A view of Rome, Italy. Right: Canadian performing artist Justin Bieber.
Happy "Friday Jr." — Andrew from Narcity here. ☕
Off The Top: Voice actor Justin Roiland has been fired from Rick and Morty, the popular Adult Swim cartoon he co-created, as uproar over alleged domestic abuse has reached a boiling point with fans. The issue? Roiland voiced both titular characters. The even bigger issue: the news will prompt an army of nephews named Tyler, Jayden and Kyle to start practicing their terrible Rick and Morty impressions.
In Case You Missed It
Where Do Canadians Most Want To Travel In 2023?
A Canadian flag flies over downtown Vancouver. Right: A view of Rome, Italy.
Mfron | Dreamstime, Luciano Mortula | Dreamstime
If you can believe the findings of a survey administered by noted pollsters Samsonite (yes, the luggage company), it appears that Canada's travel dreams are beginning to change. Italy is now seen as the place to go for the Canadians looking to "get (their) groove back," "fall in love," "have an epiphany", find "purpose" and "re-invent" themselves, edging out previous top choice France. MTL Blog's Willa Holt tries to make sense of the data.
- Go Deeper: France still holds a strong footing in the consciousness of Canadian travellers, more or less finishing second to Italy across the board. Mexico also made a strong showing.
- My Take: The White Lotus effect strikes again.
- READ THE FULL STORY HERE
What Are Canada's Current Income Tax Brackets?
Canada's parliament. Right: A Canadian tax form.
Norman Pogson | Dreamstime, Photopal604 | Dreamstime
The four unofficial seasons of Canada are: black fly season, construction season, Leafs-still-have-hope season and tax season. This year, taxes must be filed by May 1. Of course, not every worker is taxed the same in Canada. For example, anyone making under $50,197 pays just 15% in income tax; that rises to 33% on any income above $221,708. Of course, there are three other income brackets between the lower and upper margins. Read Tristan Wheeler's piece for an idea of how your income will be taxed this year.
How Much Did Justin Bieber Sell His Music Catalogue For?
Canadian performing artist Justin Bieber.
Baby, baby, baby; Stratford's own Justin Bieber turned heads in the music world this week by announcing the sale of his entire music catalogue to Hipgnosis, a deal which encompasses the pop star's artist royalties from his master recordings. It didn't come cheap; the 28-year-old Biebs took home $200M in the transaction, touted as the largest deal for an artist under 70. Sarah Rohoman breaks down what we know about the landmark music rights deal so far.
- In His Words: "Such is the power of his incredible catalogue that has almost 82 million monthly listeners and over 30 billion streams on Spotify alone," Hipgnosis CEO Merck Mercuriadis said.
- Context: Some of the Twitter commentariat suggested that Bieber's recent health issues, which led to the postponement of his world tour, could have been a catalyst toward the sale.
- READ THE FULL STORY HERE
What Else You Need To Know Today
🏦 TO THE BANK
The Bank of Canada raised its policy rate by 25 base points (0.25%) to 4.5% overall on Wednesday. It's the eighth straight raise dating to early 2022, Helena Hanson writes, as the BoC continues to attempt to get Canada's inflation back toward its annual target of 2%. Here's what that means for homeowners.
🚧 PESKY PYLONS
A damning report from Montreal's Chambre de Commerce has underlined the breadth of rampant construction in the city. As part of the study, the Chambre identified 604 construction signs and cones within an area of 2.2 square kilometres downtown — and determined that 27% of the posts "had no reason to be there" at all. Thomas MacDonald has more on the report's findings.
🧞 A WHOLE NEW WORLD
There's a Disney-themed (if not entirely sanctioned, it would seem) market coming to the GTA this weekend. The Mississauga Convention Centre will host 60-plus vendors and costumed performers on Sunday, Jan. 29. Tickets cost $12.70 for adults while kids under 11 get in free, Mira Nabulsi notes.
📌 JOB BOARD
Once again, Narcity did the digging through the job postings so that you don't have to. This time, Ashley Harris checks out which gigs the Government of Canada are trying to fill out in beautiful B.C. Check out the full list, from occupational therapist to industrial technology advisor.
🎂 BIRTHDAYS
The eight children of "Octomom" Nadya Suleman turn 14 years old today. Pro wrestler Sasha Banks is 31. Fake-girlfriend-having Manti Te'o is 32. Former Toronto Raptors franchise player Vince "Air Canada" Carter turns 46 today. Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy is 58. Soccer manager José Mourinho hits the big 6-0. Wayne Gretzky is 62. Ellen Degeneres is 65. Eddie Van Halen would've turned 68 today. The late film critic Gene Siskel would've been 77 today. The late, great Paul Newman was born on this day in 1925.
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