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Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/1171384
www.canadianlawyermag.com/inhouse 11 BUSINESS NEWS U.S. funds, money transfers and direct utility payments. The app will be designed with specific characteristics for different Indigenous communities. BlocPal's Blair Lowther says the company is conscious of the diversity of perspectives among those communities and tried to design the app to appeal to the differing needs of each group. The OneFeather wallet will also have a rewards program, With money back for wallet usage. Partnership aims to bring cannabis retail to Indigenous communities Bridging Finance Inc. is an alternative financing company serving middle-market companies, which specializes in projects with Indigenous groups, including Inuit. It is in partnership with Peguis First Nation — a band with around 11,000 members, which is located approximately 190 kilometres north of Winnipeg — to expand cannabis retail to Indigenous communities. Also in on the deal is Popcann, a seller of pre-fabricated and transportable cannabis retail stores that resemble storage containers. According to a Popcann press release, since its founding in 2012, Bridging Finance has brought $300 million in funding for renewable energy, housing, grocery stores and fisheries to Indigenous communities. St. Jude defibrillator class action settled The Ontario Superior Court approved a $5-million settlement for approximately 8,900 class members implanted with cardiac defibrillators or cardiac resynchronization therapy devices. The suit alleged batteries in the devices could develop lithium clusters, which would drain the battery prematurely in some cases. Devices implanted between January 2010 and May 2015 of the brands Fortify, Fortify Assura, Quadra Assura, Unify, Unify Assura and Unify Quadra are subject to the class action. Waddell Phillips PC and Howie Sacks & Henry LLP acted for class members. Guide for disclosure of climate change-related risks In August, the Canadian Securities Administrators published Reporting of Climate Change-related Risks to help companies and their legal teams be aware of how to identify and improve how they disclose their business's climate change-related risks. Canadian Securities Administrators' research showed that investors are "increasingly focused on climate change-related risks" and complain of inadequate disclosure from issuers, said a CSA press release. Though disclosure is key for investor decision-making, the CSA said it is challenging for issuers and especially so for smaller issuers. BlocPal launches digital wallet app Indigenous technology provider OneFeather and Vancouver-based BlocPal International have teamed up to make a digital wallet app intended for Indigenous communities across North America. The app will allow for credit car access, deposits and withdrawals of Canadian and New college to govern patent and trademark agents The Canadian government is creating a regulatory body for patent and trademark agents. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains announced Aug. 9 that, in the next few months, the board of directors will establish the college, a professional code of conduct, professional development requirements and a licensing system. Jeffrey Astle, Karima Bawa, Thomas Conway, Ruth McHugh and Douglas Thompson will serve as the college's board of directors. The new college is part of the government's intellectual property strategy, a five-year, $85.3-million initiative the federal government hopes will spur entrepreneurs to protect and leverage their intellectual property, said a government press release.