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Canadian Tech in 100 Words

Uber Adds More Family Ride Controls

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Uber is rolling out three new ride features in Canada aimed at women, seniors, teens, and families. Women Driver Preferences will let women and non-binary riders request a woman driver, while expanded senior accounts add simpler navigation, pickup preferences, and optional family support. Teen livestreaming will allow linked parents and guardians to view eligible rides through a driver’s smartphone camera, with encryption and notifications for both the teen and driver.

Uber says the updates are designed to give riders more choice, independence, and reassurance while extending existing safety and accessibility features across its Canadian ride platform for everyday travel.

WaitWell Expands From Queues to a Full Service Platform

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Calgary-based WaitWell has unveiled the next generation of its service operations platform, expanding beyond queue management and appointments. The company sells to government, healthcare, education, and retail organizations trying to cut waiting times.

New pieces include inventory management, point of sale, fuller employee scheduling, and Waillo, an AI layer for insights and chat. The aim is one system for lines, staff, sales, stock, and records. Founded in 2020, WaitWell says it has saved 14 million hours across 48 million customers and 1,700 organizations.

Want to know more? Check out the source code on Calgary.tech.

Mark Kerr Takes Over PureColo as It Targets 15 Data Centres by 2027

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Vancouver-based Carrier Connect Data Solutions has named Mark Kerr chief executive of PureColo, its colocation subsidiary. Kerr brings 17-plus years of data centre experience and will run day-to-day operations.

The hire backs a growth plan. PureColo runs seven data centres across Canada, the United States, and Australia, and Carrier Connect targets 15 by 2027, building on two Ottawa facilities acquired last December. In October, its U.S. arm signed a five-year deal for all four megawatts at its Georgia facility, worth an estimated $88.9 million in billings.

Want to know more? Check out the source code on DataCentre.ca.

Canada’s Real-Time Rail Launches With $14 Billion in Projected Savings

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Canada’s Real-Time Rail is live. Operated by Payments Canada, the national system lets participating institutions send and settle payments instantly — in seconds, not days — around the clock, with real-time cash-flow visibility and data-rich messaging built in.

The C.D. Howe Institute projects $14 billion in cost savings and more than $16 billion in economic gains. The Bank of Canada oversees the system, built with CGI, Deloitte Canada, IBM Canada, and Interac. First participants include Wealthsimple, KOHO, and Digital Commerce Bank.

Want to know more? Check out the source code on Fintech.ca.

Calgary Ranks Third in Canada With Nearly $450 Million in Venture Capital

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Calgary companies raised $449.6 million across 39 venture deals in the first nine months of 2026. Only Toronto and Montreal attracted more capital, according to figures from the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association.

Kanin Energy accounted for nearly a third of Calgary’s total. Its $139.5-million round will fund projects that turn industrial waste heat into electricity. The other 38 deals brought in roughly $310 million. Calgary accounted for nearly 92 per cent of Alberta’s venture dollars and three-quarters of its deals through September, helping push the province past the $466 million it raised in all of 2025. CED

Want to know more? Check out the source code on Calgary.tech.

Meta’s Alberta Data Centre Passes the Cutoff for Federal Designation

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Construction on Meta’s one-gigawatt data centre north of Edmonton has advanced too far for the federal environment minister to designate it for review. The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada said on November 10 that work had “substantially begun,” the cutoff set by the federal Impact Assessment Act.

Meta broke ground on July 8. The agency received a request on September 4 to assess the campus and its proposed gas-fired power plant together. It had already reviewed the Greenlight Electricity Centre separately. Meta expects to invest more than $13 billion in the Sturgeon County campus, its first data centre in Canada. DataCentre.ca

Want to know more? Check out the source code on DataCentre.ca.

Blackletter Raises US$6 Million to Put a Price on Legal Work Upfront

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Blackletter has raised US$6 million to expand a Toronto and New York law firm that quotes clients a fixed fee upfront. Former Cohere executives Jonathan Rosenbluth and David Stewart founded the firm with Avi Brudner, previously chief operating officer at Toronto legaltech company Blue J.

Lerer Hippeau led the round, with backing from Cohere’s three co-founders. For an acquisition, Blackletter prices the work according to the deal’s complexity. Its lawyers use in-house software to track the transaction, and clients can call with questions without adding to the bill. The firm plans to hire more lawyers and engineers with the funding. LegalTech.ca

Want to know more? Check out the source code on LegalTech.ca.

Uniserve Borrows $4 Million to Add AI Compute in Vancouver

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Uniserve Communications has secured a $4 million loan and plans to spend most of it on additional NVIDIA B300 systems for its Vancouver data centre. The gear adds AI capacity for customers who want data kept in Canada.

An enterprise customer is already lined up for two B300 servers, under a five-year deal worth about US$3.15 million in minimum payments. Uniserve is also developing its VAN-2 facility in Vancouver, targeting one megawatt at opening. The related-party loan, at 8% interest, still needs TSX Venture Exchange approval.

Want to know more? Check out the source code on DataCentre.ca.

Platform Calgary and Montreal’s Ax.c Open Their Doors to Each Other

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Platform Calgary has partnered with Montreal entrepreneurship hub Ax.c to give startups in each city a landing pad in the other. The reciprocal, one-year agreement covers workspaces, events, and professional networks.

Calgary members can work from Ax.c’s downtown Montreal hub, while Ax.c startups get access to the Platform Innovation Centre in the East Village. The hubs will also make targeted introductions to investors, partners, and accelerators. Ax.c struck a similar deal with DMZ linking Toronto, New York, and Tokyo.

Want to know more? Check out the source code on Calgary.tech.

Float Names Former BDC Partner Jack Fraser as First CFO

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Toronto-based Float Financial has appointed former BDC Capital partner Jack Fraser as its first chief financial officer. Fraser joins months after leading BDC’s investment in Float’s C$85 million Series C round.

His appointment brings operating experience from CFO roles at luxury retailer SSENSE and travel company itravel2000. At BDC Capital, Fraser backed businesses including Cohere, KOHO, Hopper, and Super.com.

Float provides corporate cards, expense management, payments, and other financial tools for Canadian businesses. The hire comes as the company expands its use of artificial intelligence, bringing an investor familiar with its business into a senior role overseeing its financial operations.

Want to know more? Check out the source code here.