TechGoogle releases Gemini 4 Argon to developers and businesses worldwideThe flagship model launches at $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens, with prices doubling after Nov. 30.·1 min readLatest daily edition · Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Today's West Coast technology & business news →
- Microsoft winds down The Garage, the 17-year-old home of its Global Hackathon and employee maker spacesTech · Redmond
- Autonomous flight startup Reliable Robotics tops $1 billion valuation and opens a radar hub in BothellTech · Bothell and Mountain View
- Amazon plans a record 300,000 holiday hires as the rest of retail pulls backBusiness · Seattle
- Seattle home-help startup Rosie raises $7 million and plans Austin and San Francisco launches in 2027Business · Seattle
- UW task force proposes splitting the Allen School from the College of EngineeringTech · Seattle
- Vancouver's Conexiom opens its order-automation AI to developers with SDKs, an API and an MCP serverTech · Vancouver
- Richmond delivery company UniUni's go-public deal collapses as SPAC terminates mergerBusiness · Richmond, B.C.
- San Francisco's Daytona reaches $1 billion valuation building secure sandboxes for AI agentsTech · San Francisco
- Seattle laser-weeding robot maker Carbon Robotics trims its workforce, citing economic conditionsBusiness · Seattle
TechGoogle releases Gemini 4 Argon to developers and businesses worldwideThe flagship model launches at $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens, with prices doubling after Nov. 30.·1 min read
BusinessTSX gains 319 points as energy and telecom stocks lead
BusinessPoilievre takes his tariff-free auto pact pitch to Detroit
BusinessOttawa adds $500 million to regional AI adoption program
BusinessJob losses cool talk of a Bank of Canada rate hike on Oct. 28
BusinessIMF nudges up 2026 growth forecast but warns resilience is nearing its limits
- TechMicrosoft winds down The Garage, the 17-year-old home of its Global Hackathon and employee maker spaces
- TechAutonomous flight startup Reliable Robotics tops US$1 billion valuation and opens a radar hub in Bothell
- BusinessAmazon plans a record 300,000 holiday hires as the rest of retail pulls back
- BusinessSeattle home-help startup Rosie raises US$7 million and plans Austin and San Francisco launches in 2027
- TechUW task force proposes splitting the Allen School from the College of Engineering
- TechVancouver's Conexiom opens its order-automation AI to developers with SDKs, an API and an MCP server
From ARQS
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TechCanadian ransomware negotiator arrested in FBI's ShinyHunters case
Nvidia opens Vera Rubin rack designs to the Open Compute Project
The MGX 1.2 specification supports racks of up to 250 kilowatts with fanless, liquid-cooled trays.
Meta releases Muse Wonder, its first frontier AI model
API pricing is $4 per million input tokens and $20 per million output tokens; a larger Full version is limited to subscribers.
BusinessIMF nudges up 2026 growth forecast but warns resilience is nearing its limits
Canada sheds 68,000 jobs in September as unemployment rises to 6.5%
It is the second straight monthly decline and the Bank of Canada's last labour market reading before its Oct. 28 decision.
More to explore
Court halts Vancouver Aquatic Centre demolition until after civic election
An interim injunction stops work until at least Nov. 3, one day after the new Park Board first meets.
'I Play Rocky' and 'Ceremony' take VIFF audience awards
Audiences chose 10 favourites across the festival's sections.
BC Conservatives take five-point lead as leaders head into only TV debate
A new Ipsos poll puts the Conservatives at 43 per cent of decided voters to the NDP's 38, with a quarter of British Columbians still undecided or without a preference.
Saudi-led coalition strikes Yemen oil sites after deadly attack on Riyadh airport
The coalition issued its first evacuation order for Sanaa since the war flared in July.
Analysis & explainers
Context from the West Coast News desk
AnalysisWhere B.C.'s election will be decidedThe Conservatives lead overall, but Metro Vancouver is within three points and holds the most seats. The Island leans NDP; the Interior and North lean Conservative.By West Coast News staffExplainerWhy a jobs slump makes the Bank of Canada's choice harderTwo months of losses argue for patience; 3 per cent inflation argues against easing. The Oct. 28 decision sits between the two.By West Coast News staff
ExplainerWhat a Kelvin wave means for the coast this winterIt is not a tsunami. The risk comes when warmer, higher water lines up with king tides, storm surge or an atmospheric river.By West Coast News staff
AnalysisA minority in Quebec, a referendum in AlbertaTwo provinces, two very different votes on Canada's future, one week apart. Neither result commits anyone to leaving.By West Coast News staff
Spotlight · WorldNavi Pillay, former UN rights chief, wins the Nobel Peace PrizeThe South African judge was honoured for her efforts to promote peace and international law.Read the story 
BCEby signs public health-care pledge; Conservatives call it fearmongering
Most Vancouver voters say mayor and council are out of touch, poll finds
Affordability tops the list of issues ahead of the Oct. 17 municipal election.
Vancouver wraps a record cruise season of about 1.4 million passenger visits
The port authority expects another seven per cent rise in both visits and ship calls in 2027.
CanadaCanada and Greece sign agreement to share classified information
Canada joins allies in condemning Iran over alleged plot at U.K. air base
More than two dozen countries backed Britain's attribution of the Sept. 27 incident at RAF Fairford.
Carney calls for unity a week before Alberta's referendum on separation
Albertans vote Oct. 19 on whether to start the legal process for a future binding vote on leaving Canada.
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ClimateA slow wave of warm water is heading for B.C.'s coastScientists say a Kelvin wave linked to El Niño could arrive by mid-October, raising sea levels and water temperatures as storm season begins.Read the story 
WorldRussia pounds Ukrainian cities but appears to spare energy sites after 'ceasefire' claim
Drones hit two ships off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast
The crew of the Ukrainian-owned Chelsea 3 was rescued. Bulgaria will summon Russia's ambassador.
Thousands march to India's Supreme Court demanding election chief resign
Opposition parties say a revision of voter rolls that struck off tens of millions of names favours the ruling BJP.
Climate81,400 hectares of Ontario taiga and peatland to be protectedMillions of pink salmon return as B.C.'s open-net farm ban draws near
A strong pink run has reopened debate over wild stocks, while a new study reports heart disease at five of seven open-net farms sampled.
COP31 climate talks open in Antalya next month
The UN conference runs Nov. 9 to 20, with a leaders' summit on Nov. 11 and 12.
In pictures
ClimateOkanagan Lake at Kelowna, B.C. 
ClimateLong Beach near Tofino on Vancouver Island's west coast. 
CanadaThe Acropolis of Athens, seen from Philopappos Hill. 
CanadaThe Parliament Building in Quebec City, home of the National Assembly. 
ClimateA sockeye swims over a chum salmon at the Weaver Creek Spawning Channel in B.C. 
BusinessThe Detroit skyline, seen from Windsor, Ont. 
SportPercival Molson Memorial Stadium in Montreal. 
CultureThe Vogue Theatre on Granville Street, Vancouver. 
WorldThe Palace of Justice in Nuremberg, where Pillay learned of the award. 
ClimateThe coastal path in Antalya, Türkiye, host city of COP31.
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Partner content · ARQS LinguaQuestLinguaQuest Creator BundleBrowser language-learning software with adaptive review and speech support.
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SportAlexander throws five TDs as Alouettes finish home season unbeatenMore local sports on Townline →
Canada falls 4-3 to Denmark in final tune-up before World Cup qualifier
Denmark scored three goals in nine minutes at BMO Field. Canada faces Panama on Nov. 28.
More local sports on Townline →
Canucks' skid reaches four games after 6-2 loss to the Rangers
Vancouver continues its road trip against the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.
More local sports on Townline →
CultureVancouver Art Gallery's climate show runs into January
Canadian poet Anne Carson wins the Nobel Prize in Literature
The Swedish Academy praised her inventive dialogue with the classical tradition.
'Nina Roza' and 'How We Stand' lead VIFF's 2026 award winners
Banchi Hanuse's 'Ceremony', about the disappearance of ooligan from Bella Coola, won the Tides Award as the 45th festival wrapped.
SportTen-man Whitecaps draw LAFC to clinch a fourth straight playoff berthIt is the first time the club has made the MLS Cup Playoffs four seasons in a row. Vancouver is four points clear at the top of the West.Read the story More local sports on Townline Software & apps · Company releases
All twelve releasesDated announcements supplied by ARQS and Townline. Seven desktop editions use manual email delivery within 72 hours of successful payment or a full refund; three Studio licenses are requested by email, and two hosted applications are free.
Company release · October 13, 2026
ARQS Design Workbench brings source review, design tokens and delivery packs into one browser workspace
The working three-tool application saves named projects and exports portable files; the licensed desktop bundle is $199 USD.
Company release · October 13, 2026
ARQS Market Radar gives browser users a watchlist built around the quotes they supply
Manual observations, JSON imports, activity rankings and open-tab price thresholds are available now; the desktop edition is $99 USD.
Okanagan Lake in Kelowna, British Columbia; contextual city photograph.
Company release · October 13, 2026
Townline Town Pulse opens a free local dashboard with saved city preferences and feed controls
The working dashboard combines local feed states, market observations and NASA player controls at its own public URL.
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West Coast News covers regional, national and international news from a Pacific Coast perspective. The publication is owned by Townline.
Company releases identify the issuer and are promotional communications. Archive features identify their filing date and actual publication date. Representative photographs depict their stated context. Sponsored placements are labelled separately from article copy. Undated editorial masters are templates awaiting fact checks and are kept outside the published article register.