Canadian Writer · AI Infrastructure · Digital Sovereignty · Technology Policy

Joshua
van Es

Canadian writer and legal professional focused on AI infrastructure, digital sovereignty, and technology policy.

AI Infrastructure Digital Sovereignty Technology Policy AI Governance

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About

About Joshua van Es

Joshua van Es is a Canadian writer and legal professional whose work focuses on AI infrastructure, digital sovereignty, and technology policy. He completed his legal training at Stikeman Elliott LLP in Vancouver and is the founder of Upper Harbour, a technology sovereignty intelligence platform for Canadian organizations. In 2026, Upper Harbour was named one of Canada’s most ambitious companies by BetaKit.

His writing has appeared in The Globe and Mail, The Logic, Maclean's, Policy Options, OpenCanada, and BetaKit, covering Canada's AI infrastructure gap, sovereign compute, and the jurisdictional exposure of Canadian data. He edited and authored a chapter in Landscapes of Injustice, published by McGill-Queen's University Press.

Van Es holds a Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Arts in Canadian history from the University of Victoria. During the COVID-19 pandemic he founded Cordova Bay Medical Clinic, a primary-care practice in Greater Victoria. His earlier academic work focused on the dispossession of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War.

Joshua van Es

Background

Legal Training, Corporate Law
Stikeman Elliott LLP
Founder & CEO
Upper Harbour
Honouree, Most Ambitious 2026
BetaKit
Juris Doctor (J.D.)
University of British Columbia
Assistant Editor
UBC Law Review
M.A., Canadian History
University of Victoria
Founder
Cordova Bay Medical Clinic
Editor & Author
Landscapes of Injustice (SSHRC)

Journey

Background & Career

University of Victoria
Master's in Canadian History
Studied the dispossession of Japanese Canadians during WWII. Edited and authored a chapter in the Landscapes of Injustice volume published by McGill-Queen's University Press, and wrote the project's public-facing narrative website.
Entrepreneurship
Founded Cordova Bay Medical Clinic
Founded and operated a primary-care clinic — operations, regulation, and healthcare delivery.
UBC Law
Juris Doctor
Corporate law, technology regulation, and data governance.
UBC Law Review
Assistant Editor
Reviewed and edited legal scholarship for publication in the UBC Law Review.
2026
Launched Upper Harbour
Built a technology sovereignty intelligence platform to help Canadian organizations map jurisdictional exposure, document sovereignty risk, and produce defensible compliance documentation.
"

Canada is building an AI strategy on infrastructure it doesn't own, in jurisdictions it doesn't control, subject to laws it didn't write.

— Joshua van Es, Maclean's

Writing & Publications

Selected Writing

Published work on AI governance, digital sovereignty, Canadian law, and history.

The Globe and Mail
Can Canada Ever Have True Digital Sovereignty?
On why sovereignty follows jurisdiction, not location — and what that means for Canada's data centre investments.
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The Logic
Foreign Software Dependence and Buy Canadian
On how 63% of SaaS tools used by Canadian organizations are U.S.-owned — and what that means for procurement policy.
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Maclean's
Canada Needs Homegrown AI Infrastructure
On why relying on foreign cloud providers puts Canada's AI ambitions — and sovereignty — at risk.
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OpenCanada
Canada's Sovereign AI Compute Gap
Why we're still treating a strategic asset as a service — and what it costs us.
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BetaKit
Technology & Policy Coverage
Writing on Canadian tech, AI governance, and the policy frameworks shaping digital sovereignty.
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Policy Options
Canada's Digital Sovereignty Debate Overlooks Software Risks
On why focusing on cloud infrastructure misses the problem of foreign-controlled software — and the procurement gap Ottawa needs to close.
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McGill-Queen's UP
Landscapes of Injustice
Edited and authored a chapter on the dispossession of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War.
→

Projects

Projects

From compliance tooling to historical research — projects focused on Canada's digital future and its past.

Current Focus · 2026

Upper Harbour

BetaKit Most Ambitious 2026 · The Sovereign Stack
Named one of Canada’s most ambitious companies

BetaKit’s annual editorial project spotlights the founders, operators, and researchers shaping Canadian technology. Upper Harbour was selected for The Sovereign Stack — the companies building the physical and digital infrastructure Canada needs for self-determination, as reliance on foreign custodians becomes a point of leverage.

Technology sovereignty intelligence for Canadian organizations. Upper Harbour maps who controls the infrastructure Canada depends on — so organizations can prove compliance and policymakers can make informed decisions.

Visit Upper Harbour
780
SaaS tools mapped
66%
Under foreign jurisdiction
33%
CA-resident tools still CLOUD Act exposed
17%
Canadian-owned

Landscapes of Injustice

A seven-year, SSHRC-funded research collaboration across Canadian universities examining the dispossession of Japanese Canadians during and after the Second World War.

Joshua edited and authored a chapter in the published volume from McGill-Queen's University Press, and wrote the project's public-facing narrative website.

Read the narrative website → See the published volume → Project contributor page →

Project Details

Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. A multi-university partnership led by the University of Victoria, documenting the systematic dispossession of Japanese Canadians — their homes, businesses, and communities — and the lasting consequences of that injustice.

Contact

Get in touch.

Whether it's about AI policy, Canadian digital sovereignty, or legal practice — I'd welcome the conversation.

Email[email protected] LinkedInjoshuavanes X / Twitter@Joshuavanes Upper Harbourupperharbour.ca