Asking about jobs today.
Is anyone still still managing five remote bosses?
Good morning everyone.
Yesterday I asked Milk Bag readers over Instagram about the most glamorous minimum wage jobs they’ve ever worked. My favourite answers were a non-unionized extra on Degrassi ($8 an hour), a violinist in a travelling string quartet that performed at weddings and casinos, and a counsellor at a $2,000-a-week summer camp.
Those conversations left me wanting to ask you about your jobs now. So much has changed since the labour market peaked (marked by the existence of several Reddit communities focused on exchanging tips to work several remote jobs) and I want to know how you’re feeling about your current work situation and plan for next steps.
Readers who were around for the election vibe check will remember how incredible some of those answers were, and this anonymous Career Vibe Check will follow a similar format. If enough people write in, we can compare notes in Friday’s letter.
Let me know how you really feel.
NEWS:
John Tory absolutely loves being asked if he’ll run for mayor again.
Uber tapped a Toronto executive to step up as its first COO in six years. If anyone knows Andrew Macdonald tell him I’d love to talk to him. This is hugely important role for the company as it looks to expand its mobility, delivery, and autonomous divisions over the next decade in pursuit of “super app” status (if I had a nickel). The comp plan includes $5 million worth of conditional stock.
Victoria’s Secret, North Face and Cartier were all hit by cyberattacks. If you own a tank watch or thermoball slippers your email may have been compromised.
Destination Toronto will open two European offices. Both the U.K. and Germany represent an opportunity to plug the anticipated hole in American tourism along with the Netherlands, Austria, and Switzerland. The number of travellers coming from Europe has fallen more than 4% in the last two years.
It’s worth noting Québec already does a lot to promote tourism between France: Air France flights connect Montréal with every part of the country.
The CEO of INK Entertainment says people aren’t buying bottle service.
A career in comedy could be the hedge you’re looking for against AI. A LinkedIn post by Second City aligns the focus of a new comedy major with the next decade’s most in-demand skills, identified by the World Economic Forum.
The marketing department at Niagara-on-the-Lake says its no longer ‘wine country.‘ There is a clear travel theme emerging in today’s letter. Councillors are really fighting over whether they should add wine “and food” to the town’s vision statement to broaden its appeal, and after a bit of research it seems like there’s a real opportunity for any creative agency looking to help brand towns and cities.
Muskoka, another weekend destination, goes with "once discovered, never forgotten" and PEC just refers to itself at “The County.” Simple, it’s good!
Where we start struggling is with the cities: Toronto has used “the views are different here” in the last while Montréal runs with “your playful side awaits.”
The New York Times called Canadian Parks ‘dupes’ for U.S. parks. Staying on travel, the portal to buy passes for more than 80 Canadian parks has conveniently gone offline, so good luck to any American trying to actually action this article.
A 50% U.S. tariff on steel and aluminium imports goes into effect today.
A monthlong CEO summer camp seems like something most adults could benefit from. I’m afraid there was no way to naturally work this is into the top of the letter but Muskoka Woods has one for 16- and 17-year-olds priced at $7,000.
Dave Portnoy gave the pizza at Terazza, a restaurant on Harbord, a 7.4.
Stanley Cup Final starts today. I have nothing to add to this conversation but this article breaks down how favourable Florida’s tax rate is for pro athletes: Sam Reinhart will pay $1.4 million less in income tax than if he was living in Toronto.
If Toronto re-elects John Tory, it will deserve every Leaf playoff collapse from now to eternity.