Consumers favouring combustion engine cars as interest in EVs wanes: report

TORONTO - A new report shows consumers are increasingly favouring internal combustion engine cars for their next car purchase rather than an electric vehicle.

The latest EY mobility consumer index for 2025 shows only seven per cent of those planning to buy a car in the next 24 months intended to buy an EV, down from 15 per cent in the previous report from 2024.

Meanwhile, 58 per cent said they preferred an internal combustion engine vehicle, up from 44 per cent in 2024.

The report, published on Thursday, found 30 per cent of Canadians hoping to buy a car soon are delaying or reconsidering an EV purchase in light of recent geopolitical issues.

Proactive planning for a future with more seniors

They’re supposed to be “the golden years.” But for many Manitobans in the ever-expanding 65-plus age bracket, life is anything but a warm and gentle journey toward a tranquil, glowing sunset.

Most Canadians want to ban or regulate algorithmic pricing, poll shows

OTTAWA - Most Canadians want the government to ban or regulate the use of algorithms to set prices, a new poll suggests — with half of respondents saying the practice is unfair because it can result in people paying different prices for the same product.

The Abacus Data poll, which was conducted online and can't be assigned a margin of error, surveyed 1,931 Canadians on algorithmic pricing.

The poll defined algorithmic pricing as the adjustment of prices in real time based on such factors as who is buying, the time of day and browsing behaviour.

Algorithmic pricing is already established in sectors like travel but has been expanding into other markets, such as retail and rental housing. It could, for example, lead to a retailer charging different prices for diapers online, depending on what it can glean about a shopper's habits.

An AI-rendered Val Kilmer will posthumously appear in a new film

NEW YORK (AP) — A year after the actor's death, a generative AI version of Val Kilmer will co-star in an independent film, in one of the boldest uses yet of artificial intelligence in moviemaking.

First Line Films announced Wednesday that Kilmer has posthumously joined the cast of a film titled “As Deep as the Grave.” The producers said that, before his death, Kilmer had signed on to perform in the movie but was unable to because of his health.

Kilmer's estate gave permission for his digital replication, and is being compensated for it. Mercedes Kilmer, the actor's daughter, said the role resonated with her father.

“He always looked at emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling,” she said in a statement. “This spirit is something that we are all honoring within this specific film, of which he was an integral part.”

Culture minister says ‘serious conversation’ needed about AI systems and news media

OTTAWA - Culture Minister Marc Miller says the government must have a serious conversation about AI systems’ use of news.

"Having the news cannibalized and regurgitated undermines the spirit of the use of that news in the first place and the purpose for which it's used and we have to have a serious conversation with the platforms that purport to use it including AI shops," Miller said.

Miller was asked whether the government is open to extending its Online News Act to AI companies. The Online News Act requires Meta and Google to compensate media outlets for displaying their content. Meta pulled news off its platforms in response, but Google has been making payments under the act.

He said it’s not a question about opening up the legislation but of making sure companies are acting responsibly.

Proposed legislation targets predatory grocery pricing

The Manitoba government is taking action to ensure grocery pricing based on customer data doesn’t rear its predatory head in the province.

Instead of just sitting around, Winnipeg teen designs seating website for teachers

James Hohner, a tech-savvy Grade 10 student at Collège Jeanne-Sauvé, has coded a new tool to help teachers map out their classroom seating plans.

AI systems use Canadian journalism but seldom cite media sources: report

OTTAWA - A new study released on Monday says AI systems depend on Canadian journalism for the information they provide users but don't offer compensation or proper attribution in return

Researchers at McGill University’s Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy tested 2,267 Canadian news stories on major AI models.

"All four models showed extensive knowledge of Canadian current events consistent with having ingested Canadian news reporting," the report says.

The researchers found when ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Grok were asked about Canadian news events from their training data, they did not provide source attribution about 82 per cent of the time.

Maple 2.0: Quebec syrup-makers turn to automation and expansion as demand grows

ROXTON POND -

Visitors to the main building of the Côté et fils maple farm in Quebec's Eastern Townships region will be greeted by a wall of screens with the views from dozens of security cameras, showing an array of tubes and troughs filling up with clear, foamy sap.

Through a door, inside the production area, noise-cancelling headphones are needed for the deafening hum of the gleaming machines transforming thousands of litres of maple sap into syrup each day.

Mikael Ruest acknowledges that the process is far removed from the folksy images of buckets and horse-drawn sleighs that still grace the company's syrup cans.

Weatheradio going off the air as Environment Canada moves emphasis to online and apps

EDMONTON - A cross-Canada radio service that for decades has delivered the latest local forecasts as well as critical alerts about severe weather 24 hours a day is signing off, with listeners being advised to switch to online or cellphone-based services.

Environment and Climate Change Canada says on its website that effective Monday, Weatheradio will be permanently disconnected. The announcement says anyone who wants local weather forecasts and alerts should consult the agency's interactive weather map or download its WeatherCAN app.

In an email, the agency said the radio service, which began operating in the 1970s and broadcasts within the VHF public service band available on certain radios, has become increasingly challenging to maintain because of climbing costs.

The dial-in Good Morning service, where users can phone for a recorded local forecast, will end the same day. Marine forecasts will remain available via the Canadian Coast Guard radio system.

Senior squeeze: Many older Manitobans are in an increasingly precarious financial situation

Terisa Taylor is deemed a low-income senior, based on the federal tax bracket classification, but the numbers don’t take a full measure of the person.

At age 73, the St. Boniface resident relies on the three acronyms synonymous with aging — CPP, GIS and OAS — to make ends meet.

Manitoba Rental Assistance helps cover about half her apartment costs, but she gave up her car when it became clear it was no longer affordable.

Despite that, Taylor considers herself one of Manitoba’s more fortunate seniors since she’s able to continue to pursue a meaningful life.

Abercrombie & Fitch to open first Manitoba store in Polo Park

If Peter Havens has learned anything from two decades of managing shopping centres, it’s that malls reinvent themselves.

“That’s really the name of the game in retail, is to keep it fresh,” said Havens, general manager of CF Polo Park.

Winnipeg’s largest mall is keeping it fresh this year with the addition of the province’s first Abercrombie & Fitch store. The 133-year-old lifestyle retailer will open a store in April or May in the main-floor space once occupied by Hollister.

“They’re excited to be in Winnipeg,” Havens said.

AI — when you find your servant is your master

When I was 17 and fresh out of high school, I spent a couple of months with friends in Charlottetown, P.E.I., and landed a summer job at an A&W drive-in.

Two-thirds of Manitobans using AI, but a lot aren’t happy about it, survey reveals

Manitobans admit they rely on artificial intelligence for daily activities, but are troubled by the emerging technology’s impact on the environment, job security and beyond.

TikTok to continue operating in Canada, subject to safety conditions

OTTAWA - TikTok is being allowed to continue its operations in Canada after the government wrapped up a national security review.

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly says the decision hinges on key conditions, including for TikTok to bring in stronger protections for minors and the personal information of all Canadians.

The minister says the decision will also save jobs by ensuring TikTok Canada has a physical presence in the country.

The move reverses a 2024 order for TikTok to close its offices in Canada due to national security concerns.

AI company Anthropic sues Trump administration seeking to undo ‘supply chain risk’ designation

Artificial intelligence company Anthropic is suing to stop the Trump administration from enforcing what it calls an “unlawful campaign of retaliation” over its refusal to allow unrestricted military use of its technology.

Anthropic asked federal courts on Monday to reverse the Pentagon’s decision last week to designate the artificial intelligence company a “ supply chain risk.” The company also seeks to undo President Donald Trump's order directing federal employees to stop using its AI chatbot Claude.

The legal challenge intensifies an unusually public dispute over how AI can be used in warfare and mass surveillance — one that has also dragged in Anthropic's tech industry rivals, particularly ChatGPT maker OpenAI, which made its own deal to work with the Pentagon just hours after the government punished Anthropic for its stance.

Anthropic filed two separate lawsuits Monday, one in California federal court and another in the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., each challenging different aspects of the government's actions against the San Francisco-based company.

Stars hit Paris runways, but fall’s real trend was dressing for hard times – and real life

PARIS (AP) — The celebrities came first, as they always do at the Paris runways.

After Oprah Winfrey stole the show in the opening stretch of the nine-day week, Naomi Watts and Kai Schreiber were at Balenciaga. Rooney Mara, Diane Kruger, Alexa Chung, Elizabeth Olsen and Yseult turned up at Givenchy.

Sarah Paulson and Tracee Ellis Ross watched Celine. Chappell Roan was at Vivienne Westwood and then at McQueen, where Myha’la and Sophie Thatcher were also there. Chanel was still to come Monday, and Louis Vuitton capping the season Tuesday.

But this week was about more than the front row.

International Women’s Day spotlight on invisible work

As I watch my daughter celebrate another birthday, I find myself thinking about work in a different way.

Not the headlines about promotions, pay gaps or glass ceilings (although those still matter), but about the quiet work that keeps organizations running. The work that rarely shows up on a resumé, that does not earn awards or headlines, but without which everything else starts to crumble.

In HR, I see it all the time. There are women in every organization who keep the gears turning, often without recognition. They remember everyone’s birthdays and make sure the new hire feels welcomed. They notice when tensions are brewing between colleagues and take small steps to prevent confrontation. They keep institutional memory alive, quietly teaching the new generation how things work, sharing lessons learned. They fix problems before anyone even notices there was an issue.

This is invisible labour, and it is work. Emotional labour, relational labour, the work that goes into making a workplace humane, functional, and often even enjoyable. It does not show up in org charts. It is rarely celebrated at awards banquets. And yet, it is the glue that keeps workplaces together.

Pentagon’s chief tech officer says he clashed with AI company Anthropic over autonomous warfare

A top Pentagon official said Anthropic's dispute with the government over the use of its artificial intelligence technology in fully autonomous weapons came after a debate over how AI could be used in President Donald Trump's future Golden Dome missile defense program, which aims to put U.S. weapons in space.

U.S. Defense Undersecretary Emil Michael, the Pentagon's chief technology officer, said he came to view the AI company's ethical restrictions on the use of its chatbot Claude as an irrational obstacle as the U.S. military pursues giving greater autonomy to swarms of armed drones, underwater vehicles and other machines to compete with rivals like China that could do the same.

“I need a reliable, steady partner that gives me something, that’ll work with me on autonomous, because someday it’ll be real and we’re starting to see earlier versions of that," Michael said in a podcast aired Friday. "I need someone who’s not going to wig out in the middle.”

The comments came after the Pentagon formally designated San Francisco-based Anthropic a supply chain risk, cutting off its defense work using a rule designed to prevent foreign adversaries from harming national security systems.

VistaVision, a vintage format left for dead, is revived in ‘One Battle After Another’ and more

NEW YORK (AP) — When Paul Thomas Anderson told his cinematographer Michael Bauman that he wanted to shoot “One Battle After Another” on VistaVision — a large-scale film format born in the 1950s — he had some questions.

“Question one was: Is this even going to be reliable?” Bauman recalls.

For much of the past 60 years, the few remaining VistaVision cameras have been mostly collecting dust on shelves. Though the format was widely used in the 1950s, when Alfred Hitchcock shot “Vertigo” on it and Cecil B. DeMille used it for “The Ten Commandments,” VistaVision went dormant by the early 1960s.

Yet at the March 15 Academy Awards, a movie made largely with decades-old antique cameras is poised to win best picture. Even in 2026, when most films are shot digitally and AI has begun filtering into moviemaking, “One Battle After Another” has — with film equipment borrowed from collectors and museums — showed that a vintage, analog film system can still astonish moviegoers.

Spin Master sees loss, lower revenue in holiday quarter

TORONTO - Spin Master Corp.'s busiest time of year left the business with some holiday blues — a US$184.3 million loss.

The Toronto-based toy maker behind the Paw Patrol, Hatchimals and Melissa & Doug brands announced the fourth-quarter result Thursday, saying it compared with a profit of US$21.1 million or 20 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.

The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, blamed the loss on a US$229.1-million non-cash impairment of goodwill and intangible assets and said it came as Spin Master capped "a challenging year for our U.S. toy sales."

"We navigated a difficult tariff macro environment and while we achieved many of our goals, our results did not meet our expectations we set at the beginning of the year," conceded CEO Cristina Miller on a call with analysts.

Many Canadian women seeing limited pathways to promotions, according to study results

Many younger women in Canadian workplaces are facing career stagnation, according to new data, with a vast majority reporting no clear path to advancement and the need for upskilling.

Data from Fora: Network For Change, a nonprofit group focused on gender equity in the workforce, found that 93 per cent of Canadian women and gender-marginalized workers between the ages of 18 and 29 see no clear pathways to a promotion at their workplace. Additionally, 85 per cent said they do not feel professionally challenged or stimulated.

“These are the individuals that are being significantly impacted by the state of the economy, particularly around underemployment,” said Emma Asiedu-Akrofi, CEO of Fora.

According to Fora, the findings show that workforce participation rates alone do not comprehensively detail the health of the labour market for younger workers. Other preliminary findings showed that respondents expressed desires for career-specific training and mentorship, as well as referral pathways, clear advancement structures and living wages.