Nearly 23% of the Canadian population reported food insecurity in 2022

Nearly nine million Canadians lived in food insecure households in 2022, with 22.9 per cent of the population reporting some form of food insecurity, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday. The data agency wrote in its annual Canadian Income Survey that 8.7 million people lived in households that reported some kind of food insecurity. … Read more

Is milk safe to drink? Can you catch bird flu from beef? What to know about H5N1 cattle outbreaks

Confirmation that a dangerous form of bird flu is circulating among U.S. dairy cattle has raised questions among dairy producers — and consumers — on both sides of the border. Dairy and beef farmers are implementing biosecurity measures to keep H5N1 out of their herds, while Canadians are understandably concerned about what these outbreaks could … Read more

Now that bird flu is spreading among cows, scientists worry where H5N1 will jump next

On March 25, American officials published an urgent announcement: Dairy cows in Texas, Kansas, and New Mexico were falling sick. The cows had low appetites, and produced less milk than normal. Some farms also discovered wild bird carcasses on their grounds. Tests on a cow throat swab and raw milk samples all confirmed an unusual finding: … Read more

Advocacy groups decry federal government’s shutdown of mental health website, app

Mental health and addictions experts are slamming the federal government’s decision to shut down an online service that offered help with finding free counselling and peer support over the last four years. Health Canada announced in February that it would stop funding the Wellness Together Canada website and PocketWell app on April 3. Despite a … Read more

Math lessons from deepfakes of Drake, other celebrities on TikTok raise concerns about misinformation

Sisters Leanne and Natasha Manikavasagar are no strangers to seeing AI-generated content on TikTok. But an AI-generated deepfake video of Drake teaching trigonometry took them by surprise. “I was shocked,” said Natasha, a Grade 9 student in Brampton Ont.  “Drake looked kind of weird, like his mouth did not match … the way he was … Read more

U.S. eases vehicle emissions rules, but overall reduction targets remain unchanged

The Biden administration on Wednesday slashed its target for U.S. electric vehicle adoption from 67 per cent by 2032 to as little as 35 per cent after industry and autoworker backlash in the political battleground state of Michigan. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) instead adopted a “technology neutral” regulatory scheme that allows automakers far more freedom … Read more

Hidden cameras capture bank employees misleading customers, pushing products that help sales targets

Michelle Jeraline says she’s so stressed out by the pressure to sell customers products at TD Bank, it’s affected her health.  The TD employee says she’s usually not acting in the best interest of her clients — she’s trying to sell them products that will help her meet sales targets and keep her from being … Read more

With ‘superhuman’ artificial intelligence looming, Canada needs law now: AI pioneer

The federal government must move quickly to regulate artificial intelligence, said a top AI pioneer who warns the technology’s current trajectory poses major societal risks Yoshua Bengio, dubbed a “godfather” of AI, told members of Parliament Monday that Ottawa should put a law in place immediately, even if that legislation is not perfect. The scientific director … Read more

Why scientists say Canada’s logging industry produces far more emissions than tallied

Canada’s forestry sector is responsible for far more greenhouse gas emissions than show up in official tallies, potentially leading to policies that aren’t in line with the country’s climate goals, a new study suggests. The peer-reviewed study, published in the academic journal Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, found that annual greenhouse gas emissions attributable … Read more

NASA moon mission delays are nothing to worry about, says astronaut Chris Hadfield

As It Happens6:31NASA moon mission delays are nothing to worry about, says astronaut Chris Hadfield Retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield says that, from where he’s sitting, the Artemis moon missions are coming along just fine. NASA announced Tuesday it is delaying two upcoming missions — including the flight meant to carry the first Canadian astronaut … Read more