New: @mozilla.org is partnering with @mila-quebec.bsky.social to work on open-source AI projects, with an initial $1 million CAD betakit.com/mila-teams-u...

Canadian software firm OpenText #$OTEX employees report job cuts tied to apparent restructuring, via @alexriehl.com betakit.com/opentext-emp...

Pretty cool news today for Montréal, Québec, and Canada. @umontreal.ca Gilles Brassard was awarded computer science's highest honour for his quantum breakthroughs, alongside longtime collaborator Charles H. Bennett betakit.com/montreal-com...

We functionally do not have a legislated Access to Information system in Canada. Federal departments face zero consequences for simply ignoring the rules. They are effectively allowed to only hand over documents if they feel like it. www.thestar.com/politics/fed...

Canadian tech advocacy group CCI argues that governments should take a similar 'buy Canadian' approach to #healthtech as it did for the Defence Industrial Strategy: betakit.com/cci-wants-go...

I got to hear from some of the architects and builders of the Fediverse at FediMTL in Montréal yesterday. I learned a ton about decentralized social media and how it's taken on newfound urgency with Canada's push toward digital sovereignty. betakit.com/can-canada-f...

Talking about the Fediverse often feels like it merits a "stop trying to make fetch happen" response. But at a recent conference in Montréal, advocates said figuring out how to build a decentralized web people will actually use is a must. betakit.com/can-canada-f... by @madisonmcla.bsky.social

Such a good deep dive into Quebec quantum history

I joined @trondizzle.bsky.social on the @betakit.com Podcast to talk about an anonymous feedback report on Crown corporation BDC, and why it matters for Canadian tech. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngmk...

BC's Photonic is claiming that it teleported quantum information over 30km of Telus fibre-optic cable, as the company looks to make #quantum business-ready betakit.com/photonic-cla...

The small-town paper in Tumbler Ridge is going to need support. This is its front page right now. Their subscription page is here: www.patreon.com/tumblerridge...

Montréal's Haply Robotics has raised $16 million CAD from Sound Media Ventures, Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund, Hanwha Asset Management Fund, Two Small Fish Ventures, and BDC Capital. The startup is building the "touch layer" of how humans and robots interact.

The federal government used AI to summarize its consultations with Evan Solomon's AI task force. We used a human reporter. BetaKit's Josh Scott undertook a heroic effort to sort through all 348 pages of task force submissions. Here's his summary.

Resharing some fantastic @washingtonpost.com journalism in the wake of massive cuts there. What’s happening is awful and will certainly erode our information ecosystem.

Ok.

Super interesting interview:

Canadian bioeconomy companies are driving economic returns: 84 early-stage biotech firms generated nearly $900M in GDP over recent years, according to new data from Natural Products Canada.

Toronto's Alexi has escalated a legal fight with Clio and its subsidiary Fastcase by filing a counterclaim that includes antitrust allegations. Alexi claims the litigation has thwarted acquisition interest and forced it to lay off 2/3 of staff. #legaltech

I thought this was pretty cool

Canadian social media management firm Hootsuite is providing monitoring tech to the US government's immigration enforcement agency. Via @betakit.com reporter Josh Scott and myself. betakit.com/hootsuite-dh...

Researchers at Mila in Montréal are tackling one of the most concerning issues in #AI right now: chatbot-induced mental health crises. It's also, Simona Gandrabur tells me, really difficult to get real-world data. betakit.com/mila-researc...

"There’s a lot of money being invested ... with an assumption of having a walled garden. Ultimately, I don’t think that’s worked in the interest of the consumer." Calgary fintech CEO @nicbeique.bsky.social on why he sees open finance as the future. betakit.com/helcim-takes...

It’s Legault-ver

SO COOL. Read my brilliant friend's research!!!

SSENSE founders' bid to buy back company successful, pending approvals betakit.com/ssense-found...

More details on the Ubisoft Halifax @ubisofthalifax.bsky.social closure story: a former employee and union rep told BetaKit employees were "blindsided" by the closure, and that the majority of the team was working towards an "aggressive" February project deadline.

xAI's Grok chatbot has been creating non-consensual, sexually explicit images of women and children. The patchwork of laws that cover the generation, hosting, and sharing of this material in Canada is messy at best. Via @betakit.com reporter @madisonmcla.bsky.social betakit.com/groks-non-co...

You can find a response from Solomon's office, as well as more context on Canada's patchwork of deepfake laws, in my story here: betakit.com/groks-non-co...

If you follow Canadian tech, add @betakit.com as a preferred source on Google: betakit.com/how-to-see-b...

New Canadian lifestyle-focused media outlet By the North launched yesterday. Bonus: it's up front about not using AI for writing and editing specifically

Sobering indeed!

Vancouver-based quantum computing startup Photonic raised CA$180M led by Planet First Partners, bringing its total funding to CA$375M (Madison McLauchlan/BetaKit) Main Link | Techmeme Permalink

Photonic says it's ready to commercialize #quantum tech with $180-million CAD fundraise. Investors include enterprise players RBC and Telus. betakit.com/photonic-say...

So many tech platforms have decayed beyond usability. Can we reverse the process? BetaKit is ending the year with a look back at the biggest #CDNtech stories of 2025. Here's @sarahcrgr.bsky.social on the year enshittification became undeniable: bit.ly/4pg0kJq

In 2025, Canada woke up to the possibility of buying and building #CDNtech. How did we get here? Sovereignty: the good, the bad, the performative... betakit.com/2025-was-the...

Eeeeeee

Quebec government and family doctors reach agreement in principle, putting contentious legislation on hold.  www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... via @theglobeandmail.com

Canadians: Do you plan on signing up for @gandersocial.bsky.social when it launches? Do you care if your social network is built and hosted here?

#CDNTech startup Toothpod is trying to reimagine dental care with a chewable tablet that can clean teeth without needing any water. Co-founder and @utoronto.ca alumna Vishar Yaghoubian claims the tablet kills bacteria connected to tooth decay and bad breath.

Canada's division of Coinbase wants blockchain tech to be part of AI minister Evan Solomon's portfolio. Plus: updates on the feds' Stablecoin Act. betakit.com/crypto-advoc...

A high-level Swedish delegation visited Montréal’s Mila this week to deepen #AI research ties. Attendees included Mila's Hugo Larochelle, Québec’s economy minister Christine Fréchette, Cohere chief AI officer Joelle Pineau, and AI safety organization LawZero CEO Sam Ramadori.

What is the economic promise of a Canadian #sovereign cloud? betakit.com/what-is-the-...

NEW from me: Shopify's shuttered Indigenous entrepreneurship program Build Native will relaunch in a new form led by the Centre for Native Nation Builders and Tracy Ridler: betakit.com/shopifys-shu...

Soooo pumped 🚀@sarahcrgr.bsky.social (bluesky gets more emoji energy)

It's official: Canada has lost its measles elimination status because of an outbreak that has persisted for more than 12 months. Country can regain status only if on-going spread is of measles interrupted for more than a year. www.cbc.ca/news/health/... via @cbcnews.ca

Canadian tech policy wonks react to #Budget2025. Also I make my ad read debut.... www.youtube.com/watch?v=39VQ...

#Budget2025 has dropped, promising $1 trillion in new investments over 5 years and a $78.3-billion deficit for 2025-26. Major commitments across #AI and quantum, VC, financial services innovation, and defence. We've got a comprehensive look up now:

A “huge budget for FinTechs,” according to Fintechs Canada’s Adriana Vega: