Stack it up

Good morning. A man in the town of Kiama, Australia, returned a book to the library. This wouldn’t be a newsworthy occurrence if the book weren’t 150 years overdue. The library is unable to determine who took it out, but did calculate a fine of 28,000 Australian dollars.

The man who returned it found the book inside a tea crate that was bricked inside a fireplace. To us, this clearly indicates that the book is cursed and shouldn’t have been moved.

A quick programming note: there will be no issue on Monday — enjoy the long weekend!

Today’s reading time is 5 minutes.

Markets: Several big-name Canadian companies reported quarterly earnings yesterday, but gains on the stock market were hard to come by for them. The likes of Loblaw and Canada Goose dipped a little bit, while Bombardier and toy company Spin Master got annihilated. All that said, Canada’s main stock index still finished the day up thanks to mining shares.

Bad news for any biohacking fitfluencers reading this: Canada is cracking down on peptides. 

What happened: The Quebec Superior Court granted Health Canada’s injunction against Quebec company Canlab Research, banning it from selling unauthorized injectable peptides in the country. It’s also barred from testing, manufacturing, and advertising such products.  

Catch-up: Peptides are short chains of amino acids that regulate hormones (insulin being the most famous example). They’re commonly used in pharmaceuticals, but a wave of fitness, tech, and other influencers have started championing a DIY approach to taking them, claiming that “stacking” combos of different ones can achieve a wide array of health goals.

Why it matters: These are unauthorized, untested, and unproven drugs that an increasing number of people are putting into their bodies — call us old-fashioned, but we find this alarming. The injunction is a win for Health Canada in potentially reducing consumption. 

Yes, but: Health Canada isn’t getting any help from its MAHA-pilled counterparts in the U.S. Last week, a group of federal health advisors recommended that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ease some restrictions on three of these drugs.—QH

The feds are set to approve the biggest nickel mine in the Western Hemisphere.  Ottawa has approved Canada Nickel’s proposal to build a new nickel mine in northern Ontario, a project from the government’s list of major projects it intends to fast-track. The mine is expected to have a production capacity of 240,000 tonnes of mine ore per day, making it one of the largest in the world. Canada Nickel will still need to line up financing for construction of the project. (Globe and Mail)

WestJet flight attendants’ union served a strike notice. The airline’s 4,400 flight attendants could go on strike as early as Sunday and some flights may be grounded beginning today in anticipation of a walkout. Passengers with flights booked until August 4 are able to rebook or cancel their flights with no penalty. (CBC News)

Cenovus CEO says the oil sands are investable again. Jon McKenzie said the new memorandum of understanding between the federal government, Alberta, and the Oil Sands Alliance has made private sector investment in the oil sands viable again. Last month, McKenzie had ruled out the possibility of private sector financing for a proposed pipeline from the oil sands to the B.C. coast. (The Logic)

📡 What else is on our radar:

Tobacco company AIR Global is investing $28 million in Toronto vape company Greentank Technologies. AIR Global’s investment comes in the form of a preferred share purchase and leaves the door open for the company to increase its stake by another 20%. 

Why it matters: Greentank has made a name for itself in the smoking industry with its Quantum Chip — a proprietary heating technology for vapes that it claims produces cooler vapour and smaller particulates. This deal gives it a major partner in the vaping supply chain.

A growing number of entrepreneurs are striking it rich without the one thing virtually every successful business used to need: employees.

What happened: Data released by the payments processing company Stripe shows the number of “solopreneurs” — people running businesses by themselves — earning more than $1 million per year more than doubled between 2023 and 2025. 

Why it’s happening: AI has made it easier to launch businesses that used to require either specialized skills, extra hands, or both. Digital services and apps, in particular, can now be built by AI tools fairly easily — something that would have previously only been doable by coders.

Why it matters: Solopreneurship appears to be a more viable way for some to earn a living than it once was, and that’s certainly good news. The downside is that it could also mean fewer new jobs created for humans — bad news for people who’d prefer more traditional forms of employment.

Yes, but: AI’s impact on employment is still something of a choose-your-own-adventure story. You can find credible research showing that it’s already destroying jobs, and other studies finding no effect. Where the rise of solopreneurship fits into that trend remains to be seen.—TS

🌎 Hint: This remote North Atlantic archipelago is a photographer’s dream; famous for its grass-roofed villages perched dramatically above sheer sea cliffs and a seaside soccer field that appears to hover over the ocean. The islands are also a prime destination for spotting Atlantic puffins up close, which nest in the cliffsides in the tens of thousands each summer.

Any thoughts where this is? Lock in your guess here.

🔥 200%. Rise in reported e-bike fires in Toronto since the city’s fire service began monitoring them in 2022. E-bikes have grown in popularity in recent years, but some bikes have unreliable “off-market” lithium-ion batteries that have either been altered or damaged. When they ignite, the resulting fires are particularly intense and difficult to extinguish.

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Then, saddle up for today’s mini-crossword, the daily sudoku, Codebreaker, and Who’s Who.