Endangered Vancouver Island marmot numbers get a boost

Endangered Vancouver Island marmot numbers get a boost

Wildlife researchers are optimistic for the future of the critically endangered Vancouver Island marmot species, after they counted a record 86 wild-born pups this summer. The Vancouver Island marmot, which is endemic to its namesake, is one of the country’s most endangered species. The Marmot Recovery Foundation estimates there were fewer than 30 in the wild about 20 years … Read more

Zuckerberg regrets some Facebook decisions on COVID-19 done at behest of U.S government

Zuckerberg regrets some Facebook decisions on COVID-19 done at behest of U.S government

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says senior Biden administration officials pressured Facebook to “censor” some COVID-19 content during the pandemic and vowed the social media giant would push back if it faced such demands again. In a letter to Rep. Jim Jordan, the Republican chair of the judiciary committee of the House of Representatives, Zuckerberg alleges … Read more

Steel and aluminum CEOs warn of ‘existential threat’ if Canada doesn’t impose tariffs on China

Steel and aluminum CEOs warn of ‘existential threat’ if Canada doesn’t impose tariffs on China

Canada’s steel and aluminum industries are warning they face an “existential threat” if the Trudeau government fails to move in lockstep with the U.S. and Mexico by introducing tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum imports this month. “We can’t be the only CUSMA country that is not taking this serious action for many reasons, but … Read more

Chilcotin landslide presents new barriers for struggling salmon

Chilcotin landslide presents new barriers for struggling salmon

An expert on British Columbia’s salmon populations says the massive landslide that blocked off part of Canada’s largest sockeye salmon run has created an unprecedented situation, potentially putting the already struggling fish at even more risk. Scott Hinch, associate dean at the University of British Columbia’s Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, said the debris piled 30 metres high and 600 … Read more

Canadian universities say foreign influence registry could harm research partnerships

Canadian universities say foreign influence registry could harm research partnerships

Canada’s leading research universities warn that a proposed foreign influence transparency registry could have an unintended “chilling effect” on international partnerships, meaning Canada misses out on cutting-edge opportunities. The U15 Canada universities are among several concerned voices urging MPs to adopt changes to the planned registry, a centrepiece of legislation being whisked through a House … Read more

Is that Her? OpenAI halting ChatGPT voice after some say it sounds like Scarlett Johansson

Is that Her? OpenAI halting ChatGPT voice after some say it sounds like Scarlett Johansson

OpenAI says it plans to halt the use of one of its ChatGPT voices after some users said it sounded like Scarlett Johansson, who famously voiced a fictional, and at the time futuristic, AI assistant in the 2013 film Her. In a post on the social media platform X Monday, OpenAI said it is “working … Read more

‘They were pretty much everywhere’: This Cambridge couple pulled over a dozen ticks off their dog

‘They were pretty much everywhere’: This Cambridge couple pulled over a dozen ticks off their dog

Hike up your socks and check your pets — tick season is already in full force. Rob and Kathy Bull of Cambridge, Ont., are warning others to check themselves and their pets. After the couple took their four-year-old Jack Russell terrior, Roxy, for a short walk through Dumfries Conservation area, they had to pick about 20 ticks … Read more

House says it didn’t alert MPs targeted in Chinese hack because there was ‘no cybersecurity impact’

House says it didn’t alert MPs targeted in Chinese hack because there was ‘no cybersecurity impact’

Members of Parliament targeted in a suspected China-backed espionage campaign weren’t informed because the attack was thwarted and didn’t affect them, says a spokesperson for the Speaker’s office. The statement comes a day after parliamentarians called out the government for not informing them that they had been targeted for a pixel reconnaissance cyber attack launched … Read more

B.C. civil lawsuit against Sex Pistols guitarist alleges 1980 sexual assault

B.C. civil lawsuit against Sex Pistols guitarist alleges 1980 sexual assault

WARNING: This article contains graphic content and may affect those who have experienced​ ​​​sexual violence or know someone affected by it. A Vancouver woman has filed a civil lawsuit against Paramount Pictures Corp. and punk rocker Stephen Jones of The Sex Pistols alleging he sexually assaulted her as a teenager while she was a movie extra more than … Read more