Live long and prosper

If it weren’t unforgettably bad, you probably wouldn’t remember Barbary Coast. Canned after 13 episodes, the show was Shatner’s first lead role following Star Trek. Sadly, even his character’s many goofy disguises couldn’t save this dud 😂

He went on to play other great characters, but Shatner will always be synonymous with Captain Kirk. As it turns out, he’s actually set to hear a pitch about making a return to Star Trek, and fans are already speculating about how it could go down. 

Beam him up, Scotty ;)

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

IN THE NEWS

Liberals get their guy

After a chaotic and sporadic leadership race, the federal Liberals revealed their new leader yesterday. Mark Carney is set to be sworn in as Canada’s 24th prime minister after earning 86% of his party’s support in a landslide victory over Chrystia Freeland (8%), Karina Gould (3%) and Frank Baylis (3%).

Though Carney has replaced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as leader of the Liberal Party, he still needs to be sworn in as PM, a procedure that’s expected to take place at some point this week as the government prepares for a rapid transition during what can only be described as a political hurricane swirling towards Canada from beneath the 49th Parallel.

Canada continues to endure an onslaught of threats from U.S. president Donald Trump, from calls to impose 250% tariffs on farm and dairy products to redrawing the line that divides Canada and the United States, to ultimately annexing Canada and making it the 51st American state.

In a tongue and cheek moment during his victory speech, Carney thanked the president for his role in unifying Canada from east to westerm sea.

Parliament will officially resume on March 24 if Carney decides to get right down to governing while Canada is under economic attack. However, he would awkwardly be doing so while not actually holding a seat in Parliament, making it increasingly likely that he will dissolve the government prior to that date and carry the momentum from his leadership victory straight into an election.

LEGAL

$32.5 billion tobacco settlement approved

A historic settlement was approved the other day for two long-running class-action lawsuits against Canadian tobacco companies, who were ordered to pay $32.5 billion to Canada’s provinces and territories, along with former smokers across the country.

JTI-Macdonald Corp., Rothmans, Benson & Hedges and Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd. were engaged in mediation for decades with plaintiffs in the two Quebec class-action suits.

The settlement was described as a "momentous achievement in Canadian restructuring history” by Ontario Superior Court Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz.

"Thousands of claimants have sadly passed away during this period,” he said. “The wait, for many, has been intolerable. That wait ends today."

$24 billion of the settlement pool will be paid to provinces and territories over the course of two decades, and $4 billion will be distributed among the Quebec class-action plaintiffs. The rest will be paid to smokers not involved in the class-actions, along with a foundation for fighting tobacco-related illnesses.

Perhaps most notably, the defendants must surrender all but $750 million of their collective cash on hand up front, followed by all of their after-tax income annually until the full settlement is paid off.

MONEY MONDAYS

China responds to Canadian tariffs

Canada followed the United States’ lead in October by imposing 100% tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, along with 25% duties on steel and aluminum. China retaliated the other day, imposing tariffs of their own on Canadian farm and food products.

Specifically, 100% tariffs will be imposed on Canadian rapeseed oil, oil cakes and peas, and additional 25% tariffs will be levied from pork and aquatic products.

China continues to employ tactics that violate fair market principles, including subsidizing and overproducing electric vehicles, allowing Chinese automakers to sell at artificially deflated prices to undercut the global market. Multiple western governments responded with tariffs, prompting China’s retaliation and a statement from the country’s customs authorities.

“Despite China’s repeated opposition and dissuasion, Canada has taken unilateral restrictive measures on electric vehicles, steel, aluminum and other products imported from China without investigation, undermining China-Canada economic and trade relations,” read the statement.

The Chinese retaliatory tariffs are the latest in a serious of economic shots fired around the world in recent weeks, mostly by U.S. president Donald Trump, triggering a trade war mostly fought in North America and China, but the effects of which are rippling throughout global markets.

MEDICINE

AI proves major help for lung cancer screenings

Lung cancer screenings are a burdensome process for radiologists, with tedious workloads involving the identification and segmentation of various lung nodules. At a certain point, human error is likely to become more probable the larger the workload becomes.

A new study published in the European Journal of Cancer documented an AI model’s analysis of data containing over 1,200 CT lung cancer screenings.

Led by researchers at the University of Liverpool and the Research Institute for Diagnostic Accuracy in the Netherlands, the team assessed the AI’s performance based on positive and negative predictive values, overall accuracy, and the time it took to complete its tasks.

The AI performed with a negative predictive value of 99.8%, and identified cancer in every screening that had a previously confirmed diagnosis. The researchers also determined the use of this tool could reduce radiologist reading burdens by up to 80%.

“Implementing low-dose CT screening for lung cancer is highly beneficial, but it comes with logistical and financial challenges,” said John Field, PhD, lead author and Professor of Molecular Oncology at the University of Liverpool. “Our research suggests that AI could play a crucial role in making screening programs more efficient while maintaining diagnostic confidence.” 

ENVIRONMENT

Ozone layer is healing

Scientists at MIT recently published a study confirming that the hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica is not only healing, but it’s closing specifically due to the commitments made through the Montreal Protocol of 1986.

The international pact saw 197 nations commit to outlawing the use of ozone-depleting substances—most notably, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)—after scientists discovered the year prior that these chemicals were responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer near the Earth’s south pole.

Typically used in refrigeration, air conditioning, insulation, and aerosol propellants, CFCs will break down and dissolve ozone when they rise into the stratosphere under certain climate conditions, leading to an extreme risk of skin cancer due to UV ray exposure.

The MIT researchers used a method called “fingerprinting” to determine the source of the ozone layer’s recovery, which involved isolating climate-influencing factors through multiple simulations of the planet’s climate. Upon isolating each potential contributing factor, they determined a near-certain correlation between the reduction of CFC use and the replenishing of ozone in the stratosphere.

“By something like 2035, we might see a year when there’s no ozone hole depletion at all in the Antarctic. And that will be very exciting for me,” said lead author Peidong Wang, an earth sciences graduate student at MIT. “And some of you will see the ozone hole go away completely in your lifetimes. And people did that.”

IN THE KNOW

Here’s what you said

CURIOSITIES

King Charles releases playlist

King Charles stepped outside the bubble of the British Royals to reveal his deeply personal connection with music, partnering with Apple Music to release a playlist.

Called The King’s Music Room, it begins with His Majesty broadcasting from a private room in Buckingham Palace, introducing the concept of the program and what it means to him.

“[Music] means a great deal to me,” he says. “I know that is also the case for so many others. It has that remarkable ability to bring happy memories flooding back from the deepest recesses of our memory, to comfort us in times of sadness, and to take us to distant places.”

“But perhaps, above all, it can lift our spirits to such a degree, and all the more so when it brings us together in celebration. In other words, it brings us joy.”

In an effort to draw the Royal Family closer to the public and away from the proverbial ivory tower, Charles reveals his affinity for an almost infinite array of musical genres, “from 1930s crooners to Afrobeats stars, disco performers and reggae icons,” according to the synopsis.

STAKE TRIVIA

Doctor, doctor!

From Quincy, M.E. to St. Elsewhere, the ’70s and ’80s had some pretty choice medical shows 😏 

If you think you know your stuff, the doctor will see you now. It’s time for a checkup with today’s medical shows trivia! Complete the game and earn a shot at a $25 Tim Hortons eGift Card ;)

Winner will be announced tomorrow afternoon—keep an eye on your inbox!*

Have a great day ahead Staker!

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


*SEE FULL STAKE TRIVIA CONTEST RULES HERE.