Canada’s jobs gap puts skills training, education atop growth agenda
TORONTO—We knew employers were having a tough time finding workers. But it was still a shock to learn that in the second quarter of this year there were nearly one million job vacancies in Canada, more than double the 452,000 job vacancies a few years earlier, in 2015 for example. This jobs gap means the […]
Here’s what’s still needed to drive innovation
In 2017, Canada launched the world’s first national artificial intelligence (AI) strategy. The Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy—led by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) and funded by the federal government—was created to help establish a robust national AI ecosystem by 2030. The ambitious goal was to accelerate AI research and education, spur the development […]
Canada’s innovation strategy must pay mind to intellectual property
TORONTO—The Trudeau government seems to be working around the clock to dream up new programs, one after another, for a more innovative economy. That the need for a more innovative economy is recognized is important and welcome. Our prospects for a better and more sustainable future with good jobs, and our ability to afford high-quality […]
Higher tech, lower competition? It shouldn’t be this way
The term “off the grid” got a whole new meaning last month when more than 10 million Canadians from coast to coast to coast woke up to discover their cell phone service and internet connection had gone down. In a world that depends on connectivity, millions of Canadians had no choice but to sit and […]
Ten years after the ‘death of evidence,’ scientists again march on Parliament Hill
Ten years ago, thousands of scientists and their supporters marched through Ottawa to Parliament Hill in the “death of evidence” rally. Some wore white coats, while others came in grim reaper costumes, complete with scythes. All came to mourn the demise of science in Canada’s democracy. At the time, research sites were being shuttered and […]
Consumer interest is being overlooked and manipulated
OTTAWA—Canadians lack basic consumer protection at a time when the economy is not favouring the consumer. This was illustrated on July 8 when Rogers had a nation-wide shut down, taking down its customers’ internet, phone, wireless services, some retail payment transactions, and 911 services. The reaction by federal Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne was to meet […]
Rogers outage another reason to get rid of Canada’s efficiencies defence in competition law
On the morning of July 8, Canadians woke up to the consequences of monopoly. Rogers’ nationwide wireless and wireline networks had gone down, which meant not only was a third of the country in the dark when it came to connectivity, but also core payment infrastructure relying on the same network was also down. The […]
Rogers and the digital divide
OTTAWA—Don’t spend that five-day Rogers credit in one place, y’all. It’s now nearly two weeks after the outage that rocked the country, caused by Canada’s fastest and most reliable network. The Rogers outage laid bare that telecommunications infrastructure is critical for participation in society, much less industry. Strong and reliable networks were missed once 911, […]
Put Shaw merger back on the hot seat, say researchers, analysts, as politicos await answers from Rogers
Rogers Communications has until the end of the week to provide detailed answers to the country’s telecom regulator, explaining the “how” and “why” of the recent nationwide service outage, but policy analysts are already asking how much worse it would have been had the proposed merger with Shaw already gone through. The July 8 outage […]
Critical rethink needed following Rogers outage
Last Friday, a nationwide Rogers internet and wireless services outage left millions of Canadians and businesses reliving the pre-internet days. The company was still working to restore service to some customers throughout the weekend. Beyond cutting off the company’s 11 million wireless subscribers from their steady drip of social media, businesses—including banks—that use Rogers saw […]
