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MaRS Discovery District has earned global recognition as a hub of innovation for technology and clean-tech startups since its launch in 2005. Mary Teresa Bitti, Financial Post reporter interviews Dr. Ilse Treurnicht, CEO, MaRS Discovery District and Allyson Hewitt, Director, Social Entrepreneurship,  SiG@MaRS about social innovation.

"JOLT is MaRS Discovery District's first early-stage accelerator program dedicated to building high-growth web and mobile startups that promise to transform the way consumers and businesses interact with technology."

MaRS  is expected to announce the creation of a new Pecaut Centre for Social Enterprise - in honour of the late David Pecaut. Allyson Hewitt, MaRS Director of Social Entrepreneurship said "the new centre would leverage off her organization's current activities, using the expertise of groups like Boston Consulting to develop social impact metrics."

Dr John Semple helped to created an app that is being in the healthcare industry in Canada for diagnoses. Peter Adams, senior health-care IT adviser, MaRS Discovery District, describs "Dr. Semple's app as the "tip of the iceberg," ... technology and others like it are capable of saving the health-care system millions in unnecessary hospital readmissions, needless suffering and potential deaths."

Ethical Ocean is a MaRS Client who specializes in selling socially responsible products only made a strategic pivot in their model. Nathan Monk, a senior associate with MaRS Discovery District in Toronto and an adviser in the Web and mobile technology startup community, says it's important to constantly review and test business models or hypotheses.

Rachel Mendleson states "A growing number of Canadian companies are now becoming certified as "B Corps," a new designation that seeks to distinguish firms that are committed to improving more than their bottom line." Allyson Hewitt, director of social entrepreneurship, MaRS Discovery District states that "MaRS is at the forefront of the Canadian B Corp movement."

Tom Rand, senior clean tech adviser at Mars Discovery District, said by cancelling the retrofit program the government has silenced a much-needed national discussion on eco-efficient building.

Josh Tapper, The Star reporter states "the Conservative government has cancelled its $400-million ecoENERGY Retrofit program ." Tom Rand, senior clean tech adviser at Mars Discovery District, said "by cancelling the retrofit program the government has silenced a much-needed national discussion on eco-efficient building."

"VentureStart - which was launched in March by the Mississauga-based Research Innovation Commercialization Centre in partnership with MaRS Discovery District - allows aspiring entrepreneurs to have their ideas evaluated by industry professionals, said program manager Keri Damen." Epilogger is a MaRS client as was ne of the first companies chosen to receive $30,000 in matching funds through the program."

Henry Chong, LIFEbike completed MaRS Entrepreneurship 101 course and entered in MaRS 2012 Up-Start Competition. Keri Damen, Director of Entrepreneurship Education states "the Upstart competition serves as the capstone to the program." Chong won the competition for $10K.

Tracy Hanes, reporter from the Globe and Mail, states that "accelerator programs ... are fast becoming a hot phenomenon, offering advice, support, mentoring and seed capital to emerging tech companies in a quick fashion." "The level of disruption and rapid transformation of the tech sector are another reason more accelerators are entering the market, says Susan McGill, executive director of JOLT, a newly launched spin-off from the MaRS Discovery District."

Don Duval, VP of Advisory Services at MaRS Discovery District will be transitioning to his new role on July 9th to The Northern Centre for Advanced Technology (NORCAT) in Subury.

It's time for a checkup. And the patient is the Canadian healthcare system. According to Peter Adams, the healthcare system is having problems.

Tom Rand spoke with CBC News in June while taking a break from promoting his book Kick the Fossil Fuel Habit: 10 Clean Technologies to Save our World in Europe about why the world should kick its oil addiction - and why he thinks it's possible.

Tom Rand, Practice Lead, Cleantech and Physical Sciences, MaRS Discovery District explains the 'soft' problems and difficulties in deploying green technologies.

Through his private venture fund, new book and position at MaRS, Tom has been busy making a meaningful impact on individuals and leading MaRS - Canada's clean tech cluster - to 4th in worldwide rankings. Using his social and financial capital, Tom Rand is a Clean Leader.

The Sustainable Cities Challenge took place on May 18th, 2010 at the Royal York Hotel which featured a panel discussion from industry experts as well as a keynote speech by Peter Robinson, CEO of the David Suzuki Foundation. Tom Rand, MaRS Cleantech Practice Lead was amongst the panelists.

"Toronto-based engineer and venture capitalist Tom Rand has come out with what I'd call the most important book of the year. Kick The Fossil Fuel Habit: 10 Clean Technologies to Save Our World is a flashy five-pound coffee table book available everywhere. Instead of photos of Renaissance art or horses, it features glossy spreads of giant solar farms, geothermal energy installations and state-of-the-art wind complexes. It's weirdly beautiful. Not because geothermal energy installations are gorgeous. It's thrilling to finally see so many potential solutions to the gravest and most intractable problems laid out so clearly."

Minor caveats aside, it's hard to disagree with the central points of Prosperity, A Gold Medal Nation, the fourth chapter in Open Canada.

Last summer, Toronto-based MaRS, a not-for-profit innovation centre, launched its "Angel" program with the help of Canaccord Genuity. A year later, there have been five Angel events and about half of the program's 15 members have received some form of funding.

Article about Tom Rand's geothermally cooled, solar-powered hostel