TED talks returned to Vancouver after a three-year absence to inspire nearly 1,800 attendees with speakers aiming to solve the world’s most pressing problems — and included billionaires who launched ambitious schemes in their own right.
Elon Musk, the entrepreneur, investor, business magnate behind Tesla and Space X, and the richest person in the world, closed the event on Thursday with an extended sit-down question and answer session with TED head Chris Anderson.
It was streamed live for free, and covered wide-ranging topics such as Musk’s search for truth, his unhappy childhood where he faced ridicule for having Asperger’s Syndrome and his love for the Douglas Adams book TheHitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
His appearance came just hours after he announced plans for a hostile takeover of Twitter.
“I think it’s very important for there to be an inclusive arena for free speech,” said Musk, explaining his bid to buy the social media company. “Twitter has kind of become the de facto town square.”
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Musk took several questions from Anderson about concerns over free speech on Twitter and especially about people who use the platform to incite hate.
“I’m not saying I have all the answers here, but I think we should be reluctant to delete tweets,” Musk said. “It won’t be perfect … but should be as free as reasonably possible.”
The sit-down was preceded by a recorded interview between the pair from a Tesla manufacturing site, where Musk revealed that Tesla aims to have the artificial intelligence needed to safely drive all its electric cars available within the next year.
He also described his company’s work over the next two years to create humanoid robots, which, for the price of a car, could be used for domestic functions in homes and meet labour shortages.
“We should be optimistic about the future and we should fight for that future,” said Musk at the conclusion of his chat with Anderson.
The return of TED
The TED 2022 conference is the first time the event has been back in-person at Vancouver’s Convention Centre since 2019 due to the global pandemic.
It featured more than 100 speakers who delivered short speeches about forward-thinking ideas, technologies, art and design.
The conference had the theme of “A New Era” and sought to outline ways needed to deal with the current pandemic, climate change and violent conflicts such as the war in Ukraine.
At the start of the five-day conference, Anderson, the head of the non-profit organization, said being able to return in person, with speakers presenting in real time in front of a live audience, is one of the elements that give the inspiring talks their power.
“We have missed that, we’ve missed that terribly,” he said about having to take TED online for most of 2020 and 2021.
On Thursday, as the last speakers took the stage, Anderson seemed genuinely in awe of how the event went off — including last-minute changes and additions such as the Musk sit-down — calling it the “most epic, or most chaotic, TED in history.”
This week, I got to do what every nerd dreams of – talk about ideas and learn from others doing big things. I believe that with good ideas and collaboration, we can make COVID the last pandemic. <br> <br>Plus, it’s not every day you can say thanks for coming to my TED Talk. <a href=”https://t.co/1qAx64z334″>pic.twitter.com/1qAx64z334</a>
Throughout the week, protesters arrived at times outside the Vancouver Convention Centre, blaring music and waving Canadian flags.
The opposition seemed mostly directed at Bill Gates, the billionaire philanthropist who has been a proponent of vaccinations to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his talk on Tuesday, in which he unveiled his idea for a billion-dollar-a-year pandemic prevention team, Gates addressed the protests, calling them, “kind of weird.”
He said his foundation’s work to support vaccines has saved lives around the globe.
“So, it’s somewhat ironic to have somebody turn around and say, ‘No, we’re using vaccines to kill people, or to make money.'”
Speakers covered a great range of topics from how to build livable colonies on Mars, exist in video-game metaverses, and develop synthetic biology to make disease-resistant organisms to the importance of meditation and finding ways to connect to nature, be inspired by it and thus more motivated to protect it.
TED 2022 began with a rousing talk by democracy activist and former chess world champion Garry Kasparov, who spoke out passionately about the war in Ukraine and the challenges facing the world as it struggles to deal with the fallout of Russia’s invasion of the country.
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The event solicited donations from attendees — who pay between $5,000 and $250,000 to be there — and raised more than $2 million for Ukraine, which TED said it would find ways to distribute to support the embattled country.
TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. says it has signed a deal that will result in the creation of its first eyewear collection.
The deal announced on Thursday by the Toronto-based luxury apparel company comes in the form of an exclusive, long-term global licensing agreement with Marchon Eyewear Inc.
The terms and value of the agreement were not disclosed, but Marchon produces eyewear for brands including Lacoste, Nike, Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Longchamp and Zeiss.
Marchon plans to roll out both sunglasses and optical wear under the Canada Goose name next spring, starting in North America.
Canada Goose says the eyewear will be sold through optical retailers, department stores, Canada Goose shops and its website.
Canada Goose CEO Dani Reiss told The Canadian Press in August that he envisioned his company eventually expanding into eyewear and luggage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Almost seven years since news broke of an alleged conspiracy to fix the price of packaged bread across Canada, the saga isn’t over: the Competition Bureau continues to investigate the companies that may have been involved, and two class-action lawsuits continue to work their way through the courts.
Here’s a timeline of key events in the bread price-fixing case.
Oct. 31, 2017: The Competition Bureau says it’s investigating allegations of bread price-fixing and that it was granted search warrants in the case. Several grocers confirm they are co-operating in the probe.
Dec. 19, 2017: Loblaw and George Weston say they participated in an “industry-wide price-fixing arrangement” to raise the price of packaged bread. The companies say they have been co-operating in the Competition Bureau’s investigation since March 2015, when they self-reported to the bureau upon discovering anti-competitive behaviour, and are receiving immunity from prosecution. They announce they are offering $25 gift cards to customers amid the ongoing investigation into alleged bread price-fixing.
Jan. 31, 2018: In court documents, the Competition Bureau says at least $1.50 was added to the price of a loaf of bread between about 2001 and 2016.
Dec. 20, 2019: A class-action lawsuit in a Quebec court against multiple grocers and food companies is certified against a number of companies allegedly involved in bread price-fixing, including Loblaw, George Weston, Metro, Sobeys, Walmart Canada, Canada Bread and Giant Tiger (which have all denied involvement, except for Loblaw and George Weston, which later settled with the plaintiffs).
Dec. 31, 2021: A class-action lawsuit in an Ontario court covering all Canadian residents except those in Quebec who bought packaged bread from a company named in the suit is certified against roughly the same group of companies.
June 21, 2023: Bakery giant Canada Bread Co. is fined $50 million after pleading guilty to four counts of price-fixing under the Competition Act as part of the Competition Bureau’s ongoing investigation.
Oct. 25 2023: Canada Bread files a statement of defence in the Ontario class action denying participating in the alleged conspiracy and saying any anti-competitive behaviour it participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods, which is not a defendant in the case (neither is its current owner Grupo Bimbo). Maple Leaf calls Canada Bread’s accusations “baseless.”
Dec. 20, 2023: Metro files new documents in the Ontario class action accusing Loblaw and its parent company George Weston of conspiring to implicate it in the alleged scheme, denying involvement. Sobeys has made a similar claim. The two companies deny the allegations.
July 25, 2024: Loblaw and George Weston say they agreed to pay a combined $500 million to settle both the Ontario and Quebec class-action lawsuits. Loblaw’s share of the settlement includes a $96-million credit for the gift cards it gave out years earlier.
Sept. 12, 2024: Canada Bread files new documents in Ontario court as part of the class action, claiming Maple Leaf used it as a “shield” to avoid liability in the alleged scheme. Maple Leaf was a majority shareholder of Canada Bread until 2014, and the company claims it’s liable for any price-fixing activity. Maple Leaf refutes the claims.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:L, TSX:MFI, TSX:MRU, TSX:EMP.A, TSX:WN)
TORONTO – TD Bank Group, which is mired in a money laundering scandal in the U.S., says chief executive Bharat Masrani will retire next year.
Masrani, who will retire officially on April 10, 2025, says the bank’s, “anti-money laundering challenges,” took place on his watch and he takes full responsibility.
The bank named Raymond Chun, TD’s group head, Canadian personal banking, as his successor.
As part of a transition plan, Chun will become chief operating officer on Nov. 1 before taking over the top job when Masrani steps down at the bank’s annual meeting next year.
TD also announced that Riaz Ahmed, group head, wholesale banking and president and CEO of TD Securities, will retire at the end of January 2025.
TD has taken billions in charges related to ongoing U.S. investigations into the failure of its anti-money laundering program.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
