B.C. economies 'less exposed' to potential U.S. tariffs: Canadian Chamber of Commerce

B.C. cities, in general, would be among the least vulnerable in Canada if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through on tariff threats, according to new data from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. 

That isn't to say that British Columbia wouldn't suffer: the chamber's chief economist, Stephen Tapp, says those tariffs would be recessionary for the whole country. 

"I don't think anybody's really fully insulated from Trump's tariff threats," he told CBC's Daybreak Kamloops guest host Doug Herbert. "But I think that the B.C. economies in our numbers come out a lot less exposed than some of the other places in the country."

The chamber's Business Data Lab looked at Statistics Canada information from 41 cities across Canada with populations of more than 100,000 people. This means the data is lacking when it comes to rural Canadians, who also have a vested interest in Canada's trade relationship with the United States. 

From there, they assess how much each city exports to the U.S. 

Kamloops, located 253 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, ranked 40th out of 41 cities and would be the second-most resilient in the event the U.S. does impose tariffs on Canadian goods, according to the chamber's calculations. Read more

Health Canada is again warning people to stop using unauthorized sexual enhancement products

Regulation would encourage AI innovation, uOttawa prof argues after Paris summit

Regulation of artificial intelligence would encourage — not stifle — innovation, says a University of Ottawa professor who presented at last week's global AI summit.

Florian Martin-Bariteau, who is also the university's chair of technology and society, flew across the Atlantic to address world leaders in Paris at a summit meant to set a global agenda for the rapidly developing technology.

Such international summits have been held annually since 2023 and bring together world leaders, researchers and AI companies.

"Not any kind of innovation is good for society," Martin-Bariteau said in an interview with CBC's Ottawa Morning.

"Regulation is not always bad. It can help provide a playbook for innovators, know what they can do, not do, and innovate in a safe environment."

Martin-Bariteau said he was hopeful the summit would allow leaders to develop concrete plans to handle AI, but instead faced a reality that was like "a cold shower."

Conversations at the summit were "light toward commitment" and "lacking big actions," he said. "A lot of people think regulation will stifle innovation."

That was certainly the tone set by U.S. Vice-President JD Vance, who told the summit "excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry just as it's taking off."

Despite the uphill battle, Martin-Bariteau said it's necessary for tech experts to keep pushing for regulation, as artificial intelligence is already being used to interfere in democracies around the world. Read more

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