The genie is most definitely out of the bottle.

And while there’s little chance of putting it back in, we should be very concerned that the people who released it from the bottle are now frantically warning us that it has become disinclined to do their — or our — bidding and seems instead to be increasingly intent on following its own whims and granting wishes to itself.

The figurative genie, in this case, is artificial intelligence, or AI, and in recent weeks many of the tech geniuses responsible for its development and introduction into the digital-information realm have begun asking the U.S. government and even the United Nations to impose limits on the pace and breadth of its growth.

Their fear is that, as AI very quickly continues to advance and develops the ability to make independent decisions and essentially think for itself, it will cease to be a tool controlled by its creators and instead will become a species unto itself that might eventually decide it’s better off without humans continually messing things up.

For the third straight quarter, Canada’s population has fallen. According to data released last week by Statistics Canada, the nation’s population dropped by 55,025 people between Jan. 1 and April 1 of this year. That followed a decline of more than 103,000 people in the final three months of 2025. As of April 1, Canada’s total population was estimated by StatCan to be 41,417,056, including citizens, permanent and temporary residents, which is approximately 200,000 fewer than a year ago.

How has this happened? StatCan points to three key factors. First, there was a “natural decrease” in the population, as 155 more people died during the first quarter than were born during that time frame. That reflects both a lower birth rate and aging population, and is a significant change from the first quarter of 2025, when there was a net “natural increase” of 983 people.

Second, the federal government’s lower immigration targets appear to be having an impact. The nation welcomed 83,149 permanent immigrants in the first quarter of 2026. That’s a 20.2 per cent lower than the same period last year, when the number of new permanent residents was pegged at 104,210.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the number of non-permanent residents (including foreign workers and students) plunged by 117,879 people in the first quarter of 2026, marking the third consecutive quarter in which the population of that group has declined. As of April 1, the total number of temporary residents in Canada was estimated to be 2.56 million people, or 6.1 per cent of the nation’s total population. That’s moving toward the new federal immigration targets, which include a goal of reducing the number of temporary residents to not more than five per cent of the total population.

The Brandon Chamber of Commerce, originally known as the Brandon Board of Trade, has existed since 1983. The Brandon Sun was a founding member then and, more than a century later, continues to be a member today.

Given that longstanding relationship, we welcome the appointment of IntriTech Digital Marketing CEO Emilio Brown as the chamber’s new president. He replaces outgoing president Jennifer Ludwig, who will remain as the president of Super Thrifty Drugs Canada.

Brown’s appointment is a positive reflection of the growing diversity and inclusiveness of Brandon’s business community, and of our city generally. He emigrated from Jamaica to Canada in 2014, founded his company in 2017 and serves as co-chair of the Westman Jamaican Community.

That background lends extra credibility to his commitment to foster an inclusive business community, which is reflected in his view that “When we bring more perspectives to the table, we make better decisions, we uncover opportunities that we may otherwise miss, we strengthen our collaboration, we build solutions that better reflect the realities that we are facing here in Brandon.”

Last January, in response to a speech delivered the previous day by Prime Minister Mark Carney to the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Switzerland, U.S. President Donald Trump said that “Canada gets a lot of freebies from us, by the way. They should be grateful, also, but they’re not … Canada lives because of the United States.”

The president’s remarks were widely perceived at the time as a veiled threat against Canada; that our nation’s continued existence is conditional on the goodwill and benevolence of the U.S.

And, given that Trump’s words were spoken while he was discussing his “Golden Dome” proposal that would defend both Canada and the U.S. from airborne attacks, the remarks were interpreted in a military context.

Trump was stating something that has been true since at least 1944, when the U.S. developed the first nuclear bomb. The U.S. has the power to wipe out any nation, including Canada, anytime it chooses to. That’s not news, but what if Trump was really speaking from an economic perspective? Does Canada “live” because of the economic power and good graces of the U.S.?

Many of the best horror movies depend on the fear of the unknown.

That strange shape, moving quickly through the trees outside the house. You catch a glimpse, but can’t quite…

Or the subtle changes that the main character finds when they get home — things that aren’t where they put them down. That they know have been moved — drawers left slightly ajar, curtains open when they left them closed, a hatchet that they use for making kindling mysteriously gone from the splitting block…

All of it, building a sense of foreboding.