Business
Gasoline prices up from a year ago as drivers head into holiday weekend
Canadians planning to hit the road for the last long weekend of summer can expect to pay more for gasoline than they did last Labour Day. Taps are photographed at a gas station in Frankfurt, Germany, on Oct. 5, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Michael Probst
By Amanda Stephenson in Calgary
As crude oil prices hit a twelve-month high on Friday, Canadians planning to hit the road for the last long weekend of summer will pay more for gasoline than they did last Labour Day.
The national average gasoline price as of Friday was $1.67 cents per litre, according to fuel price tracking website GasBuddy.com. That compares with $1.37 cents per litre on Sept. 1, 2022.
Gasoline prices began to rise in July and August of this year, in part due to crude oil production cuts by Saudi Arabia and Russia. Crude oil prices continued their rise this week, due to dwindling crude inventories in the U.S. as well as projections that Saudi Arabia will extend its supply cuts into October.
On Friday, the benchmark crude price West Texas Intermediate hit a 12-month high, trading above US$85 per barrel compared to about US$75 per barrel one year ago.
Vijay Muralidharan, energy analyst and managing director with R Cube Consulting Inc., said driving demand through the summer months has been strong and North American refineries are dealing with a tight supply situation.
Still, he said consumers are likely to find some relief at the pumps into the fall and winter, as the impact of interest rate hikes by central bankers increasingly takes effect and global economies begin to cool, reducing demand for crude.
“I think there will be an economic slowdown in the in the near-term horizon,” Muralidharan said.
“Early next year I think you will see some breathing room, a demand pullback. It’s going to come, it’s inevitable.”
However, Muralidharan said in the meantime refinery stocks are so tight that any kind of unexpected outage or issue could cause a jump in prices.
“Even if it’s a 100,000 barrel or 200,000 barrel refinery, any kind of upset is going to cause price spikes,” he said.
According to GasBuddy.com, the most expensive gasoline this week can be found in B.C. and Newfoundland, while drivers in Alberta enjoy the cheapest fuel prices.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2023.
Artificial Intelligence
Canadian Court Upholds Ban on Clearview AI’s Unconsented Facial Data Collection
Clearview AI is said to subjecting billions of people to this, without consent. From there, the implications for privacy, free speech, and even data security are evident.
Facial recognition company Clearview AI has suffered a legal setback in Canada, where the Supreme Court of British Columbia decided to throw out the company’s petition aimed at cancelling an Information and Privacy Commissioner’s order.
The order aims to prevent Clearview AI from collecting facial biometric data for biometric comparison in the province without the targeted individuals’ consent.
We obtained a copy of the order for you here.
The controversial company markets itself as “an investigative platform” that helps law enforcement identify suspects, witnesses, and victims.
Privacy advocates critical of Clearview AI’s activities, however, see it as a major component in the burgeoning facial surveillance industry, stressing in particular the need to obtain consent – via opt-ins – before people’s facial biometrics can be collected.
And Clearview AI is said to subjecting billions of people to this, without consent. From there, the implications for privacy, free speech, and even data security are evident.
The British Columbia Commissioner appears to have been thinking along the same lines when issuing the order, that bans Clearview from selling biometric facial arrays taken from non-consenting individuals to its clients.
In addition, the order instructs Clearview to “make best efforts” to stop the practice in place so far, which includes collection, use, and disclosure of personal data – but also delete this type of information already in the company’s possession.
Right now, there is no time limit to how long Clearview can retain the data, which it collects from the internet using an automated “image crawler.”
Clearview moved to try to get the order dismissed as “unreasonable,” arguing that on the one hand, it is unable to tell if an image of a persons face is that of a Canadian, while also claiming that no Canadian law is broken since this biometric information is available online publicly.
The legal battle, however, revealed that images of faces of residents of British Columbia, children included, are among Clearview’s database of more than three billion photos (of Canadians) – while the total figure is over 50 billion.
The court also finds the Commissioner’s order to be very reasonable indeed – including when rejecting “Clearview’s bald assertion” that, in British Columbia, “it simply could not do” what it does in the US state of Illinois, to comply with the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).
If you’re tired of censorship and surveillance, subscribe to Reclaim The Net.
By Cindy Harper
President Trump’s intervention signals a lifeline for TikTok amid escalating tensions over its future in the US.
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Barely half a day after TikTok went offline across the United States, the widely popular video-sharing platform is beginning to come back online. This swift reversal follows a statement from TikTok announcing its efforts to restore service, facilitated by new assurances from the Trump administration.
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“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” the company confirmed. “We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive.”
TikTok’s abrupt shutdown came as a law targeting its operations in the US was set to take effect. The legislation, passed under President Joe Biden’s administration, required TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app or face a nationwide ban. It also prohibited American companies from offering services essential to the app’s distribution or maintenance. As uncertainty loomed, TikTok ceased functioning late Saturday night and disappeared from the Apple and Google Play app stores. In a dramatic turn of events, President-elect Donald Trump addressed the issue Sunday morning, promising executive action to delay the ban. He stated his intention to ensure TikTok’s return and suggested the importance of the app being operational for Americans to enjoy his Inauguration Day celebrations. “Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday,” Trump wrote, adding that his executive order would confirm no legal repercussions for companies that facilitated TikTok’s operations before his intervention. |
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These reassurances appeared to be sufficient for TikTok and its partners, as users began regaining access to the app shortly after the announcement. While some devices experienced restored functionality, TikTok’s absence from major app stores persisted as of early Sunday afternoon.
Trump also floated an idea for a resolution to the app’s future in the United States, suggesting a joint venture that would grant the US a 50% ownership stake. TikTok has expressed willingness to collaborate, stating it is committed to working with the Trump administration on a long-term solution to ensure the app’s continued presence in the country. In an NBC interview, Trump confirmed he is considering granting TikTok a 90-day extension to comply with the divestment requirement, a decision he plans to announce imminently. “The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done because it’s appropriate,” Trump remarked. “It’s a very big situation.” As political wrangling continues, TikTok remains at the center of a contentious debate over free speech, economic interests, and national security. |
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