Step by step

Back in the day, the playground wasn’t just where you held court with your pals: it was the court you battled on for hopscotch supremacy. Legends were born and legacies established, all based on how you made your way across those squares.

What’s tougher than getting across a hopscotch court? Most would agree that navigating an Ikea is up there. Believe it or not, the company is planning on building a 2km-long store*, and they say it’ll be impossible to get lost in.

Uhm, yeah right ;)

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

WEEKLY POLL RESULTS

Here’s what you said

IN THE NEWS

American executives feeling the “buy Canadian” wave

Canada imported $350 billion in goods from the United States last year, but it’s already clear that number will be much lower in 2025.

Executives around the United States are starting to feel the effects of Canadians’ retaliation to U.S. president Donald Trump’s tariffs, which is being levelled strongly in the form of patriotic consumerism.

For example, California-based Parasol Co sells baby wipes and diapers, and had been working on plans early this year to expand distribution with retailers in Canada.

However, those plans came to a screeching halt in early March.

“They were instructed by a retailer to pause any American brand launch,” Hung said, referring to the distributor. “They told us they would re-evaluate when market conditions allow. That’s the kind of disruption we would never expect.”

On the liquor front, Jack Daniel’s maker Brown-Forman said last month that Ontario’s decision to pull Jack from all LCBO shelves was a disproportionate response, worse than tariffs.

The buy Canada movement is being felt across all categories of consumer goods. Whether it’s due to uncertainty regarding the economy or outright refusal to buy American until tensions dissipate, it appears the trade war is instantly impacting American businesses.

ECONOMY

Internal trade barriers under campaign scrutiny

Federal politicians have made internal trade barriers a frequent topic of discussion lately, as they offer proposals for their vision of how Canada should respond to the increasingly burdensome tariffs American president Donald Trump continues to levy.

Some have expressed skepticism about how impactful it would actually be if Canada removed all of the roughly two dozen exemptions that still remain attached to the Canada Free Trade Agreement.

For example, Liberal leader Mark Carney said the other day that removing all remaining exemptions would add $250 billion to the Canadian economy.

But according to Marc Lee, senior economist with the Canadian Centre of Policy Alternatives (CCPA), “politicians need to greatly lower their expectations about what is possible from this, and my sense is they already know this, that this is largely a lot of political theatre.”

There are 14 jurisdictions that govern trade within Canada, and the movement of goods and labour is subject to the approval of any of them when inter-jurisdictional commerce is being conducted.

The majority are actively taking steps to streamline the process and remove existing friction as the country buckles up for Trump’s reciprocal tariffs today.

CONSUMER

Carbon tax cut takes effect

The consumer carbon tax cut took effect yesterday, with average gas prices around the country falling almost instantly by an average of 15 or 16 cents per litre.

The carbon tax has been one of the biggest lightning rods in Canadian politics over the last several years. Until U.S. president Donald Trump began a trade war with Canada, it was expected to be the main focus of the Conservative Party’s campaign in the ongoing federal election.

It became even less of a source of contention shortly thereafter when Prime Minister Mark Carney had an order in council issued to immediately reduce the fuel surcharge to zero, thereby ending the consumer carbon tax.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre continues to speak on the issue. Just yesterday in a post on X, he accused Carney of being duplicitous and said if the Liberal leader is elected PM, he’ll bring the surcharge back.

According to Patrick de Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, Canadians will likely save an average of $6 on gas while the tax is cut, amounting to savings of $300 a year.

TOGETHER WITH METROSUITE

Garden suites made easy

A couple of weeks back our man Staker Paul dropped in on Metrosuite at the National Home Show. They build high-quality pre-fab garden suites that are, well, quite fab-ulous.

Over the past year, we’ve covered news of the growing popularity of additional dwelling units (ADUs) as folks look for ways to accommodate aging parents, help their kids onto the property ladder, or even create a second income stream. Metrosuite can help make your backyard build happen easily and efficiently.

Here's how. They take care of permits and approvals, site preparation and foundation work, utility connections, delivery and installation, and all interior and exterior finishes. They handle it all, start to finish, with no hidden fees.

Metrosuite also sets themselves apart with their commitment to stand behind their product. Each of their 4 different models is backed by the Tarion New Home Warranty. That’s important—we could all use some peace of mind these days.

And since everyone loves putting their touch on things, let’s have some fun. Design your own garden suite—choose your exterior colours, flooring, finishes and fixtures!

WHAT UP WEDNESDAYS

Apple working on AI doctor

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is working on “Project Mulberry,” the codename for a development that aims to leverage AI to overhaul its health app and provide medical assistance.

Gurman says “development is now full steam ahead” for an AI-powered doctor to be released with iOS 19.4 sometime in spring or summer of next year.

Health+ is the working name of the soon-to-be-updated health app, which will collect data from connected Apple devices and provide recommendations based on what the data shows, including exercise and dietary advice.

Gurman says the inclusion of medical advice will be among the marquee features of Apple devices moving forward, launching it into the upper echelons of the space where it will join companies like MyFitnessPal and Noom.

Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed in 2019 that Apple is looking to dramatically improve the health features on company devices, and went so far as to say its work in the health and fitness space will be “the company’s greatest contribution to mankind.”

SCIENCE

One fifth of pollinators on verge of extinction

According to a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 10% of the 759 known pollinators in Canada—such as bees, moths, and butterflies—are at risk of extinction, along with 22.5% of the 1,579 in the United States.

Plants count on pollinators for survival, which are responsible for transferring pollen from one flower to another. The process is critical for the food supply in North America, which represents about $15 billion worth of food on an annual basis.

Bees in particular were found to be the most at risk, particularly in Canada, where 34.7% of species were found to be at some risk of extinction.

“To have a broad diversity of pollinators is important because there’s a whole broad diversity of plants that need to be pollinated, and different species of pollinators will be more efficient at pollinating some plants compared to others,” said John Klymko, scientist at Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre in Sackville, N.B.

“Certain species (pollinate) only a handful of plants. And so if you start to lose that diversity of pollinators, there are going to be plant species that are affected.”

ENTERTAINMENT

Coyote vs Acme will finally be released

There remains hope for Coyote’s frivolous lawsuit against Acme after the $72 million film’s release was cancelled by Warner Bros. in exchange for a $30 million tax write-off.

Coming out of the COVID pandemic, Warner Bros. brought in new leadership to right the ship financially, and proceeded to cancel the film’s release in response, along with the release of a $90 million Batgirl movie, and a new animated Scooby-Doo film.

However, Ketchup Entertainment announced the other day that it secured the global screening rights for Coyote vs Acme, a deal believed to be worth $50 million.

Starring Will Forte and John Cena, the film is based on a 1990 New Yorker article, and follows a lawsuit filed by Wile E Coyote against Acme for years of dealing with faulty products produced by Acme that repeatedly led to the escape of the Road Runner.

Forte’s character, Kevin Avery, is Coyote’s “billboard lawyer,” and must go head to head in a courtroom showdown versus the vicious and short-tempered attorney for Acme and Avery’s former boss, played by John Cena.

The film is expected to be released worldwide some time next year.

CURIOSITIES

Gene Simmons on money versus happiness

If anyone knows a thing or two about getting rich no matter what, it’s the God of Thunder, Gene Simmons.

The KISS bassist and co-founder has been a professional musician for over 50 years, and though KISS is no longer touring, Simmons is till getting his licks in with his solo project, which is back on the road this summer.

On the Ultimate Classic Rock Podcast, he was asked simply: if you’re not happy, is the money worth it?

In true Gene fashion, he said, “it’s better to be a rich, miserable f***.”

It’s not that he doesn’t value happiness; rather, he just understands the value of a dollar, coming from humble beginnings.

"My mother worked at a sweat factory six days out of the week and survived the Nazi concentration camps of Germany. You know, life is tough, so the romantic hippie dippie notation about life never worked for me," he said.

"All I ever did was try to figure out how to become powerful and make lots of money, for survival. The only thing money ever does, really, is give you the freedom to do stuff you actually like doing. It's what it's really about and also to keep you safe, pay for your hospital bills, create jobs, give to charity, all of that stuff. A poor person never gave me a job."

STAKE TRIVIA

And it feels so good

From musicians to couples, we’ve seen a lot of breakups over the years. But then again, we’ve also seen the power of reconciliation 😏 

As it turns out, it’s National Reconciliation Day! With that in mind, get ready to reconcile your knowledge of classic breakups and reunions 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.


*Note: this story was an April Fools’ joke from Ikea.
**SEE FULL STAKE TRIVIA CONTEST RULES HERE.