Canada’s historic spy trial wasn’t quite as exciting as a James Bond movie — it featured zero cool cars or giant lasers — but it was an important test for the judicial system. 

What happened: Cameron Ortis, the former director general of the RCMP’s intelligence unit, was found guilty on all six charges related to leaking state secrets brought against him. 

Housing and the cost-of-living crisis got the most attention in the government’s fall economic statement yesterday, but it also had some (eagerly awaited) support for parts of the tech sector.

What happened: The government is putting big bucks into making carbon capture and other environmental tech more economically viable. 

A coalition of ~420,000 Québec public sector employees from four different unions, dubbed the Front Commun, are on the second leg of a three-day strike.

What happened: The strikers are a ragtag assemblage of fed-up public workers, including orderlies, hospital technicians, and the majority of high school and elementary teachers.  This strike is the first of three public worker strikes set to hit Québec this week alone. 

As Canadians struggle with the rising cost of living, pressure is mounting on the federal government to carve up its flagship climate policy like a Thanksgiving turkey.

What happened: The premiers of Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick signed an open letter to Prime Minister Trudeau calling for the federal government to drop the federal carbon tax from all forms of home heating. 

We’ve all had to give up some luxuries amidst rising inflation — it’s been sooo long since we’ve bought a fancy jar of fig jam — and the government is no exception. 

Driving the news: Treasury Board President Anita Anand dropped her detailed breakdown of $500 million in spending cuts across 68 federal departments and agencies. It’s the first baby step in a broader campaign to cut spending by $15.4 billion over the next five years.

We’ve all come across job postings with ludicrous experience requirements (10 years for an entry-level position???), and no one knows that pain more than foreign-trained workers. 

What happened: Ontario will propose legislation that would ban employers in the province from requiring Canadian work experience in job listings. The law aims to remove barriers that foreign-trained newcomers face when entering fields that they’re qualified to work in. 

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced yesterday that the province is planning to radically restructure its healthcare system. 

What happened: The plan is to split Alberta Health Services (AHS), the province’s central health authority, into four bodies focused on specific areas: Acute care, continuing care, mental health and addictions services, and primary care.

According to a recent probe, things aren’t all squeaky clean in the world of cleantech investing.  

What happened: Canada’s Auditor General is launching an investigation into Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), the body that’s currently in charge of distributing $1 billion in federal funding into green investments, after a career-limiting third-party report. 

At what point does the phrase “the more the merrier” ring false? Canada is finding out as it manages immigration levels.

What happened: The federal government is planning to maintain immigration targets — welcoming 500,000 new permanent residents in 2026. After raising immigration targets last year, the move is a pause to the recent pattern of increasing targets at each annual update.

A global pledge to stop paying ransomware demands might force cybercriminals to whip out their whiteboards and start brainstorming some new business models.  

Driving the news: Forty countries — including Canada — have pledged to stop paying ransomware demands by hackers and take additional steps to cut off cyber criminals from funding, part of a US-led initiative to curb the global rise in ransomware attacks, per Reuters.