VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Foresight Canada announced the winners of the inaugural Canadian Cleantech Awards at Web Summit Vancouver’s Climate Innovation Zone. This landmark event recognized the key contributors—from funders and innovators to investors and ecosystem supporters—bolstering Canada’s competitiveness by scaling and accelerating the adoption of the technologies required for a sustainable future.
By placing the winners directly in front of global investors and key decision-makers, the ceremony provided high-level visibility to amplify their impact and inspire others to take similar action. The strides these leaders are taking in building a clean economy cannot be understated, and Web Summit served as the perfect stage to grant their achievements the national and international recognition they deserve.
“Congratulations to all the winners and finalists of this year’s Canadian Cleantech Awards,” says David Sanguinetti, CEO of Foresight Canada. “Once again, I am truly amazed by the calibre of work happening across our entire ecosystem. From the visionary innovators to the dedicated adopters, funders, and supporters, these leaders are doing the heavy lifting to transform our economy for the better and ensure Canada remains a global frontrunner in rapidly evolving geopolitical and environmental climates.”
Meet the Winners
Adopter of the Year: Lynch Bus Lines
Location: Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Sector: Clean Transportation
Lynch Bus Lines is a family-owned transportation leader based in Burnaby, BC, operating a modern fleet of over 100 vehicles. Specializing in school busing, corporate shuttles, and custom charters, they bridge the gap between reliable logistics and environmental responsibility. A strong advocate for sustainability, Lynch utilizes bio-diesel fuels, eco-friendly maintenance practices, and high-efficiency emission controls to reduce the region’s carbon footprint. With 24/7 live dispatch and a commitment to replacing individual vehicle travel with greener mass transit, they provide safe, cost-effective, and sustainable mobility solutions across the Lower Mainland.
Foresight recently partnered with Lynch Bus Lines, BC Hydro, and Fuse Power Management on an 18-month vehicle-to-grid (V2G) field demonstration project. The pilot tested BC Hydro’s bidirectional demand response by measuring real-world energy exports from EV fleets to the grid.
Ecosystem Supporter of the Year: Cheryl Trudell – Climate Manager, Imperial Oil
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Sector: Cleantech Adoption, Oil and Gas
Cheryl Trudell, PhD, is the Climate Manager at Imperial Oil and a prominent leader in Canada’s energy transition. With over 25 years of experience in engineering, research, and operations, she plays a pivotal role in steering Imperial’s climate strategy and decarbonization efforts. Cheryl’s influence extends across Canada’s innovation ecosystem. She has served in senior leadership Board and Committee roles with COSIA, CRIN, PTAC, the Institute of Oil Sands Innovation, WPC Energy Canada, Alberta Innovates’ Bitumen Beyond Combustion program, and numerous advisory boards. Through these platforms, she has convened diverse partners, aligned strategic priorities, and advanced collaborative projects that accelerate cleantech adoption and commercialization. Her ability to bridge industry, academia, government, and community partners has made her a trusted convener and a catalyst for system level change.
Funder of the Year: Stonebridge Financial
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Sector: Cleantech Investment, Renewable Energy
Stonebridge Financial Corporation is a leading Canadian investment management firm specializing in ESG-oriented private credit and infrastructure financing. With over $3.2 billion in assets under management and a track record of facilitating more than $8 billion for critical projects, Stonebridge bridges the gap between institutional investors and capital-intensive initiatives in renewable energy, healthcare, and community infrastructure. For over 25 years, the firm has leveraged its deep expertise in project finance and advisory services to structure customized capital solutions that drive decarbonization and long-term economic resilience across Canada.
Startup Venture of the Year: Aeon Blue
Location: Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sector: Hydrogen, Carbon Capture
Aeon Blue is a Nova Scotia-based cleantech pioneer developing an integrated hydrogen and carbon capture technology that produces sustainable eFuels from wind energy and seawater. Recognized as one of Foresight’s 50 most investable companies, Aeon Blue utilizes a proprietary saltwater electrolyzer to simultaneously produce green hydrogen and capture CO2 directly from the air. This process creates a carbon-negative, drop-in replacement for traditional fossil fuels—such as gasoline, diesel, and SAF—that requires zero infrastructure modifications. By bridging the gap between legacy industrial needs and net-zero targets, Aeon Blue is scaling a global solution for gigaton-level carbon removal while ensuring critical freshwater resources remain protected for local communities.
Scaleup Venture of the Year: Svante Technologies Inc.
Location: Burnaby, British Columbia
Sector: Carbon Capture
Svante Technologies Inc. is a leading Canadian cleantech company revolutionizing carbon capture and removal for heavy industry. Utilizing a proprietary solid-sorbent filter and rotary contactor technology, Svante captures CO2 from industrial point-source emissions—such as cement, steel, and hydrogen plants—and directly from the atmosphere. With over $547 million in funding from strategic investors like Chevron and the Canada Growth Fund, the company has scaled from a pilot innovator to an industrial powerhouse, recently launching the world’s first commercial “gigafactory” for carbon capture filters. By bridging the gap between high-emission industrial legacies and a net-zero future, Svante provides a modular, capital-efficient solution capable of capturing millions of tonnes of carbon annually to drive global decarbonization.
Learn more about our previous Cleantech Awards winners.
About Foresight Canada
Foresight Canada helps the world do more with less, sustainably. As Canada’s largest cleantech innovation and adoption accelerator, they connect public and private sectors to the world’s best clean technologies, de-risking and simplifying the adoption of innovative solutions that improve productivity, profitability, and economic competitiveness, all while addressing today’s most urgent climate challenges.
Foresight was proud to host the 2026 Climate Innovation Zone alongside our partners NorthX Climate Tech, Alacrity Canada, Clean Resource Innovation Network (CRIN), Innovation UBC, and Simon Fraser University.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9ac3242b-7a4f-411c-ba97-ad43b608c2a0