This piece appeared in The Toronto Star on October 26, 2026.
As law enforcement faces growing pressure to keep pace with rapidly evolving technology, a new program is helping Canadian companies bring innovative solutions to policing.
Technology is evolving quickly, but the systems and processes used to assess, approve and adopt it are much slower,
said Lina Dabit, former unit commander of the RCMP’s cybercrime investigative team in Toronto.
When the systems supporting law enforcement can’t keep pace with change, the work of policing can slow down too. For frontline officers, it can mean spending more time on paperwork or operating across disconnected systems. For investigative teams, the growing volume of digital evidence has made it more difficult to manage and analyze information, share it efficiently and move cases forward.
“When those challenges slow investigations, impact the timeliness of court proceedings or create gaps in how critical information is accessed and shared, the ripple effects extend to public safety and public confidence,” said Dabit. “As criminal activity continues to rapidly grow and evolve digital capabilities, the technology supporting law enforcement has become a core component of public safety delivery.”
But bringing new technology into policing isn’t as simple as finding something that works. The companies that create it need to understand the privacy, security, legal and procurement requirements they’ll face, as well as the operational realities of law enforcement and scrutiny of the courts.
That challenge is at the centre of the Law Enforcement Market Access (LEMA) program, developed by Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst at Toronto Metropolitan University, in partnership with RBC.
Adam Evans, senior vice president and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at RBC, said that LEMA started by listening to the sector.
“Before designing the program, we spent several months speaking with public safety leaders, law enforcement agencies and technology companies to understand their biggest challenges with technology adoption,” he explained.
What became clear was a disconnect on both sides. Canadian companies are building solutions with real public safety applications, but many don’t know how to navigate the law enforcement market. Simultaneously, law enforcement agencies lack the capacity to continuously search for, assess and vet new solutions.
Charles Finlay, founding executive director of Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, said that one of the most consistent pieces of feedback from the 46 companies that participated this year was that LEMA made the market easier to understand.
“Companies gained a better understanding of how to position their technology, who they needed to speak to and what they needed in place before approaching a law enforcement agency,” he said.
Through seven expert-led sessions, participants explored areas including procurement, privacy and security requirements, market-entry strategies and technology adoption in policing. Some companies also received more intensive mentoring and support.
Looking ahead, Finlay believes there’s more work to be done to ensure law enforcement has the right foundation to keep up with how quickly technology and cyber threats are changing.
That means investing not only in new tools but also in the digital infrastructure behind them and the people who know how to use, assess and secure them.
Learn more about how Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst is driving innovation and creating real-world impact at cybersecurecatalyst.ca. For practical tips and tools to help spot scams and stay safer online, visit RBC’s Be Cyber Aware at rbc.com/cyber-security.