That's life

Surely you remember you could learn about life when you play The Game of Life 🤣 It was more about luck than skill, so you didn’t have to worry about any conniving siblings trying to take you down.

What happened to you in the board game may have been a matter of chance, but in real life, you can make your own luck. If you’re looking to improve your ability to play the conversation game, they say employing this one simple rule will help you win every time.

Overcome those frontiers ;)

(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

Canadian motorists making insurance trade-offs

The high cost of living has Canadians making tough decisions regarding anti-theft and vehicle safety features, despite growing concerns about auto theft across the country.

The Co-operators Group surveyed 1,000 Canadian car owners and found almost 50% are still concerned about auto theft in the country, despite the ongoing progress being made in joint law enforcement efforts from multiple levels of government.

Around the same percentage have themselves been impacted by the auto theft spike over the last several years, or are related to/know someone who’s been affected.

“We’re seeing a level of sophistication in vehicle theft that wasn’t common even five years ago,” deputy chief Nick Milinovich, Peel Regional Police, said in a press release. “These aren’t one-off incidents. They’re coordinated, fast-moving and often linked to larger criminal operations.”

72% of those surveyed said they’re worried about the financial burden of having to replace a stolen car, and the same number said they’re worried about their insurance premiums rising if their car gets stolen.

“Whether the cost is emotional or financial, Canadians simply cannot afford to face the ongoing crisis of vehicle theft,” Tara Laidman, vice-president of home and auto insurance at Co-operators, said in the release.

REAL ESTATE

Cottage housing market slows

According to a report published by Re/Max Canada, lower interest rates and renewed affordability may have boosted confidence in the cottage market last year, but tariffs and the economic uncertainty they’ve sown have erased that positive sentiment.

59% of people surveyed by Leger on behalf of Re/Max who have had their housing prospects influenced in some way by the ongoing economic chaos said they now have less confidence in the recreational housing market than they did a year ago.

“Market conditions really took a hit when they started having these trade discussions,” said Re/Max Canada president Don Kottick in an interview, noting that long-term positive developments in international trade could cause a quick turnaround in the recreational market.

“I think the underlying desire is there. The general consensus is that desire is not going to go away,” he said. “Recreational buyers are temporarily on the sidelines as they await further clarity or signs of economic stability.”

Sellers are also on the sidelines, according to the survey, suggesting the market is in a “wait-and-see” type of holding pattern, with both sides of the equation watching for any developments in Ottawa and Washington that could drive the market back into gear.

GOVERNMENT

Debt piling up

Ontario premier Doug Ford is under fire this week from deficit hawks, after Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy’s 2025-26 fiscal blueprint revealed the province’s debt could grow to over $500 billion over the next two years, adding $150 billion since the Ford government took office in 2018.

“So much for fiscal prudence,” said Nicolas Gagnon with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “Just this year alone, the debt itself is costing approximately $1,000 per Ontario taxpayer.”

The deficit is expected to balloon this year after the government pivoted to help insulate Ontario businesses and taxpayers from the impact of tariffs. The cost of servicing that debt has also ballooned in recent years due to higher interest rates. The government will spend $51 billion over the next three years on interest payments alone.

Still, Premier Ford said in a press availability that while he’s not happy about a growing deficit, he won’t hesitate to do what needs to be done to protect Ontario’s economic interests and wellbeing.

“I don’t like debt,” Ford told Global News. “We have two choices in a budget: we can start cutting and slashing, which I don’t like doing, I never will, and I believe in reinvesting into our infrastructure, into our health care, hospitals and schools.”

THIRSTY THURSDAYS

The magic of ice

Ice is a key ingredient for most cocktails, but the size and shape can make or break any given one.

For example, can you imagine an Old Fashioned with a dozen little pebble ice pellets in it instead of one massive ice cube in the centre of the bottom of the glass?

There’s a reason for these variations, and it comes down to chemistry. Ice volume and ice surface area are two important properties that dictate what will happen to a drink when it interacts with the ice. In terms of the former, the higher the volume, the more cooling power it has, because there’s more ice to melt into the rest of the drink and chill it.

However, that’s not to be confused with the cooling rate. The reason Old Fashioneds come with one large ice cube is because this drink is meant to be sipped on over time, but without it getting too chilled, or too diluted.

The less surface area, the slower the rate of chill, which is why soft drinks or shaken cocktails tend to have plenty of ice cubes in them, increasing both the volume and the surface area, and driving up the dilution potential, the chilling power, and the rate of chill.

HEALTH

Exercise reduces risk of repeat cardiac event

A study published the other day in American Heart Association journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes found even just a tiny amount of daily exercise after a cardiac event can lower the risk of it happening again.

Specifically, the researchers found replacing 30 minutes of sedentary activity a day with light-intensity physical activity can lower the risk of another cardiac event or even death by 50%. When replacing with moderate/vigorous physical activity, those risks fall 61%.

"Current treatment guidelines after a cardiac event focus mainly on encouraging patients to exercise regularly," lead author Dr. Keith Diaz, an associate professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, said in a news release. "In our study, we explored whether sedentary time itself may contribute to cardiovascular risk."

Dr. Diaz and his team recruited 609 patients between 21 and 96 who had at one point been treated for a heart attack or chest pain at Columbia University Medical Center. They found those who were most sedentary were 2.5 times more likely than the most active to have another heart attack, need cardiac surgery, be hospitalized, or be dead within a year.

TECH

Google to expand AI in search

If you do a Google search today, you’ll likely find the top result isn’t a website, but the browser’s “AI Overview,” which basically acts as a chat agent providing answers to your query in some sort of list, summary, series of bullet points, or data.

This is really the only part of Search that’s integrated with Google’s Gemini AI engine, but the company announced plans to more deeply integrate AI into Search in future updates, allowing users to toggle on and off “AI Mode.”

Instead of simple logic, users will be able to ask more complex and/or comparative-based questions, such as “What’s the difference in sleep tracking features between a smart ring, smartwatch, and tracking mat?” or “What happens to your heart rate during deep sleep?” with Google putting together a robust answer in real time.

AI Mode will eventually allow users to get Google to conduct research, though Google acknowledges the still-existing limitations of large language models, particularly in the form of “hallucinations”. That’s when the LLM just makes up information and passes it off as true, like that time Gemini recommended glue as a pizza toppin

In cases when AI isn’t yet capable of getting the job done, Google Search will still yield web pages rather than an attempt at a sophisticated AI-generated answer.

MUSIC

Kelly Hansen departs Foreigner

It’s been a hell of a ride for Foreigner frontman Kelly Hansen, but after 20 years leading the band on stage, he’s decided he’ll call it a career after the 2025 tour.

“Being the voice of Foreigner has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” Hansen said during the group's Tuesday night appearance on the The Voice. “But it’s time to pass the mic."

Luis Maldonado, who joined the band as a multi-instrumentalist in 2021, will take over after Hansen departs, having already handled lead singer duties in a recent Latin American tour leg that Hansen had to miss due to a conflict. He was joined on that leg occasionally by original singer, the legendary Lou Gramm.

"Kelly Hansen is one of the best front men in our business and over the last twenty years he has breathed new life into our songs," said founding songwriter, Mick Jones. "His boundless energy and flawless talent has helped us climb the mountain and set up the opportunity for Foreigner vocalist and guitarist, Luis Maldonado, to bring us home. I wish Kelly great happiness in his next endeavors after our summer tour, and I look forward to welcoming Luis to his new position.”

STAKE TRIVIA

Mix and match

A band is only as good as the sum of its parts, but a wicked guitarist can do a lot to tip the scales 🎸 

If we gave you an iconic guitarist, could you tell us which band they’re from? Find out 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.


*SEE FULL STAKE TRIVIA CONTEST RULES HERE.