Be Giant
@be-giant
Reporting on the thinkers, builders and problem-solvers shaping Canada's future. Non-profit. Non-partisan. Sign up for our weekly newsletter: begiant.ca/newsletter
It’s the 150th anniversary of the first long-distance telephone call – and it happened between Brantford and Paris, Ont. Here’s Cathrin Bradbury’s interview with the CBC's Craig Norris on Alexander Graham Bell and that world-changing call: www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
Today is 150 years since Alexander Graham Bell received the first long-distance phone call between Brantford, Ont. and Paris, Ont. But did you know the inventor was motivated by love? www.begiant.ca/stories/peop...
#Breaking: @utoronto.ca math professor Jacob Tsimerman is one of the winners of the 2026 Fields Medal – often called the Nobel Prize of mathematics. He's also very handy with an escape room. Read our longread profile: www.begiant.ca/stories/peop...
Did you know there is a Nobel Prize… for math? Tomorrow, U of T mathematician Jacob Tsimerman might become the first recipient of the Fields Medal to call Canada home. Learn more about the research that’s made him a frontrunner: www.begiant.ca/stories/peop...
From stormwater facilities and public pools to power stations and bus garages, Pat Hanson is beautifying Canada’s civic infrastructure one building at a time: www.begiant.ca/stories/peop...
How did Ronnen Harary create one of the biggest toy companies in the world with no experience? Read his advice to young entrepreneurs: www.begiant.ca/stories/peop...
Yes, some ticks can cause a red meat allergy. The condition is called alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), and reactions can be as mild as diarrhea or serious as anaphylactic shock. Read more about the rising tick population in Canada: www.begiant.ca/stories/peop...
Reports of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses are skyrocketing: in 2010, there were 143 recorded cases of Lyme disease in Canada; in 2025, there were 7,105. So why are the numbers of ticks increasing? www.begiant.ca/stories/peop...
“Enshittification” author @doctorow.pluralistic.net explains the title of his new book: “The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI: How to Think About Artificial Intelligence – Before It's Too Late.” Read more: www.begiant.ca/stories/peop...
Bears, cougars and deer used to roam freely up and down the Rockies. Then highways on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border severed their paths and brought new dangers to the animals' migration routes. The @y2y.bsky.social is focused on fixing the problem. www.begiant.ca/stories/idea...
Under a highway near Pincher Creek, Alta., invisible to drivers, is another kind of infrastructure. The Rock Creek underpass is unsigned–but for deer, elk, and grizzlies it's a critical gateway. It's helping animals cross–and saving lives @evaholland.bsky.social: www.begiant.ca/stories/idea...
Ever wondered why soccer players sometimes throw the ball in backward toward their own net? Turns out it's statistically smart. @sfu.ca professor Tim Swartz found that long or backward throw-ins improve possession – and lead to more shots on goal. www.begiant.ca/stories/peop...
29-year-old Canadian entrepreneur Swish Goswami has co-founded two companies (Dunk, Surf) and written a book. Now he's onto BrokerPlus, serving the "unsexy" world of mortgage brokers, plus angel investing. "Nowadays, it's a lot more around focus." www.begiant.ca/stories/peop...
We brought a vintage Polaroid to the RBC-Eurasia Group Canada-U.S. Summit and asked premiers, ministers, CEOs, and a post-lunar astronaut one question: what does Canada need to do right now? www.begiant.ca/stories/idea...
The Be Giant team is on site as a media partner at the @eurasiagroup.net and RBC 2026 US-Canada summit in Toronto today – and we’ve brought our Polaroid camera (!) as we work on coverage of the summit. #USCanadaSummit
A coin flip sent Tim Adams to journalism school, then to CBC Radio in Edmonton. In 2006, a story on school nutrition turned into something bigger: Free Footie, an after-school soccer program. It's now Free Play for Kids – thousands of kids, many sports: www.begiant.ca/stories/peop...
A tiny Canadian bird tracker is unlocking the mysteries of migration, following birds as they fly across countries and continents. @brianbanks.bsky.social on how @birdscanada.bsky.social's Motus is used around the world to help decode a worrying trend in bird numbers www.begiant.ca/stories/idea...
One of the strongest themes to emerge from Be Giant’s recent Upstart Index, which polled 3,000 aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs? The country’s youngest founders have a sunnier outlook than other generations about building in Canada: www.begiant.ca/stories/peop...
To the left is a regular Montreal bus shelter on a hot day. On the right? One with a green roof. It’s nearly 3 degrees cooler. Here’s @novakovicto.bsky.social on how rooftop greenery is giving commuters natural insulation 🚌 www.begiant.ca/stories/idea... CC @etsmtl.bsky.social
Be Giant's inaugural Upstart Index is based on an exclusive @ipsosgroup.bsky.social poll of 3,000+ Canadian entrepreneurs. The result: strong ambition – running headfirst into serious headwinds. It scored 🇨🇦 at 50.4/100, or "squarely in the middle" for entrepreneurs: www.begiant.ca/stories/peop...
Just 46 per cent of respondents said federal policies and regulations are well aligned with the needs of entrepreneurs, and only 48 per cent said the same of provincial policies. (4/4) Read the full story: www.begiant.ca/stories/peop...
Regional differences: • Atlantic Canada was a bright spot, with one of the strongest agreements to the statement “Now is a good time to grow a business in Canada”: 62% • 71% of B.C. respondents said the cost of living makes entrepreneurship difficult, as did 69% in Ontario (3/4)
A gender gap: • 50% of male entrepreneurs said they had access to investors or funding networks, but only 41% of women entrepreneurs said the same. • 41% of men said they had participated in incubator or accelerator programs, compared with 33% of women (2/4)
Our exclusive new national poll asked more than 3K aspiring/early entrepreneurs about the realities of starting/scaling a business in Canada. Here are standout findings.👇 Younger founders are more likely to see 🇨🇦 as globally competitive (1/4 ) www.begiant.ca/stories/peop...