The Peak Daily

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