We're running a pre-election vibe check.
Don't share how you're voting, just share how you're feeling.
Good afternoon everyone.
Those of you who completed the reader survey (thank you) confirmed the obvious which is that all anyone cares about this week is who will be the Prime Minister of Canada come May 1. So I’m going to try something ambitious, perhaps delusional, and run an anonymous Pre-Election Vibe Check for anyone who wants to participate.
You don’t have to tell me who you’re voting for, I just want to know what you’ll be carrying with you when you walk into your local polling station on Monday. If enough people write in, we can compare notes in that morning’s letter, which would be an interesting way to spend two minutes before turning to the day’s election coverage.
Thoughts? Takes? Let me know.
Ian Austen from the Times wrote that voters in Toronto could decide the election. You might remember that last summer, the Liberal party lost the Toronto-St. Paul district after three decades in a special election, triggering the chain of events that led to JT’s resignation and an early election. So the region’s 56 seats will be under close watch.
NEWS:
Microsoft says AI will help everyone become the boss. As agents “join the workforce,” we’ll see the rise of the agent boss, writes CMO Jared Spataro.
It’s crunch time for Hudson’s Bay. The retailer had originally put forward a sale plan that would save six of its most prominent physical locations, including stores in the Eaton Centre and Yorkdale Mall, but the $82 million investment that would be necessary to get those escalators working has not attracted any likely buyers, leaving the company to start clearance sales at those stores this week. Things could still turn around in the days leading up to next week’s deadline for bids.
A record 7.3 million Canadians voted during advance polls. Some polls show the margin between the Liberal and Conservative parties has tightened.
Selling ice is a surprisingly good business. Arctic Ice, a Greenland-based ice startup, sells boxes of six cubes for $100 to cocktail bars in Dubai. In the past five years, Greenland has granted 13 licenses to harvest glacial meltwater and ice.
A judge has already declared a mistrial in the Hockey Canada case. The current jury of 11 women and three men were dismissed within two days.
Steve Paikin is leaving The Agenda. Maybe check in on your dad today?
UPS sets its sights beyond my Revolve orders. The delivery-and-logistics company will buy Vaughan-based Andlauer Healthcare for $1.6 billion to grow its healthcare shipping business. Earlier this year, Chris Hannay wrote about how the country’s aging population has created an opportunity to pivot to delivering drugs and medical devices, but the biggest challenge is in maintaining optimal storage temperatures throughout the process. Andlauer specializes in exactly that.
Inside the King Street parties with a new generation of Conservatives.
Phoebe Gates is building the Google Flights for fashion. Yesterday, Gates and her Stanford roommate Sophia Kianni launched Phia, a price comparison platform for online shopping. The timing couldn’t be better: U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports are disproportionately affecting the fashion industry, and shoppers will likely look for deals as prices rise. Google’s shopping tab kind of does this, but Phia claims to offer a broader search of new and resale sites, pull up similar items to the one you’re searching for, and analyze if the cost is fair and whether the piece will hold its value on the secondary market. Bill Gates did not invest in the company, but investors include Soma Capital, Kris Jenner, Sara Blakely, and Joanne Bradford. The two have been talking about their “experience as start-up founders” in a new podcast with Alex Cooper’s Unwell network.
Authentic Brands Group is considering launching a rival takeover bid for Guess. The company founded by Toronto-born Jaimie Salter has a portfolio of brands and intellectual properties including Champion, Reebok, and Forever 21.
University-educated Canadians spend the most time working from home compared to the rest of the world. The authors of a new report say the extent to which a society is individualistic best predicts the embrace of remote work.
“Plants are the new pets.” People who may have bought plants during the pandemic and found they had a hard time taking care of them are increasingly turning to plant minders like Brandon Barnett, who will water plants, polish leaves, mitigate pests, optimize for lighting, and even track progress. Visits start at $50.
I went to Susie’s and it was amazing. Co-founder Matt Chow told me they’re prioritizing building relationships within the community and are not trying to go viral, which I’m not sure is possible when you’re serving green juice cocktails.