It's a numbers game

Maybe you’re smirking right now or maybe you’re shaking your head. One thing’s for sure. At some point as a kid you typed 5318008 into a calculator with your friends, turned it upside down, and roared with laughter! 😂

Your days of goofin’ off with calculators are probably behind you, but what about your other childhood hobbies? Experts say that “play” is important for your well-being—revisiting old hobbies, or even finding new ones, can do a lot of good.

C’mon, leave your cares behind ;)

(Love nostalgia? Play today’s trivia below for a chance to win a $25 Tim Hortons eGift Card!)

IN THE NEWS

Freeland and Carney pitch policies on final stretch

Voting is under way in the federal Liberal leadership race and, heading into the final stretch, Chrystia Freeland and Mark Carney are continuing to pitch themselves as the best choice for the party.

During a western swing while touring family farms, Freeland promised to “ferociously” defend Canada’s supply management, pledging to make sure Canada’s dairy farms will not be on the table for negotiation in talks she would have with U.S. president Donald Trump to de-escalate a budding trade war.

“I am ready to defend Canada once again,” she said, referring to what she described as successful negotiations in 2018 for the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.

At a campaign stop in Scarborough, Ont., Carney offered his background in finance as an area of expertise, and pledged to “rein in government spending” in order to get the budget deficit under control and allow the private sector to spread its wings.

He said he would cap the size of the federal civil service and run a small capital deficit to boost investment in Canada.

Carney remains the strong favourite to win the race, which will be decided after voting ends March 9.

HOUSING

Mortgage delinquencies skyrocket

According to Equifax Canada’s Q4 Market Pulse Consumer Credit Trends report, mortgage delinquencies were 50% higher in Ontario in the fourth quarter of last year compared to before the pandemic, with 11,000 homeowners missing their payment.

Equifax found a growing number of Canadians in general are experiencing “severe financial distress,” and on a macro scale, overall consumer credit debt rose to $2.56 trillion to close out the year, up 4.6% from 2023.

"What we're going to see this year is mortgages originating at much, much lower rates. Yes, interest rates are lower now, but the delta is still going to be 100 to 200 bps," said Rebecca Oakes, Vice President of Advanced Analytics at Equifax Canada.

"So I think that's what we're concerned about as we go into the rest of this year. There [are] a lot of renewals coming up around the middle to end of this year, and unless interest rates come down another percent or something, you're still going to have payment shocks in there for some consumers."

In Ontario, the 90+ day mortgage delinquency rate jumped a shocking 90.2% year-over-year, compared to Quebec’s 41.2% and B.C.’s jump of 37.7%.

HEALTH

Brutal flu season rages amid low vaccine uptake

Fewer people got the flu shot this year than last year, and the bug has been particularly aggressive, with 103 outbreaks reported across the country.

Just under 12,000 cases have been reported, but significantly more have likely come down with the flu at some point over the last few months.

“This has been one of the most significant outbreaks of influenza in a decade,” said Dr. Karim Ali, the medical director for infection, prevention and control and head of service, infectious diseases for Niagara Health.

“I don’t want to unnecessarily alarm everybody, but at the same time, I want people to take this very seriously, too.”

According to at least eight provinces and one territory, the number of people who got the flu shot this year fell anywhere between 1% and 4% compared to last year.

While these may seem like small declines, doctors say even just a slight drop off can have effects that ripple throughout the Canadian healthcare system.

“Health care is a limited resource in Canada and when we have beds occupied for one condition, those beds are not available to other patients,” said Dr. Craig Jenne, professor in the University of Calgary’s Department of microbiology, immunology and infectious diseases.

FEASTING FRIDAYS

Food makers navigating GLP-1 boom

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and WeGovy have been taken by roughly 14% of adults to lose weight or manage diabetes, and their still-rising popularity has food makers on alert, looking for ways to avoid a massive drop in sales as the broader population cuts back.

These drugs are designed to stifle the appetite, and with so many consumers now taking them regularly, it could present a long-term blow to food sales. While most food makers say they haven’t suffered any losses thus far, several are going out of their way to capitalize on the trend rather than wait for consumers to stop buying food.

For example, Conagra Brands has added labels to two dozen products in its Healthy Choice category, specifically highlighting that the food is “GLP-1 friendly.”

“That is an opportunity, absolutely, with the companies in our space,” said Sean Connolly, CEO of Conagra. “It’s really a matter of helping people understand we’re here for you, and we’ve got a truckload of solutions to help you achieve your goals and stay on target.”

Nestle launched a pre-meal protein drink last year designed not to kill the appetite, but slightly suppress it so the consumer gets their macros in while not overeating.

General Mills has launched a series of advertisements pushing Progresso high protein and fiber soups, with GLP-1 users specifically being targeted.

SPACE

Parade of planets is here

Last month Stake reported on the cosmic show coming to a night sky near you. That show has finally arrived, and if the sky is clear in your area around dusk this evening, you’ll be able to see the start of the seven-planet dance.

The term “planetary alignment” isn’t really what it sounds like, though; Mercury, Mars, Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune, Venus, and Saturn won’t literally be aligned on the ecliptic (the plane on which they orbit the sun). However, they will appear to cross from one horizon to the other in a “planet parade” that happens quite rarely.

The last seven planet parade was 25 years ago, and you’ll need to minimize the light pollution in your vicinity to get a good look at each act of this once-in-a-generation event. On top of that, Uranus and Neptune aren’t bright enough to see with the naked eye, so make sure to bring binoculars or a telescope if you’re really feelin’ it.

Mercury and Saturn will be low in the sky near the setting sun, so they’ll also be difficult to spot, but they’ll be there, followed shortly behind by Neptune and Venus, then Uranus, Jupiter, and Mars.

ODDITIES

Robot umpires are inevitable

After 30 years of Angel Hernandez blowing calls behind the plate and ejecting anyone who pointed out the fastball down the middle was, in fact, a strike, it’s unsurprising that Major League Baseball is moving forward with testing for robot umpires.

Minor leagues have been testing the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system on and off for the last four years, and this year it will be active during some of MLB’s Spring Training games.

MLB will have cameras positioned throughout stadiums that will capture whether or not a ball crosses over the plate. On pitches that MLB wants called by the robot, the system will inform the human umpire behind the plate if it was a ball or strike via an earpiece, and the ump will recite the call.

Commissioner Rob Manfred says he personally supports implementing the system in order to aid human umpires, and it could be officially part of the game as early as next season.

Human umpires will still make the calls for this year’s warm up games, but the ABS system will be active. Each team retains the right to challenge the human ump’s call twice, and MLB estimates the time it will take between a player or manager issuing the challenge and the resulting decision will be roughly 17 seconds.

MUSIC

Ozzy doc coming this year

A documentary is in the works at Paramount+ that chronicles the trials and tribulations of Ozzy Osbourne over the last six years.

"This is Ozzy Osbourne like you've never seen before: an honest, warm and deeply personal portrait of one of the greatest rock stars of all time, detailing how the singer's world shuddered to a halt six years ago, forcing him to contemplate who he really is, confront his own mortality and question whether or not he can ever perform on stage for one last time," reads a description of the film included in the press release.

"Addressing his health issues and impact of his Parkinson's diagnosis, the film showcases the central role music continues to play in Ozzy's life—also proving his mischievous sense of humor remains resolutely intact despite it all."

Called No Escape From Now, it was directed by Tanla Alexander and reveals an ongoing courageous and sometimes-hard-to-believe journey to recovery after Ozzy quite literally fell to pieces in 2019.

Filming will continue through to the July 5 farewell show Osbourne will play with Black Sabbath in Birmingham, U.K.’s Villa Park, meaning the film likely won’t be out until late summer or early fall.

STAKE TRIVIA

Attention all personnel

Do you remember what you were doing the night of February 28th, 1983? Would it help jog your memory if we told you that that was the original airdate of the series finale of M*A*S*H? 😏 

To celebrate the 43rd anniversary of the conclusion to one of TV’s finest ever shows, we’re going all things M*A*S*H with today’s trivia! Complete the game and earn a shot at a $25 Tim Hortons eGift Card ;)

Winner will be notified on Monday afternoon—keep an eye on your inbox!*

Have a great weekend, Staker!

Today’s issue written by Michael Cowan, Joey Cowan, and Maureen Norman.


*SEE FULL STAKE TRIVIA CONTEST RULES HERE.