Do the robot: public servants unplug from typical telecommute
Employment and Social Development Canada policy analyst Pierre-Olivier DesMarchais is tall—six-foot-three, to be exact—but when most of his colleagues see him, he’s only about four-foot-five—and a robot. Mr. DesMarchais lives in Montreal, but his physical presence in Ottawa is that of an iPad attached to two Segway-style wheels via a vertical stick, which he uses to telecommute […]
It’s time to unleash the power of artificial intelligence
Computers are becoming more powerful, faster, and intelligent every day. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the introduction of Hal, the computer that took over an entire spaceship in the sci-fi movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Although fiction in 1968, Siri, Cortona, and Alexa and many nifty new smart gadgets are now reality and […]
Misogyny lives, and the internet is giving it too much oxygen
OTTAWA—Misogyny lives. And the internet is giving it too much oxygen. While Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is being called to account by governments around the world for political misuse of social media intel, a bigger issue looms in cyberspace. Normal platforms of discourse are governed by legal restraints which serve to cool down the rhetoric […]
Half a cup of peanuts: starvation diet for diabetes offers lessons
A century ago, a diagnosis of diabetes was a death sentence. The only treatment that was able to somewhat slow the progression of the disease was a starvation diet. Eating no more than 400 calories per day was advised, equivalent to about half a cup of dry roasted peanuts. Ironically, some people with diabetes died […]
A new prescription for cancer treatments
Back in August of 2012, I received the devastating news that my mother had an aggressive form of breast cancer. She was quickly admitted to the Jewish General Hospital (JGH) in our hometown of Montreal, where she was immediately taken under the charge of an incredible team. Being by her side from diagnosis through treatment, […]
More data regulation needed as smart cities develop, say some experts
As the Trudeau government continues to review its private-sector privacy act, some experts are calling for a national data strategy to set the framework of ownership rights and usage limits around collected data. The issue was highlighted by the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal, said Brock University professor Blayne Haggart, but experts have been sounding the […]
‘For me, it’s personal’: Minister Sohi reflects on passion for infrastructure portfolio
Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi doesn’t mince words when discussing the role infrastructure played in his ‘Made in Canada’ success story. An immigrant from India, Mr. Sohi (Edmonton Mill Woods, Alta.) spoke little to no English when he arrived in Edmonton in the early 1980s, after being sponsored by an older brother. After moving to the […]
Infrastructure
House Ethics Committee open to looking at federal political parties in probe on global online data abuse scandal
Members of the House Ethics Committee are open to studying how federal political parties are using online personal information as part of an upcoming probe of the explosive Facebook data-mining scandal, which could see key players like Canadian whistleblower Christopher Wylie, co-founder of AggregateIQ Jeff Silvester, and Facebook executives asked to testify. NDP MP Charlie Angus (Timmins-James Bay, […]
Medical marijuana: the forgotten issue in the new law
If the trend continues, once Bill C-45 on legalizing cannabis is passed, Canadians will find themselves in a totally absurd situation. On the one hand, there’s recreational cannabis, which is legal and carefully regulated. On the other, there’s medical marijuana, which is left out and will continue to be distributed solely by mail and without […]
