Morning Brief: Why John Tory Resigned, Rihanna's Super Bowl Performance & More

Welcome back — Andrew from Narcity here, hoping your indigestion isn't too bad after yesterday's Super Bowl festivities. ☕

Off The Top: Passengers aboard a Flair Airlines flight from Cancun to Toronto were treated to a very special surprise pitstop in Fort Lauderdale last week after a cabin pressure issue caused the plane to rapidly descend from an altitude of 37,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico. While the base fares make this sort of budget airline option tempting, they really do get you on the hidden up-charges like seat selection, baggage check and the totally optional "arrive at your destination alive" fee.

HEY YOU! You should sign up for the email version of this newsletter right here. It's better than this version. Trust me.

In Case You Missed It

What Happened During The Super Bowl This Year?

Rihanna during her Super Bowl Halftime performance on Feb. 12, 2023.

Courtesy of Fox

Last night's Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, looked to be one for the ages — at least until a controversial late holding call deflated the late intrigue, allowing the Kansas City Chiefs to pull away with a 38-35 win on a last-second field goal. The Philadelphia Eagles hanged tough, especially third-year QB Jalen Hurts, who broke a Super Bowl record for QBs with three rushing TDs. It wasn't quite enough, as Kansas City captured its second title in four years while also avenging last year's Super Bowl loss to the L.A. Rams.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was named the game's MVP thanks to 182 passing yards, three passing TDs, and 44 rushing yards without an interception, fumble or sack.

• What Else? Of greater interest to many spectators was the Super Bowl halftime show, where Barbados-born pop star Rihanna gave a relatively reserved performance from atop a seemingly floating platform. The 34-year-old surprised spectators with a visible baby bump — her lone co-star of the night. Asymina Kantorowicz recaps halftime for us.
• Even More: Helena Hanson walks us through some of the best Super Bowl commercials that Canadian viewers would have missed — including a Crown Royal spot where Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl delivered a minute-long thank you to Canada.
• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Why Did John Tory Resign As Toronto's Mayor?

Former Toronto Mayor John Tory delivering a speech.

@johntory | Instagram

Toronto's seemingly unstoppable mayor John Tory's time in office came to a screeching halt on Friday night after the Toronto Star broke the news that the 68-year-old had previously carried out an extra-marital affair with a 31-year-old ex-staffer. The public revelation resulted in Tory announcing his resignation from his post within a matter of hours, Brooke Houghton writes.

• Context: Tory has been married to his wife for 40 years, and the former Progressive Conservative leader has long presented himself as a figure of strong moral character — especially when he replaced the late, scandal-ridden Mayor Rob Ford in 2014.
• In His Words: "While I deeply regret having to step away from a job that I love, in a city that I love even more, I believe in my heart, it is best to fully commit myself to the work that is required to repair these most important relationships," Tory said.
• Go Deeper: Tory had won re-election for the third time just this past October. He secured a whopping 62% of the voter, beating runner-up Gil Peñalosa (17.9%) in a landslide. Until a by-election is officially called, Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie, the rep for Ward 25 Scarborough—Rouge Park, will serve as acting mayor.
• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

How Much Is Canadian Tire Money Worth?

A Canadian Tire sign. Right: Canadian Tire money.

Paul Mckinnon | Dreamstime, Cabin 12 Restaurant | Flickr

That crusty wad of Canadian Tire money crammed into your glove box? Apparently, it might be worth something — something more than its 25-cent denomination. A recent magazine article about a $2 bill from 1989 going for $3,000 at auction piqued Tristan Wheeler's interest, so he went to eBay to see what other Canadian Tire bills from yesteryear are going for. As it turns out, there's evidently a whole community of collectors who can't get enough of the colourful currency.

• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

What Else You Need To Know Today

🚗 GREAT PLATES
It's now much easier to renew your license plate sticker in Ontario, writes Stuart McGinn. In addition to the old-fashioned in-person renewal system (boooo), you can also accomplish this once gargantuan task in a matter of minutes over the web (yay!). Have no fear; the process is actually exceedingly simple. I'll let Stuart explain how to update your plates over here.

💰 NUMBERS GAME
You're likely familiar with ChatGPT, one of the new text-generating tools that use artificial intelligence to produce fairly convincing paragraphs in a matter of seconds. Sarah Rohoman put the tech to the test by prompting ChatGPT to deliver a list of advice on how to pick good lottery numbers — and the robot's advice was surprisingly practical and a little sentimental.

💄 SEXY CALGARY
According to sex toy retailer Pink Cherry, Calgary has earned the title of Canada's "sexiest" city for the third straight year — and once again, the competition was stiff. Canada's cowboy mecca saw the highest number of sex toys sold per capita last year, beating off challengers like Halifax, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Ottawa. Charlie Hart breaks down the data, including which flavour of lubricant Calgarians somehow couldn't get enough of.

📌 JOB BOARD
Canada Post is looking to fill about 700 positions across the country, including cities like Toronto, Edmonton and the apparently quite sexy Calgary. As Katherine Caspersz notes, it's not just letter carriers (though there are plenty of those roles available); the Crown corporation is also looking to fill a number of management-level gigs as well. Check out the list here.

🎂 BIRTHDAYS
Retired five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Aqib Talib turns 37 years old today. American Beauty breakout Mena Suvari is 44. Legendary NFL wideout Randy Moss, who stands fourth all-time in career receiving yards, turns 46. Toronto Maples Leafs legend Mats Sundin is 52. Former Black Flag frontman Henry Rollins is 62. Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter Hook is 67. Sleazy daytime TV king Jerry Springer turns 79 — as does Grease tough gal Stockard Channing. Vertigo star Kim Novak hits the big 9-0. The late test pilot Chuck Yeager, whose aerial exploits were immortalized in The Right Stuff, was born on this day 100 years ago.

Thanks for reading Narcity's Canada Morning Brief — the newsletter powered by love, gumption and a little strawberry lube.

Have a question or comment about today's edition? Let me know at andrew.potter@narcity.com or hit me up on Twitter if you'd prefer at @andrewjoepotter.

Have a great day and I will see you back here tomorrow!