On a roll

If you grew up in the ‘70s and your grandma crocheted, you probably recognize this little lady. From your granny’s bathroom, to church bazaars and white elephant sales, they were everywhere.

Kudos to granny for repurposing all that tp! If you’re looking to do so yourself but aren’t into crochet, we’ve got some tips for you. Those rolls can be useful for gardening purposes, and could even help you grow your own food! 

Go on, sow some seeds ;)

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

WEEKLY POLL

What are we thinking?

IN THE NEWS

Liberals continue pulling ahead

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals continue their meteoric resurgence, sailing ahead to 42% public support in an Ipsos Public Affairs poll published yesterday, compared to 36% for Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives.

The six point difference puts the Liberals outside the poll’s 3.8% margin of error, firmly positioning them as the frontrunners for an election most expect to be called any day now.

The party was facing a near-30 point deficit at times last year during the latter days of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s tumultuous third and final term.

“Based on the numbers that we’re seeing in our polling at the moment, the Liberals would be knocking on the door for a majority,” said Ipsos CEO Darrell Bricker.

The poll also found 42% of respondents believed Carney would make the best prime minister, compared to 32% for Poilievre.

The Conservative leader has been consistently directing his offense toward Carney for several weeks during a time when Canadians have seemingly decided that as of now, the opponent of any federal leader is not his opposition, but U.S. president Donald Trump.

As Poilievre continues to launch political attack ads at Carney, the PM is introducing himself to the world and his public support appears to only keep growing.

CONSUMER

Feds limit fees for non-sufficient funds

Starting on March 12, 2026, banks will no longer be able to charge clients more than $10 when their account doesn’t have sufficient funds to cover a preauthorized payment or cheque.

The regulation was established as part of an order-in-council issued last week.

Specifically, NSF fees will be capped at $10 for personal deposit accounts, and banks will be prohibited from collecting more than one fee over the course of two business days.

The government proposed capping NSF fees when tabling its budget last year, noting that banks were known to run fees up as high as $50 in certain circumstances. The feds deemed this unfair, particularly given how disproportionately NSF fees are typically issued to lower-income Canadians struggling to get by.

The order-in-council also prohibits banks from collecting a fee at all if the account already has a balance of under $10.

No plans have been announced, but comprehensive legislation could be passed at some point to enshrine a broader list of consumer banking protections.

TRAVEL

Canada starts branching out

Prime Minister Mark Carney was overseas earlier this week to meet with French and British heads of state, sending a clear message that Canada remembers its friends and is working to strengthen those bonds while tensions rise between it and the United States.

While Carney was meeting world leaders this week, Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada was engaging with counterparts in Greece late last week to establish a memorandum of understanding to promote tourism between the two countries.

“Key areas of focus include institutional co-operation, the exchange of information and data related to travel and tourism, and the sharing of best practices on climate action in tourism,” the federal department said in a press release.

Canada and Greece have been ramping up bilateral trade relations over the last several years, benefiting from the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

“I think you’re going to see a lot more Canadians going to Europe in general and anything that makes it easier or promotes Europe is probably a very good thing at this time because we’re already seeing a shift from U.S. travel,” said Wayne Smith, director at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Research.

THIRSTY THURSDAYS

PepsiCo buys Poppi

PepsiCo continued its foray into healthier alternatives this week, bypassing in-house development and outright acquiring prebiotic soda brand Poppi for $1.65 billion. The move comes just two months after it bought Siete Foods, which makes gluten-free chips, for $1.2 billion.

“We’ve been evolving our food and beverage portfolio over many years, including by innovating with our brands in new spaces and through disciplined, strategic acquisitions that enable us to offer more positive choices to our consumers,” said Ramon Laguarta, CEO of PepsiCo, in a statement Monday.

“More than ever, consumers are looking for convenient and great-tasting options that fit their lifestyles and respond to their growing interest in health and wellness. Poppi is a great complement to our portfolio transformation efforts to meet these needs.”

Pepsi hopes to grow the brand far beyond the market share it’s been able to acquire thus far. Despite growing consumer curiosity when it comes to “better for you” products, just 5% of consumers currently drink prebiotic soda, according to consumer research firm, Zappi.

“The challenge for these brands lies in the disconnect between brand awareness and functional understanding,” said Nataly Kelly, chief marketing officer of Zappi. “While most consumers have heard of prebiotic sodas, only about a third truly understand what they are and how they work.”

HEALTH

Can’t get rid of back pain? You’re not alone

If only a few steps courtesy of George Jefferson’s feet could make the pain go away.

A new study published by Australian scientists in BMJ Evidence Based Medicine reviewed hundreds of remedies for chronic and acute back pain, and found only about 10% of existing remedies actually alleviate the pain in a meaningful way, while the rest are typically no more effective than a placebo.

About 10% of the human race is currently experiencing back pain, while 40% have experienced it in the last three months. While most get over it eventually, around 10% of sufferers have chronically bad backs, almost always feeling at least a minor ache.

The difficulty in finding an effective remedy likely has to do with the uniqueness of a bad back; nobody’s average back pain has the same cause as someone else’s, and there’s no known disease or structural condition that scientists can point to as the underlying cause of a bad back.

“We were motivated to conduct this review because non-surgical and non-invasive approaches are recommended as the initial treatment approach. But many such options are available, and it’s not always easy to know which ones are effective,” said lead study Aidan Cashin, deputy director of the Center for Pain IMPACT at Neuroscience Research Australia.

“The current evidence shows that one in 10 non-surgical and non-interventional treatments for low back pain are efficacious, providing only small analgesic effects beyond placebo.”

CURIOSITIES

Is beef tallow all hype?

Beef tallow is the latest trendy food ingredient that enthusiasts are claiming is a healthy replacement for seed oils. Experts don’t necessarily disagree, but the way it’s been peddled as the ingredient-equivalent of a wonder drug is a bit of a stretch.

Beef tallow is the layer of fat that surrounds a cow’s organs, mostly found on its kidneys and loins.

Its current hot streak on social media can be attributed to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s recent endorsement of fast food joints that continue to fry their food in it rather than seed oils, which RFK claims are responsible for America’s obesity epidemic.

“[It’s] made up of about 50% saturated fat, give or take, and then about 50% monounsaturated fat, give or take, and then a really small amount of polyunsaturated fats,” says Amanda Beaver, a wellness dietitian at Houston Methodist Wellness Services in Texas. “Almost all of our oils have some combination of those three.”

It does, however, contain a saturated fat called stearic acid, “which appears not to raise cholesterol in the same way that other saturated fats do,” says Julia Zumpano, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Human Nutrition in Ohio.

Scientists aren’t completely certain if seed oils are themselves unhealthy, or just tend to often be used in already-unhealthy foods.

MUSIC

Eagles announce four more Sphere shows

The Eagles just can’t get enough of the Vegas Sphere, opting to take it to the limit instead of taking it easy.

The group announced four September dates at the Sphere, marking the one year anniversary of one of rock ‘n roll’s greatest residencies ever.

They’ll be back Sept. 5, 6, 12, and 13 for what will (at least currently) be the grand finale of 36 shows at the Sphere when all’s said and done. Fans can expect fresh and rejuvenated performances as well; the band will wrap up what were supposed to be the last dates of the residency on April 4, 5, 11, and 12 before taking the summer off.

If you like the Eagles and have the chance, don’t pass up seeing this cinematic masterpiece of basically every major hit the band ever wrote, along with a side of Don Henley and Joe Walsh solo material, including Boys of Summer and Rocky Mountain Way.

Artist presale tickets go on sale on the band’s website on March 25, followed by the general public sale the next day.

STAKERS IN THE WILD

Good as gold

Well would you look at that…it’s Staker Chris and he’s back to show us how to dress for tonight’s Leafs game, retro style! Do you remember the California Golden Seals?

Have you got some cool retro duds? Send ‘em along and we’ll drop you into the newsletter!

STAKE TRIVIA

Will you trivia me?

Unless today is the anniversary of you getting down on one knee, you probably had no idea that today is National Proposal Day 👰 🤵 

With that in mind, we’ll be quizzing you on some of the most iconic wedding related pop culture from the ’70s and ’80s with today’s trivia! Complete the game and earn a shot at a $25 Tim Hortons eGift Card ;)

Winner will be notified tomorrow—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.