Happy Monday — Andrew from Narcity here. ☕
Off The Top: Happy Family Day to residents of Ontario, B.C., Alberta, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan. It's also Louis Riel Day in Manitoba, Heritage Day in Nova Scotia and Islander Day in P.E.I. Meanwhile, Canadians living south of the border can observe the customs of Presidents' Day — which usually amounts to getting a great deal on a new living room set.
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In Case You Missed It
Where Are The Best Beaches In Canada?
A woman in a bikini walking on a beach. Right: A woman swimming in turquoise waters.
@roralovestrand | Instagram, @stephblaiis | Instagram
We're about two-thirds through winter at this point — truly the doldrums. The warm weather will be here again someday, but if you need a little pick-me-up to get through these next couple of weeks, let's head to the Narcity vault to take another look at Helena Hanson's 2021 piece on the 11 places in Canada that will make you feel like you're on a tropical location. From B.C.'s Tribune Bay to Nova Scotia's Borgles Island, there are beaches to be explored from coast to coast.
- My Take: The degree to which any of these lovely locations actually evokes memories of Cancún correlates strongly with how many shots of tequila you consume during your day trip.
- READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Why Did Simu Liu Call Out The NBA?
Actor Simu Liu at the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.
NBA All-Star Weekend unfolded in Salt Lake City, Utah, over the weekend, and while the All-Star Game itself and the Slam Dunk Contest took centre stage, the proceedings got off to an inauspicious start Friday night with the Celebrity Game. Specifically, an in-arena segment drew the ire of Marvel star Simu Liu, who later called the moment "uncool" on Twitter.
The offending episode? During a celebrity look-alike segment, the game's producers lined up a live shot of Liu next to a live shot of a fan in the stands — with basically no similarities between the two men except for both having Asian heritage. Lisa Belmonte puts the cringey moment into context for us.
What Canadian Food Will Newcomers Hate?
Thrills gum. Right: Ketchup chips in a store.
Try as she may, Janice Rodrigues has really struggled to get on board with a number of iconic Canadian delicacies. Since moving to Canada from Dubai, Janice has tried Caesars, ketchup chips, Thrills soap gum and more — and could barely stomach them. Here are six items that Janice thinks newcomers should be warned about before indulging themselves.
What Else You Need To Know Today
🍿 FAMILY FUN
Despite the relative newness of Family Day in Ontario, there are actually a fair number of stores that aren't open today, including a number of major malls, like Yorkdale, Fairview and Scarborough Town Centre. However, as Brooke Houghton notes, today would be a great day to pack up the kids and head down to the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto Zoo or Art Gallery of Ontario.
🌼 SPRING INTO MTL
By virtue of our Willa Holt writing a piece entitled "10 Quintessentially Montreal Signs That Spring Is Approaching," Quebec's largest city can be assured of a long, bitter tail end to winter. Sorry, that's just how the universe works. In any case, Willa is right; yearly phenomena like the snow banks receding (only to reveal heaps of frozen dog poop and cigarette butts) are just a few of the ways we know that spring will soon be here.
🚿 SPA DAY
Apparently, the Blue Lagoon is a really cool hot spring spa in Iceland — not just a weird shipwreck movie where a teenage Brooke Shields gets really close with her brother. Soon, you won't even have to leave Canada to get the full Nordic spa experience; as Katherine Caspersz reports, there are plans for four geothermal lagoon villages to be built in Quebec. Here are the deets.
📌 JOB BOARD
Dollarama is looking to fill a number of positions across its Ontario stores, and Patrick John Gilson says you'll be a shoo-in if you've got retail or management experience. Some of the positions pay well over minimum wage — up to $26 an hour — and several offer solid benefits. Just think of all the slightly odd chocolate bars you can buy with that sort of pocket change!
🎂 BIRTHDAYS
"drivers license" singer Olivia Rodrigo turns 20 years old today. This year's Super Bowl halftime performer, Rihanna, is 35. Top Gun: Maverick hotshot Miles Teller is 36. Ex-Daily Show host Trevor Noah is 39. Three-time Cy Young-winning pitcher Justin Verlander hits the big 4-0. The late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain would have turned 56 today. Supermodel Cindy Crawford is 57. The one-of-a-kind hoops legend Charles Barkley is 60. The turtle-like Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell is 81. Canadian music icon Buffy Sainte-Marie celebrates her 82nd birthday.
Thanks for reading Narcity's Canada Morning Brief — and thanks for being part of our little family.
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!
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