Momentum
Some of the innovations can be life-changing.
Six years ago, when Marc Robert first discovered a paediatric exoskeleton that helps children with mobility challenges to walk, he assumed it was from Sweden and would be out of reach for him and his five-year-old son Mitchell, who has a severe neurodevelopmental disorder.
To his surprise, Trexo Robotics, the company that designed and developed it, is based in the Greater Toronto Area. It was founded by two engineers who trained at the nearby University of Waterloo, one of whom wanted to help his nephew with cerebral palsy in India.
“It’s been a complete game-changer,” says Mr Robert, who has since joined Trexo, working as a customer service liaison before becoming a sales specialist. He used to crawl on all fours, guiding his son’s legs. Today, he walks with Mitchell, who is now 11, to the local farmers’ market, while motors on his son’s hips and knees provide tailored assistance.
Hospitals across Toronto are actively piloting new ideas. Dr Singh, the AI lead at SickKids, is testing technologies to triage high-risk patients more rapidly to get them out of the waiting room and into the operating room sooner.
At Unity Health Toronto, Dr Mamdani says that implementing ChartWatch has reduced unexpected deaths by 26%, highlighting the potential of predictive analytics in hospital settings.
Behind these breakthroughs is a health system that makes innovation easier. Canada’s single-payer model—government-funded healthcare for all—makes it easier to share data, coordinate care and test new technologies.
