Author Archives: Sabrina Geremia

Google News Showcase is launching in Canada

The need for reliable and credible journalism in Canada is greater today than perhaps it has ever been. Our mission here when it comes to news is simple: support Canadian journalism of all sizes.

Over the past 20 years, we have been working with the news industry and news publishers around the world to build a better future for news. We are committed to playing a role alongside other companies, governments and civil society groups in aiding the digital transformation of newsrooms and supporting quality journalism and reporting we all count on. As part of that commitment, today we’re announcing that we’re rolling out Google News Showcase, our new product experience and licensing program for news, across Canada in French and English.

We’re also announcing three new partnerships with Les coops de l’Information, Le Devoir and Torstar, who join Black Press Media, Glacier Media, The Globe and Mail, Métro Média, Narcity Media, Saltwire Network, Village Media and Winnipeg Free Press as partners with Google News Showcase. Together, these partnerships include over 100 publications across the country in both official languages.

An image showing the logos of some of our News Showcase partners in Canada including  Les coops de l’Information, Le Devoir and Torstar, Black Press Media, Glacier Media, The Globe and Mail, Métro Média, Narcity Media, Saltwire Network, Village Media and Winnipeg Free Press

Logos of our News Showcase partners in Canada

These deals represent support for journalism of all sizes, from the Toronto Star, which reaches millions of Canadians each month, to more regional outlets like Le Soleil or the Peterborough Examiner. Over 90% of News Showcase participants globally are local or regional publications.

Driven by our recent $1 billion global investment, News Showcase supports news publishers that are invested in comprehensive current events journalism in the public interest by giving them a new way to curate their high-quality content on Google News and Discover — and all clicks on the articles go directly to the publisher’s website. Through News Showcase, these publishers can help connect their readers with the news that matters to them.

As part of our licensing deals with publishers, we're also launching the ability for readers to access select paywalled content. This feature will give people the opportunity to read more of a publisher’s content than they would otherwise have access to, while enabling publishers to incentivize more readers to become subscribers.

A GIF showing some how some of our News Showcase partners in Canada will look

An example of how News Showcase panels will look with some of our partners in Canada

This launch builds on News Showcase deals signed with nearly 1,000 news publications in more than a dozen countries, including India, Japan, Germany, Brazil, France, the U.K., Australia, Czechia, Italy, Austria, Ireland, Colombia and Argentina.

“Quality, fact-checked journalism is a vital way to connect and inform people, and a crucial tool against misinformation. News Showcase will bring more of our award-winning local and national reporting to Canadians, and the world,” says Jordan Bitove, Toronto Star publisher and Torstar co-owner. “It’s an investment into the future of our newsrooms, our top-quality journalism and the future of news.”

“Google News Showcase offers us new opportunities to bring the quality local journalism we produce to more readers,” says Stéphane Lavallée, Managing Director of Les Coops de l'information. “Enabling more audiences to connect with content from our six publications is an essential step in our ongoing digital growth. Ultimately, this new partnership with Google will help us produce even more relevant and useful content to the benefit of our communities.”

An image showing examples of how different News Showcase panels, including a bulleted list, timeline and rundown, will look for some of our partners in Canada

An example how different News Showcase panels look with some of our partners in Canada.

“Le Devoir is a proud partner of Google News Showcase. Today’s announcement marks a new era in our relationship. It is based on trust and a mutual understanding of our shared responsibility to strengthen the digital media landscape,” says Brian Myles, editor Le Devoir. “Google’s assistance and tools are critical in Le Devoir’s strategy to build a digital audience. We rely mainly on digital subscriptions and our business model is sustainable. In this regard, Google News Showcase fits perfectly with our current efforts to build a larger community of readers. This partnership will bring us a step forward in our digital transformation, while delivering our trusted and fact-based brand of independent journalism to a wider audience.”

News Showcase is just one of the ways we are supporting the news industry in Canada. Through our Google News Initiative, we also provide tools and training to help journalism in Canada thrive in the digital age. In June, we announced that we’re increasing our investments across a number of areas.

Over the next three years we’ll train 5,000 Canadian journalists and journalism students on strengthening digital skills in newsrooms –in addition to the 1,000 journalists we’ve already trained to date.

We are expanding our business-oriented workshops for small and mid-sized news organizations on topics including audience development, reader revenue and advertising revenue. The 10 sessions will be delivered in French and English and will use our Digital Growth Program resources and our award winning News Consumer Insights tools.

We have also just launched our first Google News Initiative Startups Boot Camp Canada in partnership with LION Publishers, an eight-week program that supports a group of aspiring, independent journalism entrepreneurs who are launching sustainable news products. Applications are now open until November 14.

All these efforts represent a collaborative effort between Google and publishers in Canada to contribute to quality journalism in this country. We’re here to support Canadian newsrooms, big and small, so that news can thrive in Canada for years to come.

We’re expanding our support of news in Canada

Access to trustworthy information is important to all of us, and it’s vital for society to continue supporting the reporters who work tirelessly to deliver us news. That’s why today we are announcing new investments to continue our support of Canadian newsrooms and journalists across the country. 

Support for Canadian journalism through News Showcase

We have signed agreements with a number of Canadian publishers for Google News Showcase, a product and licensing program that provides a space for newsrooms to curate their content for readers across Google News and Discover. These deals will help support Canadian newsrooms that provide comprehensive general-interest news to the communities they serve. This long-term investment will support news organizations in producing, distributing and explaining essential information to readers. The first Canadian partners for News Showcase are Black Press Media, Glacier Media, The Globe and Mail, Métro Média, Narcity Media, SaltWire Network, Village Media and Winnipeg Free Press.

Together, these eight publishers represent national, regional and local news that touches communities in both official languages from coast-to-coast-to-coast in Canada. Today’s announcement builds on News Showcase deals signed by nearly 800 news publications around the world. More than 90% of these publications represent local or regional news. 

This image shows the logos of Google’s current partners for News Showcase in Canada: Black Press Media, Glacier Media, The Globe and Mail, Métro Média, Narcity Media, SaltWire Network, Village Media and Winnipeg Free Press

 Logos of our current News Showcase news partners in Canada

As part of our licensing deals, we’re also paying news organizations for access to select paywalled content, giving Canadians access to a wide range of news content. We work closely with news outlets to determine the right amount of content to share to help drive subscriptions as users experience the benefits of subscribing to authoritative news outlets.

There will be more partnerships to come as we continue to engage in active negotiations with publishers across Canada. We look forward to launching News Showcase here soon. 

What publishers are saying about News Showcase


Expanded support through Google News Initiative 

News Showcase is just one part of our longstanding, overall commitment to the Canadian news industry. Today we are also announcing additional investments through our Google News Initiative, a global effort to help journalism thrive in the digital age: 

Training journalists in digital skills:Over the next three years we’ll train 5,000 Canadian journalists and journalism students on strengthening digital skills in newsrooms – a five-times increase from the 1,000 journalists we’ve already trained to date. 

Supporting business sustainability: We’ll expand our business-oriented workshops for small and mid-sized news organizations on topics including audience development, reader revenue and advertising revenue. The 10 sessions will be delivered in French and English and build upon our award winning News Consumer Insights tools.

We are introducing our first custom designed GNI Startups Boot Camp dedicated exclusively to aspiring Canadian news entrepreneurs starting a business or non-profit journalism project in Canada.  Applications open in the fall. 

Promoting news innovation: We are announcing our third North American Google News Initiative Innovation Challenge to fund selected projects focused on helping local publishers think about new ways to understand, enhance and serve the needs of their communities. Applications are now open

“When the Halifax Examiner joined GNI Startup Labs, I was cautiously optimistic that it would be of value. But the actual experience has been beyond anything I could have dreamed of,” says Tim Bousquet, editor and publisher of the Halifax Examiner. “Thanks to speaking with other media operators struggling to make sense of our industry, and especially thanks to working hand-in-hand with a coach who walked us through our challenges, the Examiner now has a deeper and more fruitful understanding of our business model, the approach to revenue, and how to prepare for the future and grow.”

These new and expanded programs build on our long-term support for Canadian news organizations of all sizes. In 2019 alone, Google sent five billion clicks to Canadian news sites, for free (an estimated half billion dollars in value, according to Deloitte). During the COVID-19 pandemic, our Journalism Emergency Relief Fund directly supported more than 200 different newsrooms across Canada to keep journalists working and Canadians informed. 

Today's news represents a shared goal that Google and news publishers in Canada are focused on – long-term success for journalism in Canada. That’s why Google is committed to playing a constructive role alongside publishers to enable a sustainable future for news that Canadians can depend on for years to come. 

We’re expanding our support of news in Canada

Access to trustworthy information is important to all of us, and it’s vital for society to continue supporting the reporters who work tirelessly to deliver us news. That’s why today we are announcing new investments to continue our support of Canadian newsrooms and journalists across the country. 

Support for Canadian journalism through News Showcase

We have signed agreements with a number of Canadian publishers for Google News Showcase, a product and licensing program that provides a space for newsrooms to curate their content for readers across Google News and Discover. These deals will help support Canadian newsrooms that provide comprehensive general-interest news to the communities they serve. This long-term investment will support news organizations in producing, distributing and explaining essential information to readers. The first Canadian partners for News Showcase are Black Press Media, Glacier Media, The Globe and Mail, Métro Média, Narcity Media, SaltWire Network, Village Media and Winnipeg Free Press.

Together, these eight publishers represent national, regional and local news that touches communities in both official languages from coast-to-coast-to-coast in Canada. Today’s announcement builds on News Showcase deals signed by nearly 800 news publications around the world. More than 90% of these publications represent local or regional news. 

This image shows the logos of Google’s current partners for News Showcase in Canada: Black Press Media, Glacier Media, The Globe and Mail, Métro Média, Narcity Media, SaltWire Network, Village Media and Winnipeg Free Press

 Logos of our current News Showcase news partners in Canada

As part of our licensing deals, we’re also paying news organizations for access to select paywalled content, giving Canadians access to a wide range of news content. We work closely with news outlets to determine the right amount of content to share to help drive subscriptions as users experience the benefits of subscribing to authoritative news outlets.

There will be more partnerships to come as we continue to engage in active negotiations with publishers across Canada. We look forward to launching News Showcase here soon. 

What publishers are saying about News Showcase


Expanded support through Google News Initiative 

News Showcase is just one part of our longstanding, overall commitment to the Canadian news industry. Today we are also announcing additional investments through our Google News Initiative, a global effort to help journalism thrive in the digital age: 

Training journalists in digital skills:Over the next three years we’ll train 5,000 Canadian journalists and journalism students on strengthening digital skills in newsrooms – a five-times increase from the 1,000 journalists we’ve already trained to date. 

Supporting business sustainability: We’ll expand our business-oriented workshops for small and mid-sized news organizations on topics including audience development, reader revenue and advertising revenue. The 10 sessions will be delivered in French and English and build upon our award winning News Consumer Insights tools.

We are introducing our first custom designed GNI Startups Boot Camp dedicated exclusively to aspiring Canadian news entrepreneurs starting a business or non-profit journalism project in Canada.  Applications open in the fall. 

Promoting news innovation: We are announcing our third North American Google News Initiative Innovation Challenge to fund selected projects focused on helping local publishers think about new ways to understand, enhance and serve the needs of their communities. Applications are now open

“When the Halifax Examiner joined GNI Startup Labs, I was cautiously optimistic that it would be of value. But the actual experience has been beyond anything I could have dreamed of,” says Tim Bousquet, editor and publisher of the Halifax Examiner. “Thanks to speaking with other media operators struggling to make sense of our industry, and especially thanks to working hand-in-hand with a coach who walked us through our challenges, the Examiner now has a deeper and more fruitful understanding of our business model, the approach to revenue, and how to prepare for the future and grow.”

These new and expanded programs build on our long-term support for Canadian news organizations of all sizes. In 2019 alone, Google sent five billion clicks to Canadian news sites, for free (an estimated half billion dollars in value, according to Deloitte). During the COVID-19 pandemic, our Journalism Emergency Relief Fund directly supported more than 200 different newsrooms across Canada to keep journalists working and Canadians informed. 

Today's news represents a shared goal that Google and news publishers in Canada are focused on – long-term success for journalism in Canada. That’s why Google is committed to playing a constructive role alongside publishers to enable a sustainable future for news that Canadians can depend on for years to come. 

Digital tools and skills bring economic recovery in Canada

When 2020 began, like so many others, I saw the opportunity for technology to help businesses grow, positively impact Canadians and address economic challenges. But I could have never imagined how the year would unfold and the profound impact digital technology would have on our daily lives.


Eight months into the pandemic, I made a purchase from 22 & Lou, where owner Laura Freel makes jams and marmalades out of her home kitchen in Toronto. Laura’s preserves had been flying off local market shelves, but with sudden store closures, she quickly realized that to keep her business alive, she’d have to start selling online. With no previous experience, she signed up for Digital Main Street’s ShopHERE powered by Google program, was paired with a Canadian student to build her website, and in a matter of weeks, her business was back up and running.


Laura’s is just one of the many stories of resilience I’ve heard from business owners across the country. And it’s a story we’re proud to be a part of. Today I’m sharing an update on how our teams worked alongside Canadian businesses and local organizations to support our country’s economic recovery. 

Statistics about digital skills in Canada

Helping Canadian businesses bounce back

We knew it was critical to get small businesses online quickly. That’s why in May, we invested $1 million to expand the ShopHERE program, and made a pledge to get 50,000 Canadian small businesses online. The program is currently operating in nearly 450 municipalities, and will continue to expand across the country, helping businesses like 22 & Lou start selling online. 


More than 1.5 million Canadians have visited our Small Business Hub, which provides the tools needed to get online, connect with customers and build digital skills. We made it free for Canadian retailers to list their products on the Google Shopping tab. And to help businesses keep up with the demand for e-commerce, we delivered Google Ads training through Skillshop and Google Academy, and worked with partners like the Retail Council of Canada, Export Development Canada, Startup Canada and Business Development Bank of Canada to deliver free virtual training to over 20,000 Canadian entrepreneurs.

Giving back to local communities 

But it’s not just about businesses, we are just as committed to helping the communities in which we live and work. As part of our COVID-19 local response, our Canadian sites donated over $800,000 in Community Grants through our philanthropic arm, Google.org. The organizations that received grants, such as Region Ready, Toronto Public Library Foundation, Kids Code Jeunesse and the Ottawa Food Bank, address critical areas of need, like food insecurity, connectivity, education and PPE for frontline health workers. Through the gift match program Google offers employees annually, Canadian Googlers have raised $1.6 million for organizations in their communities and around the world.

Digital skills training for the future of work

We need to better align the skills of the Canadian workforce with the jobs of the future. This year we transformed our free Grow with Google training to virtual formats and have trained more than 80,000 Canadians on digital skills. With school closures, we trained more than 10,000 Canadian teachers in G Suite for Education, to help them adapt to teaching from home. We also funded community organizations that do critical work to boost digital skills. Google.org announced  a $2.5 million grant for NPower Canada, to go toward IT training for 1,700 young adults from underrepresented groups. The first cohort graduated in September, and over half of the graduates have already secured employment just three months post-training. Last week, Google.org announced a $250,000 grant to ComIT, to provide free IT training to 450 Indigenous learners across Canada.

Supporting tech in Canada

We’ll continue our expansion plans to build new offices in Toronto, Montreal and Waterloo. To strengthen our support for the broader tech ecosystem, we launched two accelerators for Canadian startups. Collectively, the Google for Startups Accelerator Canada and Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders have enrolled 14 Canadian startups. We’ve also renewed our commitment to Canada’s AI ecosystem with an additional $3.5+ million grant to Mila, the world’s largest deep learning research institute based in Québec.  

In a year that has brought about many changes for us all, the pandemic is one thing we all have in common. And collaboration has been our strongest resource. As we all move increasingly online to find products and services, digitization is clearly the next driver of sustained growth for our country.  But we can’t do it alone. We’ll continue to work alongside businesses, local organizations and nonprofits into 2021 and beyond.