News That Matters To You

By Peter Josty
Small businesses in Canada tend to be located in rural areas and have different characteristics compared with large businesses that cluster in urban centres, says Peter Josty, executive director of The Centre for Innovation Studies. The proportion of businesses in rural areas has been declining slowly, along with the rural population. Rural businesses on the whole face more challenges than urban businesses and would benefit from targeted support.

By Jeffrey Crelinsten
It's time Canadians celebrated their entrepreneurs and business successes like they do their sports heroes, says Jeffrey Crelinsten, publisher and CEO of Research Money. Indifference to and sometimes resentment toward Canadian entrepreneurs and businesses hobble innovation and prosperity, he argues, with successful Canadian companies often being sold to foreign entities, depriving Canada of revenue, talent and intellectual property.

By Maria Pawlowska
Horizon Europe grants businesses up to 100% funding, unlike many Canadian programs, says Maria Pawlowska, PhD, international research expert. The program encourages industry-academia collaboration, offering Canadian researchers an opportunity to join cutting-edge international networks, strengthening innovation at home and abroad.

By Peter Josty
Canada Post's struggles with letter delivery exemplify Joseph Schumpeter's "creative destruction," with email rapidly displacing traditional mail, Peter Josty says. This shift highlights the need for businesses to adapt to technological advancements or risk obsolescence, impacting how postal services evolve in the digital age.

By Guest Contributor
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Staccato cherry patent reinstatement in the U.S. after a long court battle deters agricultural intellectual property infringers. This landmark case highlights the necessity of early patent filings, detailed records and strong enforcement to protect Canadian agricultural innovations abroad, say Keith Belinko and Nancy Gardner.

By Peter Josty
Traditional distinctions between the manufacturing sector and the services sector are blurring due to factoryless production and subscription models, says Peter Josty. This shift, enabled by information technology, risks undercounting manufacturing's economic impact and resulting in negative impacts such as "enshittification," highlighting the need for better data to help with increasing productivity and economic growth.

By Peter Josty
Economic corridors in Canada can boost productivity by attracting investments, driving development and promoting industrialization, says Peter Josty at The Centre for Innovation Studies. With internal trade barriers costing Canada billions annually, these corridors represent a crucial opportunity to enhance economic economic growth and competitiveness, he says.

By Nazil Bostandoust
Canada's AI breakthroughs risk being undermined by a lack of domestic compute capacity, writes Nazli Bostandoust (MaRS Discovery District). To ensure digital sovereignty, Canada needs to strengthen its AI supply chain and support small and medium-sized enterprises, not just focus on building data centres.

By Ron Freedman
The federal government largely operates without formal policies or national strategies, relying instead on numerous programs across government departments, says Ron Freedman, CEO of Research Infosource Inc. He suggests reforming and consolidating existing programs rather than creating new ones to address gaps and program effectiveness, as programs are rarely retired due to vested interests and political reluctance.