Meet our Winners!
On October 8, 2025, Nova Scotians came together to celebrate more than awards — they came to celebrate possibility.
The 2025 Nova Scotia Digital Inclusion Awards highlighted the visionaries, partners, and community builders who are ensuring that no one is left behind in our digital world.
This year’s honourees represent every corner of our province and every sector of society — from local businesses building world-class solutions, to government leaders standing up for vulnerable communities, to educators and nonprofits opening new doors of opportunity. Their work is proof that digital inclusion is not a single effort, but a shared movement driven by compassion, innovation, and persistence.
2025 Business Champion of the Year
DataGuide Technologies
DataGuide Technologies is an independent, full-service IT and cyber-security business. They also supply hardware and network infrastructure from leading manufacturers as a trusted value-added reseller.
This is DataGuide’s second time as a finalist for this award, and for good reason.
Since 2022, in partnership with GEO Nova Scotia, they have initiated a number of remarkable digital inclusion initiatives, bringing new technology to life and putting it into the service of our shared goals of accessible and safe access for everyone.
Developing made-in-Nova Scotia hotspot technology, device management systems, and content filtering services are not only supporting Nova Scotians who need help being online safely wherever they are; they are finding new markets abroad, exporting their technology, growing their business, and contributing to Nova Scotia’s economy.
As partners in GEO’s newest venture, GEO for Nonprofits, DataGuide Technologies is developing a low-cost cyber-security assessment tool that will deliver a comprehensive report on a nonprofit’s status, complete with recommendations.
The team at DataGuide Technologies is committing their skills, ingenuity, and networks of trusted partners to ensure the benefits of digital inclusion reaches our most vulnerable populations.
2025 Government Champion of the Year
Nova Scotia Status of Women Office
Status of Women has provided funding and partnership support to bring together GEO Nova Scotia and the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia network of organizations as part of the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence.
Together, GEO and THANS are supporting women fleeing gender-based violence, including domestic violence and abuse, with access to digital technology through the GEO Mobile program which they launched in early 2024.
In the first year alone, over 200 women received a free smartphone and 12 month mobile plan and additional funding is helping to develop an even more responsive Crisis Mobile program to provide instant communication support to people in need.
2025 Community Champion of the Year
Colchester Adult Learning Association
Colchester Adult Learning Association (also known as CALA) has long been at the forefront of digital literacy education, beginning with the introduction of cloud-based computing. Early on, they developed and launched a foundational Digital Literacy Basics program to build essential skills and understanding.
As digital needs evolved—especially in response to the COVID-19 pandemic—they introduced Get Connected, Stay Connected, focusing on helping participants connect safely and maintain secure digital engagement.
CALA expanded programming to include foundational training in widely-used platforms such as Google Workspace and Microsoft Office. These skills are essential for navigating modern learning environments and professional tools.
CALA has delivered digital literacy programming to 746 participants since 2020. These individuals are now equipped with the skills to navigate the digital world more confidently and equitably.
One hundred and seventy people have been linked with technology and connection through the partnership with GEO Nova Scotia over the past 2 years. That is 170 people who would otherwise NOT be using technology who are now doing so with confidence and a yearning to continue to learn.
2025 GEO Referral Agent of the Year
Grace Reynolds – Futureworx
Grace is an instructor with Futureworx who delivers compassionate service, unwavering dedication, and a deep commitment to digital inclusion for all.
To date she has facilitated the distribution of 97 devices and 58 connections through GEO Nova Scotia.
Grace brings a calm, empathetic presence to every interaction. She listens with intention, communicates with care, and builds trust quickly with those she serves. Her approach is grounded in strong interpersonal and communication skills, making each person she supports feel genuinely seen, heard, and valued. She works with professionalism and discretion, creating safe spaces for honest conversations and making participants feel at ease as they navigate new digital opportunities.
One co-worker said “Working alongside Grace has been a truly rewarding experience. I’ve seen firsthand the impact of her efforts as she connects individuals with the devices and connections they need. The gratitude from our participants is deeply moving, and their excitement is contagious.”
2025 Program Partnership of the Year
NPower Canada
NPower Canada is a national employment program that provides participants with free in-demand digital and professional skills training, and connects them to new and rewarding career opportunities with some of Canada’s largest employers.
NPower Canada promotes digital inclusion by recruiting unemployed and underemployed job seekers into programs that provide participants with free in-demand digital and professional skills training, and connects them to new and rewarding career opportunities with some of Canada’s largest employers.
NPower Canada takes a creative and community-focused approach to digital skills training by removing traditional barriers to access. The program is delivered entirely online and remotely, making it accessible to individuals living in the most remote and underserved communities in Nova Scotia and the rest of Canada as long as they have what why need to be online.
Since June 2023, NPower Canada has helped improve digital inclusion in Nova Scotia by providing 60 devices and/or internet connections to participants who needed them. These tools made a big difference, allowing people who didn’t have access to technology or reliable internet to fully take part in the program. Because of this support, many participants have finished the training and found full-time jobs in Nova Scotia’s tech and IT fields.
A big congratulations to all of this year’s winners!
Your dedication is opening doors and making a difference for communities across Nova Scotia.