Opposites attract

Ben Vereen and Jeff Goldblum as Tenspeed and Brown Shoe were your classic odd couple. One was a street-savvy hustler, the other a nerdy accountant. They made a heck of a detective team, but the show might’ve been too goofy for its own good. Cancelled after one season 😅

Not all odd couples are fated to succeed, although it does seem to be working out for Reggie and Pearl. The pair are the world’s tallest and shortest dogs respectively, and their recent playdate is making headlines. 

Sing it, Paula ;)

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

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IN THE NEWS

Carney holds first press conference

Prime Minister Mark Carney held his first press conference on Friday since securing one of the strongest minority governments in Canadian history earlier in the week.

He spoke about several of his priorities, the most important of which will be positioning Canada to emerge a winner from the ongoing trade rift with the United States—a big task for a newcomer going toe-to-toe with America’s Commander-in-Chief.

“We can have a bigger boost to our economy, to incomes, to jobs, by focusing on building one Canadian economy, building these nation-building projects, by focusing on getting productivity up, by reducing revenue waste, by driving investment in this country,” he said. “We’re going to focus on that while we have these negotiations with the Americans, and if negotiations with the Americans take longer, so be it.”

He also spoke about fiscal policy and its relation to the cost of living, noting he’ll introduce a tax cut of 1% on the lowest marginal rate by July 1, cut GST on new homes valued under $1 million for first-time buyers, and introduce historic funding to help developers build the millions of homes needed across the country.

“In the coming weeks, I will unveil more of our plan to engage with Canadians as we embark on the biggest transformation of our economy since the end of the Second World War,” he said.

GOVERNMENT

King Charles to deliver throne speech

The throne speech is read every time a new session of parliament is opened. It sets forth the goals and direction the government will take, and is traditionally read by the governor general, who represents the reigning monarch in Canada.

However, for the first time since 1977, the monarch will deliver the speech, with King Charles himself visiting Canada for the occasion on May 27.

In fact, the speech has only been delivered by a reigning monarch twice in Canada’s history—once in 1977, and the other in 1957, both by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth.

The 1957 speech was during Elizabeth’s first visit to Canada as queen. She opened Prime Minister John Diefenbaker’s Parliament, who made sure the event was televised, marking the first time television cameras had entered the House of Commons. National Film Board of Canada cameras were also there to shoot a documentary on the event, which led to every fuse in the House blowing and power being lost for five minutes.

The 1977 visit was less celebratory, as Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s government was growing increasingly supportive of separating from the Monarchy, while at the same time, Quebec was growing increasingly supportive of separating from Canada. The Queen addressed Parliament in both English and French in an effort to foster a unity that had been lacking in the Canadian psyche as it pertained to Quebec’s place in the federation.

MONEY MONDAYS

Cost of car ownership skyrocketing

According to a Leger survey conducted on behalf of Turo, the cost of owning a car has risen 9% in just the last year, and with tariffs on the way, could rise by another 25%.

It’s not just the cost of actually buying a car that Turo is investigating, but actually owning one. Maintenance and insurance are among the factors that could see costs soar as tariffs are introduced and inflation roars back.

“One of the biggest costs is your fuel. Another thing is maintenance. Everyone has to replace tires at one point, the brakes, oil changes—we don’t necessarily put that all in the bucket of what it’s cost to own our vehicle,” says Kristine D’Arbelles at the Canadian Automobile Association. “You also have your insurance costs and that number varies significantly.”

As costs rise, they become less sustainable, forcing owners to get out of their investment and try to unload the car. The more one spends on a car above its actual value, the more they have to factor in depreciation when trying to sell it.

“It can be up to 50% of the cost of owning and operating your vehicle,” says D’Arbelles.

SCIENCE

FDA approves gene-edited pigs

Gene-editing is being used in pigs primarily to protect them from a virus that’s become extremely common and destructive to the global swine industry.

Called porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), it’s been in wild pigs forever but became common in commercial livestock several decades ago. It can and does kill off young ones, and also causes reproductive failure.

Using CRISPR, the powerful gene editing tool that allows scientists to modify the DNA of organisms, the Pig Improvement Company (PIC) removed the cell receptor the virus typically binds to, hijacks, and infects the animal.

In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration officially approved PIC-edited pigs for use as livestock and food.

“We have spent years conducting extensive research, validating our findings and working with the FDA to gain approval,” said Matt Culbertson, chief operating officer at PIC, in a statement released Thursday by the National Pig Association in the UK.

It will still take several years before the pigs are bred and ready to be introduced, but once they are, it’s expected the CRISPR-edited genes will be passed down generationally, ostensibly eradicating PRRS.

CURIOSITIES

Peter the pigeon’s Atlantic crossing

Pigeon no. 9550 was released by Spanish fancier David Fernandez on Feb. 22 on the island of Ibiza to compete in a race to Majorca, which is about 120 kilometres across the Mediterranean Sea.

Instead of turning up in Majorca, though, he was instead found weak and tired over a month later on the sandbar of Sable Island, which is about 290 km south of Halifax—or 5,000 km from Ibiza. 🤯

Sable Island is a remote home to plenty of wildlife, including thousands of seals, hundreds of wild horses, and various birds. Pigeons, however, rarely turn up on the island. According to Kristina Penn of Parks Canada, the last known pigeon to turn up on Sable Island was in 2017.

She and her colleagues believe that Peter—the name they gave to the tenacious messenger bird—stopped for a rest on a cargo ship during the race and ended up on a detour across the Atlantic. They determined his point of origin by running a search on the leg bracelet he was wearing.

He was in pretty rough shape when Penn’s colleague found him, and they helped him recover until he was strong enough to take to Hope For Wildlife, a nonprofit on mainland Nova Scotia where he’s being fully nursed back to health, much to the delight of Mr. Fernandez.

MUSIC

Billy Idol: I’m lucky to be here

There’s no sugar coating it when it comes to Billy Idol’s new documentary. Titled Billy Idol Should Be Dead, it chronicles the rockstar lifestyle of the British icon, including overindulgence in drugs and alcohol and a near-fatal motorcycle accident he was involved in after running a stop sign.

“I’m lucky to be here,” he told USA TODAY. “If I was doing today what I was doing in the ‘80s, I would be dead. A lot of people didn’t make it out.”

Like most rock stars who did manage to live through the ’80s, Idol says exercise, a good diet, and staying “California sober” are the main contributors to the fact that he’s somehow about to live to see 70.

He’s staying busy, too, though. His latest album, Dream Into It, came out last weekend and he just hit the road with Joan Jett & The Blackhearts for a Northe American and European tour that will run through September.

Jett is featured on the album in a melodic banger called Wildside, which Idol also spoke candidly about.

“I most definitely still have a wild side,” he said. “There’s still the guy who doesn’t mind risking things, just trying to keep it in check. The guy who is willing to move to another continent to start his life again or gamble his future a lot of the time.”

STAKE TRIVIA

Box office bombs

For every truly great movie, there’s gotta be about a dozen bad ones. And for every dozen bad movies, one’s gotta be a real dud 🤣 

Some go on to become cults classics and others are just plain bad—they’re all on the table with today’s trivia! Complete the game and earn a shot at a $25 Tim Hortons eGift Card ;)

Winner will be notified 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.


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