. Musk predicted that “long term, it probably actually helps Tesla.”
In another respect, Trump’s policy reversal could also weaken Republican unity. Republican politicians like Georgia’s Buddy Carter, Tennessee’s Chuck Fleischmann and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp have highlighted the short-sighted nature of Trump’s economic plan.
Trump’s decision to turn his back on climate change policy is more than a blow to environmentalists; it’s a direct challenge to his own economic agenda. He risks not just the environment, but also the green investments essential to American industry’s competitive revival.
Thomas Stuart does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. Trump’s reversal of climate policies risks undermining U.S. manufacturing — and could cost people jobs – https://theconversation.com/trumps-reversal-of-climate-policies-risks-undermining-u-s-manufacturing-and-could-cost-people-jobs-248399
Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
In continuing its investigation into a recent break, enter, and theft at the RBC bank branch in Holyrood, RCMP East District General Investigation Section (GIS) arrested and charged three more suspects, 33 -year-old Ryan Tobin, 38-year-old Matthew Scott, and 49-year-old Jodi Lewis.
At approximately 3:45 a.m. on December 16, 2024, suspects used a stolen back hoe to break into the bank, causing extensive damage. An ATM was stolen from inside and loaded into a dump truck which was stopped by police a short time later on the Trans-Canada Highway heading east and the ATM was recovered. A second vehicle, a pickup truck, was also pulled over. This vehicle was believed to be involved in the breaking and entering and all three occupants were arrested but later released.
As a result of further investigation, on January 29, 2025, Matthew Scott, Jodi Lewis, and Ryan Tobin, the occupants of the pickup truck, were charged and are set to appear in court on March 4, 2025, for the following offences:
Two other individuals, Jason Weir and Jamie Kennedy, were previously arrested and charged as part of this investigation.
The investigation is continuing. Anyone having information about this crime is asked to contact Holyrood RCMP at 709-229-3892 or, to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers: #SayItHere 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), visit www.nlcrimestoppers.com or use the P3Tips app.