The Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University

What The Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University does

The Dais is a non-profit public policy and leadership think tank at Toronto Metropolitan University, working at the intersection of technology, education, and democracy to build shared prosperity and citizenship for Canada. It was established in 2018 and operates from Toronto, with research outputs covering Canadian federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal public policy alongside education and digital regulation issues. Its core activities are applied policy research, leadership development, and community convening, anchored by a proprietary AI Exposure and Complementarity Framework and a Task Error Consequence Framework used to assess how AI is likely to assist or automate work across Canadian occupations.

The Dais's product portfolio comprises policy research reports, policy briefs, annual surveys, and learning programs. Flagship outputs include "The Art in Artificial Intelligence" (creative sector), "Adoption Ready?" (public sector workforce), "From Chalkboards to Chatbots?" (K-12 education occupations), and the annual Survey of Online Harms in Canada, now in its sixth edition with 2,502 respondents in 2025. Its learning programs include the Digital Literacy Toolkit, RAISE (Responsible AI Adoption for Social Impact), Heads Up – Phone-free Schools, Canadian Democracy @ Work, and Ontario Education Pathways. All research and data are published in English and French and freely accessible at dais.ca.

The Dais's revenue model is grant-funded: the Government of Canada's Future Skills Programme, routed through the Future Skills Centre, underwrites its AI and workforce research portfolio, while corporate partnerships — notably Rogers Communications' $50 million five-year Screen Break program (2026) — and charitable donations processed through Toronto Metropolitan University provide additional support. The organization sells no products or services; it disseminates knowledge to federal, provincial, and municipal policymakers, educators, the creative sector, and the Canadian public, and convenes stakeholders through events such as the DemocracyXChange Summit.

Name

The Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University

Legal name

The Dais

Website

https://dais.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Dais is a non-profit public policy and leadership think tank at Toronto Metropolitan University that produces research, learning programs, and convenings on AI, education, and democracy for Canadian policymakers, educators, and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA), STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

Keywords

• Public policy research
• Policy think tank
• AI workforce analysis
• Digital literacy education
• Leadership development

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Research Grants: The Dais receives funding from the Government of Canada's Future Skills Program through the Future Skills Centre to conduct policy research on AI, skills, and workforce development. This is the primary funding mechanism supporting its major research publications.
2. University Affiliation: As a think tank at Toronto Metropolitan University, The Dais benefits from institutional support, resources, and infrastructure provided by the university, including administrative, communications, and facilities capabilities.
3. Donations: The Dais accepts charitable donations through Toronto Metropolitan University's donation portal (secure.donate2torontomu.ca), allowing individuals and organizations to support its public policy and leadership development work.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Dais is a publicly funded think tank that produces and disseminates applied policy research reports, policy briefs, and annual surveys on AI's impact on jobs and skills, online harms, education, and democracy. It complements this research with leadership development courses and community convening events directed at Canadian government policymakers, educators, and the broader public.

Product overview

The Dais is a public policy and leadership think tank at Toronto Metropolitan University. Its product portfolio consists of policy research reports, policy briefs, annual surveys, and learning programs focused on three interconnected areas: technology/innovation, education/skills, and democracy/trust. Key research products include AI exposure analysis reports (such as The Art in Artificial Intelligence, Adoption Ready?, and From Chalkboards to Chatbots), the annual Survey of Online Harms in Canada, and commentary on digital policy issues. The organization also offers educational programs including Digital Literacy Toolkit, RAISE (Responsible AI Adoption for Social Impact), Heads Up (Phone-free Schools), and Canadian Democracy @ Work courses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Heads Up – Phone-free Schools: A learning program focused on phone-free education in schools
• Canadian Democracy @ Work
• Digital Literacy Toolkit
• RAISE: Responsible AI Adoption for Social Impact

Products and services

• The Art in Artificial Intelligence Policy research report examining the impact of generative AI on Canada's creative sector workers, analyzing AI exposure, occupational dynamics, and responsible adoption recommendations. Aimed at government, creative sector organizations, and policy audiences.
• Adoption Ready? The AI Exposure of Jobs and Skills in Canada's Public Sector Workforce Research report assessing how exposed Canada's public sector workforce is to AI technologies and whether these technologies are more likely to assist or automate job tasks. Targeted at federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal government policymakers.
• From Chalkboards to Chatbots? The AI Exposure of Occupations in K-12 Education Policy brief using The Dais' AI exposure methodology to assess how exposed K-12 education jobs are to AI and whether these technologies are more likely to assist or automate job tasks. Aimed at educators, education system leaders, and policymakers.
• Survey of Online Harms in Canada 2025 Sixth annual national survey examining Canadians' experiences with social media platforms, exposure to online harms (misinformation, deepfakes, hate speech, identity fraud), and attitudes toward regulation and solutions. Aimed at government, regulators, and the Canadian public.
• Digital Literacy Toolkit Educational resources and toolkit designed to help build digital literacy skills, offered under The Dais' learning programs. Aimed at educators, learners, and the Canadian public.
• RAISE: Responsible AI Adoption for Social Impact Learning program focused on responsible AI adoption strategies for social impact purposes. Aimed at leaders and aspiring leaders in organizations and communities.
• Heads Up – Phone-free Schools Learning program supporting phone-free educational environments in schools. Aimed at educators, school administrators, and education policymakers.
• Canadian Democracy @ Work Educational course focused on Canadian democratic processes and their application in workplaces. Aimed at leaders, employees, and citizens interested in civic literacy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research coverage spans over 1.1 million public sector workers, 839,780 education jobs, and 690,000 creative sector workers across Canada.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Rogers Communications Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2026Rogers Communications announced Screen Break, a $50 million five-year national program to help Canadian youth manage excessive screen time. The Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University was selected as an annual research partner to conduct research underpinning the program, which includes parental tools through MyRogers and Rogers Xfinity apps, in-school programming featuring professional athletes, and grants to youth organizations starting with the YMCA of Greater Toronto.
• YMCA of Greater TorontominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2026As part of Rogers' Screen Break program, the YMCA of Greater Toronto is the initial youth organization recipient of grants. The Dais provides annual research underpinning the program alongside this grant-making component.
• Toronto Metropolitan UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Dais is a public policy and leadership think tank at Toronto Metropolitan University, operating within the university's research ecosystem. It benefits from institutional support, infrastructure, and the university's academic brand and credibility. The organization's Executive Director André Côté and staff are affiliated with the university, and donations are processed through Toronto Metropolitan University's donation portal.
• Ontario Teachers FederationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ontario Teachers Federation collaborated on the 'From Chalkboards to Chatbots? The AI Exposure of Occupations in K-12 Education' policy brief, with Moses Velasco from the Ontario Teachers Federation listed as a contributor alongside The Dais staff.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF): U.S.-based think tank focused on technology policy, innovation, and the future of work. Comparable in AI/workforce research methodology, but broader in scope and substantially larger and better resourced than The Dais.
• Brookings Institution: U.S.-based think tank producing public policy research across economics, technology, and education. Comparable in research output and convening role, but a far larger, globally recognized incumbent.

Direct peers

• Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy: University of Toronto-based research and teaching institution covering global affairs and public policy. Comparable as a Canadian university-affiliated policy research hub producing reports and convening leaders.
• C.D. Howe Institute: Canada's leading independent policy think tank, publishing rigorous research on economic, regulatory, and public policy issues. Comparable in mandate and Canadian policy focus, with a longer track record and larger research staff.
• Public Policy Forum: Canadian non-profit focused on improving policy outcomes through dialogue, research, and convening. Comparable as a Canadian policy think tank that combines research, leadership development, and convening activity.
• Smart Prosperity Institute: Canadian policy research network and think tank based at the University of Ottawa focused on clean economy, innovation, and productivity policy. Comparable as a university-affiliated, grant-funded Canadian think tank producing applied policy research.
• Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship: Toronto-based policy research institute focused on innovation, technology, and the future of work in Canada. Highly comparable to The Dais in mandate, geography, and target audience, though more focused on innovation economics and skills.
• Canada West Foundation: Western Canadian public policy think tank focused on economic, energy, and social policy. Comparable as a Canadian non-profit think tank producing research for government and public audiences.

Others

• Toronto Metropolitan University — Centre for Labour Management Relations: Other TMU-affiliated research unit studying labour and workforce issues. Comparable as a sibling TMU research centre whose subject matter (workforce policy) and funder ecosystem partially overlap with The Dais.

Emerging players

• Centre for AI Safety (CAIS) / AI Now Institute: Research institute focused on the social implications of artificial intelligence, producing research and policy briefs on AI governance and labour. Comparable in AI-and-society policy focus, though based in the U.S. and focused on a narrower AI safety lens.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thedaisca
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheDaisCanada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-dais-at-toronto-metropolitan-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/thedaisca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University