Martin Patriquin

3 days ago | thelogic.co | Martin Patriquin

MONTREAL — A torrent of fraud on sites like Airbnb and a chronic housing crunch are the main reasons behind Montreal’s decision to impose among the strictest short-term rental laws in the world, according to city officials. A Montreal bylaw passed in March has made it illegal to list properties on platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo for less than 31 days.

1 week ago | thelogic.co | Martin Patriquin

David Do, who practices at Markham Stouffville Hospital, ran MrDeepFakes, which featured non-consensual and often violent deepfake videos of celebrities, politicians and social media influencers, among others, according to CBC News. The site, which paid video creators in cryptocurrency, has since been taken down. (CBC News)Talking point: With more than 650,000 users, the site logged more than two billion views since the site’s inception in 2018.

1 week ago | thelogic.co | Martin Patriquin

MONTREAL — There has never been a more opportune time to build a pipeline through Quebec. The province, long the place where pipeline projects have gone to die, has had a whiplash-like attitude adjustment. In February, Quebec Premier François Legault indicated he would likely greenlight the very natural gas project he scuppered in 2021. That same month, a poll indicated that as many as 61 per cent Quebecers were in favour of pipeline construction through the province.

2 weeks ago | thelogic.co | Martin Patriquin

The agreement gives the Quebec-based convenience store chain access to the 7-Eleven owner’s financial data, and allows for a standstill provision, which prevents Alimentacion Couche-Tard from making a hostile bid during negotiations. Couche-Tard said the discussions between the two companies won’t necessarily result in a transaction. (The Logic)

2 weeks ago | thelogic.co | Martin Patriquin |James Temperton

Scam ads masquerading as political news continue to flood Facebook with the Canadian federal election just days away. The ads, some of which have received thousands of comments and reactions, have become increasingly political and sensational, with many using fake news reports about bogus political scandals.