Official Google Canada Blog

Sharing More Olympic Moments with CBC Sports on YouTube

Friday, July 23, 2021

Editors Note: Perdita Felicien

This summer in Tokyo, thousands of athletes from around the world will come together and compete on the world’s biggest sporting stage. Some athletes will compete for the first time, others for the last, all will have their eyes on the podium, ready to cement their name in history. Each will carry with them their own journey to the Olympic Games and have their own story to tell of how it all unfolded.

The Olympic Games is a larger than life event, broadcasted to every corner of the world. The events however, are only the tip of the iceberg - a culmination of years of hard work. What most don’t see are the winding roads and the uphill climb that brought the athletes to the start line. I know first hand that qualifying for the Olympics is no easy feat. Access to training facilities, finding the right coaches and mentors, gaining financial support and weathering injuries are just a few of the obstacles athletes must first overcome. That’s why the Olympic Games are more than just a sporting event, it’s a celebration of years of training, hard work, and sacrifice.

Olympians play a powerful role in bringing communities together. We inspire others with our skill, grit and determination and every two years, the world has the pleasure of watching us compete for glory at the Olympic Games. As a proud member of CBC’s Olympic broadcast team, we believe it is important to go beyond event coverage and share more moments leading up to and during the Olympic Games that help to create a closer connection between audiences and athletes.

This summer, CBC is making the Olympic Games more accessible to Canadians by offering more ways to watch, and more Olympic-themed content to enjoy. Through CBC Sports on YouTube, audiences can get a deeper look at the Olympic journey with athlete interviews, full event recaps, viral moments and more behind the scenes content. CBC’s goal is to give audiences more access to Tokyo 2020 and showcase the athletes and the moments that will surely become part of Olympic history.

Bell Partners with Google Cloud to Deliver Next-generation Network Experiences for Canadians

Thursday, July 15, 2021

Today, Bell Canada and Google Cloud announced a strategic partnership to power Bell’s company-wide digital transformation, enhance its network and IT infrastructure, and enable a more sustainable future.
If you would like to learn more about this news, click through to read the full press release in English and French.

How Google Canada Is Acknowledging Canada Day

Thursday, July 1, 2021

In the midst of these celebrations, we also recognize the need to acknowledge horrific elements of our shared history that have caused intergenerational trauma and pain for Indigenous people.
Here at Google Canada, we are deliberately making space for Indigenous communities while encouraging Canadians to learn more about reconciliation.
Here are some helpful resources:

If you, or people you know, need immediate assistance, the Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS) Emergency Crisis Line is available 24/7 for those that may need counselling support: 1-800-721-0066 or 1-866-925-4419.

Douglas Coupland x Google Research: The intersection of art and technology

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Have you ever noticed that the word art is embedded in ARTificial intelligence? Neither did we, but when the opportunity presented itself to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) inspires artistic expression — with the help of internationally renowned Canadian artist Douglas Coupland — the Google Research team jumped on it. This collaboration, with the support of Google Arts & Culture, culminated in a project called Slogans for the Class of 2030, which spotlights the experiences of the first generation of young people whose lives are fully intertwined with the existence of AI.

This collaboration was brought to life by first introducing Coupland’s written work to a machine learning language model. Machine learning is a form of AI that provides computer systems the ability to automatically learn from data. In this case, Google research scientists tuned a machine learning algorithm with Coupland’s 30-year body of written work — more than a million words — so it would familiarize itself with the author’s unique style of writing. From there, curated general-public social media posts on selected topics were added to teach the algorithm how to craft short-form, topical statements.

Once the algorithm was trained, the next step was to process and reassemble suggestions of text, data, for Coupland to use as inspiration to create twenty-five Slogans for the Class of 2030. In his own words:

A common theme in Coupland’s work is the investigation of the human condition through the lens of pop culture. The focus on the class of 2030 was intentional. Coupland wanted to create works that would serve as inspiration for students in their early teens who will be graduating from university in 2030. For those teens considering their future career paths, he’d hope that this collaboration would trigger a broader conversation on the vast possibilities in the field and would acquaint them to the fact that AI does not have to be strictly scientific, it can be artful.

Unveiled today, all twenty-five thought provoking and visually rich digital slogans are yours to experience on Google Arts & Culture alongside Coupland’s artistic statement and other behind the scenes material. This isn't Douglas’ first collaboration with Google Arts & Culture, in 2019 Coupland’s Vancouver art exhibition was captured virtually. In 2015 and 2016, he joined the Google Arts & Culture Lab residency in Paris where he collaborated with engineers to develop many works including the Search book and the Living Internet.

In an effort to celebrate Canadian talent, multiple venues across Canada have signed on to display the slogans, for a limited time, on larger-than-life digital screens allowing curious minds to experience them in an immersive way. The screens include the Terry Fox Memorial Plaza at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver B. C., the Len Werry TELUS building in downtown Calgary, the downtown Toronto TELUS building and select Pattison screens across Canada.

“These art installations displayed at TELUS buildings in Calgary and Toronto are being showcased at the perfect time, as the weather is warming and more of us are safely re-exploring our neighbourhoods by spending time outdoors,” said Scott Dutchak, TELUS Vice-President of Real Estate. “Calgarians will already be familiar with the unique Douglas Coupland light display at TELUS Sky, and we jumped at the opportunity for more of our buildings to showcase the beauty of AI and art coming together, and to celebrate Douglas Couplands inspiring and captivating words.”

Technology has always played a role in creating new types of possibilities that inspire artists — from the sounds of distortion to the electronic sounds of synths for musicians for example. Today, advances in AI are opening up new possibilities for other forms of art and we look forward to seeing what the crossroads of art and technology bring to life.
Posted by Chris Henry, Marketing Manager, Google Canada

Mary Two-Axe Earley's fight for equality changed Canada

Monday, June 28, 2021

The Mary Two-Axe Earley Google Doodle created by Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) guest artist Star Horn. See it live at google.ca on June 28, 2021

This blog is guest-written by Kanien’keháka (Mohawk) filmmaker Courtney Montour. She is the writer & director of “Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again.” If you head over to the homepage today, you'll see the Doodle honours Mary Two-Axe Earley, a Kanien’keháka (Mohawk) woman who fought for more than two decades to challenge sex discrimination against First Nations women embedded in Canada’s Indian Act.

Mary Two-Axe Earley is a name I grew up always knowing. We are both Kanien’keháka (Mohawk) from Kahnà:wake, located across the river from Montreal, Quebec. I was a teenager when Mary passed away in 1996, too young to fully grasp the impact she had on people’s lives across Canada. I set out to make “Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again” to bring attention to a pivotal figure who is often overlooked in accounts of this country’s history.
Mary fought for more than two decades to challenge sex discrimination against First Nations women in Canada’s Indian Act and became a key figure in Canada’s women’s rights movement. The Indian Act of 1876 defines who is an “Indian” and who can belong to an “Indian band” (now referred to as First Nations). The federal government targeted First Nations women, stripping them of their Indian status (their recognition as an Indian) if they married a non-Indian man. These laws banned First Nations women and their children who lost their status from living in their communities, denying them access to critical social programs and voting rights in their community, and severing their ties to identity and culture. Thousands of First Nations women affected by this legislation are still waiting to be recognized by Canada.
Mohawk filmmaker Courtney Montour describes her new documentary on Mary Two-Axe Earley, whose fight for the rights of First Nations women made her a pivotal figure in Canada’s women’s rights movement. Mary garnered the support of influential political figures and women’s rights activists. She led with love, compassion and persistence, something that I see so many of our women carrying with them as they continue this crucial work for sex equality.

Mary Two-Axe Earley (centre) at the Montreal Botanical Garden tree planting ceremony (mid-1970s). Photo courtesy of Rosemary Two Rivers Making “Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again” was a four-year journey that connected me with Mary’s supporters from across the country. I quickly realized that the biggest challenge would be finding audio and visual archives. I was saddened and frustrated to discover that so few images from Mary’s well-documented, more than 20-year fight remained in Canada’s media and archival institutions. This instilled a sense of urgency to bring Mary’s story to the screen for the very first time even more.
Abenaki filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin, who mentored me on my short doc “Flat Rocks,” gifted me audio recordings she taped with Mary over several months in 1984. They were recorded in Mary’s home, around the kitchen table, where Mary’s advocacy began. They are the roots of the documentary, allowing Mary to tell her story in her own words.

Mary Two-Axe Earley with René Lévesque, Premier of Quebec, at the First Ministers’ Conference on Aboriginal Constitutional Matters, Ottawa (1983). Credit: National Film Board of Canada The film chronicles some of the results of Mary’s work. On June 28, 1985, nearly two decades after Mary began her fight against sex discrimination in the Indian Act, the Parliament of Canada passed Bill C-31, an amendment to restore Indian status to women who had lost it through marriage. The Bill was effective April 17, 1985. And the movement for sex equality continues today: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) cited sex discrimination in the Indian Act as a root cause of violence and discrimination faced by First Nations women in Canada.
As National Indigenous History Month in Canada draws to a close, Canadians and Indigenous communities are grappling with Canada’s failure to properly acknowledge the historical and ongoing genocide of Indigenous Peoples in this country. At the end of May, the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation found the remains of 215 children who had been buried in unmarked graves at the site of a former Indian residential school in British Columbia. And searches are being done at other former residential schools. A week later, the Government of Canada released the long-awaited National Action Plan to end violence against Indigenous women and girls. Critics say the government’s plan lacks tangible goals, a detailed timeframe and budget.
I’m reminded of a moment in the film when Mary reflects on the first time she spoke out, at the 1968 Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Ottawa. She worried about the consequences of doing so — of potentially being forced to leave her home and her community. But Mary pushed ahead. She secretly organized and hid on a bus full of women to travel to the Royal Commission. Mary was leading a movement. “In ’68, nobody dare say anything against the Indian Act,” said Mary.
Today we honour the legacy of Mary Two-Axe Earley and all the women who continue to demand sex equality for First Nations women and their children. Her work still has an impact on our lives today, inspiring us to speak out against these injustices and to collectively uplift First Nations women. Mary shows us that our history matters, our women matter and our families matter.
“Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again” is produced and distributed by the National Film Board of Canada and is currently screening on the film festival circuit. In December 2021, the film will be available for educators and teachers via CAMPUS, as well as for community screenings across Canada and will be launched on NFB.ca/ONF.ca for free streaming across Canada in June 2022. Watch the trailer now at https://www.nfb.ca/film/mary-two-axe-earley. For more information on CAMPUS, please visit https://help.nfb.ca/contact-the-nfb/. To book a community screening, please contact Donna Cowan at d.cowan@nfb.ca.
Òn:wa wenhniserá:te' Kanien'kehá:ka karáhstha' Star Horn ioráhston ne Koráhne aó:wen Google Doodle. Wa'tiakononhwerá:ton' ki' ne Mary Two-Axe Earley. Ehtà:ke tiakoká:raton ne Courtney Montour, Kanien'kehá:ka Teióia'ks Iakón:nis. "Mary Two-Axe Earley: Skonkwehón:we Á:re" iakohiá:ton tánon' tiakoniarotáhrhon.

Shontonkwatehiahróntie' shikhehsennaienté:ri ne Mary Two-Axe Earley. Teiakenitsá:ron Kanien'kehá:ka na'teiakeniia'tò:ten' tánon' Kahnawà:ke iontiatehià:ron, ísi' na'kaniatará:ti Tiohtià:ke tkaná:taien. Tióhton iawén:re tewen'niáwe tánon' tióhton niwáhsen ià:ia'k shiiohseratátie' sha'ontóhetste' ne Mary, tánon' nì:'i shitià:tase'. Iah ki' ní: thiewákhe' tó: niió:re' tsi ionkhiia'takéhnhen ne Koráhne. Né: ká:ti' wa'katerihwahténtia'te' ákhsa' kí:ken teióia'ks "Mary Two-Axe Earley: Skonkwehón:we Á:re". Wà:kehrek aonsakerihó:wanahte' tsi niiehsennowá:nen, nè:'e tsi iotkà:te' enhon'nikonhrón:ni' tsi iah thahatiká:raton' tsi niiakoié:ren nó:nen enhatiká:raton' tsi nitiawénhseron ne Koráhne.

Skáhere' ne tewáhsen niiohserá:ke ieiakorihwà:re' ne takaténionke' ne Indian Act kaianerénhsera' né: tsi kà:ron nitionáttehkwe' ne konnón:kwe tsi ní:ioht ne ronnón:kwe ne kaianerenhserá:kon. Tho ki' nontá:we' tsi wa'éhente' ne Koráhne tsi kontirihwáia'ks ne konnón:kwe aotiianerenhsera'shòn:'a aorihwà:ke. Indian Act sha'té:kon iawén:re tewen'niáwe tánon' tsá:ta niwáhsen ià:ia'k nikaianerenhserò:ten' tewanónhtons ónhka onkwehón:we enkénhake' (indian iontatena'tónhkwen) tánon' ónhka enwá:ton' eniontià:taren' ne onkwehón:we raotinakerahserá:kon (Indian Band rotina'tónhkwen). Kakoráhsera' wahshakotiia'tará:ko' ne konnonkwehón:we ne ahshakotiianerenhseráhkhwa' tóka' ahotiniákonke' ne iah tehonnonkwehón:we. Kaianerénhsera' wa'akóhnhe'se' ne konwatiianerenhseráhkhwen konnonkwehón:we tánon' akotiien'okòn:'a ne raonatená:takon ahatinákereke', ahotiia'takehnhahtsheraientà:seronke' tánon' ne akontatshennarà:na' tsi tehonnitiohkwakénnie's. Wa'akó:ia'khse' tsi nahò:ten' ionatstáhkwen ne konnonkwehón:we akontatena'tónhkhwake', tánon' wa'akóhkhwa' tsi niiotirihò:ten'. Tewen'niawe'ékhon tsi nikón:ti ne konnonkwehón:we shé:kon kaianerénhsera' kahsnonhsó:kon tkontiia'tò:ron tánon' iotihrhá:re' ne aonsahshakotiianerenhserawíhon' ne Kakoráhsera'.

É:so iá:kon ne iekó:ra tánon' ierihwáia'ks ne konnón:kwe aotirihwà:ke wa'tkonwatihswanéta' ne Mary. Akwáhs kanoronhkhwahtsherá:kon, atennitenrahtsherá:kon tánon' atkontahkwahtsherá:kon ienenhrí:neskwe'. É:so kón:ti ne konnón:kwe khé:kens ne tho sha'teiotiierenhátie' tsi iotiio'tátie' ne kaianerenhserá:kon sha'taonsahonátteke' ne konnón:kwe tánon' ronnón:kwe.

Kaié:ri niiohserá:ke wakón:ni' ne "Mary Two Axe-Earley: Skonkwehón:we Á:re". Kwah shikón:ni é:so iá:kon ne tekonwatihswanéten ne Mary wa'tiakwatatientéhrha'ne'. Kanakerahserakwé:kon nitiakawenónhseron. Óksa'k wa'kattokáhstsi' tsi né: aonhà:'a entewakentó:ra'se' ne thé:nen iakowennáten tóka' ni' ieia'tarónnion aketshenrión:ko' tsi iontahkwenniaientahkhwa'kó:wa. Onke'nikonhraksà:ten' tánon' onkena'kón:ni' tsi iah é:so tetká:ien ne Mary ieia'tarónnion ne Koráhne tsi iontahkwenniaientahkhwa'kó:wa's ne tká:ra's tánon' ón:kwe ieia'tarónnion. Arohátien tsi kwah tewáhsen niiohserá:ke shakotíhseron tánon' shakoti'nikonhrarátie'skwe'. Thó:ner ki' é:so tsi wa'tewakhsteríha'te' ne aontontié:renhte' taióia'ke' ne Mary akoká:ra'.

Abenaki ionkwehón:we Alanis Obomsawin tetewakerihwahsnie'séhahkwe' shikón:ni ne "Flat Rocks" teióia'ks. Aónha ki' ón:kon' ne Mary iakowennatárion, né: ne tióhton iawén:re tewen'niáwe tánon' sha'té:kon niwáhsen kaié:ri shiiohseratátie' wa'akowennáta' tsi iakoká:raton. Mary tsi tiakonónhsote' tsi iekhonnià:tha' atekhwahrahtsherákta iotiwennáten, tsi ki' kwah nón:we Mary taiontáhsawen' aierihwaia'ákhseke'. Ohtehra'shòn:'a ne thí:ken akokara'shòn:'a, ón:ton' aionkhikaratón:hahse' ne Mary teióia'ks nón:we.

Teióia'ks oh niioieránion ne Mary akoio'ténhsera'. Tewáhsen niiohserá:ke iakorihwáien, ieiakorihwà:re' ne sha'taonsahonátteke' ne ronnón:kwe tánon' konnón:kwe áse'ken Indian Act iakokèn:ron ne konnonkwehón:we. Sok ki' Ohiarí:ha tewáhsen sha'té:kon shiská:rahkwe' tióhton iawén:re tewen'niáwe tánon' sha'té:kon niwáhsen wísk shiiohserá:te' Kakoráhsera' wahatiianerenhseróhetste' ne' Kaianerénhsera' Aón:ton C-31 (Bill C-31). Iehotiiéhston tehotiténion ne kaianerénhsera', són:ton' ne konnonkwehón:we iotiniá:kon tóka' ni' iotiniakòn:ne aonsaiotiianerenhseraientà:seron'. Shé:kon ki' nòn:wa wenhniseraténion iotiianerenhserahskéhnhen ne konnón:kwe sha'taonsahonátteke' tsi ní:ioht ne ronnón:kwe. Kentióhkwa' ne rotirihwisá:kon tánon' rotiri'wanón:ton ne kanakerahserakwé:kon oh niiawèn:'en tsi konwatiia'taié:was tánon' konwanahsehtánion ne konnonkwehón:we tánon' kontiksa'okòn:'a, kí:ken kentióhkwa ohna'kénhaton rotihiá:ton tsi rotirihwatshénrion tsi Indian Act tiorihón:ni tsi konwatikarewahtánions tánon' konwatikenhren'seronniánions ne konnonkwehón:we ne Koráhne nón:we.

Tsi ó:nen iotenhni'to'kta'onhátie' ne Onkwehón:we Akawenhnì:ta' ne Koráhne, Korahró:non tánon' Onkwehón:we shé:kon tehonatatiénhton ne aonsahontate'nikonhrahserón:ni' áse'ken Kakoráhsera' iah orihwí:io tha'tehatirihwa'serákwas oh nihotiieránion tsi niiohseré:son's tánon' né: ó:ni' tsi thahón:nehre' ahshakonáhton'te' nonkwehón:we nok ahatirihwahtòn:thake' ne onkwehón:we tsi nihotirihò:ten's. Tsi ontenhni'tò:kten' ne Onerahtohkó:wa, tsi Tsonontati'kó:wa (British Columbia) nón:we, tsi rontientáhkhwahkwe' ne ronnonkwehón:we ratiksa'okòn:'a, Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc onkwehón:we sahatihstien'tatshenrión:ko' ne tékeni tewen'niáwe tánon' wísk iawén:re nihá:ti ratiksa'okòn:'a thatiia'tatárion, iah tekentstenhró:ton. Sok ki' tsahià:khsera ohnà:ken, Kakoráhsera' tahónhtka'we' ne kanonión:ni ne oh nenkaié:ren ne tóhsa akonwatikarewahtaniónhseke' ne konnonkwehón:we tánon' kontiksa'okòn:'a. Tsi niiá:kon ne iakohiatonhseraka'én:ion nahò:ten thonahtkà:wen ión:ton tsi iah thiekaié:ri tsi ní:ioht tsi karihwahseronniánion ne ahatirihwaié:rite', kátke eh tho nenkaieránionke' tánon' ka' néntewe' ne ohwísta'.

Nè:'e ki' sonkwehiahráhkwen' tsi wa'eká:raton' ne Mary néne tiotierénhton sha'onthró:ri' nahò:ten tiakawehtáhkwen tánon' iah teierihwanòn:we'skwe', tióhton iawén:re tewen'niáwe tánon' ià:ia'k niwáhsen sha'té:kon shiiohserá:te' nen' nè:'e ne Royal Commission ne Kanà:tso nonkwá:ti. Teiako'nikonhrhá:rahkwe' oh naiakoia'tawèn: enke' tóka' aiakotatì:'on áse'ken wate'shennaién:tahkwe' ne ahshakotinakerakwáhtonke' tsi tiakotená:taien. Nek tsi sénha'k ia'ontáthreke'. Karihwahsehtòn:ke iakoterihwahseronníhne ne skátne konnonkwehón:we iakoia'takarénie's akontíta' tánon' akontáhsehte' oh naiá:wen'ne' ne Royal Commission nón:we iakón:newe'. Iakonenhrí:nonhkwe' ne Mary. Iaká:wen, "Né: ne tióhton iawén:re tewen'niáwe tánon' ià:ia'k niwáhsen sha'té:kon shiiohserátie', iah ónhka teiakote'nientèn:'en ne aierihwáia'ke' ne Indian Act."

Òn:wa wenhniserá:te' wa'tiethinonhwerá:ton' ne Mary Two-Axe Earley tánon' akwé:kon tsi nikón:ti ne konnón:kwe shé:kon iotiianerenhserahskéhnhen ne sha'taonsahonátteke' ne konnonkwehón:we tánon' akotiien'okòn:'a raotirihwà:ke. Shé:kon ne òn:wa wenhniseraténion ionkwaia'takehnhenhátie' ne tsi ní:kon iakoio'tèn:'en. Shé:kon ieionkhi'nikonhrà:reks ne aietewarihwaia'ákhseke' kí:ken nahò:ten' iah tekarihwakwaríhsion, tánon' ne enskátne aiethi'nikonhrakará:tate' ne konnonkwehón:we. Mary ionkhina'tón:ni tsi káhsta ne onkwakara'shòn:'a tsi nitiawénhseron, kontiia'tanó:ron ne konnonkwehón:we tánon' onkwahwatsire'shòn:'a.

National Film Board of Canada rotíhson tánon' tehonrenià:tha' ne "Mary Two-Axe Earley: Skonkwehón:we Á:re" teióia'ks, nok nó:nen'k teioia'ákhons tsi nón:we tewaterihwahtentia'tánion ne teioia'ksokòn:'a aionterohrókha'. Nó:nen enská:ra'ne' ne Tsothóhrha' 2021, kí:ken teióia'ks enwá:ton' enhotiientà:seron' ne shakotirihonnién:ni, CAMPUS nón:we enwá:ton' ienhonterò:roke', tánon' tsi kanatakè:ron ó:ni' entkarà:seron' ne Koráhne. Ohiarí:ha 2022 NFB.ca/ONF.ca ne Koráhne nón:we entká:ra'ne', iah thé:nen thaiokaraién:take'. Ken'k ní:kon ia'saterò:rok ne https://www.nfb.ca/film/mary-two-axe-earley nón:we. Tóka' enhséhrheke' ne sénha aiesató:kenhse' nahò:ten' ne CAMPUS, https://help.nfb.ca/contact-the-nfb/ nón:we iahá:se'. Tóka' enhséhrheke' ne saná:takon aontaká:ra'ne', Donna Cowan ia'shehiá:ton's ne d.cowan@nfb.ca nón:we.

Translation credit to Akwiratékha Martin

Celebrating Pride 2021

Friday, June 25, 2021

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Pride in Toronto in remembrance of the February 1981 police raids, Operation Soap, and the first official “Pride Day” later that year on Sunday, June 28th, in Grange Park. We’re celebrating this milestone by shining a spotlight on Queer artists on YouTube and bringing the best Pride parties around the world to Canadian YouTube viewers.

Giving local artists a platform We are honoured to collaborate with Queer Collective, whose mission is to provide accurate representation for every subgroup of the LGBTQ2S+ community with a focus on uplifting local Queer artists in Canada. For this year’s Pride, we are supporting OUT LOUD, Queer Collective’s digital concert series created in collaboration with Conscious Economics. Designed to get Queer artists performing, connecting, growing, and getting paid again - the 2021 OUT LOUD featured artists are Makayla Walker Louboutin, Tafari Anthony, and Your Hunni. Their videos are all live now on Queer Collective’s YouTube channel - check out their performances and show your support.
We’ve also created a Pride playlist to elevate Queer voices, hosted on our YouTube Canada channel.

Celebrating together, from anywhere We will be celebrating Pride Toronto with a livestream of all the festivities on YouTube. You can join in on June 27 at 2pm ET / 11am PT - all the details and so much more are on Pride Toronto’s website.
And globally, YouTube Originals is bringing Pride parties to homes around the world with “YouTube Pride 2021,” a multi-hour, star-studded livestream event celebrating the LGBTQ2S+ community through musical performances, giving challenges, special guests, live moments and much more. Join celebrity emcees Elton John and David Furnish, Demi Lovato, Olly Alexander with Mawaan Rizwan, Trixie Mattel, and Daniel Howell who will each host their Pride party from their respective YouTube channels and encourage viewers to help the LGBTQ2S+ community by raising funds for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, The Trevor Project and akt. You can watch the official trailer here and the virtual celebration premieres June 25 at 3pm ET / 12pm PT.
Posted by Sam Reisler, Senior Account Executive and Pride at Google Canada Lead

We’re expanding our support of news in Canada

Thursday, June 24, 2021

Support for Canadian journalism through News Showcase

We have signed agreements with a number of Canadian publishers for Google News Showcase, a product and licensing program that provides a space for newsrooms to curate their content for readers across Google News and Discover. These deals will help support Canadian newsrooms that provide comprehensive general-interest news to the communities they serve. This long-term investment will support news organizations in producing, distributing and explaining essential information to readers. The first Canadian partners for News Showcase are Black Press Media, Glacier Media, The Globe and Mail, Métro Média, Narcity Media, SaltWire Network, Village Media and Winnipeg Free Press.

Together, these eight publishers represent national, regional and local news that touches communities in both official languages from coast-to-coast-to-coast in Canada. Today’s announcement builds on News Showcase deals signed by nearly 800 news publications around the world. More than 90% of these publications represent local or regional news.

Logos of our current News Showcase news partners in Canada

As part of our licensing deals, we’re also paying news organizations for access to select paywalled content, giving Canadians access to a wide range of news content. We work closely with news outlets to determine the right amount of content to share to help drive subscriptions as users experience the benefits of subscribing to authoritative news outlets.

There will be more partnerships to come as we continue to engage in active negotiations with publishers across Canada. We look forward to launching the News Showcase here soon.

Expanded support through Google News Initiative

News Showcase is just one part of our longstanding, overall commitment to the Canadian news industry. Today we are also announcing additional investments through our Google News Initiative, a global effort to help journalism thrive in the digital age:

Training journalists in digital skills: Over the next three years we’ll train 5,000 Canadian journalists and journalism students on strengthening digital skills in newsrooms – a five-times increase from the 1,000 journalists we’ve already trained to date.

Supporting business sustainability: We’ll expand our business-oriented workshops for small and mid-sized news organizations on topics including audience development, reader revenue and advertising revenue. The 10 sessions will be delivered in French and English and build upon our award winning News Consumer Insights tools.

We are introducing our first custom designed GNI Startups Boot Camp dedicated exclusively to aspiring Canadian news entrepreneurs starting a business or non-profit journalism project in Canada. Applications open in the fall.

Promoting news innovation: We are announcing our third North American Google News Initiative Innovation Challenge to fund selected projects focused on helping local publishers think about new ways to understand, enhance and serve the needs of their communities. Applications are now open.

“When the Halifax Examiner joined GNI Startup Labs, I was cautiously optimistic that it would be of value. But the actual experience has been beyond anything I could have dreamed of,” says Tim Bousquet, editor and publisher of the Halifax Examiner. “Thanks to speaking with other media operators struggling to make sense of our industry, and especially thanks to working hand-in-hand with a coach who walked us through our challenges, the Examiner now has a deeper and more fruitful understanding of our business model, the approach to revenue, and how to prepare for the future and grow.”

These new and expanded programs build on our long-term support for Canadian news organizations of all sizes. In 2019 alone, Google sent five billion clicks to Canadian news sites, for free (an estimated half billion dollars in value, according to Deloitte). During the COVID-19 pandemic, our Journalism Emergency Relief Fund directly supported more than 200 different newsrooms across Canada to keep journalists working and Canadians informed.

Today's news represents a shared goal that Google and news publishers in Canada are focused on – long-term success for journalism in Canada. That’s why Google is committed to playing a constructive role alongside publishers to enable a sustainable future for news that Canadians can depend on for years to come.

What publishers are saying about News Showcase

“We are pleased that Google has stepped up to the plate and signed an important partnership with Black Press Media and others,” says Rick O’Connor, CEO and President, Black Press Media, home to some of the most established newspapers in B.C. and Alberta. “There are many other benefits as part of the agreement where Google will assist us in further developing our digital properties. I am pleased to see that Google will also be assisting the small, independent newspapers and websites adapt to an increasing digital world."

“Google News Showcase will help support news in communities across Canada large and small, and increase accessibility to daily content. In addition, Glacier Media and our partners have benefited directly from the Google News Initiative,” says Alvin Brouwer, President Glacier Media Digital, which owns more than 60 community media outlets throughout Western Canada. “Their new initiatives to train more than 5,000 journalists in Canada over the next three years to enhance their digital skills, and to provide business-oriented workshops to small and mid-sized news organizations will also help in communities across the country.”

“Google News Showcase will introduce even more readers to our award-winning journalism and we're pleased to count Google as a global strategic partner,” says Phillip Crawley, CEO & Publisher of The Globe and Mail. “Reaching new audiences and showing them how The Globe can add value to their daily lives is a necessary step in continuing to grow our digital subscriber base, which is the largest in Canada. This long-term, comprehensive partnership will not only support the extraordinary work of our journalists, but it will also help to accelerate our continued investment in technological innovation and improving the reader experience.”

“Our partnership will help enhance our effort to create original local journalistic content and strengthen our mission to give a voice to citizens of Montreal and Quebec City,” says Andrew Mule, president of Métro Média, which owns Journal Métro and local community publications in the Montréal area and in Quebec City. “The GNI training has been a source of inspiration for our teams.”

“An investment like this not only benefits us financially as a publisher to help us recruit talented journalists across the country but also widens our audience distribution by attracting readers that might not have considered Narcity as a daily local news source before,” says Chuck Lapointe, CEO of Narcity Media, one of the fastest-growing digital media publishers for millennials in North America.

"Google News Showcase will highlight our best local content and help put it in front of more people,” says Steve Bartlett, senior managing editor at SaltWire Network, an Atlantic Canadian-based media organization with more than 100 journalists.

“We’re excited to participate in this new project by Google to present fact-based, independent journalism to readers and connect them to trusted sources of news,” says Bob Cox, publisher of the Winnipeg Free Press, a leading news publisher in Western Canada. “It will be a substantial boost to our business, exposing our work to a wider audience and providing a more sustainable, long-term model for local news.”

“We are thrilled to now be working with the Google team as a part of News Showcase, a project we strongly believe will have a positive impact on the future of our local news ecosystem here in Canada,” says Jeff Elgie, CEO, Village Media, a fully-digital news service serving communities across Ontario.

Posted by Sabrina Geremia, VP and Contry Manager, Google Canada

Official Canada Blog