Category: Canada

Legal Recreational Marijuana: What You Need To Know | CBC News

mdbincbi

The legislative battle over marijuana may be over, but as Canadians look ahead to Oct. 17 — the date legalization takes effect — there are some practical considerations that should be top of mind for those keen to light up legally. First of all — and this is typical of Canada’s federal system — not all provinces and territories are following the same path to legalization. Some are imposing different regulations on the drug within their jurisdictions. Two provinces, Quebec and Manitoba, are banning home cultivation altogether. Canadians who cross the border…

Read More

Canadians At Risk Of Being ‘Data Cows’ Absent Big Data Strategy, Documents Show | CBC News

mdbincbi

Artificial intelligence could give internet giants like Facebook and Amazon even more power to reshape the Canadian economy, threatening the viability of domestic businesses, researchers warn. A December presentation to senior civil servants said that Canadian companies were losing ownership of — and access to — data to the likes of Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google, requiring a federal policy response. Artificial intelligence “will reinforce this trend,” presenters from the National Research Council warned top officials, adding that a national data strategy would be necessary to prevent Canada from becoming…

Read More

Ottawa Orders CRTC To Investigate Reports Of ‘Aggressive’ Telecom Sales Practices | CBC News

mdbincbi

​The federal government is ordering an investigation following allegations that Canada’s largest telecommunications companies are using “misleading” and “aggressive” tactics to sell products and services. Innovation, Science and Economic Minister Navdeep Bains has ordered the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to investigate and report on the sales practices used by Canada’s largest telecommunication companies. The minister also called for a public inquiry to allow Canadians to voice their concerns and said the resulting inquiry report will have to propose potential solutions. The call for inquiry follows months of CBC stories on the issue. Read full story here: Ottawa Orders CRTC To Investigate Reports…

Read More

Mounties, CSIS Still Haven’t Publicly ID’d People Behind Electronic Cell Surveillance In Ottawa | CBC News

mdbincbi

After investigating for over a year, the RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) are still unable to publicly identify those who have deployed electronic espionage devices in the national capital. In April 2017, a CBC/Radio-Canada report revealed that IMSI catchers were being used in Ottawa and Montreal. These devices can capture cellphone data and listen to telephone conversations. News that sophisticated spying tools had been deployed within range of Parliament Hill caused some tumult within the government. Following the CBC/Radio-Canada report, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale announced the launch…

Read More

As Google For Education Tools Enter Classrooms Across Canada, Some Parents Are Asking To Opt-out | CBC Radio

mdbincbi

Last October, Riaz Bassari’s daughter came home from her elementary school class with a permission form for G Suite for Education: a set of cloud-based digital learning tools Google offers to schools for free. The form, issued by the Greater Victoria School District in B.C., asked Bassari to agree that “my child’s personal information will be used for a Google Apps for Education account.” Bassari, however, decided to not to sign the form, and soon discovered there was no alternative to Google’s tools at his daughter’s school. “You either sign up or you’re left out,” Bassari…

Read More

Fiat Chrysler Warns 5.3M Owners In Canada And U.S.: Don’t Use The Cruise | CTV News

mdbincbi

DETROIT — Fiat Chrysler is recalling more than 5.3 million vehicles in the U.S., Canada and elsewhere because in rare but terrifying circumstances, drivers may not be able to turn off the cruise control. The company is warning owners not to use cruise control until the cars, SUVs and trucks can be fixed with a software update. Fiat Chrysler says the condition can occur if the cruise control accelerates at the same time an electrical short-circuit happens. But the brakes are designed to overpower the engine and the vehicles could…

Read More

Canadians Could Pay Over $1,000 For Gas This Summer – National | Globalnews.ca

mdbincbi

Gas prices in Canada are approaching record highs and could remain there through much for the summer. With oil prices climbing, drivers from coast to coast are likely in for the priciest driving season in four years, according to analysts. The national average gas price is currently hovering around $1.34 a litre, up from around $1.09 a litre this time last year, said Dan McTeague, senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy. And there are few signs that the pain at the pump will ease off as the spring turns into summer. Gas prices…

Read More

Gas Prices Spike And Canadians Keep Filling Up | CBC News

mdbincbi

Gas prices keep climbing across the country, yet Canadians show no sign of slowing down how much gas and diesel they pump into their cars and trucks. Pump prices have jumped almost 20 cents per litre across Canada over the last three months for regular gasoline and are expected to continue rising this summer. On Wednesday, a litre of gasoline was more than $1.60 at some stations in Vancouver. Gas prices hit record in Vancouver, highest in North America Suncor, the parent company of Petro-Canada, announced on Wednesday record volume sales at…

Read More

Big Telco’s Lower-Cost, Data-Only Plans Are ‘Embarrassing,’ Critics Say | CBC News

mdbincbi

Bell, Rogers and Telus’ proposed lower-cost, data-only wireless deals are no deal at all, say critics. The offerings include half a gigabyte (GB) of data for $30 a month. “It’s embarrassing and quite frankly it’s rude to think that these are functional plans,” said Laura Tribe, executive director of Open Media, a consumer watchdog group. In March, the CRTC announced that it would ensure Canadians have access to cheaper, data-only wireless deals. The plans are meant to fill a void while the telecom regulator reviews a recent decision that effectively hinders smaller, WiFi-based, national discount wireless carriers from operating in Canada. The…

Read More

Your Legal Pot Buying Data Could Get You Banned From The U.S., Lawyers Warn – National | Globalnews.ca

mdbincbi

As laws on marijuana relax on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border, attitudes have hardened at the border itself. When Canadians are able to buy legal recreational marijuana sometime this year, we are going to start generating a lot of consumer data. Some of it will be clearly linked to individuals: credit card purchases at physical stores and online ordering to home addresses, for example. And that could have lasting consequences. Canadians can be barred for life from the United States — even after legalization here — if a border…

Read More