Trudeau steps down. After nine years at the helm, Justin Trudeau resigned as Liberal leader and prime minister. It was an ignominious end for a PM who started his tenure fêted by the global press, only to end with toxic approval ratings and a caucus in revolt. But don’t shed too many tears — he seems happy these days dating a pop superstar, shopping at Canadian Tire, and supporting his son’s music career. (Jan. 7 Edition)
Wildfires tear through L.A. For 24 days, ferocious blazes raged in L.A.’s Palisades and Eaton neighbourhoods, claiming 30 lives and causing up to US$131 billion in damages. It was one of the 10 costliest disasters in U.S history, and served as an early annual reminder of the devastating toll wildfires now regularly take. Back home in Canada, it would end up being the second-worst wildfire season on record, surpassed only by 2023. (Jan. 11 Edition)
Amazon bids adieu to Quebec. In a shocking decision, Amazon shuttered all of its Quebec fulfillment centres, resulting in the dismissal of over 1,700 workers. While it said the switch to a third-party provider was all about savings, critics pointed out it may have more to do with the Laval fulfillment centre, which became the first unionized Amazon workplace in Canada months before. The union has since taken Amazon to court over the move. (Jan. 23 Edition)
DeepSeek rattles the AI industry. When Chinese firm DeepSeek released a high-level AI model that cost just US$6 million and used older chips, it sparked a tech sell-off. This included Nvidia suffering a record one-day loss for any company. While stocks rebounded, “DeepSeek moments” are now a fairly common occurrence as cheaper Chinese models call into question exorbitant AI spending and further stoke fears of a bubble. (Jan. 28 Edition)
DOGE had its day. Elon Musk’s government department (which isn’t actually a government department and supposedly was never led by Musk) decimated the U.S. public sector in the name of efficiency, eliminating over 290,000 jobs as of November. However, DOGE began to crumble when Musk and Trump went through a messy friendship breakup. By this time next year, it likely won’t exist, but its impact will still be felt. (Feb. 28 Edition)