A $1,000 Canadian bill. Right: The flight attendant putting her shoe in a hotel safe.
Happy "Friday Jr." — Andrew from Narcity here. ☕
Off The Top: Just in time for Valentine's Day, Shoppers Drug Mart is now carrying a selection of "sexual wellness products" — aka sex toys — in their online store. The cache includes "personal massagers, vibrating bullets, lubricants and more." Frankly, they need to start selling this stuff in brick-and-mortar locations, too — if only to distract the cashier from the fact that you're buying an entire skid of deeply discounted chocolates every February 15th.
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In Case You Missed It
How Do You Know If You Haven't Cashed A Government Cheque?
A Government of Canada building.
The Government of Canada would really appreciate if you received your money. Last year, the Canada Revenue Agency revealed that there were 8.9 million uncashed government cheques in circulation — money owed to Canadians for initiatives like the Canada Child Benefit or GST/HST Credit. The average amount per cheque is only $158 — but government cheques never expire, so you're very much still eligible to claim your dough. Helena Hanson walks us through the process of checking to see if we're owed any outstanding payments.
- Go Deeper: Some of the uncashed cheques date back to the late 1990s. Imagine if the proceeds of those cheques had been stashed in government bonds for the past 25 years. Yikes.
- READ THE FULL STORY HERE
What Are The Top Travel Hacks For 2023?
The flight attendant in her TikTok video. Right: The flight attendant putting her shoe in a hotel safe.
Why on earth would you put a shoe — yes, a single, solitary shoe — in your hotel safe? Let's put it another way: how often have you vacated your room at checkout time wearing just one shoe? These are the sorts of practical travel tips that savvy vets like flight attendant (and TikToker) Esther Sturrus picked up over an incalculable number of trips. Asymina Kantorowicz breaks down some of Esther's other advice — like how to charge your phone if you've forgotten to pack a region-specific power adapter.
What Are The Most Valuable Canadian Bills?
Canadian banknotes. Right: A $1,000 Canadian bill.
Janusz Pieńkowski | Dreamstime, Jmweb7 | Dreamstime
When is Canadian money not worth the value printed on it? When it's worth much, much more. OK, chances are you aren't walking around with a purple $1,000 bill in your wallet — but if you were, Coins and Canada estimates you could fetch about $1,430 from a serious collector for the 1992-issued currency. Similarly, the brownish-hued $2 bill that was issued between 1986-91 could (somehow) be worth as much as $19,800 depending on the exact variety. Katherine Caspersz walks us through several other rare bills and what coin collectors think they could be worth at auction.
What Else You Need To Know Today
🛋️ FRUGAL FURNISHINGS
Costco Canada is currently having a big online sale on home furniture — couches, beds, chairs, lamps, you name it. The size of the savings scales with the total sum of the goods — so you'd get $150 off if you spend $750-$1,200 all the way up to $1,000 off if you spend over $3,600. Don't dilly-dally; as Lisa Belmonte points out, the big promotion only lasts until this Sunday.
⛸️ ICE, ICE BABY
Ice-lovers, unite; with winter in full swing, it's a great time to sharpen those skates, pack your bags and head on down to Quebec's Laurentian mountains for a weekend of skating adventures. MTL Blog's Charlotte Hoareau writes that there's an epic 1.3-kilometre skating trail (and adjacent hockey rink) in the Lanaudière village of Saint-Donat, well worth the two-hour road trip from Montreal.
🏝️ ISLAND TIME
If hurdling across a frozen surface with razorblades strapped to your feet isn't your idea of a good time, you should check out Madeline Forsyth's roundup of seven breathtaking islands in Ontario to visit this year. From Manitoulin to Pelee, you can have an incredible weekend adventure without even getting on a plane. See the full list here!
📌 JOB BOARD
Calling all personal finance nerds — well, the accredited ones, anyway. The Canada Revenue Agency is looking to hire a bunch of accountants to gather and analyze data, either at their Ottawa HQ or in some cases remotely. According to Lisa Belmonte, the salaries range from $88K to over $107K per year and there are a number of roles under the accounting umbrella.
🎂 BIRTHDAYS
Crushing New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley turns 26 years old today. Creed star Michael B. Jordan and his incredibly chiseled jaw are 36.English Marvel anti-hero Tom Hiddleston is 42. Always Sunny goofball Charlie Day is 47. Former Expos great and Cooperstown enshrine Vladimir Guerrero Sr. turns 48. Speaking of baseball, Blue Jays play-by-play man Dan Shulman is 56. David Simon, creator of HBO's The Wire, is 63. Mia Farrow is 78. Alice Walker turns 79. Is he funny? Like a clown? The great Joe Pesci hits the big 8-0 today. Carole King was born on this day 81 years ago.
Thanks for reading Narcity's Canada Morning Brief — and remember: when you aim for the king of general Canadian newsletters, you best not miss.
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!