No more tooth brushing at the office
A new mouth-cleaning gum with an impressive investor bench.
Good afternoon. I’m working on getting this newsletter out earlier in the day without having to move to a different timezone. Until then, let’s talk about brushing teeth at the office, protein lattes, and IntegrityTO’s launch party.
Finally a product for people who brush their teeth at work. At BMO, running into someone brushing their teeth was a daily occurrence (that made me feel like I should be doing it too). Toothpod, a mouth-cleaning chewing gum, has attracted investment from hedge fund manager Mark Diker, AstraZeneca Canada CEO Michael Cloutier, and Michele Romanow.
I’d like to see Interac get a little more creative with its new e-transfer cards. How about “sorry I spilled red wine on your new rug?”
The controversial Instagram account IntegrityTO held a launch party at Mod Club last night. Radio host Greg Brady moderated conversations between Daniel Tate, who founded the online advocacy group, and Brian Lilley, the co-founder of Rebel News (also the most mentioned individual for news on social media in Canada after Jordan Peterson), and three city councillors. Tate is best known for sharing videos that get people worked up about the ‘state’ of the city. He told the Toronto Star it’s “too early” to say whether he’ll run in next year’s mayoral election, but moving beyond social media signals a level of political ambition that shouldn’t be ignored.
Balzac’s holiday drink lineup includes a peppermint mocha with 30g of protein. Balzac’s said I can’t print how many they’ve sold, but it’s more than I would’ve thought. Local coffee chains like Goldstruck and Dark Horse have also recently rolled out specialty drinks with protein.
What’s worse: Outsourcing all of your decisions to ChatGPT or an online psychic?
Source: @snaxshot Meal deals and nicotine sales are fuelling Couche-Tard’s plans to open 500 new stores by 2028. Put your health to the test by starting your day with a breakfast sandwich, hash brown and Monster energy drink for $6.
People used to go on reality TV to become social media famous. Now it seems like you have to be social media famous to make it onto reality TV.
An investigation by The Local’s Nicholas Hune-Brown took down an AI-enabled fake journalist with bylines in Vogue and The Guardian. When “Victoria Goldiee” reached out to The Local in the fall, she claimed to be living in Toronto and contributing to The Walrus and The Globe and Mail. After initially accepting the pitch, Hune-Brown discovered her Canadian bylines didn’t exist, and her interviews were made-up. She disappeared after being confronted, having already written for Dwell, Architectural Digest, and New York Magazine. Earlier this year, several publications, including Wired, faced a similar issue after accepting AI-invented stories from “Margaux Blanchard,” but this isn’t just a media problem: last week The Independent reported that a $1.6 million plan for the government of Newfoundland and Labrador by Deloitte cited made-up research papers.
Anything happening in St. Maarten I should know about? KAYAK tells me this Caribbean island has seen the most growth in searches by Canadians for the holidays this year, followed by Cabo San Lucas and Martinique.
Former premier Dalton McGuinty wrote a book about *leadership*.
One of the most impressive installations at Art Toronto sold to the owner of 100 Kellogg Lane. Martha Leach manages the entertainment complex in London, which is home to Canada’s only Hard Rock Hotel.
So grateful I haven’t had to play golf to get ahead in my career. A federal lawsuit alleges that RBC fostered a ‘boys club’ (defined as participating in golf, drinks, and sporting events) at its U.S. investment bank subsidiary.
How does one become a judge for Chatelaine’s pantry awards? Eating and drinking 117 products is how I planned to spend Christmas anyway.