Technologies, Topics and Trends

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Conservative MPs beat Liberals, NDP on online engagement, study finds

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Conservative MPs beat Liberals, NDP on online engagement, study finds

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025

OTTAWA - A new study from McGill University says Conservative MPs far outpace their Liberal and NDP counterparts in online engagement, partly due to the their voices being amplified on X.

The report from McGill’s Media Ecosystem Observatory found in 2024, online posts from federal Conservative MPs garnered 61 per cent more engagement — likes, shares and comments — than those from Liberal and NDP MPs combined.

It found that engagement with Conservative politicians on X has increased 52 per cent since Elon Musk, a key ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, took over the platform previously known as Twitter in 2022.

The report looked at online posts from all members of Parliament on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube and TikTok between January 2022 and November 2024.

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Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025

The opening page of X is displayed on a computer and phone in Sydney, Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Rick Rycroft
The opening page of X is displayed on a computer and phone in Sydney, Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Rick Rycroft
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Crave introduces ad tiers, including $9.99 plan

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview
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Crave introduces ad tiers, including $9.99 plan

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

TORONTO - Crave is introducing two ad-supported tiers that each shave $5 or $10 off the monthly subscription fee.

Bell Media says its new Crave Basic with Ads costs $9.99/month, while Crave Standard with Ads costs $14.99/month. An unchanged ad-free option remains at $19.99/month, and is renamed Crave Premium Ad-Free.

Viewers can watch most shows and movies, including HBO and Max originals, on the ad-supported plans. About one per cent of titles won't be available due to licensing restrictions.

Ads will be 15 or 30 seconds long, totalling about five minutes per hour, and appear before and during some episodes and films.

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Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

The Crave app is seen on a phone in Toronto on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019. Crave is introducing two ad-supported tiers that each shave $5 or $10 off the monthly subscription fee. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy
The Crave app is seen on a phone in Toronto on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019. Crave is introducing two ad-supported tiers that each shave $5 or $10 off the monthly subscription fee. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

Low-cost Temu goes head-to-head with Amazon

Brett Bundale, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Low-cost Temu goes head-to-head with Amazon

Brett Bundale, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

It started with a video of a postal worker sorting a mountain of orange packages from Temu.

Rachael D'Amore hadn't heard of the online shopping site, but after watching the video she found good reviews, affordable products and free shipping on most orders — what she called "a unicorn in Canada these days."

"I had to double check the URL to make sure that I wasn't on the U.S. site," she said.

Temu also offered a $5 credit if an order took longer than 12 days to arrive — a quasi-insurance policy that gave D'Amore the confidence to place a $30 order for seven items, including an 89-cent necklace, earrings for $1.78 and hair clips for $3.59.

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Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

A person navigates the Temu website on a smartphone in Toronto, Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Temu launched in Canada in early February, the same month it aired a Super Bowl ad with the tagline "shop like a billionaire," and offers consumers an alternative to online juggernaut Amazon. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Giordano Ciampini
A person navigates the Temu website on a smartphone in Toronto, Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Temu launched in Canada in early February, the same month it aired a Super Bowl ad with the tagline

Even if games go on, MLB lockout could alienate Gen Z

Jake Seiner, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

Even if games go on, MLB lockout could alienate Gen Z

Jake Seiner, The Associated Press 7 minute read Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — Max Scherzer stars in the last video posted to Major League Baseball’s TikTok account before the league locked out the players Thursday morning.

The clip, viewed over 400,000 times, shows the final out from Scherzer's first no-hitter in 2015 with Washington, followed by teammates dousing the three-time Cy Young Award winner with chocolate syrup. Hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd's “Swang” plays in the background.

“Max Scherzer is ... officially a New York Met!!!” the caption reads, celebrating Scherzer's $130 million deal to pitch in Queens.

It could be the last post featuring a big league player sent to the account’s 4.8 million followers for months, a curveball with real consequences for a sport already concerned about courting young fans.

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Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025

FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers' Max Scherzer pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the ninth inning of Game 5 of a baseball National League Division Series Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, in San Francisco. Eight-time All-Star Max Scherzer is nearing a $130 million, three-year contract with the New York Mets, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday, Nov. 29, because the agreement was still being worked on and would be subject to a successful physical.(AP Photo/John Hefti, File)
FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers' Max Scherzer pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the ninth inning of Game 5 of a baseball National League Division Series Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, in San Francisco. Eight-time All-Star Max Scherzer is nearing a $130 million, three-year contract with the New York Mets, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday, Nov. 29, because the agreement was still being worked on and would be subject to a successful physical.(AP Photo/John Hefti, File)

‘Ignominious anniversary’ of Hydro’s stalled broadband deal

Martin Cash 1 minute read Preview

‘Ignominious anniversary’ of Hydro’s stalled broadband deal

Martin Cash 1 minute read Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021

A year after Manitoba Hydro stopped taking on new contracts for broadband network access, and three months after Xplornet won the bid to manage that network, critics are complaining the continuing moratorium has left would-be customers in the lurch.

Adrien Sala, NDP critic for Hydro, is calling on the Progressive Conservative government to end the stop sell order and disclose the revenue losses suffered from the disruption.

“It is taking far longer than anyone expected it to and it is creating further and further delays for a lot of ISPs (Internet service providers), school divisions and regional health authorities that have asked for service upgrades,” Sala said.

A spokesperson for Reg Helwer, minister of central services, confirmed that the Xplornet agreement has yet to be finalized but is expected to be soon.

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Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES
NDP Hydro Critic Adrien Sala: “It is taking far longer than anyone expected it to."
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES NDP Hydro Critic Adrien Sala: “It is taking far longer than anyone expected it to.
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À la pêche aux entreprises

Valentin Cueff de La Liberté pour le Winnipeg Free Press 5 minute read Preview
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À la pêche aux entreprises

Valentin Cueff de La Liberté pour le Winnipeg Free Press 5 minute read Saturday, May. 6, 2017

Alt Hotel, la boulangerie Le Croissant, l’Épi de blé, Thermëa Spa. Qu’ont ces lieux de Winnipeg en commun? Ce sont des compagnies nées dans d’autres contrées francophones, qui ont posé leur valise dans la capitale manitobaine. Entreprises familiales ou grosses sociétés, toutes ont été “séduites” par Mariette Mulaire et son équipe pour venir s’installer dans la province.

Pour Mulaire, le premier défi est souvent de faire connaître le Manitoba en dehors du Canada. “Vous venez d’où?””De Winnipeg.” “C’est où, ça?” “Au Canada.” “Ah, au Québec?” “Pas tout à fait…”

La présidente-directrice générale du WTC a l’habitude d’avoir ce type d’échanges, notamment quand elle se déplace en France pour des forums économiques. “Pour les entreprises, le Manitoba est une alternative qui est mal connue, ou méconnue. Il faut éduquer les gens.”

À l’origine, il y avait l’Agence nationale et internationale du Manitoba (ANIM). Née en 2007, cet organisme avait pour but “d’utiliser le bilinguisme au Manitoba pour aller chercher les marchés francophones.” Mulaire en était la PDG. Elle travaillait de paire avec Michel Simard et Annie Girard pour attirer des investisseurs dans la province, ainsi qu’avec Brigitte Léger dans le dossier de l’immigration économique francophone.

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Saturday, May. 6, 2017

Valentin Cueff photo
Mariette Mulaire, présidente du WTC Winnipeg, va à la pêche aux entreprises francophones pour amener de l’investissement dans la province.
Valentin Cueff photo Mariette Mulaire, présidente du WTC Winnipeg, va à la pêche aux entreprises francophones pour amener de l’investissement dans la province.
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Remettre le pied à l’étrier

William Sineux / Le fil des francophiles Winnipeg Free Press 4 minute read Preview
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Remettre le pied à l’étrier

William Sineux / Le fil des francophiles Winnipeg Free Press 4 minute read Saturday, Jun. 9, 2012

L’INTÉGRATION sociale par le travail n’est pas encore devenue un rêve utopique.

L’entreprise à laquelle appartient le francophone Jean Luc Beaudry, Warm Up Winnipeg (B.U.I.L.D) est là pour le démontrer. En effet, cette entreprise d’une cinquantaine d’employés rénove les maisons de la région pour réduire leurs dépenses énergétiques. Mais l’originalité de cette entreprise demeure aussi dans son recrutement.

Un programme d’intégration sociale “Nous recrutons en priorité les personnes qui ont besoin d’un travail pour se réintégrer socialement,” déclare le co-ordonnateur du recrutement et de l’apprentissage, Jean-Luc Beaudry. “Des autochtones en majorité, des réfugiés, des immigrés ou encore des personnes qui sortent de prison ou qui ont eu des problèmes avec la justice les empêchant de retrouver un travail. Il existe encore beaucoup de discrimination dans le milieu du travail et toutes ces personnes ont un mal fou à se réintégrer. Nous voulons donc les aider à mettre le pied à l’étrier. Car sans emploi, il est pratiquement impossible de se réintégrer et pour gagner sa vie beaucoup sont alors obligés d’entrer dans l’illégalité des marchés noirs.”

L’entreprise recrute ainsi les personnes qui ont un passif pouvant faire obstacle à leur recherche d’emploi. C’est pourquoi les employés doivent suivre dans un premier temps un programme de formation et d’apprentissage en charpenterie et en plomberie. Puis, la durée normale de travail doit être de six mois pour assurer un certain renouvellement des effectifs et donner sa chance au plus grand nombre.

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Saturday, Jun. 9, 2012

William Sineux de La Liberté
Le coordinateur du recrutement et de l'apprentissage chez Warm Up Winnipeg (B.U.I.L.D), Jean-Luc Beaudry.
William Sineux de La Liberté Le coordinateur du recrutement et de l'apprentissage chez Warm Up Winnipeg (B.U.I.L.D), Jean-Luc Beaudry.