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Canadian Tech in 100 Words

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

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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

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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.

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Blue J Raises US$176 Million for AI Tax Workflows

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Toronto-based Blue J has raised US$176 million in Series E financing, valuing the AI tax company at more than US$700 million. JMI Equity led the round, joined by Oak HC/FT, Sapphire Ventures, and Intrepid Growth Partners.

The funding will expand Workflows, AI agents that review tax returns, prepare responses to IRS notices, analyze agreements, and draft client communications, with tax professionals reviewing outputs and making final decisions. Blue J reports 165% annual recurring revenue growth since its previous raise and more than 6,500 customer organizations. It also expects to exceed 200 employees by year-end, with most staff remaining in Toronto.

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Slack Brings AI and Shift Handovers to Frontline Workers

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Slack has introduced Frontline, a mobile workspace for employees who spend their shifts on store floors, in factories or in the field. Workers can sign in with an employee ID or QR code and see up to 10 channels tailored to their role.

A store associate can ask an AI agent whether a particular size is in stock. On a factory floor, an operator can flag a machine fault, request maintenance and leave a record for the next shift. Teams can also use Slack Huddles to reach colleagues at headquarters. Slack offers Frontline as an add-on to its Enterprise+ plan.

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Wealthsimple Introduces Penny AI Assistant

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Wealthsimple has unveiled Penny, an AI assistant designed to move money, place trades, and handle financial tasks with client approval. Announced November 5, Penny leads a dozen new products and features as the Toronto fintech expands beyond investing.

Wealthsimple Pay now supports instant transfers of up to $100,000 between clients, while advanced trading platform Wealthsimple Pro arrives in late November. A business credit card and connections to ChatGPT and Claude are planned for early 2027. Penny can help build RRSP contribution plans, flag duplicate charges, and pay invoices, but Wealthsimple says every action requires client confirmation before it is completed.

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Alberta’s Boreal Data Centre Proposal Targets 1.6 GW

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The proposed Boreal Technology Hub near Alberta’s Keephills Generating Station now targets up to 1.6 gigawatts of data centre capacity. Backed by Brookfield, CPP Investments, and TransAlta, the campus could bring more than $5 billion in first-phase investment to Parkland County.

Its initial phase has a 230-megawatt power allocation, while the larger development remains subject to further work and approvals. The proposal pairs computing infrastructure with existing generation, transmission, gas, and water assets. Technical information sessions scheduled for November 12 will address community benefits, environmental considerations, and approval requirements as residents seek answers about noise, water use, and local impacts.

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Canada Creates More Startups as Early Funding Lags

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Canada produced 892 new technology startups in the first half of 2026, up 20% from the same period last year, according to Panache Ventures research. Yet the share securing pre-seed investment remains below earlier levels: approximately 8% of companies formed in 2024 and 2025 raised funding, compared with 13% in 2023.

Panache says 60% of startups launched in 2025 were meaningfully building with AI, while 44% of founders had experience at venture-backed companies. The findings suggest a growing pool of experienced entrepreneurs, but raise questions about how many businesses will secure capital to reach their next stage.

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Mako Connects Odlum Brown’s Client Onboarding

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Montreal fintech Mako has launched a digital onboarding solution for Odlum Brown, linking account opening directly to the investment firm’s Dataphile system. The integration supports Odlum Brown’s self-clearing operations and connects client applications with infrastructure used for trading, clearing, and settlement.

Clients can complete information themselves or work through advisory teams. Requirements adjust based on initial responses, and households can open multiple applications simultaneously. The companies say the system aims to reduce account-opening time and administrative work, giving advisors more room for client relationships. Mako has provided onboarding, client reporting, and form automation to Canadian wealth management firms since 2018.

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Shopify Slides Despite 32% Revenue Growth

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Shopify’s shares fell roughly nine per cent Tuesday despite quarterly revenue climbing nearly 32 per cent to US$3.74 billion. The Ottawa-based company narrowly missed analyst revenue expectations, while net income rose to US$462 million from US$264 million a year earlier. Investment in Sidekick, its AI assistant for merchants, pressured subscription margins as service costs grew faster than subscription revenue.

President Harley Finkelstein said shoppers are beginning to use AI agents to make purchases, although volumes remain small. The results highlight Shopify’s balancing act between funding AI capabilities and satisfying investors whose expectations increasingly outpace its strong growth.

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