Richard Sutton passes Turing test, Doug Ford is done with Starlink, and #CDNtech on the moon

According to a survey of 195 founders by non-profit organization Startup Canada, 42 percent of entrepreneurs are requesting financial support, such as through grants, subsidies, or tax breaks, to help their businesses navigate tariffs. In his press conference Tuesday, Trudeau said that the government is exploring short-term support measures, but its priority is to get the tariffs lifted.

​Premier Doug Ford criticized Elon Musk for “attacking” Canada and Ontario, highlighting the irony that Musk attended Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Musk began his undergraduate studies at Queen’s University in 1990 before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania in 1992. ​

Musk has become an integral part of President Donald Trump’s White House, which has made his businesses a target in the trade war between Canada and the US.

Canadian AI leader Richard Sutton received the award often referred to as the “Nobel Prize of computing.” Sutton won the award, named after British mathematician Alan Turing, alongside his American colleague Andrew Barto for their work developing the foundations of reinforcement learning.

At the moment, SDTC is working to complete the transition of its programming to National Research Council Canada, following a third-party investigation commissioned by the Government of Canada uncovered evidence of conflict-of-interest and governance issues at SDTC. New applications under the National Research Council Canada program will open in fiscal 2025–2026.

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander carried all three Canadian technologies to the Moon this week. Speaking with The Canadian Press this week, NGA Aerospace CEO Jean de Lafontaine argued that reaching the Moon isn’t just for governments anymore, calling the mission this week “a democratization of the Moon.”

Manitoba Innovates aims to energize the province’s tech ecosystem and is the joint product of local accelerators Tech Manitoba and Manitoba Technology Accelerator (MTA). The new tech hub aims to streamline the missions of both organizations through three pillars: access to funding, networking opportunities, and mentorship.

Earlier this year, The51 closed its $51-million CAD food and AgTech fund and is now preparing to raise its third fund. Incoming managing partner Robinson, based in British Columbia, will help drive this expansion, while The51 looks to add GPs from Ontario, Québec, and Atlantic Canada to strengthen its national presence.

Microsoft is shutting down Skype on May 5, replacing the video calling service with a free version of Microsoft Teams. Acquired 14 years ago, Skype once had 300 million users at its 2016 peak but declined as platforms like WhatsApp and Slack gained traction.

London, UK-based neobank Revolut is reportedly actively recruiting for a CEO to lead the FinTech company’s reentry into the Canadian market.

Revolut launched a limited version of its offering in Canada in 2019, only to retreat in early 2021, claiming that it was not able to offer the full range of services the firm had hoped to in Canada.