Stories by Austin Blake

I recently had the chance to test out a gifted Saily travel eSIM (from the makers of NordVPN) during a trip to Tokyo to see how it holds up in one of the most connected cities in the world. Getting everything set up was super simple. I just used the Saily app and followed the...

Disney+ is bringing a massive wave of nostalgia and fresh hits to Canadian subscribers this February. The streaming giant has confirmed a packed schedule that includes a star-studded return to the Muppet Theatre and the long-awaited second season of the survival drama Paradise. The highlight of the month arrives early as Kermit, Miss Piggy, and...

Imagine driving eight kilometres just to make a simple phone call. For Allan Speight, from Clarendon, New Brunswick, this has been his reality since early January. After thieves stole over a kilometre of copper wire, Speight and roughly 135 other Bell customers were plunged into a total communications blackout. “If anything happens, I have no...

As the dust settles on Ottawa’s landmark trade deal with China, it is becoming clear that Tesla is the likely winner while Chinese rivals remain stuck at the starting line. While the initial news of the 100% tariff being scrapped is a few days old, new analysis shows that Elon Musk’s company is uniquely positioned...

The head of Bell says he is not losing sleep over a massive global merger that could threaten his streaming lineup. Mirko Bibic, the CEO of Bell, addressed growing concerns regarding Netflix’s $83 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. Because Warner owns HBO, the deal has sparked fears among Canadian creators and viewers that...

WestJet has officially reversed its controversial decision to squeeze an extra row of seats onto its Boeing 737 aircraft. The Calgary-based airline announced on Friday that it will return its economy cabins to their original layout after weeks of public outrage and viral social media videos showing passengers struggling to fit into the new, tighter...

Prime Minister Mark Carney has officially reset Canada’s trade relationship with China, but Ontario Premier Doug Ford is already warning that the deal could be a death blow to the province's auto sector. The new strategic partnership, signed in Beijing this week, effectively trades agricultural relief for a significant surge of Chinese electric vehicles on...

Sesame Street just became a lot easier to find. YouTube and Sesame Workshop announced today that the platform is now the largest digital home for the show, dumping a massive "treasure trove" of full episodes and classic clips online for families. The move brings over 100 full episodes to the main YouTube app and YouTube...

The Competition Bureau dropped a massive report today with a simple message: Canadians are being overcharged because it's too much of a "hassle" to switch companies. The agency says if we actually had control over our own data, we could save nearly $4 billion every year. The report, "Your Data, Your Control," argues that when...

Digg is back, baby. Kevin Rose and Alexis Ohanian have officially relaunched Digg. The site went live in public beta on January 14, 2026, marking a major comeback for the platform that once led the social news world before Reddit took its place over a decade ago. The new version of the site is owned...

According to reporting by the New York Times, Canada is quietly trying to reset its tense relationship with China. Economic pressure is growing at home, and the U.S. has become a harder partner to rely on under President Donald Trump. The NYT describes the moment as a “pragmatic thawing.” Canadian and Chinese officials are working...

Following a morning of rough headlines for the Canadian telecom industry, Quebecor has released its own statement to drive the point home. While national rivals are drowning in a 17% surge of complaints, the company's subsidiary, Videotron Group (which includes Freedom Mobile and Fizz), is using the CCTS report to crown itself the leader in...