Hard Numbers: Albertan separatists want out, irregular migration drops, canines in the ring in Toronto, Snoop Dogg + First Nations, Stanley Cup drought

May 18, 2023

Canadian and Alberta flags in Edmonton.

Artur Widak via Reuters Connect

51: A right-wing separatist group in Alberta is urging the province to secede from the “dictatorship” of Justin Trudeau’s Canada and become the 51st state of the US. The Alberta 51 Project, which got a huge boost on Fox News this week, sees creeping authoritarianism in Trudeau’s pandemic policies and progressive politics and views the US republican system of government as freer than Canada’s constitutional monarchy. Could be — but Alberta 51 does realize that the US is currently run by a “socialist,” right?

546: New figures show that since the US and Canada tightened the requirements for undocumented asylum-seekers arriving from the US in Canada, the number of irregular arrivals in Canada has plummeted. Between March 25, when the new rules began, and May 11, authorities detained just 546 undocumented arrivals, a precipitous drop from the nearly 5,000 monthly detentions in January and February.

102: Woof! 102 candidates have entered the race for mayor of Toronto, including a seven-year-old rescue dog from Russia named Molly whose platform focuses on reducing winter road salts. The race to replace former Mayor John Tory, who resigned in February over an extramarital affair, will be decided in a vote at the end of June. The current front-runner is former NDP MP Olivia Chow.

800 million: In other canine-related news, Snoop Dogg confirmed in a video message this week that First Nations would be given an equity stake in the Ottawa Senators NHL team if the rapper’s joint bid to purchase the team wins. Snoop has teamed up with LA-based tech entrepreneur Neko Sparks to buy the franchise, which is valued at $800 million. “We all together we try to make it better,” Snoop raps in the video, “We just need y’all to hit the lever and give us control.”

30: One way for Snoop and Sparks to make it better would be to do something about this: With the Oilers knocked out of the NHL playoffs, it’s now been 30 years since a Canadian team last raised the Cup. That’s despite Canada being home to more than a fifth of the NHL’s teams and the largest number of active NHL players of any country (sorry Sweden).

Axel van Trotsenburg reflects on his 37-year career at the World Bank

- YouTube

youtu.be

As the global economy faces uncertainty, Axel van Trotsenburg, Senior Managing Director of the World Bank, warns that “a wait-and-see attitude” is holding back investment and growth, especially in developing countries. Speaking with GZERO Media’s Tony Maciulis on the sidelines of the 2025 World Bank-IMF Annual Meetings, van Trotsenburg highlights human capital and infrastructure as key priorities, with a growing urgency to bridge both the digital and AI divides.

Hard Numbers: Kenya’s long-time opposition leader dies, World Bank doubles down on agriculture, US revokes visas of Charlie Kirk critics, & more

Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga addresses delegates after President William Ruto signed the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Amendment Bill 2024, backed by the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO), at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, on July 9, 2024.

REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

Walmart is supporting American jobs by selling American products

Walmart

When Walmart stocks its shelves with homegrown products like Fischer & Wieser’s peach jam, it’s not just selling food — it’s creating opportunity. Over two-thirds of what Walmart buys is made, grown, or assembled in America, fueling jobs and growth in communities nationwide. Walmart’s $350 billion commitment to US manufacturing is supporting 750,000 jobs and empowering small businesses to sell more, hire more, and strengthen their hometowns. From farms to shelves, Walmart’s investment keeps local businesses thriving. Learn how Walmart's commitment to US manufacturing is supporting 750K American jobs.

2025 TechSpark Impact Report

Microsoft

Earlier this month, Microsoft released the 2025 TechSpark Impact Report, which highlights how the company is assisting regions across the US in achieving these goals. Since its launch, TechSpark has obtained over $700 million in community funding, supported more than 65,000 people in developing digital skills, and, thanks to the work of TechSpark Fellows, catalyzed $249M+ in funding and upskilled 34,600 individuals across 46 communities — highlighting the ripple effect of local leadership and innovation. Learn more about this progress in the 2025 report here.

Hard Numbers: Albertan separatists want out, irregular migration drops, canines in the ring in Toronto, Snoop Dogg + First Nations, Stanley Cup drought

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I get a lot of questions these days from people feeling worried, disturbed, even overwhelmed about the state of politics in the United States.

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