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Canadian Tech in 100 Words

One in Four Canadians Would Let AI Buy Their Holiday Gifts

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One in four Canadians would let an AI agent buy every holiday gift on their list, according to Mastercard’s 2026 Holiday Shopper Snapshot. Millennials were keener still, at 43%, ahead of Gen Z at 38%.

Shoppers still want guardrails: 67% want approval before an agent spends loyalty points or benefits, and three-quarters would accept extra security checks at checkout. Mastercard has already demoed the idea, testing Agent Pay with Flybits and Rogers Bank in September. The Harris Poll survey covered 1,005 Canadians.

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

Climate Institute Launches Tracker for Canada’s Energy Transition

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The Canadian Climate Institute has launched a Climate Progress Tracker to measure how Canada’s clean energy transition is actually going. Built by its 440 Megatonnes project, the tool tracks several dozen indicators in near real time.

Early signals are mixed: electric vehicles reached 13% market share, up from 7% in early 2025; wind and solar capacity has grown 40% since 2020; and battery storage is up sixfold to 900 megawatts. Emissions, however, remain far off the net zero path.

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

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.

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

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.