Stories by Austin Blake

The federal government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Toronto-based Cohere, which develops large language models, to explore the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in public services. The agreement was signed by Evan Solomon (former CBC journalist), Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, and Joël Lightbound, Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works...

Some Etobicoke, Ontario, residents are fighting a proposal for a 25-metre 5G cell tower in a strip mall parking lot, raising health concerns despite reassurances from Health Canada and federal regulators. The tower is planned for Rathburn Road and Renforth Drive by Oakville-based Shared Tower, which says it will host equipment for at least three...

Longtime iPhone in Canada reader, Bruce, shared details of a new Freedom Mobile promotion spotted at the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) in Vancouver, B.C.—and even signed up for it himself. The deal, available at a Freedom kiosk near the Market at the PNE, offers a $39/month Canada-U.S.-Mexico plan (after digital discount) with 100GB of 5G+...

The 2025 Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto kicked off on Friday, August 15, and it goes until September 1, 2025. Like last year, Bell is again back at the CNE offering up some internet and wireless deals. Of course, these are only available if you sign up at the booth at the CNE from...

Air Canada has locked out about 10,000 flight attendants after their union, CUPE, launched strike action early Saturday morning. The lockout started at 1:30 a.m. ET on August 16, less than an hour after the union walked off the job. The airline had already issued a 72-hour lockout notice in response to CUPE’s strike notice....

Bell says crews are still working to fix major damage to its network in Oakville after a road construction crew, not affiliated with the company, cut into its infrastructure on August 13. The incident damaged fibre cables about 30 feet underground, affecting customers in Burlington, Oakville, and Hamilton. On August 13, Bell posted on X:...

Public Mobile customers will soon see smaller perks from the carrier’s rewards program, marking another cutback under parent company Telus. In an email to customers and seen by iPhone in Canada, Public Mobile said that starting October 15, 2025, the points-back rate will drop from 5% to 2%, and the annual anniversary bonus will be...

Rogers announced today it is selling its portfolio of nine Rogers Business data centres to InfraRed Capital Partners, a digital infrastructure investor owned by Sun Life. Even after the sale, Rogers will keep selling data centre services on InfraRed’s behalf and will continue providing network connectivity to the facilities. Terms of the deal were not...

NOMAD sent us a few of their Sport Bands to try, and after weeks of testing, they’ve proven to be better than Apple’s own stock Sport Bands in both comfort and style. Design & Build These are made from compression-molded FKM fluoroelastomer rubber, the same kind of high-performance material used in diving gear and other...

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...