Sex & Technology News in Canada: Lovehoney in GTA, Govt Seeks Input on New Online Content Regulations, Pandemic Sex Trends & Montreal Sexbot Conference

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“According to Lovehoney’s Canadian insights, the pandemic has slightly changed the trending product categories in the North,” the e-commerce retailer said in a release.

The distance during lockdowns had consumers more interested in dildo moulding kits rather than the previous top seller, sex kits.

“Canadians were increasingly curious about creating their own personalized vibrating dildo with the Clone-A-Willy Kit (CAD $59.95). With everything you’ll need to take a cast of your or your lover’s penis, these work great as a sexy gift for long-distance lovers.”

On August 12, the UK-based sexual wellness company announced its merger with WOW Tech Group, a deal The Wall Street Journal valued at $1.2 billion.

“The merger includes Ottawa-born brand, We-Vibe, which has become one of the world’s best-selling couples vibrators. We-Vibe was acquired in 2018 to become part of the WOW Tech Group and positioned with a strong portfolio of the industry’s be known consumer brands Fifty Shades of Grey, Happy Rabbit, Womanizer, and Arcwave.

“Lovehoney.ca offers customers free discreet delivery with orders over CAD $59.99 from their Greater Toronto Area warehouse, 24hr customer care and straightforward returns. Customers will also be able to access expert advice on all things sexual and an impressive 365-day return policy – a first for the Canadian adult industry.” (via Lovehoney)

“The Canadian government is inviting ‘stakeholders and Canadians’ to submit comments regarding a current proposal to regulate online content, which was prompted by the recent parliamentary hearings targeting Pornhub and its parent company, MindGeek.

“The call for comments — which includes an invitation to both international ‘stakeholders” (including religiously motivated anti-porn activist organizations like NCOSE and Exodus Cry) and all Canadian citizens — starts with a statement that although ‘social media platforms and other online communications services play a vital and important role in Canada’s society and economy,’ they can also “be abused and used to incite hate, promote violence and extremism or for other illegal activity.’” (via Gustavo Turner/XBIZ)

The online conference is hosted in Montreal, Quebec (Canada) Registration: ($29 CAD): lovewithrobots.com

“New technologies are changing human sexuality and intimate relationships, both in life and in research. The 6th edition of this academic conference brings together international scholars, industry, stakeholders, and those who are curious about love and sex with robots. This year’s keynote lineup is stellar with Dr. Justin Garcia, Executive Director of the Kinsey Institute, Dr. Lara Karaian, Associate Professor, Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Carleton University, Dr. Markie L.C. Twist, award-winning sexuality educator, sexologist, relationship therapist and Davecat, Robosexual, iDollator and advocate for artificial humans. Along with many esteemed academic speakers, we also have industry leaders such as Matt McMullen from RealBotix, Bjorn from Lux Botics, Alexis Smith from Cybrothol and Mike Wilson from Holodexxx.” (via Future of Sex)

“In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadians’ desire for sex went up, but the amount of sex they were actually having did not, according to a new study from researchers at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Lori Brotto, a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at UBC and the executive director of the Women’s Health Research Institute, led the study. In a news release from UBC, she explained that this correlation between stress and sexual desire is somewhat counterintuitive.

“Generally, sexual desire decreases with stress,” Brotto said in the release. “But, at the very start of the pandemic, when lockdown measures were at their strictest, the kind of stress people experienced was immediate. And that acute stress kicked off a fight-or-flight response, which we know can create anxious arousal that can be misinterpreted by the body as sexual arousal.’”(via Ian Holliday/CTV News)

Image sources: Lovehoney, Love and Sex With Robots



Author: Jenna Owsianik
Jenna Owsianik is a Canadian sexual health journalist and sextech business advisor. She is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Sex For Every Body®, an adult sex ed publication that celebrate sexual and body diversity. From 2014 to 2022, she was Editor-in-Chief of FutureofSex.net, the world’s leading publication on how technology is changing human sexuality, today and tomorrow. A trained journalist with a Masters of Journalism from The University of British Columbia, Jenna’s reporting has appeared on Futurism.com, Al Jazeera English, CTV British Columbia online, CBS Sunday Morning, CBS 60 Minutes, Global News, and CKNW Radio in Canada and the United States.

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