Disruptors

Carbon markets are at the forefront of climate action and the mobilization of carbon credits and offsets are critical — where each carbon credit holds the promise of a greener future for the Great White North. Join us as we unravel the intricate dance of mobilizing these markets — exploring the interplay of trust, transparency, and tradability — while navigating the delicate balance between econom...

The global race to apply AI to robotics in a way that can make society better is on — offering unprecedented efficiency, precision and enhancing productivity to relieve humans from mundane tasks. Though there are concerns regarding ethical dilemmas and potential job displacement — fueling fears about the societal impact of these advancements. Striking a balance between the benefits and addressing...

Climate change and housing affordability are on a collision course, and we're going to need to think differently about how we build our communities across the country. Buildings are critical to the climate transition, whether it’s our homes, offices, hospitals or schools, these structures all have a role to play in the journey to net zero and we need a plan that changes how we design, construct an...

Flying is at the centre of our culture and acts as an enabler for economic growth and development — connecting Canadians and facilitating integration into the global economy.  Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is shaking up the aviation industry with an alternative method to power existing aircrafts, with aims of decarbonization to achieve a more sustainable sky. But can it help Canada reach new hei...

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It’s no secret that Canada’s labour market is facing significant challenges, but heading into another school year, there’s hope that a series of regulatory changes enacted by the Federal Government could help get more international students into the workforce. That’s why we’re highlighting an episode from the past season of Disruptors, an RBC Podcast, featuring a conversation between host John Sta...

Summer bounties are hitting our dinner, picnic and BBQ tables, and farmers are busy gearing up for another fall harvest season. But have you ever considered how much of the food we produce in Canada never even makes it to your plate?  Or how much goes into the green bin? This year on Disruptors, an RBC Podcast, we tackled the challenge of food waste in a special series called “The Growing Challeng...

As another wildfire season blankets Canada and the U.S. with smoke, air quality is worsening, and the summers are only getting hotter. Some of Canada’s most populous cities even topped the rankings when it comes to the worst air quality on the planet.  That’s why we’re highlighting an important episode of Disruptors, an RBC Podcast , focused on spending on climate action. August 16th marks exactly...

Few things have been more disruptive and hotly debated this year than AI as 2023 marked the potential tipping point in its mass adoption thanks to the public release of generative AI platforms like ChatGPT. From healthcare, to cybersecurity, to journalism and, now, Hollywood, AI is sending shockwaves through virtually every sector of our economy.  So, it’s a perfect time to highlight an episode of...

When it comes to the energy transition, we're going to need to literally rewire our economy. On the season finale of Disruptors, an RBC Podcast, host John Stackhouse sits down with Olivier Desmarais , the CEO of Power Sustainable, one of Canada’s most significant and global enterprises. The firm is a sustainable investment manager that invests in companies and projects that contribute to decarboni...

If Canada is going to transition to clean energy, we’ve got to involve and engage our Indigenous communities for economic development and reconciliation. On this episode of Disruptors, an RBC Podcast, host John Stackhouse speaks to two leaders working to make a meaningful partnership happen: Annette Verschuren , CEO of NRStor and Matthew Jamieson , the CEO and President of Six Nations of the Grand...

It all starts with the envelope—a building’s envelope, that is, to create more sustainable, comfortable homes and offices. Then the power of innovative materials and software comes together to create Net Zero buildings.  In Part 2 of a special two-part series of Disruptors, an RBC Podcast, focused on greening Canada’s build sector, host John Stackhouse chats with three experts dedicated to buildin...

Canada is a nation of builders—but buildings are our third biggest source of greenhouse gases and release some 90 million tonnes of C02 annually. On Part 1 of a special two-part series of Disruptors, an RBC Podcast, focused on greening Canada’s built sector, host John Stackhouse chats with three experts committed to decarbonizing our buildings. Together, they explore the question, “how can retrofi...

Have you ever wondered what qualities make up a true innovator? How do they approach problems and create new solutions? Is it nature or nurture? On this episode of Disruptors, an RBC Podcast, host John Stackhouse goes inside the minds of three Canadian innovators, all recipients of this year’s Governor General Innovation Awards: Gary Agnew , Co-founder and CEO, Ideon Technologies; Paulette Senior...

The COVID-19 pandemic, extreme weather events and record e-commerce demand have shone a spotlight on the world’s supply chains. The journey of how we receive “stuff” is quite complicated—and fragile. Luckily, the power of technologies such as automation, renewable energy and data are helping to both streamline and “green” Canada’s supply chains. Goods valued at more than $275 billion pass through...

On this episode of Disruptors, an RBC podcast , host John Stackhouse is joined by a special guest co-host: Lindsay Patrick , Head of Strategic Initiatives & ESG at RBC Capital Markets, where she leads the Sustainable Finance Group. As the world marks Earth Day on April 22, John and Lindsay explore various questions on climate and call on a cross-section of Canadian experts to help answer them. Lis...

Soil. We have a lot of it here in Canada, with the 12th largest agricultural land holding in the world. Our vast land presents a large opportunity to help combat climate change with sequestering carbon, as well as helping farmers’ bottom lines. Traditionally, agriculture has been all about yield: the more bushels, the better. But there’s a growing push to pay farmers for what they produce and what...

Cyber threats have been around as long as the Internet, but attacks have ramped up in the last few years, with the pandemic dramatically shifting more of our work—and our lives—online. Organizations also moved more of their operations to the cloud, creating a new potential liability.  Recent high-profile security breaches have crippled some of Canada’s largest companies such as Empire Foods, Indig...

It’s no secret that 2023 hasn’t exactly started on a high note for the tech sector. With more than 100,000 workers laid off already this year, looking in from the outside, the industry seems to have lost some of its momentum. But what are insiders saying? In the short term, large scale layoffs may not be over, but they’re slowing. And a look back in time offers insights into the kind of mega compa...

Is the hustle to build a reliable, domestic supply of semiconductors the new space race? Semiconductors are small computer chips the size of a fingerprint that contain hundreds of millions, if not billions, of tiny transistors. And they’re essential for today’s electronics—from coffee machines to data centres that run the Internet. The world needs a lot of them to function. But the world is a comp...

Imagine a mathematical problem so complex, it would take today’s most sophisticated supercomputer 9,000 years to solve. Now, imagine a new type of computer that could solve the very same problem in just a fraction of a second . That’s the promise of quantum computing—and it turns out, Canada is well on its way to becoming a global force in the research, development, and implementation of that cutt...

After a three-year hiatus, the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, came back with a vengeance, just as a fragmented world confronts a confluence of crises.  The global meeting of government, business and community leaders—the first in three years—can’t quite be described as optimistic, among the 600+ CEOs, 200 cabinet ministers, 50 heads of government and 20 central bank gov...

As we begin a new year, we’re creeping ever closer to the point of no return in the fight against climate change. Sea levels are rising, the earth is warming, we’ve seen thawing permafrost and large scale die-offs in coral reefs, and parts of the Amazon are experiencing increased instances of drought and deforestation.  Thankfully, the world is taking notice and more money than ever before is on t...

WTF: where’s the finance? It was a hot topic at COP27, the UN Climate Conference in Egypt in November, and it continues to be a source of debate at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which is just wrapping up in Montreal. In 2011, 20 targets were set at the Convention on Biological Diversity. A study done nine years later showed that the world had...