National Reserach Council - IRAP Program is not Fairly Providing Market Access Programs to All Albertans!

Today I found out that me and pretty much every other digital media based developer here in Edmonton just got screwed over from accessing a whole bunch of Federally funded programs because we do not pay membership in Digital Alberta (an organization that continues to only concentrate on representing the Calgary and area digital media community).

Since I am sick and tired of being screwed over by Digital Alberta misrepresenting itself as the "voice of the digital media industry here in Alberta" and getting exclusive access to these programs, even though they are Federally operated, I wrote the following letter to the National Research Council and CCed it to my MP and MLA for my region so that they are aware of this significant issue.

I am a Digital Media developer based out of Edmonton Alberta. I also represented an Alberta based digital media group entitled GameCamp Edmonton and I would like to register a a formal complaint about the National Research Council - IRAP program, for mis-handling public funds by providing exclusive opportunities offered through the NRC - IRAP program to a members only organization entitled Digital Alberta which operates and specificly serves only the needs of the Calgary region.

For your records I have CCed my MP and my MLA for my riding on this email as well. As I am seriously upset at the fact that a Federal program that is run by public tax dollars would choose to operate a program in such a way that it excludes perfectly valid Canadian based businesses and individuals.

As previously stated, the NRC - IRAP program has chosen a single entity to provide Market Access programs in Alberta. This group, called Digital Alberta, unfortunately does not serve as the voice nor represent the Alberta digital media sector. Instead it is a group that has narrowly focused its vision on the Calgary Digital Media sector and as such has a very limited membership which is made up only from this region. As such, Edmonton area developers, such as myself, are not able to gain access to any of these federally funded programs provided the NRC - IRAP because they do not want to feel cheated by paying a membership to an organization that does not care to reprsent them.

As such these programs are cheating digital media developers from across Alberta, such as Edmonton and area based companies from getting access to these federally offered program. They are cheating our city from being reprsented properly on a global stage. They are cheating the hard working and in many cases industry leading Edmonton based developers out of opportunities to grow their business and most importantly it is cheating the tax payers from have an opportunity to succeed and grow.

It is too late at this time to correct the issue and allow Edmonton based digital media developers access to many of this years Market Access Programs that they need access to to grow. But I certainly hope that your policy of how you provide access to the NRC - IRAP programs will change within the next six months by finding a better and impartial way to ensure that all Albertans in the digital media sector can apply for.


Logan Foster
Digital Media Developer