Kennedy will take the new role on September 3 following a 29-year career with the government, most recently as deputy minister of health. Stephen Lucas, current environment deputy minister, will take over from Kennedy. Christine Hogan will become deputy environment minister; she is currently the executive director for Canada, Ireland and the Caribbean at the World Bank. (The Logic)
The European Future Fund, a proposed sovereign wealth fund, would be financed by member states to invest in “high-potential European companies.” The draft plan cites Europe’s dearth of tech giants compared to global competitors, naming Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon in the U.S., and Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent in China. (Politico)
The Fintech Development Plan aims to create “four beams and eight pillars” of development for fintech, including strengthening financial risk control and developing a cohesive legal assessment and monitoring framework for the sector, which will incorporate strict licensing conditions. (The Logic)
Facebook employees discussed Cambridge Analytica and other third parties using Facebook data in ways that may violate the company’s policies, according to documents released by Facebook and the District of Columbia’s attorney general as part of an investigation into the scandal. The communications took place three months before The Guardian first reported Cambridge Analytica’s alleged misuse of Facebook data. (CNBC)
The deal will put eOne’s catalog of popular kids’ series, including Peppa Pig and PJ Masks, under the same intellectual-property umbrella as Hasbro’s vast toy and entertainment franchises, like Transformers and Power Rangers. EOne—which has offices in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal—will retain its senior executive team. (The Logic)
Cargojet, which has existing commercial agreements with Amazon for overnight cargo delivery, will issue two sets of warrants for Amazon to purchase shares. The first will allow Amazon to buy up to 9.9 per cent of the carrier’s variable voting shares over six and a half years, contingent on Amazon doing $400 million of business with the company during that term. The second is for an additional five per cent, contingent on an extra $200 million of business. (The Logic)
The electric scooters will be available for a two-week trial period. Bird already operates in Edmonton and Calgary, but this will be its first city in Ontario. It’s a toehold in a market that its largest rivals, including Lime and Uber, have been lobbying for access to for well over a year. Widespread scooter adoption in Toronto is contingent on provincial law being re-written so electric scooters can be allowed on public streets. (CBC)
The number of skilled workers dropped to 41 per cent. The number of French-speaking economic immigrants from countries including Haiti, Tunisia and France dropped between 23 and 43 per cent. The province also accepted 32 per cent fewer economic immigrants in the economic category overall. (Globe and Mail)
The research hub, called CHARS for short, opened on Wednesday. The federal agency Polar Knowledge Canada (POLAR) will oversee the station, which will facilitate year-round Arctic research. “Today’s celebration represents a significant milestone for our community,” said Mayor Pamela Gross. (Nunatsiaq News)
Gasoline-burning cars will be banned and electric public-transport vehicles will replace gas-powered ones in certain regions, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced. If the programs succeed, they will be rolled out nationally. (TechNode)