Star Metro - Redwood AI Announces Collaboration with Aidos Innovations, Aimed at Enhancing Public Safety Collaboration with B.C. Government, Canadian Federal and Local Law Enforcement Agencies to Tackle the Fentanyl Crisis in British Columbia

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / April 17, 2026 / Redwood AI Corp.(CSE:AIRX)(OTCQB:RDWCF)(Frankfurt:Y0N)(WKN:A422EZ) ("Redwood" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a two-year collaboration agreement (the "Collaboration") with Aidos Innovations ("Aidos") in relation to 'Track and Trace' pilot program, under which it will be working in collaboration with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Victoria Police Department (VICPD), and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to develop an AI-powered analytical platform for the detection and prediction of toxic opioids, including fentanyl, across Vancouver and Victoria with potential for broader application across Canada. The Collaboration is intended to strengthen the region's response to the fentanyl crisis by providing a more coordinated, data-driven view of opioid activity in these two major urban centres, while also supporting broader public safety, border security, and national-level threat awareness objectives through improved coordination, earlier awareness of changes in the illicit drug supply, and more timely responses to emerging threats.

Under the Collaboration, Redwood will work with Aidos to design, build, and deploy an analytical platform for the detection and prediction of opioids across Vancouver and Victoria. The two-year project will focus on building and deploying this system in both cities, with the goal of providing more timely and actionable information about opioid activity. The RCMP, VICPD, and CBSA will participate as key partners, helping to guide the development and use of the tool so that it supports front-line operational and intelligence needs in their jurisdictions. In addition to supporting law enforcement intelligence, the platform is intended to improve shared situational awareness among participating agencies and contribute to a more coordinated regional response to toxic drug activity. The Collaboration is expected to include the development of interactive dashboards, intelligence reports and other decision-support tools designed to help participating agencies interpret and act on emerging opioid activity more effectively. The project is intended to progress through staged implementation, beginning with prototype systems and representative data environments and advancing toward live-data integration as technical, governance and agency requirements are finalized. As development progresses, the platform architecture is designed to scale across additional jurisdictions and support adjacent public safety and security use cases.

Under the terms of the Collaboration, Redwood will retain ownership of its underlying platform, software, analytical methods and other background intellectual property, while Aidos will retain ownership of its data and other proprietary inputs contributed to the project, and each party granting a limited and specific license to the other for purposes of the Collaboration.

Figure 1 - Front row, left to right: Mark MacLachlan, Dean, Faculty of Science UBC; Dr. Matthew A. Roberts, Managing Director, Aidos; Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon, President and Vice-Chancellor, UBC; Nina Krieger, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General of British Columbia; Josie Osborne, Minister of Health for British Columbia; Fiona Wilson, Chief Constable, Victoria Police Department; and Dr. Pouya Azar, Director, Aidos.

Track and Trace is designed as an early-warning initiative for dangerous drugs, supporting both public safety and public health through shared intelligence, earlier detection of emerging drug threats, and improved visibility into changes in the illicit supply. Track and Trace aims to combine two complementary functions within the broader initiative. "Track" is intended to identify changes in the illicit drug supply as they emerge through automated analysis, AI-assisted interpretation, and early detection of shifting chemical patterns and regional risk; "Trace" is intended to support attribution by using isotope-based molecular markers to help distinguish legitimate production and distribution pathways from diverted or illicit sources. Together, these capabilities are designed to support earlier warning, stronger situational awareness, and more coordinated public safety and public health responses, with Aidos and Redwood collaborating to advance Track and Trace as a practical platform for real-world use by public safety and health partners. Aidos is a nonprofit institute focused on translating cutting-edge science into real-world solutions for people living with substance use disorder, with a mission centred on creating accessible tools, therapies, and technologies that support patients, clinicians, and front-line workers. Its research portfolio spans diagnostic tools, digital recovery technologies, forensic applications, and advanced therapeutics that are organized around short-, medium-, and long-term impact.^[1] This focus on practical, science-based harm reduction complements Redwood's expertise in deploying advanced artificial intelligence in high-stakes, real-world environments.

Figure 2 - Left to right: Kristian Thorlund, President & Director, Redwood; Glenn Sammis, Head of Chemistry, Redwood; Louis Dron, CEO, Redwood; and Nina Krieger, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General of British Columbia.

"Redwood was founded on the belief that advanced AI should be applied to problems that matter most to people's lives. By combining our predictive technologies with Aidos' deep understanding of substance use disorder and the lived realities of the opioid crisis, we aim to give public safety leaders and organizations, including law enforcement and border agencies, as well as health partners, better tools to prevent deaths, disrupt toxic supply chains, and support communities most affected," said Louis Dron, CEO of Redwood AI.

About Redwood AI Inc.

Redwood AI uses advanced artificial intelligence to accelerate chemistry R&D, with the aim of assisting in drug discovery and development, and furthering defense and safety solutions. The Company combines expertise in chemistry, AI, and manufacturing to streamline drug synthesis and scale-up. Redwood AI's platform is designed to enable faster, more efficient development of new therapies and chemistry-driven applications.

ON BEHALF OF REDWOOD AI INC.,

"Louis Dron"
Chief Executive Officer

For more information, please contact:

Louis Dron
Chief Executive Officer
Tel: +1 888 530 8488
[email protected]

The CSE and Information Service Provider have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements Caution.

This news release contains statements and information that, to the extent they are not historical fact, may constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information is generally identified by words such as "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "intend", "plan", "may", "should", "will", "potential" and similar expressions and, in this news release, includes statements relating to the Collaboration, the Track and Trace program, the development and potential deployment of the AI-powered platform and related tools, the anticipated roles of Aidos and law enforcement partners, and the expected benefits of the Collaboration and Track and Trace program for public safety and harm reduction. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on it, as actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Forward-looking information inherently involves risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is made as of the date hereof, and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise such information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

K.Morrison--SMC