Morning. Whether you’re planning a few days off or just need a change of pace, we thought we’d share a few stories that offer a fresh perspective on the forces shaping Canada. But let’s catch up on the headlines first.

Trade: Prime Minister Mark Carney ruled out restricting Canada’s energy supply to the U.S. as a bargaining chip in trade talks.

Manufacturing: Two major U.S. unions are calling for a return to a ‘stable’ relationship with Canada.

Economy: Markets are betting on a hike in September after the U.S. Federal Reserve left rates unchanged yesterday.

Crime: Two Americans were found guilty in the 2023 murders of a prominent Quebec couple in the island country of Dominica.

Realtors are moving out of a slow market, Trump has inadvertently targeted the manosphere, and actors are shining shoes on Bay Street

» No whey: Intense demand for protein – driven in large part by fitness influencers, the growing ubiquity of weight-loss drugs and a beef-forward U.S. health czar – has suppliers of whey running out of stock.

As a result, prices of the high-protein commodity, which is the liquid byproduct of cheesemaking, have climbed about 162 per cent since the start of 2025.

It’s against that backdrop that Trump’s newest round of tariffs also takes aim at Canada’s supply of whey, The Globe’s Kate Helmore reports. That likely means even higher prices ahead for consumers of dairy-based protein shakes – a U.S. market that has become flooded by seemingly any influencer with a Trump autograph and a podcast.

If Carney doesn’t "see the value" in putting Canada’s supply of oil on the table in trade negotiations, at least we have this one whey forward.

» Waxing poetic: You might have seen Romi Shraiter in Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia, or on stage earlier this summer in legendary theatre director Joel Grey’s Yiddish production of Fiddler on the Roof. On Bay Street, you might find Shraiter and other performers earning an extra few hundred bucks a day at an actor-owned shoe-shine business.

“People always say a theatre schedule is cool, and that they’ll be understanding, but when it comes down to it, it’s a pain in the butt,” Shraiter said. But owner Jenny Young is a working actor, Shraiter added: “She gets it. Even today – I have an audition this afternoon. She was able to move the schedule for me with no problem.”

Side jobs are the norm for Canadian artists, The Globe’s Aisling Murphy writes. In a 2024 study, 77 per cent of respondents said they had a second gig in addition to their artistic work.

» Moving out: Thousands of Canadian realtors have left the industry or are taking a step back, as home sales dropped across most of the country.

Debbie Cosic’s Mississauga-based real estate brokerage In2ition used to sell about 3,000 preconstruction condos across Canada every year prior to the downturn. Last year, it sold 800 units.

Because activity slowed, Rachelle Younglai writes, Cosic had to downsize and change her business model to focus predominantly on houses and rental-only apartment buildings. She now has about 50 employees, compared with a few years ago when she had a staff of 150, including realtors.

» Missing links: At least the Gordie Howe International Bridge is open. That’s good news for anyone moving goods across the Canada-U.S. border. We’re still trying to make sense of the 15-year deal Canada struck with the U.S. to