Morning Brief: The Most Iconic Canadian Snacks, A Death In 'The Last Of Us' Family & More

Good morning — Andrew from Narcity here. Let's finish off January in style. ☕

Off The Top: Since helping to protect the eyeballs of impressionable young Americans from the tyranny of M&M's, Tucker Carlson has turned his attention to the next theatre in his never-ending culture war: the Canadian border. The Fox News commentator recently opined that the U.S. should "liberate" Canada in a manoeuvre akin to 1961's Bay of Pigs operation — when Cuba's much smaller military force held off America's attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro's government.

In Case You Missed It

What Snacks Are Unique To Canada?

Tim Hortons donuts. Right: Butter tarts.

@timhortons | Instagram, Jerome Cid | Dreamstime

If Katherine Caspersz was in charge of immigration into Canada, she might insist on additional criteria for determining a "true Canuck" — like forcing newcomers to try each of the nine distinctly Canadian snacks on her list. From salty, crispy favourites like ketchup and all-dressed chips to Coffee Crisp and butter tarts, Canada has no shortage of edible goods that would make a dietician blush with shame.

• My Take: My personal butter tart power rankings: 1. Raisins, 2. Pecans, 3. Plain. No need for any other toppings or accoutrements.
• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

What Are The Best Budget Stores In Canada?

Storage bins from Dollar Tree. Right: A desk from JYSK.

@dollartree | Instagram, @jysk.ca | Instagram

In Canada, few retailers are more synonymous with value than good old Dollarama. Of course, there are actually plenty of budget-conscious stores in the country — and in fact, Dollarama isn't even the largest dollar store franchise in Canada, Sarah Rohoman writes. For more inspiration on how to tough it out through our current economic situation, check out these seven affordable Canadian stores that aren't Dollarama.

• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

What Was Annie Wersching's Cause Of Death?

Annie Wersching. Right: Annie Wersching performing for The Last Of Us.

@anniewersching | Instagram, Neil_Druckmann | Twitter

Celebrated actor and voice artist Annie Wersching died at age 45 over the weekend, with her publicist confirming that the cause of death was an unspecified type of cancer. Wersching, whose notable roles include the Borg Queen in Star Trek: Picard, Renee Walker in 24 and doing the motion capture and voiceover for Tess in The Last of Us video game, had been diagnosed with the disease in summer 2020. Josh Elliott puts the actor's career in context for us.

• In His Words: "The world lost a light today. [Wersching] was one of the greatest actors I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with, and my friend," her 24 co-star Kiefer Sutherland tweeted. "My heart breaks for her young family. May she be remembered for the beautiful person that she was."
• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

What Else You Need To Know Today

🌕 MOON SHOT
Amateur astronomers, unite! This year, Canadians will have a great vantage point to see four supermoons — the occasion where it's as close to Earth as the moon's orbit allows, making the moon look spectacularly large. Furthermore, as Lisa Belmonte explains, the fourth and final supermoon of the year will also be a blue moon. Here's what that distinction entails.

🍩 TIMMIES TIME
If you're going to brave the gastronomical obstacle course that is the Tim Hortons menu, it may as well be for a good cause. From February 3-5, select locations across Canada will feature a limited edition Special Olympics Donut, Lisa Belmonte reports. The chocolate cake base features a white fondant dip, multi-coloured sprinkles and whipped cream. You can read about its mission here.

🏒 CAN-KNUCKLEHEAD
Like scoring unassisted while down a skater, a B.C.-born man used his obituary to get a few shots in at those who evidently aggrieved him. The obit noted that Russell George Atkins would be missed by his "intended ex-wife" and adding that he wishes the Vancouver Canucks would be his pallbearers so that the Cup-less hockey franchise "could have let him down one more time," Sierra Riley writes.

📌 JOB BOARD
Time for a career change? Say au revoir to your old job and head on down to Montreal; MTL Blog's Willa Holt has scoured the job boards and came up with nine open positions that each pay at least $100,000 per year, including a range of tech and skilled trade jobs. Check the list for yourself.

🎂 BIRTHDAYS
British folk rocker Marcus Mumford turns 36 years old today. Former No. 1 NFL pick Mario Williams is 38. It's his birthday and he can cry a river if he wants to; Justin Timberlake is 42. Scandal star Kerry Washington and SNL alum Bobby Moynihan — who are decidedly not twins — turn 46. Arrested Development's Portia de Rossi hits the half-century mark; her on-screen mom, Jessica Walter, would've been 82. Minnie Driver is 53 — how you like dem apples? Baseball pitching legend Nolan Ryan is 76, as is Breaking Bad henchman Jonathan Banks. Composer Philip Glass is 86. Norman Mailer was born 100 years ago today.

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Thanks for reading Narcity's Canada Morning Brief — the newsletter powered by butter tarts.

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!