#43: TIME AND CHANCE ⏳

🚓 CRIME - Peterborough snowplow driver attacked while clearing sidewalk

🤖 TECH - Burger King deploying AI voice coaches for staff in Canada this year

🎵 MUSIC - “She’s nice”: Rising pop star Xavier Trudeau talks meeting his dad’s new GF Katy Perry

Good morning.

Is hockey the world’s most political sport?

In 1972, Canada beat the Soviets in an eight-game series that was essentially a proxy battle of the Cold War.

In 1980, an American squad of amatuer players beat the same superpower Soviet team at the Olympics. The Americans called it the Miracle on Ice and said it was proof of the superiority of capitalism over communism.

In 2025, Canadian fans booed the American national anthem during an exhibition tournament after the US president called Canada the “51st state” and PM Justin Trudeau its “governor.”

And in 2026, the US rode a wave of patriotism following its Olympic gold-medal triumph over Canada to launch a regime-change war against Iran and distract from its coverup of a child sex-trafficking ring that implicated the president.

Enjoy today’s stories.

-Peter

⌛️ Today’s read is 2 minutes long.

🎲 WHAT ARE THE ODDS?

▲ 57% chance a province will schedule a referendum to leave Canada before 2027 (+14% this month).

▼ 13% chance a federal election will be called before June 30 (-20% this month).

▲ 50% chance the Liberals will have a majority in Parliament by June 30 (+20% this month).

▼ 27% chance Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry get engaged this year (-3% this month).

▲ 41% chance Canada goes into recession by end of year (+4% this week).

▼ 15% chance Alberta votes for independence this year (-37% this month).

*Odds are based on yes/no betting activity by users on Polymarket.

You always know we’re in the dog days of winter when people start attacking the snowplow drivers.

A 56-year-old Peterborough man was arrested last week after allegedly assaulting a city employee who was plowing the sidewalk outside his house.

The man reportedly opened the plow’s door and twice tried to remove the driver’s earbuds.

Police say they arrested the man after reviewing video footage of the incident, which they did not make public.

The man was released on an undertaking and is scheduled to appear in court on May 12.

The Association of Ontario Road Supervisors (AORS) says this isn’t the first time a plow driver has been assaulted this winter.

The organization says it has received reports of Ontarians throwing “chunks of ice” at plows and threatening to “kill sidewalk and plow operators.”

One plow driver reportedly received a voicemail from a man who threatened to shoot him with a shotgun.

In another incident, AORS says somebody climbed onto a snowplow and refused to get off unless their road was cleared first.

These incidents are part of a “troubling and escalating trend,” says AORS.

“These examples represent only a small sample of what municipal winter maintenance crews are experiencing across the province.”

The organization is now petitioning Ontario’s labour minister to pass stronger legal protections for snowplow drivers, such as a new traffic law that would require drivers to maintain a minimum distance of 30 metres behind snowplows where speed limits are 80 km/h or lower, and 100 metres where speed limits exceed 80 km/h.

Burger King employees in Canada will soon have AI assistants in their ears listening to conservations and telling them how to upsell customers or be more polite.

Restaurant Brands International (RBI), the fast-food chain’s American parent company that also owns Tim Hortons, announced at its annual investor day that it will be rolling out the new technology—called “Patty”—in restaurants across Canada later this year.

Patty is powered by OpenAI. The tool integrates directly into headsets worn by staff and monitors their live conversations with customers, prompting them in real time to suggest add-on items to customers during the ordering process.

The system also tracks when employees say key words like “welcome,” “please,” and “thank you” and shares the information with managers.

RBI’s Executive Chairman Patrick Doyle told investors that Patty will be a “game changer” for restaurant managers who struggle to instill a sense of respect for customters in their employees.

“Are they being friendly? Are they saying welcome? Are they saying thank you for coming to Burger King?” said Doyle while expounding on the benefits of surveilling conversations.

Patty also collects data on restaurant operations and tells employees when soft-drink cartridges need to be replaced or dirty toilets need to be cleaned.

The new tech is currently being tested in 500 American Burger King restaurants.

“It’s not about scoring individuals or enforcing scripts,” Burger King told the Associated Press. “It’s about reinforcing great hospitality and giving managers helpful, real-time insights so they can recognize their teams more effectively."

KEEPING UP WITH THE TRUDEAUS

Look out, music industry: rising R&B star Xavier Trudeau is being mentored by his dad’s new girlfriend and pop icon, Katy Perry.

The 18-year-old—whose stage name is "Xav”— said in an interview with Instagram influencer G Hobs that he and Katy Perry have talked for “hours” about his music.

“She’s cool,” he said. “She’s nice.”

“We’ve sat—we’ve talked for hours, just talking about my music, advice, and these next steps for me and stuff.”

Xav—who comes from a long line of prime ministers—launched his music career last year with his debut hit single, “Till The Nights Done,” a sensual song about sex.

The young R&B artist has released four more singles since then and one reaction video featuring his father, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Some of Xav’s fans call him "Lil Carbon Tax,” a nickname he apparently does not mind.

“This is, like, a thing that happened since the start of me making music,” he told G Hobs. “I have no idea how it relates to me. I think it’s funny though.”

The up-and-coming star noted he has not yet asked Katy Perry about her trip to space.

“I didn’t talk to her about that,“ he said. “Did she even go on the moon?”