Technology Smart city – intelligent ideas


The speakers, left to right: Stefi Baum, Greg Dandewich, Kathy Knight and Gary Hepburn. Liz Katynski


Dean’s Lecture Series. Winnipeg: Smart City-Intelligent Com-


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munity was a chance to start, and con- tinue, the conversation about how we will make our community not only Smart with its adaptation of technology, but also Intelligent in using that technology to improve people’s lives. An interesting conversation


“Tis was a really interesting conversa-


tion,” says Ian Frank, consulting services, MNP. “I liked hearing all the perspectives. Our schools are not preparing students for training and high technology. How do we continue to tweak things to meet our future needs and provide us with what we need to be happy? Tere is more than one thing we have to do.” As a former urban planner and U of M


n May 2, a crowd of about 30 enthusiastic people gathered at Forth for the first session of the


alumni, Frank is especially interested in the physical structures required in an intelligent city. For example, he sees public libraries playing an important role, because education should be accessible and not hidden away. Jonathan Foord, transport manage-


ment centre, City of Winnipeg, was also enthusiastic. “I have started similar con- versations on my own. Tere is a need for collaboration.” Smart and Intelligent Cities


Greg Dandewich, Senior Vice President,


Economic Development Winnipeg, tells us Smart Cities must have broadband, a knowledge workforce, innovation, digital inclusion, sustainability, advocacy and marketing. “It’s about innovation in many forms,


leadership and collaboration. We must continue to keep the dialogue open, says Dandewich, noting the Intelligent Com- munity Forum, a think-tank in New York, has named Winnipeg as one of its top seven Intelligent Cities several times in the past few years.


“It’s not about the big and shiny. It’s


about the successful use of innovation and technology, to make life better for our citizens. Te City of Winnipeg’s proposal is a great one,” says Dandewich. Digital fluency


Kathy Knight, CEO Information Com-


munication Technology Association of Manitoba (ICTAM), says digital fluency will be required in an Intelligent city. “A higher level of education will be required, but not everyone has to be a coder.” Gary Hepburn, Dean, Extended Educa-


tion, U of M, noted that “our workplace will be fundamentally changed by tech- nology. Machines are developed by peo- ple, people who will need very specialized knowledge.” Response to needs


Hepburn says billions per year will


need to be invested in order to support the education of working adults. “Everyone will need to invest in lifelong learning. Our education system will have to adapt as new needs are identified. We must respond to needs of adults. For them, life


must go on around education. Focused, shorter programs will be required to meet the need.”


Education Stefi Baum, Dean, Faculty of Science, U


of M, says education now has to be about learning to learn. Te role of the university and teacher is not to provide information. “Information is now everywhere and ac- cessible… faculty have expertise, experi- ence, connections and passion to share.” She quotes Dr. Seuss: “It is better to


know how to learn than to know,” and adds that “Too much knowledge is an in- novation killer.” According to Baum, “Building intel-


ligent communities is ultimately about lowering the barriers between university, community, government, and industry. It involves some risk and letting go, with much to be gained.” Let the discussion continue.


Learn more about the Dean’s Lecture


Series, and get the latest on upcoming news and events at https://umextended. ca/deans-lecture-series/


Farm to glass, CMBTC is working to ensure your beers taste great this summer


Bill Burfoot


underway, and the Winnipeg Goldeyes beginning their quest for their third consecutive championship, there’s a common denominator that tends to go with many of these events, and that’s beer. Tere’s something about sitting and watching some sports, or enjoying a burger on the deck that brings out the want for a nice cold brew. But have you ever wondered just how it can come out tasting so great time after time? Well, there’s a place in downtown Winnipeg, a place that


W


you’ve probably driven past hundreds of times, that plays a giant role in the quality of many of those brews you, and peo- ple around the world, are enjoying. It’s called the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC), with their offices located 10 floors up inside the Canadian Grain Commission Building at 303 Main St, and is one of those hidden gems in the city that is doing work around the world that most of us have no idea existed. Inside, this independent, not-for-profit research facility


serves the Canadian malting barley supply chain, and pro- vides technical services, marketing support, and information to a number of their members which include breeders, farm- ers, seed companies, exporters/importers, maltsters, and of course, brewers from all over the world. Malting barley is used primarily for brewing, but also dis-


tilling and a few other uses as well such as food and beverages, but brewing is the main use for malting barley and Canada is a big producer and big supplier to the international malting and brewing industry. Best malting barley in the world grown in Canada “Canada grows a lot of grain, wheat, canola, oats, and bar-


ley,” says Peter Watts, the centre’s Managing Director. “But what many people may not know is that Canada, and here


6 Manitoba Post


ith the weather getting warmer and barbeque season upon us, the Winnipeg Jets going deeper in the play- offs, Winnipeg Blue Bombers training camp getting


Watts. “And, to do this, we have to make beer.” From the outside, you wouldn’t be able to tell, but 13-stories


above Main Street inside the Canadian Grain Commission building is a malting plant, where they turn the raw barley into malt. “Malting is taking the raw barley and putting it through a


seven-day process where you soak the barley in water, you let it germinate for a few days, and then you dry it, and that is virtu- ally the basis for all beer made in the world,” says Watts who adds they typically let the beer condition for a week or so after the fermentation process before they have to test the beer. Yes, they get to test the beer. Every Friday morning, a group


of approximately 10 trained beer tasters will gather around and enjoy a nice tasty brew. Or at least, that’s the hope. “Everyone always laughs when I tell them I’m having beers


Peter Watts, Managing Director of CMBTC


in Manitoba in particular, we grow some of the best malting barley in the world.” “When people think of malt, they usually think of liquid,


but malt actually looks like barley that’s been a little bit beat up and doesn’t look all that different from cereal grain,” adds Watts. In operation since 2000, the CMBTC was created by the Ca-


nadian Grain industry, to promote Canadian Malting Barley. And in order to do that they set up these processing facilities to evaluate the quality and performance of the malting barley so we can promote it. Tey now have members from all over the world using their services. “Te majority of our members are grain companies such


as Richardson, Viterra, Cargill, but we also have members as far away as China and as close to home as some local beer companies, who will send us samples for us test in our malting and brewing system to evaluate the quality of the barley,” says


www.manitobapost.com


in the morning on Friday,” Watts says. “But there is training involved to make sure you know what you’re looking for and it’s a very important part of the job.” On the main floor, there is a microbrewery that is set up to


duplicate commercial brewing operations, equipped with four 300-litre stainless-steel tanks where the finished product gets produced. Tey use the same ingredients for every batch, with the only difference being the raw material, to ensure they can tell if there are any issues with the barley. And it’s not just as easy as a beer not tasting great. “Tere are so many factors that can contribute to a bad


batch of barley,” says Watts. “Off taste is one, but issues in the fermentation or filtration process are also ways to know.” Tere were no issues on this day however as Watts poured


an ice-cold beer out of their own specially made tap in the microbrewery. After seeing the entire process from start to finish, I have to admit, the beer tasted even better than I ex- pected, and I think one reason might be because there was a lot more appreciation in every sip I took. So the next time you’re sitting on the deck, enjoying a nice


cold brew, take a moment to appreciate the process of what it takes to produce that delicious lager.


June 2018


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