TODAY’S ISSUE
⏱️ 7 minute read
An Update on Our Forecasting Challenge 🥈 🇨🇦
Interim results were have been released for the Federal Government’s IDEaS Forecasting Challenge, and we’re happy happy to announce that Erode is currently ranked near the top!
Out of ten teams selected through the Government of Canada’s nationally competitive IDEaS program, Erode’s current position ranks us 2nd out of 10 competitors across the blended 3 and 6 month forecasting horizons. The current challenge focuses on combining localized and national-scale forecasting with interpretability.
Canada Announces the Largest Clean Energy Investment in North American History⚡
On August 17, 2026, the federal government announced a commitment to provide nearly $10B of funding to support nearly $70B of investment in clean energy across eastern Canada.
The funding was enabled through coordination between Hydro-Québec, and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro. This investment is expected to generate 14,000 MW of renewable power, nearly tripling the current generating capacity of Churchill Falls and contribute $31 billion to Canada’s GDP through the early 2040s.
Manitoba Hydro Leadership Changes 🔄
As of August 28 Manitoba Hydro’s Hal Turner has stepped in as interim President and CEO from their previous role as COO, taking the reigns for the time being, until they find the right fit for a permanent President and CEO. The change is in response to former CEO Allan Danroth leaving the post for personal reasons.
This isn’t Turner’s first time steering the ship after playing a similar role in the period before Danroth’s arrival, so the board plans to take their time finding their next chief executive who aligns with their priorities of keeping energy affordable, collaborating with Indigenous communities, supporting utility workers, and moving forward with the utility’s development plan.
New Rules on the Colorado 📜
Secretary Burgum signed the 2027-2028 Operating Guidelines and Record of Decision on August alongside a 10-year framework for Lakes Powell and Mead that determines releases based on the annual starting elevations rather than fixed delivery amounts.
This change was the result of a 3-year review process in advance of the previous guidelines expiry. While the review considered decades of drought conditions, Reclamation’s water year 2026 forecast issued on August 1 puts Powell’s 2026 unregulated median inflow at around 37% of average and the reservoir now sits roughly 30 feet above minimum power pool; below which Glen Canyon can no longer spin it’s turbines.
On the generation side turbine output diminishes well before then, where every foot the reservoir drops reduces the power they can produce from the same release.
Where to find us
Upcoming Events 🚀
As another famously brief Canadian summer wraps up (after what felt like approximately three weeks) the Erode team is making our way back from the set of Sterling Point, dusting off the laptops, and beginning the annual process of mentally preparing for snow.
We’ve got a fall season packed with industry events, and are looking forward to plenty of conversations about where forecasting and AI are headed in energy and water.
Local Blue Economy - Municipal Innovation Exchange
📍Where: Waterloo, Ontario
🗓️When: September 10, 2026
ALL-IN Montreal
📍Where: Montreal, Québec
🗓️When: September 16-17, 2026
Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show
📍Where: Woodstock, Ontario
🗓️When: September 16, 2026
Canadian Waterpower Week
📍Where: Ottawa, Ontario
🗓️When: October 28-30, 2026
If you’re attending an event and are interested in meeting, please reach out!
What’s New at Erode AI
Here’s What We’ve Been Up to Lately! 👣
Southern Ontario, Canada - Innovation Farms Ontario X AIVA Network Demo Day
GTM Lead Chris Lee attended the Innovation Farms Ontario x AIVA Network Demo Day to meet with agricultural producers and innovators along with Tyler Zemlak, Innovation Manager at the University of Guelph. He had a great time connecting with the community and the groups driving adoption and piloting AgTech to de-risk the commitment for producers.
Tyler and Chris at Innovation Farms Ontario x AIVA Network Demo
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That’s all for now. Thanks for reading. ⚡
Leading teams use Erode to understand complex systems and stay ahead of change. With Erode you can build and deploy custom AI agents and forecasts, and gain insights into water, wind, solar, and many other weather-impacted outcomes!
Want to learn more about how Erode AI can help your team manage uncertainty and improve insights? Get started for free! ⬇️
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