After President Trump announced a 25 percent tariff on nearly all Canadian imported goods (and Canada announced its own 25 percent tariff on American imported goods), Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario — and a former supporter of President Trump — announced the Canadian territory would be “ripping up” a $100 million contract with Elon Musk’s Starlink. The contract was signed in November last year.
Musk, boss of Starlink and the richest man in the world, is a close confidant of Trump and has control over the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE (urgh), tasked with cost-cutting and deregulation in government.
Ford believed this was enough to link Musk (and his businesses) to Trump’s tariffs. He said Ontario “won’t do business with people hellbent on destroying our economy” and that Musk wants to “take food off the table” of hard-working Canadians. Ford also commanded the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) to remove American-made spirits from store shelves. (Oh no, not the Tito’s vodka!)
It’s since de-escalated. After Prime Minister Trudeau and President Trump agreed to pause the tariff standoff for 30 days, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he was also pausing the province’s cancelation of its Starlink contract.
— Mat Smith
The biggest tech stories you missed
Get this delivered direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!
Let It = Be.
After being nominated in November 2024 for two Grammys, “Now and Then” won Best Rock Performance. When the song, as a demo, was first recorded, John Lennon’s singing and piano were on the same audio track, and separating them was impossible. Fortunately, AI can now do that with zero effort. The surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, were able to complete the song by recording new bass and drum parts and released it almost 30 years later. Sean Ono Lennon, the son of the late Beatle, accepted the trophy in his father’s stead. “Now and Then” was also nominated for Record of the Year.
Continue reading.
Silly musical gaming snack.
The absurdist PBJ — The Musical (first at Day of the Devs ’24) heads to the App Store on March 26. It’s a collaboration between studio founder Philipp Stollenmayer and English musician and comedian Lorraine Bowen, famous for “The Crumble Song” and a former semi-finalist of Britain’s Got Talent. Kamibox says the game’s happy ending involves (spoilers) the creation of the beloved peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which might be a welcome salve to often bleak and harrowing AAA gaming.
Continue reading.
A multipurpose vacuum.
Announced at CES 2025, Anker’s Eufy E20 is a first-of-its-kind robot vacuum that turns into a cordless stick vacuum, with attachments, plus a self-emptying base. It even comes in at a mid-range price of $550. Sure, it works best as a robot, but the transformers-style design will make this a tempting buy for those who don’t want to rely solely on a robovac. It transforms quickly between modes, and while the stick vac certainly isn’t the strongest, it does the job for emergency cereal spills and muckier spots.
Continue reading.
#Ontario #cancels #uncancels #Starlink #contract #tariff #trade #war
