Bill C-10’s focus on foreign digital giants should not ignore domestic ones
Discussions on Bill C-10 make much of the fact that the Internet was only in its infancy when the Broadcasting Act was last amended 30 years ago and that none of today’s huge and hugely-influential foreign digital companies– like Netflix, Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Spotify–existed or were contemplated at the time. While this is certainly […]
Conditions-based negotiations, renewed NATO troop commitments needed in Afghanistan
NATO defence ministers held discussions last week to address the military alliance’s mission in Afghanistan, reaffirming its commitment. The Taliban insurgent group has no incentives to compromise right now, and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani’s national army is intent on taking the war from the inner urban precincts to the districts in the unprotected countryside, ruled […]
Canada needs to invest in innovation, investment, and productivity, and it’s urgent
TORONTO—The staff economists from the International Monetary Fund are quite clear on what Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland should do in her first budget. In a concluding statement after the IMF’s most recent survey of the Canadian economy, it warns that “structural challenges that existed prior to the pandemic remain.” This means “Canada still needs to […]
COVID-19 innovations hold lessons for national policy
As the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in early 2020, we witnessed an unprecedented mobilization of the world’s scientific community to develop solutions. Canadian researchers and companies are making vital contributions to these efforts, especially in the area of therapeutics and vaccines. These accomplishments should be celebrated, but also studied, as they can teach us a great […]
COVID-19 driving change in Canada’s urban centres
Cities are the economic engines of the country. As such, they are also centres of innovation: places to test out new ideas, spaces to combine new ways of thinking and doing, and sites to advance new technologies. COVID-19 has temporarily turned our urban worlds upside down and has made dense urban life seem dangerous rather […]
Charging onward: Canadian expertise helping to revolutionize how energy is used, created, and redirected
It’s hard to deny that the Earth’s climate is changing. We’re seeing warming temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and more severe weather events. The science is clear that if we continue to burn fossil fuels at the same rate we are now, we’re going to heat the planet to death. This has made managing and developing […]
Pandemic highlights needed change in broadband funding regime, says critic, access expert
As the COVID-19 pandemic approaches its one-year anniversary, with Canadians flocking to Zoom, Call of Duty, and Netflix to manage work and life under lockdown, an internet policy expert and the NDP’s industry critic say the way Canada approaches bridging the digital divide is not working, and is falling hardest on rural and remote communities. […]
We must ensure that innovation leaves no Canadian behind
As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. For instance, back at the beginning of the pandemic, we never imagined that the world would produce several effective COVID-19 vaccines in less than a year. Whether it is telemedicine, vaccines, rapid tests, or automation, the urgent needs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have given […]
The time for innovation in higher education is now
This month, Concordia University is launching its Innovation Lab, a bold move to support students to become skilled and confident innovators who can turn ideas into solutions that make the world a better place. The Lab is one response to the era of profound changes arriving at dizzying speeds, prompted by the growth and spread […]
Collaborative effort needed to bridge the digital divide
Many Canadians in remote northern communities cannot depend on the internet for essential tasks for school or work, or for leisure activities like entertainment or social media. There is, in short, a deep digital divide between remote communities and the rest of the country. Historically, internet service providers (ISPs) have been the primary stakeholders tasked […]
