The Peak Daily

The Peak / Curiouscast
undefined
May 16, 2023 • 9min

Troubling wildfires 🔥— Vice is selling. Western Canada is suffering from wildfires. And Hollywood disapproves of Canadian content laws.

Vice, which started out as a tiny punk zine in Montréal before becoming the bad boy idol of new media brands, filed for bankruptcy protection. A group of its creditors put in a US$225 million bid to buy the company, an amount that would be covered by existing loans.Western Canada has seen more than 600 wildfires so far this year, but officials say the season is just getting started.The Motion Picture Association (MPA)—a trade group made up of major Hollywood studios, including Disney and Netflix—published a report claiming that Canada’s system for defining homegrown content is unusually narrow and out of step with the rest of the world.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
undefined
May 15, 2023 • 7min

TikTok trouble 🎥 — Former TikTok engineer could discredit the company’s position. Used cars tell us lots about inflation. And middle market struggles

A new lawsuit against TikTok owner ByteDance could discredit the company’s primary defence against efforts by some Western lawmakers to ban the app.The Bank of Canada is determined to crush inflation, but that doesn’t mean prices are going back to pre-pandemic levels. For proof, look no further than the used car market.The last year has been tough if you’re a middle-of-the-pack consumer or retailer.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
undefined
May 12, 2023 • 9min

Private stations 🛰️ — Softbank loses big. Private companies are getting in the space station game. And Canada looks for health care workers.

Only Softbank Group would lose US$7.2 billion and give itself a little pat on the back.Space startup Vast partnered with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to launch a school bus-sized space station into orbit by 2025, as more private companies race to capture low-orbit real estate.Canada’s search for health care workers continues!Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
undefined
May 11, 2023 • 8min

New passports 🛂 — Google is deepening their AI search integration. Canada has newly designed passports. And Canada wants in AUKUS.

After Google’s developer’s conference yesterday, online search might never be the same.Yesterday, Canada unveiled a new passport design that’s sure to draw some double-takes during your next international trip.A new report co-authored by former national security advisor Vincent Rigby found that not only did Canada’s allies leave it out of the AUKUS security pact, they never sent an invite.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
undefined
May 10, 2023 • 9min

Shellfish 🦞 — BRICS coming up with new currency. Problems with Canadian shellfishing. And an update on the debt ceiling.

Developing countries are teaming up to take on the global monetary order as we know it.A pricing dispute in Canada’s crustacean heartland has crabby fishers calling out seafood processors for their shellfishness.It’s once again time to check in on the US debt ceiling debacle. Spoiler alert: Joe Biden and GOP lawmakers are no closer to reaching a resolution on raising the debt ceiling after the president met with Congressional leaders yesterday.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
undefined
May 9, 2023 • 8min

Digital coins 🪙 — The BoC wants to issue a digital currency. Europe is regulating AI. And Lululemon is combatting fakes.

The Bank of Canada (BoC) wants to know how you’d feel about swapping those cold hard coins for a less tangible alternative.When it comes to tech regulation, Europe is like the friend who sucks it up and calls the Uber when everyone pretends to stare off into space. Cracking down on AI is no exception.Want to get a free pair of Lululemon leggings? You just have to buy a fake pair first.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
undefined
May 8, 2023 • 9min

Coronation 👑 — We have a new King. The future of AI and jobs. And the Alberta wildfires.

In case you weren’t up at 4 a.m. on Saturday waiting with bated breath and a full English breakfast, King Charles III’s coronation was this morning, generating fawning and furor.From the role of AI in the writers' strike to IBM’s hiring freeze, it’s time to talk about how we plan to defend jobs against the robots.Wildfire season has arrived early in Alberta this year, forcing the province to declare a state of emergency over the weekend and expand evacuation efforts.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
undefined
May 5, 2023 • 13min

Shopify layoffs 🛍️ — Shopify makes cuts. TD loses a deal. And a new grocery code of conduct. For our first story, Like our goal of reading 100 books, Shopify started the year with an unattainable dream.

After weeks of speculation about the fate of a takeover deal that would make TD Bank the sixth-largest lender in America, the offer is officially off the table.The grocery code of conduct that would govern the actions of Canada’s grocers and their suppliers is in its final draft, but it’s still leaving top grocery critics hungry for more.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO-Loblaw purchase announcement:https://www.loblaw.ca/en/In-a-canadian-first-loblaw-to-purchase-electricity-in-alberta-that-is-generated-by-wind-sun-and-water-helping-to-cut-its-nationwide-operating-carbon-emissions-by-17-per-cent/Loblaw ESG report:https://www.loblaw.ca/en/responsibility/
undefined
May 4, 2023 • 8min

New Airbnbs 🏨 — Bed, Bath and Beyond locations are being bought up. Changes coming to Airbnb. And tension in the banking system.

If you’re been looking to gift that special someone a lightly used retail outlet, act fast: nearly half of the now-emptying 65 Bed Bath & Beyond stores in Canada have been snapped up.These days, it’s easy to find yourself in the midst of planning your dream vacation only to checks bank account realize, you know what, a weekend camping trip is actually just fine.While bankers no doubt rejoiced after the US Federal Reserve signalled it would move to pause rate hikes, the sector is still full of more tension than the final season of Succession.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
undefined
May 3, 2023 • 9min

Writers strike ✍️ — Screenwriters are going on strike. A Canadian NHL team is for sale. And Blackberry is back in the news.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA)—the union representing 11,500 scribes behind American film and TV—is on strike after failing to reach a new deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, AKA, the suits that sign their cheques.It’s not every day an NHL team goes up for sale, so interest in buying the Sens is booming.Just in time for the movie about its dramatic rise and fall, BlackBerry is back in the news.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO

The AI-powered Podcast Player

Save insights by tapping your headphones, chat with episodes, discover the best highlights - and more!
App store bannerPlay store banner
Get the app