With access to local news being negatively impacted by Meta’s new policy, preventing Canadian news outlets from sharing their content on Facebook and Instagram, we’ve rounded up some of the latest in regional tech & innovation news that we want you to see. We’ll be adding to this list regularly, so check back often. Share your regional tech & innovation news with us at marketing@wetech-alliance.com.

NEO Battery among three new companies to locate in Windsor
Story and photo via Windsor Star | January 23, 2025
“NEO Battery Materials Ltd. has been revealed as the first of three plants worth about $700 million in investment that will create about 1,300 jobs when all are fully operational.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens identified NEO Battery Materials, at a press conference Thursday afternoon at the Invest WindsorEssex Automobility and Innovation Centre. […]”

Three new battery/auto supply chain plants to create about 1,300 local jobs
Story and photo via Windsor Star | January 23, 2025
“Multiple sources have confirmed to the Star, the Windsor region has landed three more plants worth about $700 million that will create about 1,300 jobs when all are fully operational.
Two of the companies make high-tech products directly related to batteries for use in electric vehicles and other electronic components while the third is a major global Tier 1 automotive parts supplier. […]”

Port Windsor to track drones over Detroit River with new border security tech
Story and photo via Windsor Star | January 23, 2025
“Windsor Harbour Master Peter Berry knows the “unsettling” feeling of being followed by a strange drone.
He’s had tiny flying machines tail him while patrolling the port along the Detroit River. But soon, the Windsor Port Authority will have surveillance technology capable of tracking fast-moving objects in the sky.
“I deal in the world of espionage and spies,” Berry told the Star this week. […]”

FedDev announces $1M to help Windsor pita chip maker meet demand
Story and photo via AM800 | January 14, 2025
“The federal government has announced $1 million to help Windsor-based Cedar Valley Selections expand to meet growing demand for its pita chips.
On Tuesday, Ruby Sahota, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), and Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk announced the FedDev investment, a repayable loan.
The family-owned Cedar Valley, established in 2017, recently moved into a new 12,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art space at 3040 Deziel Dr. in Windsor. […]”

BioSteel expands Windsor facility to bring some manufacturing in-house
Story and photo via CTV News | January 9, 2025
“Sports hydration and nutrition company BioSteel has expanded its Windsor facility to bring some manufacturing in-house.
Windsor entrepreneur Dan Crosby purchased the bankrupt brand in December 2023 and has worked at restructuring the brand ever since.
Powders and stick packs will be made locally and Crosby says the machines have the capability of producing upwards of 100 million stick packs per year, and between 1,000 to 10,000 containers of powder per day, depending on demand. […]”

Chatham-Kent, University of Windsor sign strategic partnership
Story and photo via The Chatham Daily News | November 25, 2024
“The Municipality of Chatham-Kent and University of Windsor entered into a strategic partnership to help drive regional innovation and support growth through enhanced educational opportunities and co-operative research. […]”

Challenge drives students to learn software programming
Story and photo via CTV News | November 16, 2024
“As several of Windsor’s top minds in technology shared their knowledge at the University of Windsor on Saturday morning, the next generation of experts worked hard to get their wheels turning.
About 20 high school students participated in the youth programming event held as part of the annual Windsor-Essex DevFest. […]”

New UWindsor ‘mechatronic’ program aims to engineer ‘easier living’
Story and photo via Windsor Star | November 14, 2024
“Robots and artificial intelligence, self-driving cars — and fridges that write grocery lists.
Developing and expanding the constantly evolving technology that makes life easier — and making that tech easier to use — will be the focus of the University of Windsor’s newest Mechatronic Systems Engineering (MSE) program. […]”

Production begins at NextStar Energy
Story and photo via Windsor News Today | October 22, 2024
“Battery module production is officially underway at the NextStar Energy facility in Windsor. […]”