HEADLINES
WestJet Flight Attendants Go on Strike, Grounding More Than 300 Flights
WestJet flight attendants went on strike early Sunday, after they failed to reach a deal with the airline, causing major travel disruption in the middle of a busy summer long weekend.
Talks between the airline and the Canadian Union of Public Employees broke down late Saturday over the issue of wages and ground pay, which is the amount flight attendants get compensated for the work that they perform before a plane departs, and after it lands.
WestJet confirmed the strike and cancelled more than 300 flights as of early Sunday. The airline said it was disappointed by the strike and remained available for the union to reach an agreement.
"We presented a proposal that would have set a new standard for cabin crew in Canada, making WestJet the only airline to offer an hourly rate covering all time before and after flights, plus a double-digit wage increase in year one among other priorities the union raised," said CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech. "Unfortunately, it wasn't accepted."
'Spider-Man' Fuels Best-Ever Weekend for Movie-Theater Operators
Movie theaters closed out July with a bang.
AMC Entertainment and Cinemark each notched their best-ever weekends at the box office, fueled by a blockbuster opening for "Spider-Man: Brand New Day."
Sony Pictures' latest Spider-Man flick opened to an estimated $927 million in global box-office sales, making it the second-biggest film debut ever, according to the studio.
Both movie-theater chains noted a benefit from premium large format movie experiences, such as IMAX and Dolby Cinema. Strong holdover ticket sales for Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" also fueled results.
IMAX said Monday that it achieved its highest-grossing month in its more than 50-year history, generating $257 million at the global box office in July. That gross is largely thanks to "The Odyssey," which was filmed specifically for the format.
Bitcoin Falls on Worries Over Coldcard Wallet Attack
Bitcoin falls on concerns about an ongoing hack of a popular bitcoin storage device.
Canada-based Coinkite Inc. has urged users of its Coldcard digital wallets to move their bitcoin after security researchers said a software flaw might have allowed attackers to steal about $70 million worth of the cryptocurrency in less than an hour. Meanwhile, bitcoin exchange-traded funds recorded outflows on Friday.
TALKING POINT
For Farmers, Data is the Hottest New Commodity as Digital Agriculture Hits Canadian Fields
By Olivia Grandy of the Globe and Mail
As leaders in Canadian agriculture push for increased capital to leapfrog the industry, the crop sector is facing another related problem: A data analysis one, which is growing more pronounced while other industries chart serious productivity gains from AI. But, some early adopting producers are harnessing the power of the tech to better utilize their data for risk management and profitability.
Potato farmer Sheldon Wiebe used to rely on visual and scent cues to detect if his product was rotting inside climate-controlled storage bins designed to withstand prairie temperatures.
But now that his farm in MacGregor, Man., has started testing physical sensors from Calgary-based Cellar Insights on some bins, the first sign of rot may be a smartphone notification.
With data collection that can detect early signs of mold spores using artificial intelligence, the technology can predict spoilage before Mr. Wiebe's spuds are ruined. This ensures more of his potatoes make it to Simplot Co.'s French-fry processing plant, a 12-minute drive east of his farm. Cellar Insights' system also uses the season-long data sets it collects to train its models on Manitoba's drastic climate, which varies considerably between the seasons.
"We're in such a high-risk business and margins are very tight, and any kind of loss creates heartache financially, so good data really helps us to make good decisions," Mr. Wiebe said.
He has access to the early-stage technology through a contract with the Winnipeg-based Enterprise Machine Intelligence and Learning Initiative. EMILI is an industry-led non-profit that helps farmers use new agricultural technology developed by companies around the world. Mr. Wiebe's 10,000 acre, 18-person operation, which also grows other rotational crops, is one of the initiative's two innovation farms that test new technology at scale.
Elsewhere in the province and in the country, forward-looking farmers are embracing tools such as predictive weed control and smart field management systems. These technologies are part of a wave of digital tools helping Canadian farms play catch-up with the productivity gains of global competitors. For many producers, however, an unclear return on investment, gaps in digital literacy and poor cell service on rural farms make the leap feel impractical.
On one potato field, through EMILI, Mr. Wiebe's team is testing out an Israeli-founded, AI-powered irrigation system called Autonomous Pivot. It uses a ground-penetrating radar to more precisely measure soil moisture and detect disease or insect issues. In other words, it's a smart assistant that can prescribe watering before stress on the crop occurs. Without the system, the team has to conduct weekly moisture tests of hand-dug soil samples.
The value of these technologies comes down to the high-quality, transferable data they collect, and what they can use that data to identify or predict. For Mr. Wiebe, the tech can help alleviate the typically time-consuming troubleshooting process.
He gives the example of a rot issue in storage, and how the collected data could help locate where it's coming from in the field. This kind of tracking helps to "connect all the dots across the farm," he said.
While producers like Mr. Wiebe are hungry for new technology to improve productivity, investors are reluctant to bet on the ag-tech sector. Investment in domestic agri-food companies, including those aimed at primary agriculture (the stage where crops are grown), has dwindled as generalist investors have come to view food production as fragmented, confusing and high-risk, said RBC lead researcher on the industry, Lisa Ashton.
According to a February report by Ms. Ashton, overall investment in these companies is lower today than it was a decade ago, with deals down 29 per cent, and the value of those deals down 32 per cent.
A 2025 report from the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute said industry discussions are often focused on potential benefits of new tech, without addressing on-farm realities to win over pragmatic producers. Larger grain, oilseed, dairy and controlled-environment operations, such as greenhouses, are leading in digital agriculture adoption, while smaller farms lag behind, the report said.
Players such as EMILI are trying to change that. Along with Farm Credit Canada, the initiative founded AIVA, a network for farmers to test early-stage ag-tech products to reduce business risk.
"It is hard to distinguish what is fact and what is fiction and what is aspiration," EMILI chief executive officer Jacqueline Keena said. "... By the time a farmer is adopting a technology, and if it's been through Innovation Farms, we can say with confidence this has been our experience, this is how it's worked for us."
Expected Major Events for Tuesday
08:00/ITA: Jun Retail Sales
10:00/FRA: Jun OECD CPI
12:30/CAN: Jun International merchandise trade
12:30/US: Jun U.S. International Trade in Goods & Services
12:55/US: 08/01 Johnson Redbook Retail Sales Index
13:30/CAN: Jul Canada Manufacturing PMI
14:00/US: Jun Job Openings & Labor Turnover Survey
14:00/US: Jun Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories & Orders (M3)
14:00/US: Aug RCM/TIPP Economic Optimism Index
20:30/US: API Weekly Statistical Bulletin
23:30/JPN: Jun Provisional Labour Survey - Earnings, Employment & Hours Worked
All times in GMT. Powered by Onclusive and Dow Jones.
Expected Earnings for Tuesday
Albany International Corp - Class A $(AIN)$ is expected to report $0.70 for 2Q.
Ametek Inc $(AME)$ is expected to report $1.76 for 2Q.
Aptiv PLC (APTV) is expected to report for 2Q.
Archer Daniels Midland Co (ADM) is expected to report $1.26 for 2Q.
Ball Corp $(BALL)$ is expected to report $0.95 for 2Q.
BellRing Brands Inc (BRBR) is expected to report $0.37 for 3Q.
Bruker Corp $(BRKR)$ is expected to report $0.14 for 2Q.
DuPont de Nemours Inc (DD) is expected to report for 2Q.
Energizer Holdings Inc $(ENR)$ is expected to report $0.80 for 3Q.
Energous Corp (WATT) is expected to report for 2Q.
Entegris Inc $(ENTG)$ is expected to report $0.57 for 2Q.
Exagen Inc (XGN) is expected to report $-0.19 for 2Q.
Gartner Inc (IT) is expected to report $3.56 for 2Q.
Graphic Packaging Holding Co (GPK) is expected to report $0.09 for 2Q.
Haverty Furniture Cos Inc (HVT,HVTA) is expected to report $0.21 for 2Q.
IDEXX Laboratories Inc $(IDXX)$ is expected to report $3.94 for 2Q.
IPG Photonics Corp $(IPGP)$ is expected to report $0.37 for 2Q.
Ingredion Inc $(INGR)$ is expected to report $2.49 for 2Q.
International Petroleum Corp (IPCO.T) is expected to report $0.60 for 2Q.
Kimberly-Clark Corp $(KMB)$ is expected to report $1.64 for 2Q.
Kimco Realty Corp $(KIM)$ is expected to report $0.20 for 2Q.
LGI Homes Inc (LGIH) is expected to report $0.89 for 2Q.
Leidos Holdings Inc (LDOS) is expected to report $2.65 for 2Q.
Merck & Co Inc $(MRK)$ is expected to report $-0.37 for 2Q.
Millrose Properties Inc (MRP) is expected to report for 2Q.
NexPoint Residential Trust Inc (NXRT) is expected to report $-0.38 for 2Q.
Pfizer Inc $(PFE)$ is expected to report $0.49 for 2Q.
Public Service Enterprise Group Inc (PEG) is expected to report $0.79 for 2Q.
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