Market Newsdesk

Ottawa, March 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ottawa, March 16, 2021 – Research from The Conference Board of Canada, in partnership with the Future Skills Centre, has found that employers and employees need a high degree of flexibility in today’s rapidly changing labour market.

 

Specifically, when using a skills perspective, job seekers may have more options available to them than they realize. At the same time, when hiring, employers can expand their pool of candidates by focusing on the skills required for vacant roles rather than on traditional roles and specific educational or experience requirements.

 

The Conference Board of Canada identified potential career transitions for Canadian workers using two criteria: viability and desirability. A viable job transition has similar skills, abilities, knowledge, experience, and educational credentials. A desirable one pays similar or higher wages and has prospects for employment growth.

 

Roles with the most viable and desirable transitions include jobs in knowledge industries that require a university education and social and emotional skills such as active listening. Another group with many transitions includes technical roles that require versatile operational skills like quality-control analysis and operations monitoring.

 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the labour market in Canada and forced an unprecedented number of people to seek new employment opportunities,” says Michael Burt, Vice President of The Conference Board of Canada. “In many situations, Canadians are being forced to broaden their skills and abilities to find new work, and, in some cases, transition into an entirely new career.”

 

The Conference Board of Canada research found that it is particularly difficult to transition from entry and mid-level jobs when changing roles. It can be hard to jump from one type of role to another – from a skilled trade to a management position, for example. However, sales and service occupations are the main bridge between professional and manual or technical roles.

 

“We know that the pandemic has had a profound impact on the Canadian job market. This report highlights areas of opportunity for jobseekers and provides reassurance to workers that they can apply their current skills to other career possibilities,” says Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough. “Our government’s investment in Future Skills is helping Canadians get the information they need to make informed and timely decisions about their future. This project is an example of how we are achieving that goal.”

The Conference Board also found that some occupations have few or no viable and desirable transitions. These occupations tend to be either high-paying or highly specialized. In this situation, job seekers may need to do one or more of the following to make a change: undertake some level of retraining, use skills they currently have but that are not required for their current role, and/or take a sizable pay cut.

 

“Canada’s labour force is experiencing change at a rapid pace which will mean increasing demands for more flexibility in how we approach career paths,” says Pedro Barata, Executive Director of the Future Skills Centre. “In this context, we will need new, more responsive approaches to successfully support workers and employers to navigate this reality.”

 

About The Conference Board of Canada

The Conference Board of Canada is the country’s leading independent research organization. Our mission is to empower and inspire leaders to build a stronger future for all Canadians through our trusted research and unparalleled connections. Follow The Conference Board of Canada on Twitter @ConfBoardofCda

 

About the Future Skills Centre

Future Skills Centre is a forward-thinking research and collaboration hub dedicated to preparing Canadians for employment success and meeting the emerging talent needs of employers. As a pan-Canadian community, FSC brings together experts and organizations across sectors to rigorously identify, assess, and share innovative approaches to develop the skills needed to drive prosperity and inclusion. FSC is directly involved in innovation through investments in pilot projects and academic research on the future of work and skills in Canada. The Future Skills Centre is funded by the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Program.

 

Media Contact:

The Conference Board of Canada

[email protected] 

613-526-3090 ext. 224

 

 

Corp Comm
The Conference Board of Canada
6135263090 ext. 224
[email protected]

CALGARY, Alberta, March 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sugarbud Craft Growers Corp. (TSXV:SUGR, SUGR.WT, SUGR.WS, SUGR.DB) (“Sugarbud” or the “Company“) is pleased to announce the closing of its previously-announced bought-deal public offering (the “Offering”) pursuant to which the Company issued 76,670,500 units of the Company (the “Units”) at a price of $0.06 per Unit (the “Offering Price”) for aggregate gross proceeds to the Company of $4,600,230, including the full exercise of the over-allotment option.

The Offering was led by Mackie Research Capital Corporation as the sole underwriter and sole bookrunner (the “Underwriter”).

The net proceeds from the Offering will be used for additional processing and production equipment purchases, facility upgrades, further new product development, working capital and general corporate purposes, including the national launch of Sugarbud’s expanded portfolio of Cannabis 2.0 products.

“We are very pleased with the result of this bought-deal public offering and view the outcome as yet another strong vote of confidence in the combined leadership of our management team, our focused business model, our execution to date and our prospects for success moving forward. Sugarbud remains very focused on revenue creation and this latest financing will provide the Company with additional valuable resources to accelerate our growth plans,” stated Sugarbud’s Chief Executive Officer, John Kondrosky.

Each Unit is comprised of one common share of the Company (a “Common Share“) and one Common Share purchase warrant of the Company (a “Warrant“). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share at an exercise price of $0.08 at any time until March 16, 2024.

The Offering is subject to the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the “TSXV“).

In consideration for the services provided by the Underwriter, the Company issued 5,366,935 non-transferrable warrants to the Underwriter, each such warrant entitling the Underwriter to purchase one Unit at a price of $0.06 at any time until March 16, 2024.

About Sugarbud

Sugarbud is an Alberta-based, consumer-driven boutique craft cannabis company focused on the cultivation and production of superior, select-batch, craft cannabis products. Our vision and mission are to become a trusted and well-respected consumer brand renowned for providing exceptional high-quality craft cannabis products to legal markets by delighting the most discerning of cannabis consumers.

The Sugarbud Craft Cannabis Collection offers consumers “Hand-Crafted Cannabis for a New Era”. The Company is proudly Albertan and is proud to share Western Canada’s long tradition of exceptional craft cannabis with the most discerning of enthusiasts. Sugarbud strives to define the intersection of product craftsmanship, quality, and value for consumers in the Canadian craft cannabis space.

John Kondrosky Chief Executive Officer Sugarbud Craft Growers Corp. Phone: (604) 499-7847 E-mail: [email protected] Investor Relations Contact Chris Moulson Chief Financial Officer Sugarbud Craft Growers Corp. Tel: (778) 388-8700 E-mail: [email protected]

Websites:
http://www.sugarbud.ca/

Address: Suite 620, 634 – 6th Avenue S.W., Calgary, Alberta T2P 0S4

Forward Looking and Cautionary Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements. More particularly, and without limitation, this news release contains statements concerning: the use of proceeds from the Offering; the listing of the Warrants; and the business plan of the Company, generally, including revenue creation and growth plans. When used in this document, the words “will,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intent,” “may,” “project,” “should,” and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are founded on the basis of expectations and assumptions made by Sugarbud. Forward-looking statements are subject to a wide range of risks and uncertainties, and although Sugarbud believes that the expectations represented by such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will be realized. Any number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to: currently contemplated expansion and development plans may cease or otherwise change; production of cannabis may be lower than expected, Sugarbud may not obtain the required approvals from Health Canada, including with respect to an amended sales license; demand for Sugarbud’s products may be lower than anticipated; results of production and sale activities; results of scientific research; changes in prices and costs of inputs; demand for labour; demand for products; failure of counter-parties to perform contractual obligations; failure to maintain consumer brand recognition and loyalty of customers; reliance on relationships with wholesalers and retailers for distribution of products and failure to maintain strategic business relationships; intense competition, including from illicit sources; uncertainty and continued evolution of markets; product liability litigation; reliance on information technology; infringement on intellectual property; failure to benefit from partnerships; sensitivity of end-customers to increased sales taxes and economic conditions; failure to comply with certain regulations; departure of key management personnel or inability to attract and retain talent; actions and initiatives of federal and provincial governments and changes to government actions, initiatives and policies and the execution and impact thereof; the ability to implement corporate strategies; the state of domestic capital markets; the ability to obtain financing; changes in general market conditions; industry conditions and events; the size of the medical marijuana market and the recreational marijuana market; government regulations, including future legislative and regulatory developments involving medical and recreational marijuana; construction delays; risks inherent in the agricultural business, such as insects, plant diseases and similar agricultural risks which can have a significant impact on the size and quality of the harvest of cannabis crops; competition from other industry participants; and other factors more fully described from time to time in the reports and filings made by Sugarbud with securities regulatory authorities. In addition, the Company cautions that current global uncertainty with respect to the spread of the COVID-19 virus and its effect on the broader global economy may have a significant negative effect on the Company. While the precise impact of the COVID-19 virus on the Company remain unknown, rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus may have a material adverse effect on global economic activity, and can result in volatility and disruption to global supply chains, operations, mobility of people and the financial markets, which could affect interest rates, credit ratings, credit risk, inflation, business, financial conditions, results of operations and other factors relevant to the Company. Please refer to Sugarbud’s most recent annual information form and management’s discussion and analysis for additional risk factors relating to Sugarbud, which can be accessed under Sugarbud’s profile on www.sedar.com. Except as required by applicable laws, Sugarbud does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.

Neither the TSXV nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Washington, DC, March 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cority, the leading global enterprise EHS software provider, today announced it has achieved FedRAMP Ready status from the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) for its unified environmental, health, safety, and quality management (EHSQ) software cloud offering. It is currently the only global EHSQ vendor with this designation.

Cority works with over 130 government and public sector clients globally, including NASA, Los Alamos National Laboratory, National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and UCOR. Demand continues to rise from government agencies for EHS and Quality management software, as the role of EHS grows in importance to support strategic initiatives beyond risk and compliance, including sustainability, operational excellence, and more recently, COVID-19 programs.

FedRAMP is a U.S. government-wide program that provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services to ensure the protection of federal information.

“Achieving the FedRAMP Ready designation affirms Cority’s comprehensive and market-leading data privacy and security protocols and secure cloud solution offerings for global organizations,” explains Atish Ghosh, Chief Technology Officer, Cority. “We are proud to be able to offer further peace of mind for government agencies that are embracing the cloud for their critical environment, health, safety, and quality initiatives.”

Organizations are increasingly embracing Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions, and now public sector agencies can also benefit from the high scalability, low total cost of ownership, and seamless upgrades of SaaS while ensuring their critical data is protected with the highest levels of security.  

Cority is listed on the FedRAMP Marketplace and more information about Cority’s solutions can be found at www.cority.com

About Cority
Cority is the global enterprise EHS software provider that empowers those who transform the way the world works. For over 35 years, Cority has been powered by a spirit of innovation, deep domain expertise, and a commitment to integrity that enables our customers to achieve higher levels of operational and sustainable performance. With the most comprehensive, human-centered, and secure SaaS platform, Cority helps people and businesses thrive around the world. The company enjoys the industry’s highest levels of client satisfaction and has received many awards for its strong employee culture and outstanding business performance. To learn more, visit www.cority.com

Cority Software Inc.
[email protected]