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Canada's New Grocery Benefit Starts July 3 — How Much Will You Get?

  If you've been receiving the GST/HST credit, something is changing on July 3, 2026 — and it's actually good news. The federal government is replacing the old credit with a new program called the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB) , and it comes with payments that are 25% larger. More than 12 million Canadians qualify. No application is required. Here's everything you need to know before the first payment lands. What Is the CGEB? The Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit is the federal government's replacement for the GST/HST credit, which has been around since 1991. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the new benefit on January 26, 2026, and it received Royal Assent on February 12 under Bill C-19. The legislation commits $11.7 billion in additional support to Canadians over six years — $3.1 billion immediately through the one-time June top-up, and $8.6 billion over five years through higher quarterly payments. The name change is deliberate — it signal...
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Global Technology Outage Causes Major Disruptions Worldwide

 


A widespread technology outage on July 19, 2024, has caused significant disruptions across various sectors globally. The outage, primarily affecting Microsoft services, grounded flights, knocked banks and hospital systems offline, and took media outlets off the air.

The issue, which was not a result of a cyberattack, stemmed from a faulty update deployed by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. This update affected computers running Microsoft Windows, leading to cascading problems in airline communications, banking systems, and media broadcasting.

Airlines in the U.S., Europe, and Asia experienced severe delays as they lost access to check-in and booking services. Banks in South Africa and New Zealand reported outages in their payment systems, while hospitals and doctor’s offices faced challenges with appointment systems. Media outlets in Australia were pushed off air for hours.

Microsoft has been working to reroute impacted traffic to alternate systems to alleviate the issue and has observed a positive trend in service availability. However, the disruptions have highlighted the global dependence on a few key technology providers and the potential vulnerabilities in such a centralized system.

This incident underscores the critical need for robust contingency plans and diversified technology solutions to mitigate the impact of such widespread outages in the future.


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