Stories by Austin Blake

CIBC is giving its credit cardholders a reason to sign up for Disney+ with a new partnership that cuts the monthly subscription cost in half for six months. As of April 7, 2026, eligible CIBC cardholders get a $4.50 statement credit each month when they pay for a Disney+ subscription using a qualifying card. Since...

Apple and Intel have reached a preliminary deal for Intel to manufacture chips for future Apple devices, according to people familiar with the matter cited by the Wall Street Journal. The agreement comes after more than a year of negotiations between the two companies. Neither side has confirmed which specific products the chips would go...

Apple has quietly closed the door on its education discount honour system in Canada, the United States, and Chile. Going forward, students and staff will need to verify their academic status through UNiDAYS before they can access discounted pricing, according to a report by MacRumors. Previously, Apple only ran occasional audits on education purchases. Now,...

The CBC is shutting down its subscription-based Documentary Channel on August 31 and replacing it with a free ad-supported streaming channel launching this fall, backed by a $7 million funding increase for Canadian documentaries. The national broadcaster framed the move as a modernization push, pointing to declining cable subscribers and shifting viewing habits as the...

Bell reported its first quarter results for 2026 on Thursday, posting revenue growth alongside a modest dip in net earnings as the company pushes deeper into 5G and artificial intelligence. Total revenue rose 4% to just over $6.1 billion, while net earnings slipped 2.3% to $667 million, weighed down by higher taxes and infrastructure costs....

The CRTC is calling out Bell over a new $40 fee the company has been charging customers who buy a phone through a wireless plan. After removing the $80 connection fee for Bell and Virgin Plus this week, a new $40 device fee was added for customers who buy a phone from the companies. In...

Bell's parent company BCE has fired a group of employees caught faking their office attendance records in what the company is calling a "swipe and go" scheme. The details are pretty brazen. Workers would badge into the office and walk straight back out, logging their presence without actually showing up for work. One employee reportedly...

OpenAI has made significant changes to how it handles personal data in Canada after a joint investigation by federal and provincial privacy regulators found that the original launch of ChatGPT broke several privacy laws. The probe involved watchdogs from Ottawa, Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta. They found that OpenAI was collecting more personal information than...

The push to ban children from social media is gaining momentum in Canada. Culture Minister Marc Miller and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew both want a minimum age of 16, and now some are asking whether AI chatbots should be next. Technology law expert and University of Ottawa professor Michael Geist thinks that would be a...

We're about one week into May, so let's check in on wireless plan pricing from Rogers, Telus, Bell, and Freedom Mobile compares to last month. It's clear right now is not the best time to jump on a new cellphone plan. Rogers $60/60GB (was 100GB) $65/100GB (was $70/175GB) — now includes Canada-US-Mexico (was Canada-US only)...

Telus is using artificial intelligence to alter the accents of its call centre agents in real time through its subsidiary Telus Digital, and the backlash has been swift. Labour advocates are calling the practice deceptive, and the federal government is being urged to require disclosure whenever the technology is used. Rogers and Bell, meanwhile, say...

Moving money in Canada is about to get a lot more modern. Visa Canada and Wealthsimple are piloting a new payments system that uses stablecoins to settle transactions, a first for the Canadian market. Under the program, Wealthsimple can use USD Coin (USDC) to settle certain financial obligations with Visa, using blockchain to move funds...