The city of Toronto is seemingly abandoning plans for a municipal broadband network that would have provided affordable, high-speed internet to low-income Torontonians, reports The Toronto Star.
“After hearing skepticism last month from members of Mayor John Tory’s executive committee, and amid lobbying of politicians and officials by Canada’s telecom giants, city staff on Tuesday deleted key recommendations from its March 16 update on the ‘ConnectTO‘ plan approved in principle by city council early last year,” reads the Star report.
According to the report, the ConnectTO plan, which is set to go before the Executive Committee on Wednesday, May 4th has been requested to be altered by the deputy city manager of corporate services and chief technology officer. The requested aims for the Executive Committee to remove “endorse the proposed creation of a City-owned high-speed Municipal Broadband Network that will, in the long term… help ensure equitable access to broadband internet for residents regardless of their financial means or circumstances” from the plan.
According to skeptics, the change in the report is likely due to pressure from the Big Three Candian telecom companies like Bell and Rogers. The report suggests that Bell sent a letter to the executive committee between March 16th and March 30th where it talked about issues with a city-funded broadband service. Bell states that instead of developing broadband infrastructure, which it argues is already in place, the city should use the funds to aid low-income families.
“Funds that had been planned for the creation of an MBN could also be redirected towards social-assistance programs that would subsidize the purchase of broadband connections,” reads the letter. “This would have a much more direct and positive impact on the City’s most vulnerable residents that have difficulty affording broadband services at any price, no matter how low.”
The fact that our Mayor @JohnTory is on the Advisory Board for Rogers should raise huge red flags. He gets PAID by Rogers to be an advisory member to the Rogers family trust. This should always have been a major issue and viewed as conflict to office https://t.co/RQ2h10UFx3
— Gail McInnes (she/her) | Black Lives Matter (@gailmcinnes) May 2, 2022
Additionally, while Rogers didn’t file a letter to oppose the city-funded broadband, many see Mayor John Tory’s affiliation with the provider as a conflict of interest.
Normally, these come in two waves and now, the company has revealed what’s hitting Game Pass in the first half of May. Notably, EA Vancouver’s NHL 22 is among this batch of new Game Pass titles.
Loot River (Cloud, Console and PC) — May 3rd
Trek to Yomi (Cloud, Console and PC) — May 5th
Citizen Sleep (Cloud, Console and PC) — May 5th
Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Anniversary Edition (Cloud, Console and PC) — May 10th
Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising (Cloud, Console and PC) — May 10th
This War of Mine: Final Cut (Cloud, Console and PC) — May 10th
NHL 22 (Console) — May 12th [EA Play]
Meanwhile, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition (Cloud and Console) is leaving Game Pass on May 10th, while the following titles are exiting the catalogue on May 15th:
Enter The Gungeon (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster (Console and PC)
Remnant: From the Ashes (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Steep (Cloud and Console)
The Catch: Carp and Coarse (Cloud, Console, and PC)
The Wild at Heart (Cloud, Console, and PC)
As always, Game Pass subscribers can take advantage of an exclusive 20 percent discount to purchase any game in the catalogue and keep playing even after it leaves Game Pass.
Further, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs $16.99/month and is required for streaming (which Xbox refers to as ‘Cloud’) to mobile devices and browsers. On top of that, this tier includes Game Pass for both Console and PC, as well as subscriptions to Xbox Live Gold and EA Play.
Find out what came to Xbox Game Pass late last month here.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says that it is currently investigating a drone carrying handguns that was found stuck in a tree near the Ontario-U.S. border.
Lambton County OPP state that the drone was uncovered near Port Lambton, Ontario, in a tree along the St. Clair River that runs between Canada and the United States.
How are illegal guns reaching the hands of criminals in Canada? Recently, #LambtonOPP found that drones are being used to carry the prohibited guns over from the United States. This drone was located Friday morning near Port Lambton, stuck in a tree, transporting 11 handguns.^jb pic.twitter.com/SnGybiAkp3
The plastic grocery bag attached to the drone had 11 handguns inside it. The majority of the handguns are prohibited in Canada. It’s unclear what type of drone this is, but it’s substantial and looks like it’s commercial.
Police say that the drone likely came from the United States. Though it remains unclear, this was likely an attempt to smuggle the firearms into Canada.
LGBTQ dating app Grindr has reportedly been affected by a privacy flaw that has left the location data of millions of users open to view and steal.
The Wall Street Journal has indicated that the gay dating app suffered from issues between 2017 and 2020 due to flaws in the advertising networks. This security flaw allowed third parties to purchase data on million of Grindr users without the knowledge of any users.
Additionally, WSJ cited people familiar with the matter, saying the information went on sale in 2017, with Grindr fixing the flaw only two years ago. However, WSJ says that users’ historical data could still be available, showcasing “the precise movements” of Grindr users.
This privacy flaw can put many at risk where homosexuality is illegal.
Grindr and WSJ indicated that the names, phone numbers and passwords were never shared; however, the user’s home or work addresses could be identified if a hacker were to study the location data.
Grindr says that the WSJ’s story is “old news,” and claims that the story is “victimizing LGBTQ+ people.” “Victimizing LGBTQ+ people is despicable, sadly, it still happens all the time,” Grindr VP of communications Patrick Lenihan wrote in a blog post about the WSJ article.
Additionally, Grindr says that it takes the privacy of its users extremely seriously.
The Grindr blog post continues with, “The Wall Street Journal has run a sensationalized story about the historical vulnerabilities in the adtech ecosystem that were improperly exploited to allegedly obtain data from some of Grindr’s former ad partners.”
Additionally, Grindr says that “Since early 2020, Grindr has shared less information with ad partners than any of the big tech platforms and most of our competitors, restricting the information we share to IP address, advertising ID, and the basic information necessary to support ad delivery”
Lastly, the LGBTQ+ dating app slams WSJ at the end of the blog post. “Protecting privacy and protecting the LGBTQ+ community is and must be an ongoing effort for all of us. Grindr literally puts its money where its mouth is on this issue, I wish the WSJ would do the same.”
Microsoft has officially opened its new headquarters in Canada, located in the heart of Toronto, Ontario.
Microsoft’s new headquarters is a 132,000-square-foot state-of-the-art office. It’s located at 81 Bay Street within the CIBC Square office complex. Toronto Mayor John Tory joins the company in celebrating the opening. Microsoft incorporates designs to “engage with the community and support Microsoft’s inclusive hybrid culture.” It has a Team Based Space that pairs innovative technology with collaborative workplaces, empowering employees.
“With the launch of our new headquarters, official opening of our Data Innovation Centre of Excellence and expansion of our regional presence, even more organizations of all sizes and sectors can leverage the power of cloud and data to accelerate their organization’s growth and drive new economic opportunity for Canada,” said Kevin Peesker, the president of Microsoft Canada, in a statement.
The Microsoft headquarters hosts an Envisioning Centre and the first-of-its-kind Data Innovation Centre of Excellence (DICE). The company explains that it enables company experts to co-innovate with clients and partners on “cutting edge data, AI and mixed reality technology solutions.” The new headquarters plays a substantial role in assisting local startups, students, and community organizations within the GTA and across Canada.
The opening of the new headquarters coincides with the release of EY’s research on Microsoft’s impact on the Canadian economy. The research states that Microsoft and its ecosystem contribute more than $37 billion to Canada’s GPD. Microsoft’s ecosystem includes more than 15,000 partners and nearly 300,000 Canadian jobs. Microsoft also supports 30 projects, valued at $190 million.
Microsoft’s impact on Canadian innovation and industry growth has been persistent. Over the past three years, Microsoft has doubled its Canadian workforce and employs 5,000 full-time staff members across the country.
In 2021, Microsoft donated more than $125 million in cash, software, and technology services to non-profits.
Almost a year after introducing podcasts on Facebook, the social network’s parent company Meta has announced that it is withdrawing from the podcast business, as reported by Bloomberg.
According to the report, creators won’t be able to add new podcasts to the platform starting this week, and subsequently, on June 3rd, all podcasts will be removed from the social media website.
The platform’s audio hub and Soundbites will also be shut down in the coming week, Live Audio Rooms would be integrated with Facebook Live.
“We’re constantly evaluating the features we offer so we can focus on the most meaningful experiences,” said a Meta spokesperson in a statement given to Bloomberg. Facebook’s decision to go audio heavy came during the Clubhouse mania, which has since died down.
It’s evident that Facebook and its parent company Meta want to focus more of their attention on the Metaverse and the products surrounding it.
In a provided note, Meta said that it will not inform users about the removal of podcasts, and will leave it up to the creators to alert their following.
It was the studio’s first feature film to be solely directed by a woman, Toronto’s own Domee Shi (the Oscar-winning short Bao), as well as its first to feature a predominantly Asian cast. What’s more, the movie was a rare opportunity for Toronto to play itself, rather than an American city, while also featuring Canadian talent like Ottawa’s Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) and Mississauga’s Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Never Have I Ever).
Turning Red also, incidentally, was just the first in a slew of new Disney+ originals featuring significant Canadian connections. In fact, a quick glance at the streamer’s upcoming film and TV slate reveals many projects in which Canadians play prominent roles both in front of and behind the camera. The future of Marvel and Star Wars, in particular, is looking quite Canadian.
With all of that said, here’s a breakdown of major upcoming Disney+ titles, in order of release, that heavily feature Canadians:
Obi-Wan Kenobi — May 27th, 2022 (two-episode premiere)
Synopsis: Ten years after the events of Revenge of the Sith, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi comes out of hiding to embark on a critical mission.
Genre: Sci-fi
Canadian connections: While Obi-Wan himself is once again played by Scottish actor Ewan McGregor, two of the key players that he’s working with on Obi-Wan Kenobi are Canadian.
Notably, the seriesreunites Obi-Wan with his former apprentice, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, with Vancouver’s own Hayden Christensen reprising the role from George Lucas’ Star Wars prequels. (Christensen is also expected to return in the currently undated Ahsoka series, which stars Rosario Dawson as the eponymous former Jedi and apprentice of Anakin.)
On top of that, Toronto-raised Deborah Chow, who helmed multiple episodes of The Mandalorian, is directing all six episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi. In an interview, Chow even talked about sharing “Canadian pride” on set with Christensen.
Ms. Marvel — June 8th, 2022
Synopsis: Pakistani-American teen Kamala Khan balances family responsibilities and school with newfound superpowers.
Genre: Superhero
Canadian connections: Kamala is played by Markham, Ontario’s Iman Vellani, a newcomer who’s previously worked with TIFF and, like Kamala, is an Avengers fangirl. On top of the Disney+ series, Vellani will co-star in next year’s The Marvels alongside Brie Larson (Captain Marvel) and Teyonah Parris (Monica Rambeau).
She-Hulk — TBA 2022
Synopsis: We don’t have official story details yet, but we do know that the series will focus on Jennifer Walters, lawyer and cousin of Bruce Banner/The Hulk, as she turns green and develops her own powers.
Genre: Superhero
Canadian connections: Regina’s own Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) leads the cast as Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk, while Mark Ruffalo and Tim Roth reprise their MCU roles of Banner/Hulk and Emil Blonsky/Abomination, respectively.
Secret Invasion — TBA 2022
Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill with Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury in Spider-Man: Far From Home. (Image credit: Sony/Marvel)
Synopsis: Nick Fury re-teams with the alien Talos to stop the shapeshifting Skrulls, who have infiltrated all aspects of life on Earth.
Genre: Superhero
Canadian connections: While Samuel L. Jackson (Fury), Ben Mendelsohn (Talos) and most of the remaining principal cast aren’t Canadian, Secret Invasion does see Vancouver’s Cobie Smulders reprise her long-running MCU role of Maria Hill. It’s also worth noting that the series had a secret one-day shoot in Toronto to wrap filming.
Synopsis: David Lowery (Pete’s Dragon) directs this live-action remake of the Disney animated classic Peter Pan, starring Alexander Molony as the titular hero, Ever Anderson as Wendy, Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell and Jude Law as Captain Hook.
Genre: Fantasy adventure
Canadian connections: On top of being filmed in Vancouver, Alberta-raised Cree actor Alyssa Wapanatâhk plays Tiger Lily, a Warrior Princess of Neverland’s Indigenous tribe.
Reservation Dogs (Season 2) — TBA 2022
Pictured: (Left to Right): Paulina Alexis as Willie, Devery Jacobs as Elora, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai as Bear, Lane Factor as Cheese in Season 1 of Reservoir Dogs. (Image credit: FX)
Synopsis: Specific details for Season 2 have yet to be revealed, but the show is focused on four Indigenous teenagers who live on a reservation in rural Oklahoma.
Genre: Comedy-drama
Canadian connections: Three of the four leads are Canadian: Kahnawake, Quebec’s Devery Jacobs (American Gods) as Elora, Toronto’s D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (Murdoch Mysteries) as Bear and Edmonton’s Paulina Alexis (Ghostbusters: Afterlife) as Willie. All three, plus Lane Factor (Cheese), will return for Season 2. On top of that, Jacobs has joined the all-Indigenous writer’s room for the second season.
Note: Reservation Dogs is a Hulu series in the U.S. that streams exclusively in Canada on Disney+ under the streamer’s ‘Star’ banner.
Synopsis: Exact story details for Echo are unclear, but the series is confirmed to be a spin-off of Hawkeye featuring Alaqua Cox’s deaf Native American character, Maya Lopez. Fan favourites Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio are also expected to return as Daredevil and Kingpin, respectively, given their characters’ close ties to Echo.
Genre: Superhero
Canadian connections: If Reservation Dogs wasn’t enough, Devery Jacobs was also recently cast as one of Echo‘s lead characters, who Deadline reports will be a “resilient and strong-willed” woman named Julie.
Moana (series) — TBA 2024
Moana and Maui from 2016’s Moana. (Image credit: Disney)
Synopsis: TBA
Genre: Musical
Canadian connections: Walt Disney Animation Studios opened a new office in Vancouver last year to focus on original shows, and its first co-production with the flagship Burbank, California location will be this Moana musical series.
Synopsis: Artists and repertoire junior executive Nora manages the Electric Mayhem Band as they try to record their first studio album. The Goldbergs creator Adam F. Goldberg is writing and directing the series.
Genre: Musical comedy
Canadian connections: Toronto’s Lilly Singh (A Little Late with Lilly Singh) is set to star as Nora.
Darkwing Duck reboot — TBA
Darkwing Duck in the original ’90s series. (Image credit: Disney)
Synopsis: A reboot of the original ’90s series about a duck superhero, who lived an ordinary life under the secret identity of Drake Mallard.
Genre: Animated superhero
Canadian connections: Vancouver’s own Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (Superbad) are developing the reboot through their production company, Point Grey Pictures.
Real Steel series — TBA
Hugh Jackman in 2011’s Real Steel. (Image credit: Disney)
Synopsis: A series based on the 2011 film in which a man builds a robot with his son to compete in a boxing match.
Genre: Sci-fi, sports drama
Canadian connections: Since the project was said to be in “early development” as of January, exact details remain unknown, including whether Hugh Jackman or other actors from the film may return. We do know, however, that Montreal’s Shawn Levy, who directed Real Steel, is developing the series through his production company, 21 Laps.
Miscellaneous
Under the Banner of Heaven, Hulu’s acclaimed new true crime drama series starring Andrew Garfield, is coming to Disney+ Star in Canada later this year. (Image credit: Hulu)
Here’s an assortment of other Disney+ projects that have smaller, but still notable, Canadian connections:
Sneakerella musical comedy film (May 13th, 2022) — filmed in and around Toronto
Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers film (May 20th, 2022) — co-starring Toronto’s Will Arnett and Vancouver’s Seth Rogen
Under the Banner of Heaven drama starring Andrew Garfield (TBA 2022) — filmed in Calgary
Predator prequel film Prey (TBA summer 2022) — filmed in Calgary
Live-action Percy Jackson series starring The Adam Project’s Walker Scobell (TBA) — will film in Vancouver
Of course, that only covers the streaming side. Upcoming big-screen Disney productions set to feature Canadians include this month’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (London, Ontario’s Rachel McAdams), the untitled Shang-Chi sequel starring Mississauga’s Simu Liu and the third Deadpool film from Vancouver’s Ryan Reynolds and the aforementioned Shawn Levy.
Which of these projects are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments.
Metroid Prime has been the flagship series for 3D Metroid games. However, Samus didn’t transition to 3D graphics until the GameCube era. With this in mind, two passionate fans created their own Metroid 64 and shared footage with fans alike.
On Twitter, Luto Akino, one of the lead developers, shared the version of Metroid 64, a Unity 3D project. The two-minute-long video shows the game’s perspective and level design. Rather than Metroid Prime’s first-person perspective, this version is in third-person. Samus runs through a rather bare-bones level, comprising of purple platforms.
Akino even shares some deeper gameplay aspects like Samus using her arm cannon and transforming into the Morph Ball. Unfortunately, the gameplay shown doesn’t give any glimpse into enemies or puzzles. However, it’s a very accurate representation of what a Metroid game would look like.
Nintendo’s Metroid series first began on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987. Later sequels include Metroid II: Return of Samus, and Super Metroid in 1994. However, there was an eight-year gap before Metroid Fusion and Metroid Prime launched on Game Boy Advance and GameCube respectively. The Nintendo 64 generation was void of any Metroid titles.
Most recently, the series went back to its 2D roots with Metroid Dread. Our very own Patrick O’Rourke enjoyed his time with the title and appreciated its emphasis on backtracking and exploration. Nintendo also has Metroid Prime 4 on the horizon, though development hurdles have reportedly impacted its release date.
Discussions of a possible Metroid game on N64 reportedly happened. However, co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto admitted the team “couldn’t come up with any concrete ideas or vehicle at that time.”
Akino has been working on this project for quite some time with a friend. Additional updates on the project are found on Akino’s Twitter feed. However, there’s no clear indication of when the public can begin playing Metroid 64.
Skip Express Lane delivery door in Winnipeg. (CNW Group/SkipTheDishes)
After the introduction of a new Skip Express Lane in Calgary last month, food delivery service SkipTheDishes is now adding two new Skip Express Lane fulfillment centres, one in North York, Ontario and one in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The new North York location marks the fourth Skip Express Lane location in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), after Toronto and Etobicoke.
Skip says that it has plans to add three new Express Lane locations in the GTA in the coming months, and two new locations in Ontario.
The Vancouver location, however, is more unique, as its the first Skip Express Lane fulfillment centre in the province. According to the food delivery company, the location will have Vancouver-based hometown brands like OMG Clusters in assorted varieties and Bothwell Cheese in a specific category called “West Local favourites.”
Skip Express Lane lets users pick baby products, pantry staples, snacks, fresh produce and meals from local favourites restaurants and businesses, with delivery fulfilment within 25 minutes. “Each store operates seven days a week with delivery fees starting at $1.99, or free delivery for purchases over $25.”
