Need a topic for small talk with your pharmacist when they’re refilling your prescription? This story has you covered.

Driving the news: If you’re in the market for ~400 pretty successful Canadian pharmacies, U.S. medical distribution giant McKesson has put up the ‘for sale’ sign on its pharmacy chain Rexall, aka, that place you pop into when there isn’t a Shoppers nearby. 

In a move that sounds like the plot of a Martin Scorsese mafia movie, U.S. sandwich chains Jersey Mike’s and Jimmy John’s are gearing up for a turf war north of the border.

What happened: The chains are joining the growing list of fast food brands looking to take a chunk out of the lucrative Canadian sandwich market.

One of the biggest pension funds in Canada is looking to make some blood money… and by that we mean they’re looking to sell the place where you probably get your bloodwork done.

Driving the news: OMERS has been peddling LifeLabs — Canada’s largest private medical lab company — since last year, per The Globe and Mail.

If your usually chipper barista seems a little on edge, it might be because today is a very stressful day for many small businesses across the country.

Driving the news: Today is the last day for businesses and nonprofits to repay their Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loans — interest-free government loans — and still receive partial loan forgiveness, valued at up to a third of the loan, and avoid interest. 

An up-and-coming company’s Canadian expansion is giving ‘Big Sugar’ a run for its money. 

What happened: Florida-based sugar producer Sucro will invest $135 million to build what could be Canada’s biggest sugar refinery, according to The Globe and Mail. The upstart aims to take on the country’s sugar duopoly, as demand for the sweet stuff grows. 

Warning: If you are an HR manager implementing wellness initiatives at your workplace, this story contains content that you may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised.

Driving the news: A new study on the effectiveness of work wellness programs came away with a shocking conclusion: All those apps, courses, and puppy yoga classes aren’t doing anything to improve workers’ mental health. 

Restaurant Brands International (RBI) — a very fake-sounding Toronto-based company that is the very real owner of Tim Hortons and Burger King — just ordered 1,000 juicy franchises. 

What happened: RBI agreed to pay US$1 billion for Carrols Restaurant Group, the largest U.S. franchisee of Burger Kings.

Add ‘school potentially going bankrupt’ to the list of reasons we’re happy we’re not in college anymore, alongside gruelling mid-terms and questionable dining hall food. 

Driving the news: Queen’s University’s provost (basically its CEO) warned that the prestigious institution faces a $48 million deficit this year and could go out of business if it doesn’t straighten up, balance the books, and slash outstanding expenses. 

The world’s biggest brewer is hoping that their newest sponsorship deal will capture sports fans who may be considering extending their Dry January’s.

What happened: Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev has signed a deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to become the first-ever global beer sponsor for the next three Olympic games, a platform the company will use to pump the tires on a non-alcoholic beer.  

Carta, the most popular platform for startups to manage equity and ownership info, has spent the week defending how it handles that data.