2022 Digital Future Summit
2022-02-01 11:00 - 2022-02-02 17:00 (America/Halifax) | Online
Are you prepared for tomorrow’s dynamic digital economy? Discover what’s on the horizon, with curated thought leadership on business ideas, markets, policy, and best practices.
Why Attend
Canada’s socioeconomic prospects are at a crossroads in this globally competitive landscape. We need to have critical conversations about the choices we face, the trade-offs we make, and the policies we embrace to position Canada on the global stage.
ICTC Horizon is the largest virtual summit of its kind, drawing over 3,000 participants, including industry leaders, policy makers, innovative thinkers, and community participants. Spend February 1st and 2nd with us and leave knowing how to prepare for our future.
World-Class Speakers
You’ll hear diverse perspectives from global and community leaders that have an eye on the horizon.
Exclusive Interactivity
We’re not just talking about Q&A sessions. Meet the speakers in exclusive breakout rooms, network with thought leaders, and be part of a real-time discussion about the future of our digital economy.
Community
Keep the conversations going after it’s all done and revisit your favourite talks and content.

Intro to Communitech Outposts
2022-02-02 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
Join Volta and Communitech on February 2, 2022 at 12pm AST to learn about the Communitech Outposts program and how it can help you.
About this event
When: Wednesday, February 2, 2022 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm AST
Where: Virtual via Zoom (a link with log in details will be sent to you at 9:00am on Wednesday, February 2, 2022)
Description:
Are you ready to expand to international markets?
Communitech Outposts makes it easy to hire in-market talent in more than 160 countries so you don’t have to worry about the hassle of setting up and maintaining a foreign back office. No entity, no problem.
Communitech Outposts is an “Employer-of-Record” service.
You do the recruiting. We do the heavy lifting. All you have to do is find your new team member, then we take care of hiring, payroll, group health benefits, severance and more through our network of in-country entities. With Communitech Outposts, you can get boots on the ground in weeks, not months.
Save time and money.
The exponential time and costs of establishing and managing foreign entities and local regulations is often a deterrent to entering new markets. Communitech Outposts increases your opportunity to rapidly enter new sales markets while mitigating risks and preventing roadblocks companies often encounter as they start to scale.
Using Communitech Outposts also means companies don’t need to worry about foreign bank accounts or transfer pricing and can leverage our HR support to simplify complex employment laws.
Get there faster, with less risk.
With Communitech Outposts, you don’t have to set up and manage new legal entities. You avoid the risks of hiring contractors, elude all headaches that come with negotiating benefits in other countries and you won’t need to fly your staff around the world.
Scale faster internationally and stay focused on what matters with Communitech Outposts.
Communitech Outposts is available to all Canadian companies – no Communitech membership required.
Disclaimers:
If you’re unable to attend an event please take a minute and cancel your ticket. This allows our events team to better prepare for every event.
By attending this event, you agree to be photographed and/or filmed, and give permission to Volta to use your image in promotional and/or marketing materials.

Transforming the Public Sector Municipalities Edition – Powered by Tech-Savvy Women
2022-02-02 14:00 - 15:30 | Online
In this special series, forward-thinking government leaders will share their vision, digital acceleration priorities and success measures for digital service delivery. They will also be encouraged to discuss how they can work with the tech community to provide business value, identify specific opportunities for co-creation and address ways to cultivate a more effective partnership-based approach.

Manage Stress with EFT
2022-02-02 14:00 - 16:00 | Online
As a business owner, there is so much that can leave you feeling mentally exhausted, stressed, anxious, or depressed – long hours, unpredictable cash flow, significant changes in your industry, and having responsibility for your business and employees. Stress and exhaustion can affect your ability to run your business, and it can also impact your relationships with family, friends, employees, suppliers, and customers.
Thankfully, there is a solution to help. You can learn to manage your stress and anxiety through the Emotion Freedom Technique (EFT). EFT is an effective skill to help you balance your emotions, based on traditional Chinese medicine theory.
In this session, Tom Tian will teach you all about EFT. Tom has been a master EFT trainer for 13 years. He is a member of CAATCM (Canadian Association of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine), a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) doctor and registered acupuncturist. He is the owner of “I Stop Pain Acupuncture Centre” in Halifax since 2007.
At this session, you will learn about:

What EFT is
The development of EFT
How to do EFT
How to manage your stress and anxiety with EFT
When you can do EFT
The benefit of EFT for health and stress management

To attend this session, you must:

Be an ISANS business client
Have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level of 5+

Ocean of Data Challenge: Coastal Communities and Climate Change
2022-02-08 - 2022-02-15 | Online
COVE and DeepSense with special guest Ocean Frontier Institute (OFI) are hosting the second Ocean Data Challenge. This free event will span two evenings and begins on February 8th (6 pm) with an introduction to the Challenge, presentations from experts, and the chance to ask questions to help idea exploration. The Challenge concludes one week later, on February 15th with presentations from participants to our panel of judges.
This challenge allows you to work at your own pace to explore ways to learn about ocean data, meet others with the same interests and bring together unique skills to create a team. This is a fantastic way to show off your design, programming or other talents. Not to mention more than $2,000 in prizes!
The challenge is broken down into three Challenge Streams: Under the Water, On the Water, and Around the Water. Individuals and teams will be asked to choose one stream and provide interdisciplinary ideas for helping understand the coastal community impacts. Each stream can be used to explore different types of data, for example: “Under the Water” can explore ocean compensation (pollutants, algal blooms), “On the Water” can include storm surges and the water level rises and “Around the Water” can explore coastline erosion and flooding.

Trends in Tech Recruitment
2022-02-08 10:00 - 11:00 | Online
What does the hiring landscape look like as we move into 2022? Join Nick Misener and Steph MacIntosh from Venor in a discussion on shifts in the tech market, what factors are contributing to a labour shortage and the Great Resignation, and strategies to help you attract and retain top tech talent in the new year.
After this Webinar you will learn:

What is causing the shortage of talent? What factors are contributing to the Great Resignation?
What are companies doing to fight for top talent? What retention strategies are we seeing more of?
What does the tech landscape look like as we move into 2022?

February Open House & Masterclass in Podcasting
2022-02-08 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
Join Erin Trafford and Dave Trafford, our executive producers for a lunch time zoom chat to learn more about:

The Podcast Industry and how it’s growing
How having a podcast can serve you and your brand
More about Story Studio Network and how to get involves
Time for Q&A at the end

Entrepreneur Success Stories
2022-02-08 17:00 - 19:00 | Online
Welcome to “Entrepreneur Success Stories,” where every month successful entrepreneurs from Nova Scotia share their entrepreneurial stories! Come to these sessions to learn how other entrepreneurs started out, what their journeys were like, and what challenges they overcame to find business success.
This month, join Mufaro Chakabuda. She is the founder and CEO of the Maritime Centre for African Dance Inc., the President of Chaks Publishing House, and the President of masteps.com. In this session, learn how Mufaro started her business with less than $20 and about her initial struggles and success.
In this session, Mufaro will talk about:

Getting to Canada
How and where she started her business journey
Overcoming resistance – telling her story about starting with $19.50 to scaling internationally
Building something out of nothing , with her perspective as a black, female immigrant
Crossing borders and scaling from a local Business to an international business
Creating an ARTS business – “Artrepreneurship” – and building value in your craft

To attend this session, you must:

Be an ISANS business client
Have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level of 5+

Get into IT Information Session
2022-02-09 10:00 - 11:00 | Online
Interested in learning more about our Get into IT Program? We invite you to join us for one of our information sessions!
Applications for the program will be opening on February 15th, 2022 for learners who are interested in pursuing an entry-level career as an IT Support Specialist or as a Cybersecurity Analyst.
Designed to support those who have traditionally faced barriers entering Nova Scotia’s tech sector, Get Into IT is a no cost program for training and upskilling Indigenous Persons, Black Nova Scotians, persons of African Descent, racially visible individuals, persons with disabilities, immigrants, and women. Participants must be 18+, unemployed or underemployed*, have a high school diploma, GED certificate or a referral from a community organization, be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, and are a Nova Scotia resident.
Professional development, industry networking opportunities, and in-course support will also be offered as part of this 25-week technical skills training program. A major objective is to ensure that by the end of this course, graduates find meaningful job opportunities that will allow them to become active members of the province’s tech sector, and contribute to a diverse and innovative industry.
Join us for an Information Session followed-up with a Q&A period. All are welcome to attend!
*Unemployed or Underemployed refers to individuals who have job instability and/or lack of working hours, are working in sectors or regions that are undergoing shifts and changes that may result in job loss, workers who have been displaced due to lack of work/industry changes or individuals who have low literacy;

AI 104: The Strategic Value of Data
2022-02-09 13:00 - 14:00 | Online
AI104 – The Strategic Value of Data will explore how to leverage data analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to add real value to your business by enabling your organization or clients to see information and make informed business decisions.

Coded Bias Film Screening & Discussion
2022-02-11 18:30 - 19:30 | Online
This film screening & discussion will feature Shalini Kantayya’s film ‘ Coded Bias’.
This event is in recognition of the International Day for Women and Girls in Science. The hope is that this screening and discussion will encourage reflection and passionate collaboration between participants on the topic of bias in STEM.
Coded Bias explores the fallout of MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini´s startling discovery that facial recognition does not see dark-skinned faces and women accurately, and her journey to push for the first-ever legislation in the U.S. to govern against bias in the algorithms that impact us all.
This film is rated M for Mature Audience (17+) and is open to all. Screening will take place via Zoom, a link will be emailed to all those registered.
A discussion will follow the screening and will be led by Dr. Shohini Ghose, award-winning Quantum Physicist and NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering, Ontario region.

Spotlight on the DEI Journey
2022-02-14 13:00 - 14:00 | Nova Scotia, Canada
What does change look like in a time when so many organizations continue to face capacity issues in execution?
Join Veronica Utton, CHRL and Special Guest Dr. Dorothy Nyambi, CEO of MEDA as they share their experiences as black women in corporate North America and shed light on what steps organizations can take to move towards diverse and inclusive workplaces.

Comparing External Audit to Internal Audit, and the Experience of Transitioning From One to the Other
2022-02-15 14:00 - 15:00 | Online
The profession of External Audit and Internal Audit have numerous similarities and differences. However, it is not always a simple transition to move effectively from one to the other. Many of these challenges relate to academic credentials and knowledge, work experience, ability to deal with change and ambiguity, learning new standards and audit procedures, working with a wide variety of systems, soft skills, and a different mindset with regards to independence. Learn how many have made the transition successfully and how some have not, and why. The reality is that financial professionals account for a large portion of the skill base for internal audit groups.
The facilitators will use real life examples based on their extensive experience managing audit teams and highlighting large Internal Audit Shops with specific programs, and how they recruited External Auditors to become Internal Auditors. They will outline what this process looks like, training strategies, and common pitfalls where it just did not work for some individuals.

Powering Innovation in Mining With Advanced Computing
2022-02-16 14:00 - 15:30 | Online
Powering Innovation in Mining With Advanced Computing feat. Charles Nyabeze, VP of Business Development and Commercialization at CEMI & MICA
This is the first session of an exciting, new series, entitled “Digital Transformation in Mining – How Advanced Computing Can Change Everything” hosted by SOSCIP, Compute Ontario, ACENET, PINQ2 and Calcul Quebec.
In “Powering Innovation in Mining With Advanced Computing”, Charles Nyabeze will:

share his insights on the rapidly changing nature of the mining industry in Canada
explore how emerging transformative technologies like AI are altering the innovation landscape
discuss challenges faced by the mining industry
address solutions offered by adopting advanced computing technologies

Charles holds a Bachelor of Mining Engineering and a Masters in Business and Administration (MBA). As the Vice President of Business Development and Commercialization for the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation and for the Mining Innovation and Commercialization (MICA) Network, Charles endeavours to create long-term value for organizations and clients by identifying cross-sectoral business development opportunities with public and private client segments. Charles is passionate about identifying mechanisms to accelerate the diffusion and adoption of innovation into the mining sector. He is passionate about connecting innovation ecosystems and believes that disruptive solutions are a product of cross-pollinating innovation ecosystems.

Employment Law in Nova Scotia
2022-02-16 14:00 - 16:00 | Online
Labour Standards legislation sets out the minimum employment rules in Nova Scotia that employers and employees have to follow. It also sets out rules specific to the recruitment of workers and the hiring of foreign workers. Employees, employers, and recruiters have rights and responsibilities under these rules.
Join this session to hear from Claire Ryan (MPA to learn about employment rights and employment law in Nova Scotia. Claire is a Research & Awareness Officer for the province’s Labour Standards Division.
In this session, you will learn about:

Employment rights and responsibilities under the Labour Standards Code
The minimum employment rules in Nova Scotia that employers and employees have to follow (such as pay, protected leaves, ending employment, etc.)
Rules specific to the recruitment of workers and the hiring of foreign workers
How a person who believes the rules have been broken can file a complaint with the Labour Standards Division

To attend this session, you must:

Be an ISANS business client
Have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level of 5+

Virtual Democamp Halifax 2022
2022-02-16 17:30 - 19:30 | Online
Join us on Wednesday, February 16 at 5:30pm AST to see regional startup companies demo their products.
About this event
When: Wednesday, February 16, 2021 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm AST
Where: Virtual (Livestream details will be sent via Eventbrite on February 16 at 10am. Those who register after 10am, the link can be found in your confirmation email.)
What is Democamp?
Democamp is an annual event for the regional technology and startup community to share what they’ve built as a live demonstration, give each other feedback, learn from speakers and connect with one another. We invite anyone who has an interest in local entrepreneurship in the technology sector to join us for what will be an exciting evening.
Enjoy the demos, and be prepared to ask questions to participate in the event and discussion!
Interested in Applying to Demo?:
To apply to learn more or apply to demo visit here. Applications close at 11:59pm on Sunday, January 23, 2022.
NOTE: If you are unable to attend any of our events, please take a minute and cancel your ticket. This allows our events team to better prepare for every event.
NOTE: By attending this event, you agree to be photographed and/or filmed, and give permission to Volta to use your image in promotional and/or marketing materials.

Why now is the best time to work in AI and Machine Learning
2022-02-16 18:00 - 19:00 | Online
Are you curious about what it takes to work in the exciting world of tech? Interested in different career paths, but not sure where to start? Virtusa is hosting a series of tech-focused webinars to help students and recent graduates learn more about the industry trends and what opportunities await!
AI/ML is a high intensity industry word. The industrialization of these technologies is in the early stage and just accelerating. Academia, industries, and the start-up ecosystem are consistently evolving their efforts based on learning from implementation. However, the path to coded engineering discipline is still in the making.

C as a Second Language
2022-02-17 12:00 - 16:00 | Online
This workshop will be a hands-on introduction to the C programming language.
Prerequisites: Familiarity with some other programming language
A great deal of high-performance computing software is written in C, but few universities offer courses in the language any more. If you have to work with “legacy code” written in C, adding features, porting to a new machine, or patching errors, or if you need to write user-defined functions for engineering packages such as Fluent, then this workshop is for you.
You do need to have a laptop with a Mac, Linux or Windows operating system (not a tablet, Chromebook, etc) on which you have administrative privileges, as you will need to pre-load specific software packages.
Participants must register using their institutional / organizational email address (not a personal email, ie. gmail)
Instructions for how to join will be sent out one day prior to the start of the event.

ISNS Trivia Night
2022-02-17 18:00 - 19:00 | Online
About this event
Join fellow ISNS members and friends of ISNS for an evening of socializing with a healthy dose of friendly competition: we’ll be hosting a trivia game about the games industry, including some fun facts about the Nova Scotia games industry.

Virtual Hiring Fair for Senior Developers
2022-02-22 - 2022-02-24 | Online
Join us at our speed-interviewing event and find your next great employee. You’ll talk to pre-vetted candidates with diverse backgrounds and skills. All candidates have at least 7 years of work experience.

Nova Scotia Health Innovation Showcase
2022-02-22 09:30 - 13:30 | Online
Join Nova Scotia Health for a Health Innovation Showcase that is being hosted virtually on February 22 and 25 to officially launch the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub. This free event will highlight how staff and clinicians are driving change through innovative ideas and technologies to transform health and healthcare in Nova Scotia.
The Health Innovation Hub is leading innovation and research within the healthcare system to deliver high-impact solutions for patients and providers. Through strategic partnerships with clinical champions, industry, healthcare foundations, governments and academic partners, Nova Scotia Health’s Innovation Hub is transforming healthcare through the best available evidence and innovative solutions. It’s also a catalyst that is fostering an innovative mindset and approaches to bring about positive system change.

Data Security, the Data Market and Understanding Liability
2022-02-22 10:00 - 11:00 | Online
Data is key when dealing in the digital space. In 2020, approximately 1,145 Petabytes of data was generated every day. However, the question isn’t whether that’s a lot, but how much of it is secure? How often is data compromised, and what is the potential cost associated with it?
Join Srirag Babu, Business Development Executive of HuMetis Technologies Inc. to explore the different points of security with a focus on data security and liability along with the various impacts it can have on your businesses.

To Pay or Not to Pay- Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Issues in the Age of Ransomware 2.0
2022-02-22 10:00 - 11:00 | Online
Business Support Series
The Business Support Webinar Series will explore timely topics with industry experts to provide key insights and answers on the best ways to succeed as a business. Hosted by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, this series will feature a wide range of topics on how to survive and thrive.
RANSOMWARE 2.0
Cyber risks have risen significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic as online criminals continue to take advantage of remote work vulnerabilities. This topical 60-minute webinar will provide participants with an update on the ever-changing data privacy threats impacting Canadian businesses and the potential regulatory shifts on the horizon.
The presentation will then address a scenario involving a ransomware 2.0 attack, with the goal of providing participants with practical tips on the types of policies to have in place before a data incident, the steps required to deal with a cybersecurity breach, and the various liability concerns and notification requirements that may arise.
Three takeaways from this webinar:

Better appreciating current cybersecurity risks.
Understanding legal obligations in the event of a breach.
Learning practical steps to limit liability for member organizations.

How does this topic help support the business community?
In 2020, the average cost of a data breach in Canada was $6.3 million. As a result, cybersecurity risks can pose an existential threat to any business. Improving awareness is a critical first step to better preparing local leaders for when (not if) a data incident will take place. Register today and submit your question to the experts!

Essential Branding for Entrepreneurs
2022-02-22 11:30 - 13:00 | Online
Power Lunch is back, and going virtual!
You’re invited to join us as we serve up our Power Lunch featuring workshops from selected members to deliver expertise you can use to grow your business. Our Power Lunch leaders will walk you through information on a range of business topics, offer key takeaways, and answer your questions.
Power Lunch will be held once monthly from October 2021 through March 2022, from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m, delivered virtually.
As this year’s sessions are free for participants, we ask that you keep your registration to no more than two sessions, to allow for a larger diversity of attendees.
About this Webinar
Learn what’s involved in launching and maintaining a brand and how branding relates to your business. Take it one step further with a hands-on graphic design activity using Canva.
In this session you will:

Review all of the moving pieces that are a part of a brand
See the connection between branding and business goals
Be introduced to basic graphic design concepts
Design a social media post

Virtual Volta Pitch Competition Powered by OKR Financial
2022-02-23 12:00 - 14:00 | Online
Please join us on Wednesday, February 23, 2021 at 12:00pm to hear pitches from Atlantic Canadian tech startups.
About this event
When: Wednesday, February 23, 2022 from 12:00pm to 2:00pm AST
Where: Virtual Via Zoom (you will receive an email with log in details at 9:00am, Wednesday, February 23, 2022. For registrations after 9:00am your link will be with your confirmation email.)
Description:
The Pitch Competition, powered by OKR Financial, is open to Volta Residents, Network Members and anyone from the tech community in Atlantic Canada.
The Pitch Competition is an excellent opportunity to practice your three-minute pitch, fine-tune your deck, and get feedback from peers and industry experts. You will gain valuable experience presenting to investors, and potential early adopters. Plus, you never know who may be tuning in to watch!
Each competition will have a judging panel, comprised of entrepreneurs and community leaders. Judges will focus on the quality and content of the presentation, not the viability of the business.
The winning pitch will receive :

$500 Visa gift card
A one-hour consultation with an OKR financial representative
Their name engraved on Volta’s Pitch Competition trophy

How to apply:
To learn more, or to submit your application to pitch please visit here. Applications are open until Wednesday, February 9, 2022 at 11:59pm .
Disclaimers:
If you’re unable to attend an event please take a minute and cancel your ticket. This allows our events team to better prepare for every event.
NOTE: By attending this event, you agree to be photographed and/or filmed, and give permission to Volta to use your image in promotional and/or marketing materials.

Halihax February Virtual Event
2022-02-23 19:00 | Online
It’s almost time for our next event…
We’re excited to share that registration is now available for our next meetup. As with our last meetup, we are hosting this event virtually from the safety of our own homes.
As we’ve seen, there has been a significant shift in the market (eg “the great resignation” among others), as a result both companies and employees are having to adapt to a very interesting hiring market. In light of this we’re going to discuss: building a resume, going through the interviews process and landing that perfect role in todays world; it’s going to be a night about growing and adapting.
Our panelists all have varying experiences in interviewing, job searching, making the daunting seem attainable, and are here to debate and discuss these fast-paced changes, so you don’t have to!
This is going to be an exciting and jam-packed panel that you don’t want to miss. Come check it out to get your career growth questions answered.

Halihax February Virtual Event
2022-02-23 19:00 - 20:00 | Online
About this event
As we’ve seen, there has been a significant shift in the market (eg “the great resignation” among others), as a result both companies and employees are having to adapt to a very interesting hiring market. In light of this we’re going to discuss: building a resume, going through the interviews process and landing that perfect role in todays world; it’s going to be a night about growing and adapting.
Our panelists all have varying experiences in interviewing, job searching, making the daunting seem attainable, and are here to debate and discuss these fast-paced changes, so you don’t have to!
This is going to be an exciting and jam-packed panel that you don’t want to miss. Come check it out to get your career growth questions answered.

How to Take Advantage of Rising Tech Valuations
2022-02-24 12:00 - 14:00 | Online
Want to know what changing valuations could mean for your company?
Join BDC’s Brenda Slauko, Regional Director, Technology Industry and Michelle Scarborough, Managing Partner, Strategic Investments and Women in Technology Venture Fund, to discuss the effects of rising business valuations in 2021 have had on raising equity and financing for entrepreneurs. We will also be joined by Stephany Lapierre, Founder and CEO of TealBook as well as Mike Wilson, Founder and CEO of DrugBank, who will share how they scaled up their business and grew their company value.
Why should you participate in this discussion

Explore how to unlock additional capital to invest in growth, R&D, M&A, cybersecurity, and hiring and retention.
Discover the strategies you should put in place to take advantage of changes in tech valuations.
Find out what evolving values mean for raising debt and equity.
Learn about the potential pitfalls of high valuations.

Masterclass Ep 32 - Create a Customer Portal in 5 Minutes!
2022-02-24 13:00 - 14:00 | Online
Join us on Thursday February 24th at 12pm EST for Masterclass Episode 32: Create a Customer Portal in 5 Minutes!
Web and mobile self-service interactions have now overtaken all other channels. Companies have seen an 81% jump in the use of online help and 73% say that valuing their time is the most important thing a company can do by providing self-service interactions.
This is why our eService client portal is more important than ever. With Jonas, give your clients the added flexibility of creating and tracking work orders, as well as allowing them to access the invoices and details of their service contracts and equipment without having to pick up the phone.
Join us on Thursday, February 24th, at 1PM AST, to see how providing your customers with that self-service ability can increase collaboration and attract more business.
What will be covered:
– Setting up your very own customer portal
– Creating & tracking work orders as a customer
– Tracking service contracts and service item details

Design Systems 101 and How it's Applied at the Nova Scotia Digital Service
2022-02-24 19:30 - 20:30 | Online
Details
We are excited to host our first event of the year around the hot topic of Design Systems.
We’ll be taking a look at the basics of design systems: What they are, why they are important, how to start, and more.
Then, Mike Downs from The Nova Scotia Digital Service will share how his team utilizes their pattern library to efficiently launch new services.
Event link and detailed agenda to follow.
