Triton is an environmental consulting firm with over 37 years of experience. 
Our staff, together with our Indigenous partnerships, bring inter-disciplinary expertise, 
to every project we work on. We provide a wide range of scientific, technical, and 
management expertise that merge to provide practical environmental solutions.
Karen Baylis, Director of Indigenous Relations - kbaylis@triton-env.com
Ian Emerson, Director of Business Development - iemerson@triton-env.com
company uses synthetic intelligence 
(SI) to model complex systems — called 
synthetic modelling — to understand 
a range of real-world consequences. 
Unlike simulation, SI is an advanced 
form of machine intelligence — an 
AI system designed to mimic human 
cognitive functions.
RWI’s synthetic modelling essen-
tially creates a virtual copy of a city, 
region or municipality that encom-
passes buildings, utilities and roads 
as well as more abstract components 
like weather, policies and even people. 
The virtual replica is called the Synthetic 
Twin. Combining existing research and 
data, RWI makes use of its proprietary 
technology to navigate the present and 
explore possible futures in the region. 
Instead of using AI to model a single 
outcome, RWI’s Synthetic Twin looks at 
how humans are likely to react, adapt, 
resist or change their behaviour when 
conditions shift. 
Founded in 2014, RWI and its trans-
formative technology are directly 
informed by Indigenous values of 
interconnectedness, stewardship and 
responsibility to future generations. 
From the company’s headquarters in 
Edmonton, co-founders Dean Bittner, 
chief technology officer, and Myrna 
Bittner, CEO, address the growing gap 
between real-world problems and the 
tools needed to make high-stake deci-
sions. “More and more of us are facing 
disrupted futures and unprecedented 
conditions and complexity that we 
haven’t faced in decades,” says Dean, 
whose heritage includes a mix of Cree, 
Nakota and Métis roots.
RWI helps governments and compa-
nies face uncertainty with the right 
tools and plans in place. If rents rise, 
mechanism to a functional pathway 
for Indigenous participation in the 
Canadian economy. However, his ambi-
tions don’t end there. Tender Hawk is 
just the first expression of a larger plat-
form ecosystem that will position Asban 
as a builder of Indigenous digital infra-
structure. His ultimate goal is to make 
Asban the number one Indigenous IT 
agency across Canada. 
VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGY
RUNWITHIT Synthetics (RWI) is another 
Indigenous company occupying a 
distinct and increasingly influential 
corner of today’s tech landscape. The 
O’Bomsawin has seen many Indigenous 
businesses self-select out of procure-
ment altogether because the cost of 
engagement is too high relative to 
the probability of success. Without fair 
access, Indigenous firms remain depen-
dent on informal networks or short-
term contracts, limiting both revenue 
stability and growth. This results in a 
vicious feedback loop where tender 
incumbents continue to dominate and 
reinforce the myth that Indigenous 
suppliers are scared or unprepared. 
With Tender Hawk, O’Bomsawin aims to 
shift procurement from a gatekeeping 
18 A CCIB PUBLICATION  Winter 2026
TECH LEADERS
“We are educating governments and agencies 
about the history of data use amongst Indigenous 
People and why control needs to be returned. Some 
organizations are very loathe to surrender that data 
because, in a colonial view of the world, data has 
great value.”
Dean Bittner, RUNWITHIT Synthetics

View this content as a flipbook by clicking here.