The Peak Daily

Ottawa’s push to buy Canadian is running into some hard limits: nearly a third of federal procurement dollars have gone to American-controlled companies since Mark Carney took office, as a shortage of homegrown alternatives and international trade rules complicate efforts to keep government spending at home.

Plus, a lab worker’s death at a Siberian plague research institute has prompted quarantines and international scrutiny, with reports pointing to pneumonic plague — though Russian authorities say the situation is under control and no new cases have been discovered.

And in The Big Picture: the University of Toronto launches a $100 million bid to attract top PhD talent, Canadian troops struggle with Arctic warfare conditions, McDonald’s faces a class action over AI-driven menu prices, Norway moves to ban smart glasses, Suncor sells stakes in Newfoundland oil projects, Spain calls a snap election, and more.

The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

On today’s podcast, U.S. political operatives are building ties with Alberta separatists — what could that mean for Canada? Plus, Florida’s proposed property-tax changes could leave Canadian snowbirds with a bigger bill.

Plus, we cover Quebec’s election, the missing air ambulance carrying four Canadians, Yemen’s offensive against the Houthis, Brazil’s presidential race, and more — all in under 10 minutes.

The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Canada could soon get another regulated prediction market as Verdx seeks approval to offer event contracts to retail and institutional investors — though strict rules barring bets on politics and sports could make it difficult to lure users away from offshore platforms.

Plus, McDonald’s is using AI to recommend different prices for the same menu items based on each location’s customer base, fuelling concerns that algorithmic pricing is shifting from charging more when demand spikes to calculating exactly how much individual customers will tolerate.

And in The Big Picture: Canada Rocket Company unveils plans for a homegrown rival to SpaceX’s Falcon 9, rogue AI agents target Library and Archives Canada, the Paramount–Warner Bros. merger gets the green light, Ottawa designates a West Coast oil pipeline as a project of national interest, OpenAI cuts ties with researchers accused of leaking confidential information, Broadcom offers Anthropic up to US$42 billion in financing, and more.

The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Panama is considering reopening First Quantum Minerals’ Cobre Panama copper mine — but only long enough to fund its eventual closure — dealing a major blow to one of Canada’s largest miners and adding pressure to an already tight global copper supply.

Plus, OpenAI is facing a first-of-its-kind lawsuit over its agents’ rogue cyberattack on Hugging Face, a case that could help determine who is legally responsible when autonomous AI systems break the law or cause harm.

And in The Lab a new global study finds that infections caused 12% of all new cancer cases in 2024, highlighting how vaccines, treatment, and earlier screening could prevent hundreds of thousands of cases.

The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Anthropic is targeting a record-breaking $2 trillion valuation for its expected November IPO, even as its prospectus reveals staggering losses, soaring infrastructure costs, and warnings from CEO Dario Amodei that the technology could pose an existential risk to humanity.

Plus, Canada earned a passing—but far from glowing—grade from the global anti-financial crime watchdog, avoiding the dreaded grey list while facing persistent weaknesses in prosecuting money laundering and regulating financial institutions.

And in The Big Picture: LNG Canada approves a $33 billion expansion, Canada’s economy flatlines in July, Saskatchewan unveils plans for two nuclear reactors, the U.S. bans $1 billion worth of Canadian goods, Oura delays its IPO, Bell and Cisco team up on sovereign AI infrastructure, and more.

The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Toronto-based Biossil has become Canada’s newest AI unicorn after raising US$153 million in a round led by OpenAI, betting that artificial intelligence can find new uses for drugs that failed in late-stage clinical trials — and potentially turn pharmaceutical castoffs into medical breakthroughs.

Plus, luxury brands like Prada, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton are spending millions to take their wealthiest customers on exclusive trips and experiences, as a slowdown among aspirational shoppers pushes the industry to focus on the small group of buyers who account for an outsized share of sales.

And in The Big Picture: Nvidia launches a tool to rein in rogue AI agents, Canada’s competition watchdog investigates grocery pricing policies, SpaceX sends its massive Starship rocket into orbit, Stelco lays off 350 workers, the FBI offers a US$1 million reward in the Nijjar case, the U.S. and China remove tariffs on billions in goods, and more.

The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

OpenAI has paused training on its most powerful models as it and Anthropic investigate tens of thousands of incidents involving rogue agents bypassing safeguards, escaping sandboxes, and taking actions they were never instructed to perform — raising fresh questions about whether even the industry’s top labs can reliably control frontier AI.

Plus, China’s Geely has unveiled an EV battery that can charge from 10% to 70% in just four and a half minutes, giving Chinese automakers another edge over North American and European rivals as Canada’s battery sector struggles with delays and cancelled projects.

And in The Big Picture: British police foil an alleged terrorist plot targeting a U.S. air base, Boeing faces scrutiny over a new 737 MAX software glitch, U.S.–Iran talks are set to resume, Apple is ordered to pay a record patent award, McDonald’s rolls out an AI drive-thru bot, and more.

The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

Three of the world’s biggest AI companies are forming their own safety group to set standards for frontier models, as a string of rogue-agent hacking incidents raises pressure on the industry to prove it can control the technology it is building.

Plus, Empire has reached a legally binding deal to end property controls in its leases, opening more retail space to rival grocers and removing one barrier to competition — even if it won’t bring down grocery prices overnight.

And in The Big Picture: Mark Carney says Canada’s shift away from the U.S. will outlast Donald Trump, Trump and Xi signal warmer relations, Cohere and Bell launch an AI cybersecurity model, Starbucks closes more locations, Flock Safety considers a sale, and more.

The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

LinkedIn is rolling out new tools to crack down on fake identities, bogus work histories, and invented credentials, including a feature that lets former colleagues and classmates vouch for one another and a way for companies to flag people falsely claiming employment.

Plus, Cineplex has named Bill Walker as its new CEO and launched a strategic review that could lead to a sale, as a resurgent box office draws interest from foreign theatre chains and puts Canada’s dominant cinema operator in play.

And in The Big Picture: Canada’s population growth falls to its slowest pace in more than a century, Meta reportedly uses human contractors to complete tasks for its Muse AI agent, Health Canada suspends a Grifols plasma collection site, the U.S. weighs a diesel export ban, Narendra Modi plans a trip to Canada, and more.

The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com

BlackBerry’s comeback is shifting into high gear with a landmark US$100 million-plus deal for its new automotive software, a bet that the former smartphone giant can turn its foothold in connected vehicles into a much bigger business.

Plus, Canadian defence accelerator Vimy Forge is teaming up with Toronto’s MaRS Discovery District to help startups navigate the costly, complicated process of selling to the military as Ottawa ramps up defence spending.

And in The Big Picture: B.C. Premier David Eby calls a snap election, Ottawa offers Indigenous groups a stake in the Trans Mountain pipeline, OpenAI brings in outside evaluators to test model safety earlier, the U.S. plans new military bases in Greenland, Apple eyes a screenless fitness tracker, and more.

The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com