Stories by Austin Blake

A new Eminem-produced documentary exploring the lives of his most devoted fans will premiere on Paramount+ in Canada, the U.S., Latin America and Brazil on August 26. The U.K., Australia, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria will get it on August 27, followed by Japan on October 3. STANS, directed by Emmy winner Steven Leckart,...

McDonald’s Canada will update its MyMcDonald’s Rewards menu on September 16, 2025, adding cappuccinos and Filet-O-Fish to the lineup—but also removing many popular food items and increasing the points needed for some drinks, according to an email sent to customers and received by iPhone in Canada. The program, which launched in 2021, originally offered a...

The federal government is putting more than $25 million into 33 projects to expand electric vehicle charging, cut freight emissions and develop new technology for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is providing $9.7 million for 23 projects to install over 850 EV chargers across the country through its Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure...

The flanker brands of Rogers, Telus and Bell have tweaked their plans this month, bringing some changes compared to July. Fido has started offering 10GB of bonus data for its plans, trying to entice new customers to subscribe. Virgin Plus also has matched Fido saying its plans now include a 10GB data bonus. Check out...

AI startup Perplexity says it’s ready to pay a whopping $34.5 billion US ($47.5 billion CAD) to buy Google’s Chrome browser, according to the Wall Street Journal. The offer is nearly double Perplexity’s own $18 billion US valuation, with the company claiming several big investors have agreed to fully fund the deal. The timing is...

The federal privacy commissioner has released updated rules on how organizations in Canada should handle biometric data such as facial recognition scans and fingerprints. The guidelines, aimed at both public and private organizations, come after a public consultation held from November 2023 to February 2024. Officials say the technology can make access to services more...

Grok 4, the latest version of xAI’s chatbot, is now free for everyone — with limits. “The free tier allows a small number of queries per day. Beyond that requires subscription,” said Elon Musk. Paid plans include SuperGrok at $300 per year and SuperGrok Heavy at $3,000 per year. The free version of Grok lets...

Some Telus internet customers are spotting special renewal offers inside the Telus app—and in some cases, they’re cheaper than what Telus loyalty staff are quoting over the phone. One Reddit user said they saw an in-app offer for $70/month on a two-year term for PureFibre Gigabit, with pre-authorized payments, unlimited data, and savings of $65/month....

Bell is teaming up with AI-powered search engine Perplexity to give certain customers a year of free access to the AI search tool’s premium version, Perplexity Pro—normally worth about $300. The deal makes Bell the exclusive telecom partner for Perplexity in Canada. Eligible Bell Mobility customers will start receiving redemption codes in the coming days, while...

Freedom Mobile recently launched a back to school deal that’s only available for students, which is a lower cost version of its 100GB back to school deal from late July. The company’s website is advertising a $44/100GB Canada-US-Mexico plan only for students (after autopay). You can use your talk, text, and data no matter where...

Nova Scotia-based Eastlink says it is “deeply disappointed” with the federal government’s move to let the biggest telecom companies use the networks of smaller, regional providers. In a statement Thursday, Lee Bragg, Executive Vice Chair of Eastlink, warned the decision will hurt long-term competition. “This will have negative and meaningful impacts on competition, counter to...

Netflix has locked down the exclusive streaming rights for the 2027 and 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup in both Canada and the United States, marking the first time the tournament will be broadcast on a streaming service in Canada. That's a big win for soccer fans, as Netflix just makes it easy to watch from...