Editor’s note

We were driving back from having a shawarma the other night, my youngest daughter and I, when the question landed like a gut punch. “Mum,” she asked, “do you think the world is kind of hopeless right now?”

She is 19. She is an avid reader of news. In a world she knows to be aflame, she worries that even the most modest of homes will remain out of reach, that AI will sap her science degree of meaning, that a belligerent neighbour to the south is knocking, and that environmental damage may already be beyond repair.

All day, every day, we read stories that provoke anger, fear and hopelessness, stories rewarded by algorithms. But those are far from the only stories worth telling. So when the silence in the car settled back in, I said: “I think I have something I’d like you to read.”

Today we launch Be Giant, Canada’s newest media outlet, and one with a deliberate sense of optimism. Backed by the Weston family, we have purpose-built this new non-profit, non-partisan organization to explore the breakthroughs and innovations answering Canada’s greatest challenges, as well as the people relentlessly driving those ideas forward. Our core idea is that the knowledge of what is already being accomplished in Canada can inspire greater confidence to face down our existential challenges.

We believe there is an urgent need to tell these stories.

Our first batch reflects ambitious ideas underway across the country, including a leading Ontario scientist growing hearts on a chip; a Yukon company working to reduce 911 wait times; Newfoundland doctors “teleporting” medical equipment; and the science behind a proposed carbon capture project in Alberta, potentially the largest the world has ever seen.

Be Giant will lean into solutions-based reportage, ensuring that when we identify a problem, we also tell you about someone trying to solve it. While our focus is to highlight solutions, bold thinking and inspiring work, we will not shy away from valid criticism of new ideas. Our stories will address questions that include how, why and what if – fundamental questions that too often fall victim to the pace of modern news cycles.

We are working with some of the best journalists in Canada to bring this approach to life. Be Giant operates with editorial independence and is bound by the highest journalistic principles (for more details, read our editorial standards statement). We’re starting off with compelling long-form features, interviews and storytelling across social platforms, paying particular attention to ideas that strengthen Canada’s economy, enrich communities and benefit Canadians.

We have created Be Giant to be shared and accessed freely; we don’t accept advertising and our journalism is not paywalled. We’ll grow as we go, forming partnerships with other media organizations and providing our stories for free to local media outlets to republish, should they wish to do so.

We think our work will be particularly compelling to Canadian entrepreneurs, innovators, scientists, policymakers and thinkers. It’s also for the dreamers and emerging builders who want to grow the Canada we know is possible. If that mission speaks to you, we hope you’ll join us along the way: sign up for our weekly newsletter, follow us on social channels and send along your story ideas.

Let’s get to work.

Alison Uncles

Editor-in-Chief, Be Giant