For artists who don’t change the economic outlook of a city with a couple of concerts, some extra money from a new royalty deal could go a long way. 

Driving the news: Universal Music—the world’s largest record company—has cut a deal with French streaming service Deezer to change the way royalties are paid to artists, a move that could be the first domino to fall in the reshaping of music streaming’s business model. 

As Labour Day fades from sight in the rearview mirror, more Canadian employers are telling, not asking, employees to return to the office for at least a few days of the week. 

Driving the news: Among Canadians with hybrid work setups, about 60% are fully remote, down from 75% earlier this year, per a report from Indeed. With the summer holiday season over and businesses looking to start fresh for the fall, that number is poised to fall even further.

The Bank of Canada held its policy interest rate steady at 5% yesterday, but don’t call it a pivot—they’re ready to hike again if that’s what it takes to whip inflation, and they want to make sure everyone knows it.

Driving the news: The BoC said, “evidence that excess demand in the economy is easing” justified holding interest rates steady, but emphasized that it was “prepared to increase the policy rate further if needed.”

As the US-China chip war continues to run hot, a new smartphone has entered the chat. 

Driving the news: A Bloomberg report revealed that the Mate 60 Pro, a new phone from Chinese multinational Huawei, is powered by an advanced chip made by SMIC (China’s top chip maker), a sign that the country's chip development has taken a big step forward. 

At an international summit of Asian countries, the Prime Minister of Indonesia got a custom Team Canada basketball jersey, and Canada got a shiny new foreign partnership. 

What happened: Canada and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)—an economic bloc of ten Indo-Pacific countries, including Indonesia and Singapore—signed a Strategic Partnership, a mostly symbolic gesture that recognizes increased cooperation. 

Athletes: They’re just like you and me. They eat, sleep, and are painfully aware of how many views their latest Instagram story is getting. 

Driving the news: As the US Open continues, Genie Bouchard will be on the sidelines after failing to qualify. Despite this, and the fact she also failed to qualify for Wimbledon this summer, a recent study ranked her as the fifth-most valuable Canadian athlete influencer. 

While Canadian troops have been used to fight unprecedented wildfires this summer, some say there’s a better solution. 

Driving the news: Canada’s former army commander, Lt. Gen. Andrew Leslie, is urging Ottawa to create a national response team dedicated to fighting natural disasters, per the CBC.

It’s back to school for students across Canada, and teachers are preparing to contend with a new presence in the classroom that’s shaping up to be more disruptive than the class clown: Artificial intelligence.

Our picks for what to eat, read, watch, and listen to this weekend.

Yesterday, the federal government tried to smooth things over with tech giants by offering them an exemption from the Online News Act, a contentious new law that requires Google and Meta to pay up for carrying links to news articles. For a price tag of $234 million, that is. 

In light of the continued showdown between tech giants and the feds, Ricard Gil, a professor at the Smith School of Business, joined us on Free Lunch by The Peak to explain how a similar scenario played out in Spain over a decade ago (hint: it did not end well). 

Whom amongst us has not rehashed a long-running dispute mere days after committing to de-escalating tensions?

What happened: Per the BBC, India is taking issue with a newly released Chinese map that lays claim to what India considers its territory. The map in dispute shows the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, and the disputed Aksai Chin plateau, as belonging to China. 

As renters around the world echo the concerns of Jimmy McMillan (read: the rent is too damn high), some countries are taking drastic measures to cool off hot rental prices. 

Driving the news: Germany has proposed a plan to cap rent increases at 6% in cities with high demand and freeze rent hikes entirely in the rest of the country for three years, as it looks to curb record-high rental prices amid a housing shortage, per the Financial Times. 

Like two mismatched cops assigned to work the same case in a cheesy action movie, Shopify and Amazon have set aside their differences and become frenemies.  

What happened: Shopify and Amazon have struck a deal to let US-based Shopify merchants use Amazon’s “Buy with Prime” feature—offering Prime perks like free shipping and next-day delivery—on their own websites, via an app in Shopify’s app marketplace. 

Canadian mortgage balances are getting swole-r than a gym bro getting ready for spring break.

Driving the news: TD, BMO, and CIBC disclosed that rising interest rates have caused 20% of their residential mortgage borrowers to see their balances grow so monthly payments no longer cover their interest owed, per The Globe and Mail.  

If your top skills include “counting, like, really high” then boy, does the government have a job for you. 

What happened: A report published yesterday by CIBC economist Benjamin Tal found that there are around one million more non-permanent residents (NPRs) in Canada—including international students—than government estimates would lead home builders to believe.

It might be time to cut back on the spaghetti carbonara… not because you need to watch the carbs, but to save on your grocery bill.

What happened: Stats Canada lowered its estimates for Canadian wheat production this year to 29.5 million tonnes, which would be the second-lowest total in eight years. It could present a 14% drop from last year’s bumper wheat crop due to droughts across the Prairies.

The newest location of Canada’s largest bookstore is set to offer a lot more than books. 

Driving the news: Indigo’s new 16,000-square-foot store, opening in downtown Toronto this fall, aims to be “a cultural emporium” inspired by the hip shops you’ll find lining Tokyo streets, featuring more products, immersive displays, events, and booze (nice). Picture this: 

Montréal is famous for its bagels, poutine, and… apartment swaps? 

Driving the news: As Montréal’s annual rent growth outpaces most of the country, some residents are swapping apartments to lock in leases below market value. Trading leases instead of shopping on the open real estate market is one creative way to keep prices at bay.

The emergency alerts you get on your phone are facing fierce criticism, and not just because they frequently scare the living daylights out of you with that blaring siren sound.

Driving the news: With four months still left on the calendar, a record 993 emergency alerts have been sent this year through Canada’s emergency messaging system, Alert Ready.