On this week’s episode of Free Lunch by The Peak, we sat down with Tyler Meredith to talk about how the federal government puts its budgets together. Before becoming a partner at Meredith Boessenkool Policy Advisors, Tyler was one of the driving forces behind no fewer than six federal budgets and served as the top economic advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and two finance ministers. 

Canadian screenwriters are making moves towards a possible strike. (But don’t worry, it won’t impact your favourite Canadian content: this newsletter.)

Driving the news: For the first time in its 33-year history, the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) has voted to authorize a strike if it can’t reach a deal with the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) that secures things like better pay and protections against AI.

As travel season shifts into high gear, Venice is asking visitors to cough up some extra cash before hopping on any gondolas.

What happened: Venice’s pilot for the first-of-its-kind ticketing system for day trippers began this week. For 29 high-traffic days this year, tourists visiting but not staying overnight must buy a €5 ticket to enter. 

Investors who were unnerved yesterday morning ended up sleeping easy, thanks to some better-than-expected financials from major tech companies.

A lot of new technology goes through an initial “what is this good for” stage, but when it comes to generative AI, some folks are getting impatient for an answer.

Parameters are connections between data in an AI model. Developers refine parameters to guide an AI’s behaviour — giving connections more or less weight tells the AI that certain data and actions are more important than others.

The market for cigarettes might be going up in smoke, but Big Tobacco has new products ready to take their place.

Driving the news: Tobacco giants Philip Morris and Altria both posted revenues last quarter that blew past analyst estimates thanks to booming demand for smoke-free cigarette alternatives like nicotine pouches and heated tobacco sticks. 

Even with AI tools, highly caffeinated beverages, and a roster of podcasts eager to tell us all how to work “smarter,” Canadians are in a bit of a productivity slump. 

Driving the news: Canada’s economic output per person has fallen below its long-term trend by 7% — a loss of around $4,200 per person — according to a new report by Statistics Canada.

Like a rapper officially releasing a leaked diss track, Honda has dropped a long-awaited project that’s making waves throughout the industry. 

What happened: Honda officially announced its $15 billion electric vehicle investment plan in Ontario, with designs to build four — count ’em, four — new EV plants in the province. The federal government touted the move as the “largest auto investment in Canada’s history.”

Canada’s salmon farming industry is gasping like a fish out of water right now, and consumers looking for some homegrown salmon could soon pay the price.

Driving the news: Last year, production of farm-raised salmon in Canada hit its lowest level since 2000, per new numbers from the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance. A total of 90,000 metric tonnes of salmon were farmed, a colossal 39% dip from the record-high crop seen in 2016. 

The way things are trending, a nice fizzy drink could soon replace your morning vitamins.

Driving the news: Legacy pop brands like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Sprite are dropping new low-cal, bold-flavoured drinks in an effort to keep up with newer brands that are catering their fizzy beverages to younger and health-conscious consumers. 

Just like a space probe hurtling through deep space, Indigenous investing is only going up.

What happened: The First Nations Bank of Canada — the largest Indigenous-owned bank in the country — announced a plan to raise as much as $50 million to reach more customers, expand its capital by as much as 50%, and double its loan book to $600 million.  

The human gut has a big impact on someone’s health, but exactly what that looks like is dictated by interactions between trillions of microbes that change drastically based on diet and lifestyle. All of those different variables can make researching it really complicated.

No one gets stoked about taxes, but that doesn't mean it’s all doom and gloom in the tech sector right now.

Some parents might be less than thrilled when they find out their kid's perfect grade on a biology midterm was more of a participation trophy. 

Driving the news: A group of grade 12 students at Ontario’s St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic High School walked out of their biology and business midterms with perfect grades as the school board grapples with a teacher shortage that has left classes without full-time educators.

Break out the bottle of Screech and reel in a kissable cod because Newfoundland has a new resident: Uber.

What happened: Uber is now servicing St. John’s, Newfoundland's largest city, and the accompanying Avalon Peninsula area. It is the first ride-sharing company to operate on the Rock since the province updated its Highway Traffic Act late last year to support such services. 

Canada’s competition watchdog is looking to regain its mojo after face-planting in its attempt to block a merger between Rogers and Shaw last year.

What happened: The Competition Bureau issued a report warning that Bunge’s impending US$8.2 billion acquisition of fellow agriculture company Viterra will seriously reduce competition in Canada’s agricultural sector, particularly in the grain and canola oil markets.

A group of delegates will spend the week in the nation's capital comparing notes on why plastic is, in fact, not so fantastic. 

Driving the news: Ottawa will play host to delegates from 174 countries this week for the fourth round of United Nations plastic treaty negotiations. The committee will look to make progress on a plastic-reduction agreement ahead of final talks in South Korea in November.