Everything You Need To Know For July 4

Good morning — Andrew from Narcity here! ☕

Welcome back, long weekenders. We have a big week in store at the Canada Morning Brief — including the launch of the email version of this newsletter on Wednesday! You can sign up for that superior experience for free right here.

In Case You Missed It

1. Beast Coast: Massive Great White Sharks Keep Visiting The Maritimes

We're still 20 days out from this summer's edition of Shark Week, but marine research organization OCEARCH has been busy year-round with tagging great white sharks off the eastern coast of Canada, Lisa Belmonte writes. The goal is to better understand the giant beasts — which is why we know that a few whoppers have recently made appearances off the coast of Nova Scotia, including some that measure over 10 feet and 1,000 pounds.

2. Canadians Get A Boost In The Battle Versus Bothersome Banks

A bunch of new consumer banking regulations are now in effect in Canada and they should help us better understand where our money is going. Among the new rules, Tristan Wheeler reports, is a system that alerts account holders before their funds are entirely depleted, allowing Canadians to avoid brutal overdraft fees. There are also new requirements for transparency involving programs and services that would have previously auto-renewed without warning. Here's what else you need to know.

3. Alright, You Sickos: Here's Another Story About A Nude Beach

Last week, I featured a story about some of the best clothing-optional beaches in Canada and some of you really couldn't click that link fast enough — so here we go again. This time, our Morgan Leet details her experience going to Canada's largest nude beach, where she discovered a scene very familiar to any boy who grew up taking swimming lessons at the local YMCA: tons of older, naked men just chilling.

4. The Drake File: The Life & Times Of Toronto's Unofficial Mascot

With the Backstreet Boys in Toronto over the long weekend, Drake took the opportunity to bolster his reputation as the unofficial ambassador of the city's entertainment scene by joining the boy band crooners on stage for a show-ending rendition of "I Want It That Way." Drake also revealed his favourite restaurant in the city, where, presumably, they cook it his way.

5. This Is Why You Don't Try To Combine Two of McD's Signature Sandwiches

If you're ever thought to yourself, "how could this meal from McDonald's be goopier," Sarah Rohoman has you covered. After spotting a viral TikTok clip where a woman ordered a Big Mac but with chicken substituted in for the hamburger patties, Sarah tried futilely to get several Canadian franchises to make this off-menu concoction — before opting instead for a McChicken made "like a Mac." I'll let Sarah speak for herself here.

What Else You Need To Know Today

🇺🇸 4TH OF JULY
No, it's not you; the reason your stateside colleagues aren't responding to any of your emails today is because it's Independence Day, a national holiday in the U.S. marking the occasion of Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman fighting off an alien invasion.

⚾ OK, BLUE JAYS
After tonight's road game against the Oakland Athletics, the Toronto Blue Jays will have completed exactly half of their 2022 season schedule — 81 games. In a hotly contested AL East, every win counts. First pitch comes at 9:07 p.m. ET.

🎷 ALL THAT JAZZ
Lost in the shuffle late last week is that the Festival international de Jazz de Montréal is in full swing through July 9. Read why it made Mike Chaar's list of seven free and festive things to do in Montreal this month.

🎾 WIMBLEDON
The Canadian contingent at the All England Club thinned out rapidly over the long weekend. While all Canucks have been eliminated from both the singles and doubles draws, there's plenty of big names in action today, including Rafa Nadal, fiery-tempered Nick Kyrgios, and former world No. 1 Simona Halep.

🎂 BIRTHDAYS
The alliterative Calvin Coolidge is the only U.S. president to be born on the Fourth of July. Gadget and gizmo creator Rube Goldberg was also born on this day in 1883. Moustachioed Fox News menace Geraldo Rivera is vaulting into age 79. Michael "The Situation" Sorrentino is 40, defying everything our scientists previously knew about the limits of the human body.

Thanks for reading Narcity's Canada Morning Brief — the only newsletter where gym and tan are optional but laundry is mandatory.

I'd love to know what you liked (and disliked) about today's edition at andrew.potter@narcity.com.

Have a great day and see you back here tomorrow!