The Peak Daily

Trump is threatening to crank tariffs on Canadian autos, auto parts, and steel to 50% in January, a sign the White House is prepared to drag the trade war into the new year after talks with Canada collapsed.Plus, Thomson Reuters has launched its own custom AI model for legal and accounting customers, betting that cheaper, specialized tools can win back enterprise clients from frontier AI labs.And in The Big Picture: Canada awards an $11 billion icebreaker contract, the U.S. proposes a six-figure H-1B visa fee, Iran threatens ships in the Strait of Hormuz, Hugging Face talks acquisition, Shein heads to market, and more.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Canada-U.S. trade negotiations have collapsed after last-minute American demands, prompting Mark Carney to accuse the U.S. of waging a trade war and setting up retaliatory Canadian tariffs if new duties on exports remain in place.Plus, Walmart is taking another run at fashion with a new in-house women's clothing line aimed at younger, more affluent shoppers, hoping its massive customer base can turn cheap-but-trendy apparel into a much bigger business.And in The Big Picture: Anthropic's Fable model underwhelms, Zelenskyy rejects wartime elections in Ukraine, Unifor reaches a tentative deal with GM, Nvidia raises AI server prices, Paramount talks settlement, and more.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Anthropic is hiring in Canada as it looks to build AI data centres here, including an Alberta-based community engagement role meant to win over towns where residents are increasingly wary of the facilities' costs, noise, emissions, and local impacts.Plus, Canadian banks are tightening employee rules around prediction markets over fears finance workers could use insider information to bet on economic forecasts, financial indicators, and company outcomes.And in The Big Picture: U.S. booze returns to Canadian shelves as trade talks progress, China's Bilibili pushes into Western markets, Australia takes on big tech over news payments, and more.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Trump is pausing a major tariff hike on Canadian imports after a tentative deal was reached, giving negotiators three more days to hammer out the details — including possible concessions on Keystone XL, autos, dairy, and alcohol.Plus, John Tavares is taking the CRA to court over an $8 million tax bill tied to his Maple Leafs signing bonus, in a case that could make it even harder for Canadian teams to attract top U.S.-based athletes.And in The Lab: Moderna and Merck report a major breakthrough for personalized mRNA cancer treatment after a late-stage trial showed their vaccine-and-immunotherapy combo could delay the return of melanoma.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Meta is defending itself against a landmark lawsuit from 29 U.S. states accusing Facebook and Instagram of harming young users, a case that could bring massive penalties and force a redesign of core social media features.Plus, long-term government bond yields are hitting multi-decade highs as inflation fears, war-driven oil pressures, and rising deficits push up borrowing costs — including in Canada, where higher yields could put more pressure on mortgage rates.And in The Big Picture: the Parti Québécois pledges an independence referendum after Trump leaves office, OpenAI launches a teen version of ChatGPT, Disney sues the FCC, and Curaleaf bids for Aurora Cannabis.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Movie theatres are “Imax-maxxing” as Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey drives a boom in premium-format ticket sales, giving the Canadian large-screen company its strongest stretch in years.Plus, new research finds Russian disinformation farms targeting Albertans with pro-separation propaganda, amplifying a movement that still has limited support but outsized online noise.And in The Big Picture: inflation ticks up on higher gas prices, NexGen courts BHP for a stake in its massive Saskatchewan uranium project, and Mark Walter explores selling part of Chelsea after a record Lakers deal.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Volatility Shares wants to launch ETFs that let investors bet on the performance of NHL teams, turning sports fandom into a tradable product that could fit inside registered accounts and blur the line between investing and gambling.Plus, Calgary-based De Havilland is weighing a second production line for Canadair water bombers as demand surges from countries facing worsening wildfires, potentially making the aircraft a bigger piece of Canada's critical infrastructure and defence strategy.And in The Big Picture: Alibaba's AI models hit 3 billion downloads, Ontario and Ottawa put $1 billion toward housing infrastructure, Quebec and Newfoundland near a new power deal, and Stripe finalizes a major OpenRouter acquisition.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Surveillance tech company Flock is adding new guardrails after reports that police officers used its licence-plate tracking system to stalk women, raising fresh concerns about how AI-powered camera networks can be abused as the company's technology eyes a potential move into Canada.Plus, Amazon is asking B.C.'s labour board to pause bargaining with Unifor at its only unionized Canadian warehouse, as a group of workers pushes to decertify the union and potentially derail a hard-fought organizing win.And in The Big Picture: Anthropic's expected IPO could value it at US$2 trillion, Canada and the U.S. race toward a trade deal, Ontario proposes new data-centre power rules, and the world's largest electric plane completes its first flight.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Air Canada is selling a 25% stake in Aeroplan to a group led by Blackstone and CDPQ in a deal that values the loyalty program at more than $10 billion — more than the airline itself — as carriers increasingly lean on points programs to keep their businesses flying.Plus, youth unemployment is rising around the world as weaker growth and AI disruption squeeze entry-level hiring, with Canada's youth jobless rate still nearly double the national average.And in The Big Picture: Canada and the U.S. remain far apart on a trade deal ahead of looming tariffs, the Lakers sell for a record $12.5 billion, Canada tests homegrown drone tech, and Google unveils wearables that can track insulin resistance.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Anthropic is rolling out invisible watermarks for content generated by its AI models, part of a broader push by platforms to help users spot and filter AI-generated text, images, and files as the internet gets increasingly flooded with bots and slop.Plus, RBC and BMO are selling Moneris to U.S. private equity firm Francisco Partners for $2 billion, as Canada's dominant payments platform faces growing pressure from faster, more flexible rivals.And in The Big Picture: Ottawa readies a new trade pitch ahead of looming U.S. tariffs, Gay Lea bets big on cottage cheese, Canadian consumer insolvencies hit their highest level since the financial crisis, and Environment Canada rolls out a new extreme weather alert system.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Canada's murder rate just saw its steepest year-over-year decline in 40 years — and that's only the start. In this episode of The Peak Daily, we break down the surprising stats behind the drop in homicides and what's driving the shift.Plus, a major breakthrough in menopause treatment: Vancouver biotech AbCellera's experimental non-hormonal drug delivered dramatic reductions in hot flashes in early trial results, offering new hope for millions.And why are Canadian chipmakers disappearing? We look at AMD's acquisition of Toronto startup Taalas and the growing trend of Canadian semiconductor companies being bought up or moving south — and what that means for Canada's long-term tech sovereignty.New episodes every weekday, covering the biggest stories in business, finance, and tech — in under 10 minutes.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

In today's episode of The Peak Daily, we cover how Canada's wildfire season is escalating fast — including a potential fatality near Summerland, B.C., and mass evacuations as the province faces more than 100 active fires. Then, we look at a Trump-linked Texas company that has brought oil-drilling equipment to Greenland despite the government saying it hasn't granted permission, raising new questions about sovereignty and U.S. influence in the Arctic.Plus, in Brief: Iran rules out direct talks with the U.S., Berkshire Hathaway finally starts deploying its massive cash pile, and victims of a major Canadian crypto wallet hack prepare a lawsuit.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Ford is trying to get back in the EV race with the Fathom, a US$28,350 electric truck meant to win over pickup buyers and compete with low-cost Chinese automakers after the company abandoned its electric F-150 and took a massive EV writeoff. Plus, scientists have used an AI model to create novel bacteriophages that don't exist in nature, a breakthrough that could transform vaccine testing and phage therapy while raising serious biosecurity concerns.And in The Big Picture: Carney rejects sector-specific U.S. trade deals, Iran and Oman near an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, WestJet's cabin crew union releases details of its tentative deal, Peloton posts its first annual profit, Apollo buys EasyJet, and Anthropic partners with Millennium on an AI risk analyst.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Shopify shares surged after a strong second quarter, with the e-commerce giant pointing to AI-driven shopping traffic and orders as a major growth driver while it races to make its merchants more visible in chatbot and AI search results. Plus, Disney is considering a free ad-supported tier for Disney+, joining Netflix and Paramount+ in exploring free streaming options as audiences spend more time on YouTube and FAST platforms.And in The Big Picture: Canada and the U.S. discuss a possible steel and aluminum quota deal, Google overhauls its AI leadership, Ottawa pledges $2.7 billion for Toronto rental housing, Uber commits US$10 billion to robotaxis, Toronto police crack down on organized retail crime, and Ryan Beedie backs Vistara Capital.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Ottawa's new foreign influence registry is now live, requiring anyone working on behalf of a foreign government or agency to influence Canadian politics to register within 60 days, but critics say the rules are both too broad and too toothless. Plus, Canada is sharply cutting back its UN peacekeeping commitments, withdrawing troops from missions in Congo, South Sudan, Cyprus, and Kosovo as NATO defence priorities take precedence over a core part of the country's foreign policy identity.And in The Big Picture: Moderna begins Canadian trials for a Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine, Canada-U.S. trade talks continue ahead of a tariff deadline, wildfires destroy hundreds of homes in B.C., Canadian VC firms do fewer but bigger deals, and Canada's trade surplus hits a four-year high.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

A major hack has rattled the Bitcoin world after hackers exploited a flaw in Coldcard devices — long considered one of the safest ways to store crypto offline — to steal around US$100 million worth of Bitcoin. Plus, Hollywood is ramping up its AI hiring as studios and streamers look to integrate the technology into film production, even as they try to avoid alienating creatives and audiences wary of AI's impact on the industry.And in The Big Picture: WestJet reaches a tentative deal with flight attendants after a brief strike, Iran rebuts Trump's claims of peace talks, Albertans protest Meta's planned $13 billion data centre, and Amazon joins the US$3 trillion market cap club.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Health Canada has won an injunction blocking Quebec's Canlab Research from selling unauthorized injectable peptides, a crackdown aimed at the grey-market biohacking boom as influencers promote “stacking” untested drugs for health and fitness goals. Plus, solopreneurs are on the rise, with Stripe data showing the number of one-person businesses earning more than $1 million a year has more than doubled as AI makes it easier to launch and run companies without employees.And in The Big Picture: Ottawa approves a major northern Ontario nickel mine, WestJet flight attendants prepare to strike, Cenovus says oil sands investment looks viable again, and Amazon's Zoox gets U.S. approval for paid robotaxis with no human controls.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

The Alto high-speed rail project is facing new political headwinds as Ontario MPPs turn against the Toronto-to-Quebec City line after Ottawa blocked the province's Billy Bishop airport expansion plans — adding to local opposition and the risk that Quebec could pull out after this fall's election. Plus, DoorDash is getting into the drone business, winning U.S. regulatory approvals and building its own delivery drones as food delivery companies push deeper into robotics.And in The Big Picture: The U.S. Federal Reserve holds rates steady despite growing inflation pressure, Ottawa may scrap the streaming levy for Canadian content, and German utility Uniper signs a landmark deal to buy Canadian LNG.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Chip stocks are selling off as investors question whether Big Tech's massive AI spending can ever generate enough revenue to justify the hype, putting the semiconductor boom — and the broader AI stock rally — under pressure. Plus, New York City is trying to lure Canadian tourists back with discounts on hotels, restaurants, Broadway shows, and more as U.S. travel continues to feel the effects of Elbows Up sentiment and a strong American dollar.And in The Big Picture: Alberta lets residents pay out of pocket for diagnostic tests, Apple prepares a new Siri-powered smart home hub, Vancouver approves the tallest towers in Canada west of Toronto, and Canada's trade minister heads to Washington for tariff talks.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Canadian emergency rooms are under intense strain — and many doctors are walking away. In today's episode of The Peak Daily, we break down new survey data showing rising burnout, reduced hours, and growing wait times across the country, as Canada's aging population and family-doctor shortage push more people into ERs.Then, we look at surprising new research on wildfire smoke: most of the emissions from Canada's record-breaking 2023 fires may have come from below the forest floor, as dried-out soil and peat combusted at scale — a finding that could reshape how we think about fire prevention and forest management.Plus, in the big picture: Nvidia and other tech giants launch an open AI safety initiative focused on cybersecurity, and China's chipmaker CXMT debuts with a huge surge to become the country's most valuable publicly traded company.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

OpenAI and Anthropic are pushing U.S. lawmakers to tighten controls on open-source AI models, pitting them against tech giants like Nvidia, Meta, Microsoft, IBM, and Alphabet that argue open models are key to competition and innovation — while the bigger fight over AI leadership with China looms in the background. Plus, minivans are making an unlikely comeback in Canada as buyers look for cheaper, more practical alternatives to three-row SUVs, with hybrid and electric vans helping drive a surge in sales.And in The Big Picture: Mark Carney calls three by-elections for the end of August, and a lull in Middle East fighting follows Trump's decision to hold off on escalating U.S. strikes against Iran.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Yelp is licensing its reviews and recommendations to OpenAI, showing how human-made content is becoming more valuable as AI slop floods the internet — and why platforms that sell their data risk training chatbots to replace the traffic they depend on. Plus, Pascal Siakam's edtech non-profit is backing Canadian startups as more pro athletes look beyond passive investments and into startup funding.And in The Big Picture: Canada keeps negotiating with the U.S. as new tariffs loom, the Magnificent 7 lose nearly US$800B in a tech selloff, and Ottawa forms a federal wildfire response team as hundreds of fires burn across the country.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

OpenAI's newest model triggered fresh “rogue AI” concerns after it reportedly escaped a controlled sandbox during an internal security test, accessed the internet, and exploited systems tied to AI startup Hugging Face — raising new questions about how close cutting-edge models are to real-world cyber risk. Next, we look at why reports of local news' death may be premature: Northern Ontario-based Village Media is expanding into 15 U.S. communities after a $5M Knight Foundation investment, offering a rare growth story for ad-supported local journalism. Plus, in the lab: a first-of-its-kind “double neural bypass” helped a person with quadriplegia move and feel their hands again, and One Big Number looks at the record $1.4T in bets against S&P 500 stocks, led by short positions targeting AI-related companies.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Trump is opening a new front in his tariff war, using forced-labour allegations to justify levies on dozens of trading partners — including a threatened 50% tariff on Canadian goods — as Ottawa and Washington try to hammer out a new trade deal. Plus, Coinbase Canada wants to become an “Everything Exchange,” adding stocks, ETFs, derivatives, and prediction markets to its crypto platform as fintechs race to be consumers' one-stop money app.And in The Big Picture: Ontario's wildfire season becomes the worst on record, Apple teams up with Klarna on a device-leasing program, and Sleep Country buys Sleep Number to expand into the U.S.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Canadian fitness app Flex AI is shutting down after running out of money, showing how crowded the fitness app market has become — and how vibecoding could make life even harder for apps without much of a moat. Plus, Domino's sales are slowing as pizza loses its once-dominant grip on delivery to chains like McDonald's, Starbucks, and Chipotle.And in The Big Picture: A U.S. judge puts the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger on pause, Canada's inflation rate drops, and Yemen's Houthi rebels threaten to blockade a key Red Sea shipping route.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

SpaceX's blockbuster IPO is losing altitude as shares fall below their listing price, short sellers pile in, and investors question whether its AI ambitions can justify the company's sky-high valuation. Plus, a potentially record-setting El Niño could disrupt global food supplies and drive up grocery prices for years, with exposed crops like rice, sugar, and coffee facing the biggest risks.And in The Big Picture: Wildfires continue to burn across Canada, the Crown narrows its case against Toronto police officers accused in Project South, and the U.S. and Iran trade strikes after a ceasefire falls apart.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Chinese AI startup Moonshot is about to release what could be the biggest open-weight model ever built in China, tightening the enterprise AI race as companies realize they don't always need (or want to pay for) the most expensive frontier models. Plus, Lululemon is backing a nylon-recycling startup in a bid to turn hard-to-reuse fabric waste into fresh inventory — and rebuild some sustainability cred along the way.And in The Big Picture: Citigroup expands its Canadian footprint, Ottawa fast-tracks a major Vancouver Port upgrade, and wildfires continue to blanket parts of Ontario (and the GTA) in smoke.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

OpenAI's first hardware device is reportedly a screen-free AI speaker designed to learn users' routines and become a more useful personal assistant over time — if it can avoid creeping people out and survive Apple's trade secrets lawsuit. Plus, Hyundai workers in South Korea are staging an auto industry first by striking over planned humanoid robots, a fight that could preview labour battles coming to factories around the world.In The Big Picture: Northern Ontario wildfires force evacuations and send smoke into Toronto, the Bank of Canada holds its key rate steady, and Stripe makes a US$53 billion bid for PayPal.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Ottawa's “Buy Canadian” procurement policy is sending the bulk of its contracts to foreign-owned firms — a loophole driven by how loosely “Canadian” is defined and by trade rules that limit how much the federal government can play favourites. Plus, the defence world is in full drone mode as Ottawa sets up a new testing hub in Quebec to accelerate homegrown drone and counter-drone tech.In the big picture: IBM's brutal earnings day wipes out tens of billions in market value, DeepMind's Demis Hassabis calls for a frontier AI regulator, and five First Nations groups move to take a majority stake in major LNG export infrastructure.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Canada's General Fusion is now the first publicly traded nuclear fusion company, as its Nasdaq debut gives it more cash to chase a breakthrough that could one day help meet soaring demand for clean power — if the still-unproven tech can finally produce more energy than it uses. Plus, doctors are warning about a tick-borne illness that was barely on their radar five years ago, as warming temperatures help ticks spread farther north and bring more diseases with them.And in The Big Picture: Ottawa and Alberta strike a deal with oil sands producers on a major carbon capture project, an Innu First Nation rejects Quebec's proposed hydro deal, and Chinese automaker Dongfeng gets ready to sell EVs in Canada.After today's interview we host an exclusive interview with Sumee Seetharaman, VP of AI/ML Practice in the Center of Excellence at TD:Brett:Hey, Peak Pals. Thanks so much for joining us today. We've got a great guest for you, Sumee Seetharaman, who is the VP of AI/ML Practice in the Center of Excellence at TD. This is gonna be a great conversation about AI at work, something I think we're all experiencing, so we're really excited to have you. To kick it off, the use of AI in Canadian workspaces is surging. According to KPMG, about 51% of Canadian adults are now using generative AI at work. Has the technology become just so commonplace in the workplace that Canadians need to have AI skills before they enter the workforce? And if so, which skills do they need? Sumee:Yeah, it's a great question. Interestingly, we're at a point where the personal use of AI is far exceeding use at work, a March 2026 Angus Reid survey found that over 70% of Canadians surveyed had used AI in the previous three months for personal use. So odds are that most folks are actively using AI for their day-to-day already and have some of the basic AI skills required at work. Skills like knowing how to use and prompt a chatbot effectively, and I'm not talking about just a single Q&A, but really knowing how to converse with the model. Treating, the response to your initial question as just the starting point. Knowing how to ask follow-up questions and providing clear instructions to refine the response. So the fluency is in really knowing how to iterate and refine, building out the parts that are missing, and pruning out the parts that don't feel right? Most people are learning to do this instinctively as they're using ChatGPT and Gemini apps. Next, I want to say folks who are using AI regularly are also starting to develop a good sense of the strengths and the limitations of the technology, right? All of us have encountered that the model sometimes hallucinates, and so we know and we've learned that we cannot treat the output of the model as gospel. And so in a work setting, this is where domain expertise, not AI expertise, is actually more helpful because we need experts to validate and apply human judgment on the output of the model. And also if you're actively using AI and reading on AI, AI can be used in harmful ways, so most folks are starting to develop an appreciation for the guardrails that are needed and what does responsible use of AI look like. And are careful about what you put into public versions of these models. You're starting to build a good awareness of privacy safeguards and such. All that to say if you're familiar with using ChatGPT or Gemini for personal use- You should be able to fluently use most AI tools in the workplace. So at TD, over seventy percent of our colleagues our workforce has access to a GenAI capability, whether it's virtual assistants that we have developed in-house for our frontline colleagues in contact centers or wealth operations or branches, or Copilot capabilities we've enabled across the organization. GitHub Copilot for developers and Power BI Copilot and Office 365 Copilot. So chances are, if you're joining TD, you have access to these AI capabilities to, to really amplify your impact, and you probably are already quite fluent in how to use them. Brett:TD is obviously ahead of the curve on AI, and I'd be interested from a practical standpoint, what are some examples of jobs at TD that AI is already transforming? Sumee:Yeah. So we recently announced our first agentic AI use case to, to speed up the pre-adjudication process of mortgage and HELOC applications. So when an application is submitted, AI agents that we've deployed are actively scanning the documents, calculating client income, performing consent checks, looking for discrepancies, et cetera. After this sort of document review process is done, the agents then produce a memo with their findings and this goes off to the underwriters to review and make a decision on the application. And so if you look through that agentic AI activation, it's transformed the jobs of colleagues like our underwriters who are now working hand-in-hand with AI agents and making decisions on applications much faster. We've gotten the review process down to an average of three minutes from an average of fifteen hours. Effectively, the way they're operating has transformed day-to-day. If I look at the role of our back-office staff that has transformed as well. They're now providing valuable oversight on our AI agents and helping us ensure that it's performing within the necessary parameters and it's delivering the right outputs. It's just the first set of use cases supporting the first pre-adjudication leg, but there's a much broader end-to-end transformation roadmap for our real estate secure lending operations. So we're just getting started. And as we gradually scale AI use within RESL operations, we'll start to see more role transformation across the board. On a similar vein I find the roles of our frontline colleagues are gradually evolving, transforming too. So our colleagues in branches are now using gen AI virtual assistants to help prepare for client meetings, answer complex questions effectively. Our colleagues in TD Securities are now using these virtual assistants to speed up the research process and really amplify the sales cycle. So across our frontline, our new hires now have an expert AI support on their fingertips, which means they can now spend far more time focusing on sales advice, deepening relationships with our clients. So slowly but surely, we see these roles evolving, getting actually much, much more client-focused and less manual work and less operational focus, if you will. Brett:What is TD doing to help train and upskill colleagues so that they can build the AI skills they need to thrive in these transformed roles? And I guess how do upskilling efforts differ for an individual who's a beginner with AI versus a new hire at Layer 6 who's looking to build their AI skills? Sumee:Yeah, it's a great question. We're actually employing a multi-pronged training strategy for AI across the organization. Obviously it's customized to your function, your role within the organization, but it takes many formats. It could be trainings, recordings, live, virtual or in-person immersive hands-on sessions, hackathons, longer-term programs and pilots, et cetera. Across the gamut, depending on the role you're in, depending upon the function you're in. I'll maybe talk about a few initiatives, what we've rolled out across the organization. The first one I'll highlight is TD Thrive, which is our enterprise learning platform. It has dozens of AI courses that are available on demand to every TD colleague, and these cover a broad spectrum of topics from one-on-one sessions like getting started on LLMs to very advanced, architecture of agentic systems, as an examp...

The Gordie Howe International Bridge finally has an opening date, but Canada had to accept less favourable terms to get it there — including giving up half of toll revenue for 15 years and getting U.S. approval for some future toll changes — raising bigger questions about how durable cross-border deals really are. Plus, more Canadians are turning to home exchange platforms to cut vacation costs, as memberships jump and travellers look for alternatives to pricier hotels and short-term rentals.And in The Big Picture: Alberta opens its online gambling market to private sportsbooks and casinos, Toronto reels from a deadly shooting at the Salsa on St. Clair festival, and the Seattle Seahawks sell for a record US$9.6 billion.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Canadian universities are getting into the VC game, with U of T and McMaster anchoring a new life-sciences fund aimed at turning more campus research into commercial breakthroughs in areas like cancer, heart disease, and brain disease. Plus, the collapse of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire is reviving inflation fears, as renewed conflict threatens energy markets and raises the risk that price pressures could get worse again.And in The Big Picture: Meta plans a massive AI data centre in Alberta, Nvidia's valuation falls back to pre-AI boom levels, and Knix founder Joanna Griffiths is selling her remaining stake and stepping down.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Ottawa is struggling to put tens of billions in foreign investment to work, as a lack of shovel-ready infrastructure projects leaves the UAE's promised capital sitting on the sidelines and raises questions about whether Canada can actually deliver on its major-projects ambitions. Plus, Nestlé is rethinking snack flavours for the GLP-1 era, as weight-loss drugs reshape how millions of consumers experience taste and push food giants toward spicier, higher-protein, and more fibre-focused products.And in The Big Picture: B.C. prepares to sue OpenAI over the Tumbler Ridge shooting, a jailed Indian gang leader is charged in the Nijjar killing, and NATO eyes Canadian-made Bombardier jets for its next surveillance aircraft order.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Ottawa has selected Germany's TKMS as its preferred bidder for Canada's massive new submarine contract, a generational defence purchase that could be worth up to $120B and signals a deeper bet on European and NATO ties. Plus, Rogers is buying the remaining stake in MLSE, giving it control of nearly every major Toronto sports property and raising fresh questions about what consolidation — and possible private equity investment — could mean for fans.And in The Big Picture: Ontario and Alberta are pitching a new cross-country oil pipeline, Reddit is using AI to fight AI-generated marketing spam, and Alberta is issuing drilling permits at the fastest pace in more than a decade.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Canadians are reading again, with young people leading a surprising rebound in books as a screen-time antidote and helping drive growth in print sales, indie bookstores, and audiobook demand. Plus, new spending data suggests Toronto and Vancouver's World Cup hosting duties may not have delivered the economic boost boosters promised, raising fresh questions about the real cost of mega-events.And in The Big Picture: The Gordie Howe bridge opening remains caught in political drama, Canadian ETFs are nearing $1 trillion in assets, and Air Canada is cutting back U.S. routes as cross-border travel keeps falling.Plus, an exclusive interview with Rizwan Khalfan, EVP and Vice Chair, Strategic Growth, Innovation and Partnerships at TD about TD's Canadian mobile app winning #1 for Mobile App Experience for Banking Customer Satisfaction in Canada by JD PowerThe Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

StubHub is facing a proposed class action lawsuit after thousands of FIFA World Cup ticket buyers allege the resale giant never delivered their tickets — a messy case that's putting “speculative ticketing” and last-minute seller cancellations back under the spotlight. Plus, Pokémon cards are exploding into a $15B+ collectibles economy, as Millennials and Gen Z turn childhood nostalgia into a high-risk investment frenzy that's driving six-figure sales (and even real-world thefts).And in The Big Picture: Ottawa and B.C. strike a “generational” deal to uphold the North Coast tanker ban, OpenAI reportedly floats the idea of giving the U.S. government a stake, and SpaceX previews an xAI-integrated device concept for investors.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Canadian carbon removal startup Deep Sky has delivered North America's first direct air capture carbon credits, a small but important milestone for a technology that companies and governments are increasingly betting on to offset emissions from AI, energy, and industrial projects. Plus, the Magnificent Seven stocks are losing steam as investors start questioning whether Big Tech's massive AI spending spree will actually translate into profits.And in The Big Picture: Ottawa is relaunching a home retrofit program, Comcast is spinning off NBCUniversal and Sky into a new public company, and TIDAL is cracking down on AI-generated music by cutting off monetization.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Chinese automakers are rapidly gaining ground in Europe, forcing German giants like Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes into cost-cutting mode — and offering a warning of what could happen if Chinese-made EVs break into North America through Canada. Plus, China's new open-source AI model GLM 5.2 is climbing the rankings and impressing developers, raising the stakes for businesses weighing cheaper open-source tools against the top closed models from U.S. labs.And in The Lookout: Canada, the U.S., and Mexico head into the first tri-lateral CUSMA review, Alberta prepares to pitch a major new west coast oil pipeline, and fresh GDP numbers could help settle whether Canada's economy is actually bouncing back.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

South Korea's new “dopamine sites” are letting people get the thrill of online shopping and food delivery without actually buying anything — a bizarre trend that highlights how much of the dopamine hit comes from anticipation, not consumption, especially when money is tight. Plus, Canada's new pesticide legislation is raising alarms after giving Ottawa more power to authorize pesticide use even against Health Canada warnings, a shift that could widen the gap with stricter EU rules and create new trade headaches.And in The Big Picture: Ottawa and B.C. are buying up thousands of unsold Vancouver condos to convert into affordable housing, OpenAI is testing its first-ever in-house chip, and a minimalist US$25K electric pickup is racking up massive early reservations.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com 

Global markets are getting rattled by yet another AI-linked tech sell-off — with South Korea's high-flying Kospi taking one of the biggest hits as chip stocks slide and overvaluation fears flare up. Plus, Meta is reportedly building a prediction markets app that could push “betting on everything” into the mainstream for billions of users.Plus, in Big Picture: Ontario First Nations secure a landmark equity stake in the Darlington nuclear expansion, Meta unveils a cheaper new pair of smart glasses, and police identify the alleged perpetrator in the Montreal shooting.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Ottawa's high-speed rail project is exploring a route change that could add a Kingston stop — a move that might broaden support, but also complicate the line's speed and politics. Plus, Google is reportedly investing $75M in indie studio A24 to build AI film tools, putting the “creative-first” brand in a tricky spot as Hollywood weighs cost savings against reputational risk and job losses.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

In today's episode of The Peak Daily, we break down TD Bank's new “productivity” software that tracks how employees spend their time at work — and what the rise of workplace surveillance means for anyone working remotely. Then we look at growing evidence that leaning too heavily on AI tools can erode key skills like critical thinking, debugging, and analysis.Plus, in The Big Picture: Canadian EV interest climbs as gas prices spike, Canada sends a record-sized trade mission to Japan, and Iran pauses nuclear talks with the U.S.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Canada is getting its first legal prediction markets app as Wealthsimple teams up with Kalshi, blurring the line between investing and gambling. Then, Apple warns iPhones could be headed toward the $2,000 mark as AI-fueled chip costs spike. Plus, in The Big Picture: the U.S. and Iran sign a deal to end the war, Empire doubles down on discount grocers, and Cohere locks in more Canadian compute from Bell.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Today on The Peak Daily, we dig into a push to partially legalize psychedelic drugs in Canada through doctor prescriptions, and what lessons the country could take from places like Oregon and Australia. Then, Lululemon faces backlash in China after a Great Wall yoga event sparked cultural and geopolitical controversy, highlighting how high the stakes are for Western brands relying on the Chinese market. Plus, one big number on Hollywood's most expensive movie ever, and a fascinating new therapy that aims to “reprogram” cells to act young again.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

More Canadians are using GoFundMe to help pay for essentials like groceries, rent, and bills. Then, Ottawa introduces Bill C-37, a new First Nations clean water bill. Plus, in the Big Picture: SpaceX's deal for AI coding startup Cursor, Gildan drops after a short-seller report, and Quebec reaches a French-language funding deal with three English universities.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

1Password could be one step closer to going public after snapping up access-management startup Apono, fuelling fresh IPO chatter. Then, we dig into why credit card companies are racing to own your Friday night dinner plans, as Amex adds TheFork to its growing reservations empire. Plus Ottawa's talks with Chinese EV makers, Fox buying Roku, opioid deaths dropping, and more.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Canada's growing reliance on U.S.-made AI tools comes into focus after Anthropic disables access to its newest models amid U.S. export controls and “jailbreak” allegations. Then, we look at why digital point-and-shoot cameras are making a surprising comeback as Gen Z chases Y2K-era vibes and more offline experiences. Plus Carney's comments on CUSMA, a snag in U.S.-Iran talks, and Switzerland rejecting a population cap.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

We break down why Canadian and U.S. officials are publicly sparring but privately keeping the relationship on track. Then, we look at SpaceX's blockbuster IPO and what mega-IPOs could mean for markets. Plus, the big picture: the Gordie Howe Bridge opening gets delayed, Koho hits unicorn status, and Ottawa rolls out a major food security plan.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Today on The Peak Daily, we dig into the nicotine pouch boom among young Canadians and why regulators are struggling to keep up. We also break down OSFI's push for big banks to lend more to small businesses, plus the latest on CUSMA uncertainty, the Bank of Canada holding rates steady, and Ubisoft's latest round of studio closures.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Today on The Peak Daily: Canada's long-awaited Gordie Howe International Bridge finally gets an opening date, and buy now, pay later lenders set their sights on rent payments. Plus, in the big picture: Anthropic releases a new model, Apotex boosts its IPO target, and the Parti Québécois vows to pull Quebec out of the Alto high-speed rail project.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com