Canadian Business

Sarah Treleaven Treleaven is a Halifax-based writer on the grifter and scammer beat. For this issue’s cover story, “Hack Job” (p. 38), she dives deep into the dark web and retraces the steps of Canada’s most prolific cyberpirate. “The most surprising part was just how organized the world of ransomware is,” she says. “I thought it would be the wild west—but that is not how it operates.” Julia Dufossé Dufossé is an artist based in Austin, Tex., who specializes in surreal and atmospheric illustrations. She created the artwork for “Pipe Dreams” (p. 30), about Toronto company TransPod’s ambitious plans to build Canada’s hyperloop train network. “The mood is very futuristic—it’s like we’re in the ’60s picturing what it would be like to travel in a tube.” Katie Heindl Toronto-based Heindl…

“Dear readers, As we welcome the arrival of spring, it is my pleasure to present to you the Spring 2023 issue of Canadian Business magazine. Our team has been hard at work curating a selection of articles and features that we believe will inform and inspire our readers.” Thus began the AI-produced editor’s letter delivered to me within seconds of entering a prompt into ChatGPT’s web app. The note in its entirety was so vague that it didn’t actually convey anything. Still, it was impossible not to marvel at how quickly this generative AI could complete my work. The past couple of months have seen vast advances in the large language models that power platforms like ChatGPT, and now employers are using it to write job descriptions, and your friends…

“We’re thoughtfully innovating to make sure everyone with a period has access to products”—CARINNE CHAMBERS-SAINI, PAGE 12 In 2020, more than half of the internships in the U.S. were cancelled, according to a Glassdoor estimate. Expecting an economic downturn, employers cited safety and budget concerns. Now that we’re through peak pandemic times and many companies have reinstated internships, how have these programs changed? And are they still worth it—for both employers and interns? Sarah Tatsis, former BlackBerry intern and its current SVP of IVY platform development, and Ana Rita Morais, chair of George Brown College’s School of Design and creator of the database Pay Design Interns, weigh in on what employers should know about designing a modern internship program. “Internships are still the best way for students to get a…

When your goal is to make the world a better place, every interaction is an opportunity to create change. Just ask Christal Earle, founder of the sustainable footwear brand Brave Soles. Since 2005, Earle had been living and working with migrant workers at a landfill on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. More than a decade later, a chance encounter sparked a truly impactful idea, for the environment and the health of the community. “One day my neighbour came out of her apartment and she was wearing these cute sandals [with soles made from tires],” Earle recalls. “I was like, ‘Oh, I love your shoes,’ and then it hit me like a lightning bolt.” The risks associated with discarded tires During her time in the Dominican Republic, Earle became…

When my mom got her period in the 1960s, pads still had belts and pins. She dreamed of a product that was simpler to use and less wasteful—but she didn’t find it until 1992, when she was reading a health magazine and saw a tiny ad for a menstrual cup. She ordered one for herself and one for me—I was 14 at the time. It was called The Keeper, and it looked like a mini toilet plunger and was made from hard brown rubber. My mom started selling them in her jewellery store in Waterloo, Ont., and in 1997 sold her business to become a full-time distributor for The Keeper. By the time I graduated from the business program at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2001, my mom and I had…

01 The Mindvalley Show With Vishen Mindset and health are important for success, so I’m always looking for ways to be the best version of myself. This podcast is world-class. 02 Tools of Titans My bookshelf is overflowing. Currently, I’m reading this book by Tim Ferriss. I love learning all the tactics and habits of leaders and icons around the world. 03 Skiing I recently got back into skiing after a 20-year hiatus, and I love it so much. Going skiing with my family in Quebec is a great way to spend quality time with them. 04 Celery juice I don’t drink coffee. I start each day with lemon water and use my high-speed blender and Omega juicer to make pure celery juice, which has been a powerful tool on…