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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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McLean & Company Says AI Adoption Is Outrunning Worker Training

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Companies are adopting AI tools faster than they are training workers to use them, according to McLean & Company. The HR advisory firm has published a Define AI Skills Guide to help employers close that gap.

The guide splits workforce AI skills into technical abilities, such as AI fluency and judging AI outputs, and durable skills like attention to detail, curiosity, and flexibility. Principal director Lisa Highfield says the skills work needs an AI strategy behind it, and is an ongoing exercise, not a one-time project.

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

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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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Unbounce Builds AI Page Tool on 2.5 Billion Conversions

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Vancouver-founded Unbounce has launched an AI landing page builder trained on insights from 2.5 billion conversions. Marketers can start from a prompt, a template, or a blank canvas, then refine drafts by hand or with AI.

The pitch is a gap: Unbounce and Ascend2 found 86% of marketers use AI in paid media, but just 19% use it for landing-page creation and 19% for optimization. The builder supports forms, A/B testing, and analytics integrations, and existing customers get AI credits at no extra cost.

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

Canada Commits $115 Billion to Electrification Through 2042

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Canada is investing $115 billion in electrification through 2042, anchored by Budget 2026 and the National Electricity Strategy. More than $50 billion of it targets doubling the electricity system by 2050.

The money flows to generation and grid expansion, renewable projects, workforce upskilling, and programs such as Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways. The strategy responds to rising demand from industry, AI, and data centres. Electricity Canada calls it one of the most significant commitments to the country’s electricity future in a generation.

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