Stirring the pot

Good morning. Mexico’s National Guard has enlisted the services of a 15-pound Chihuahua named Commando to be its newest search-and-rescue dog. For his missions, the 13-month-old service pup dons an adorable tactical vest, miniature goggles, and even a tiny helmet with a mounted camera. 

Let Commando be a reminder to all the short kings out there that height doesn’t measure heart. 

Today’s reading time is 5½ minutes.

Earnings to watch: Canadian retailer Aritzia will release its Q2 results after the bell on Thursday, while Delta Air Lines will follow with its results on Friday.

Last week’s allegations by a top White House official that Canada is interfering in the U.S. midterm elections look to have been a case of what psychologists call projection. 

What happened: According to an investigation by The Globe & Mail, U.S. officials and Trump administration allies have developed close ties with some separatist groups in Alberta.

Zoom out: Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette recently claimed that the U.S. had attempted to negotiate a trade deal directly with her province, a tactic endorsed in a paper published by the Defense Analyses and Research Corporation (DARC), a self-described U.S. defence think tank, outlining a strategy to destabilize and break up Canada.

Why it matters: Publicly, the White House has stayed mostly (though not completely) quiet about provincial separatist movements. Below the surface, however, there’s mounting evidence of a concerted effort by political factions close to the Trump administration to destabilize Canada.—TS

Four Canadians are missing in an air ambulance disappearance. The search continued yesterday for six passengers — including four Canadians — who were travelling on an Ontario medical jet from Bermuda to Boston. As of writing, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that it had identified debris from the missing air ambulance and that it would continue its search for survivors. (CBC News)

Yemen’s government launched a military offensive against Houthi militants. In a bid to win back territory lost to the Iran-backed rebel group, Yemeni government leaders launched a counter-offensive yesterday alongside the Saudi Arabian military. One of the main goals of the attack is to regain control over the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, which the Houthis have held control over since 2014, as well as the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a crucial trade artery. (Reuters)

Bolsonaro leads after the first round of voting in Brazil. Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, led the incumbent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, after the first round of voting. Analysts expect that Bolsonaro will gain most of the votes from eliminated candidates in the second round later this month, making him the favourite to win the runoff and become Brazil’s next president. (Guardian)

📡 What else is on our radar: 

You see changes coming before they make the quarterly agenda. DeGroote wants your perspective on the uncertainties, emerging trends, and overlooked challenges shaping the future of work.

Your input will help us develop sharper, more useful content for leaders navigating what comes next. Tell us:

Complete the short survey for a chance to win two tickets to Agility in the 21st Century on October 23, a conference focused on strategic foresight and futures thinking.

Whether you are watching technology reshape your team, confronting shifting customer expectations, or preparing for risks that are still poorly understood, take the survey today and share what you see coming.

Quebec’s provincial election. It’s election day in Quebec, and the separatist Parti Québécois continues to enjoy an edge in the final polls of the campaign. Two surveys released over the weekend showed a PQ minority the most likely outcome, but with five parties polling in the double digits, a wide range of results is possible. The PQ has promised to hold a referendum on Quebec’s independence after Donald Trump leaves office. 

Nobel Prizes to be announced. The prizes for medicine, science, and literature will be announced this week, culminating in the announcement of the Peace Prize on Friday. You can be fairly certain that the person who covets it most — Donald Trump — will not be the recipient, but who does get the nod this year is anyone’s guess. For what it’s worth, prediction markets currently favour Sudan's Emergency Response Rooms.

First jobs report since new tariffs kicked in. The Labour Force Survey for September arrives on Friday, and will cover the first full month since the latest round of U.S. tariffs was implemented. Canada’s job market had been relatively strong, but weakened more than expected in August, and analysts expect the tariffs to slow (if not fully reverse) gains.

Canadians in the Sunshine State are about to have bigger problems than a weak loonie.  

Driving the news: Floridians will soon vote on a ballot measure that would reduce or eliminate the property taxes paid by locals, while forcing Canadian snowbirds and other non-permanent residents to pay more. 

Why it matters: Canadians own more property in Florida than any other foreign buyers in the world, accounting for nearly a fifth of all international home purchases. With political tensions already at a boiling point, higher property taxes could accelerate the exodus of snowbirds from Florida. 

Zoom out: Florida is also the number-one U.S. destination for Canadian tourists, but since Trump was re-elected, there have been a lot fewer family trips to Disney World. In the first half of the year, the state saw 270,000 fewer visitors from Canada compared to 2025, a 14% decline. 

Yes, but: The surge in Canadians looking to sell their homes has hurt the state’s real estate market, particularly in South Florida. And with fewer snowbirds looking to buy, it’s become a lot more difficult for homeowners to cash out.—LA

Most Canadian benefits plans include therapy coverage, but if you've been meaning to start therapy, finding the right person to work with can feel complicated.

Layla makes that part easier: tell us about your needs and goals, and your care coordinator personally matches you with a licensed therapist, and stays with you as your care continues.

Learn more

🏒 $185,000. The average cost of an NHL point in real dollars, up from $76,000 twenty seasons ago. According to a Globe and Mail analysis, the Carolina Hurricanes were the most cost-efficient team last season, spending only $87 million in total payroll on their Stanley Cup-winning roster.

Get your week rolling with today’s mini-crossword, the daily sudoku, Codebreaker, and Who’s Who.