Palo Alto headquarterd Hewlett-Packard announced today plans to lay off 27,000 employees as part of its long-term restructuring plan.

The company will shed about 8% of its workforce through a combination of layoffs and retirement offers that started last October and will continue through the end of its 2014 fiscal year.

Employee reduction plans vary by country. While HP operates 28 offices across Canada, it is not clear what impact the layoffs would have in Canada yet.

A forthcoming anti-spam law in Canada is going to have dramatic, global effects on how Canadian companies manage their e-communications. Yet many don't even know it exists.

Teralys Capital has announced a $50 million investment in Rho Canada Venture Fund II, concurrent with its initial closing of $100 million.

Toronto's FreshBooks has added a new way to file expenses through their web platform. The Canadian tech company now allows users to upload expense receipts of any file format and attach them to invoices.

Canadian novelist Douglas Coupland wants city streets to be clear of cellphone towers, parking meters, wifi terminals, and streetlights. And the City of Vancouver is eager to turn his dream into a reality.

Waterloo-based Communitech is making a final call for applications for it new HYPERDRIVE acclerator. Interested entrepreneurs have until June 4 to apply to the $30 million program to seed, fund, and grow new businesses.