Morning Brief: A New Parental Benefit, Chefs Dish On Their Fav Fast Food & More

Good morning — Andrew from Narcity here. Where else would I be? ☕

Off The Top: Last night's Juno Awards in Edmonton were a tad, uh, Complicated; while pop-punk darling Avril Lavigne was introducing a performer, a woman dressed in a pink bandana, pink pants, boots and... literally nothing else hopped on stage to reveal "Save the Greenbelt" and other pro-environmental slogans on her bare back.

Fairly nonchalant about the whole episode, Avril simply told the stage-crasher to "get the f*** off"; a simple "Chill out, what ya yellin' for?" might've sufficed.

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In Case You Missed It

What Is Canada's New 15-Week Parental Benefit?

Justin Trudeau and Chrystia Freeland. Right: Canadian dollars.

@justinpjtrudeau | Instagram, Gabriel Vergani | Dreamstime

Canada's federal government is preparing to unveil a new 15-week parental benefit, according to a report from CTV News. The changes are part of an ongoing revamp of Employment Insurance (EI). This specific tweak will apparently allow parents who adopt or have a child through a surrogate more time to bond with their new kiddos.

As Helena Hanson notes, there is no firm timeline for when the revamped plan will be officially announced — though the March 28 unveiling of the federal budget makes for one possible opportunity.

• Context: The 15-week top-up is something that's been on the table for a few years now. In fact, the Liberals promised the change as part of their 2019 federal election platform.
• Go Deeper: The current EI parental leave benefit allows one parent to take 35 weeks of paid leave or 40 weeks split between two parents. Additionally, a parent who gives birth is entitled to an additional 15 weeks of leave.
• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

What Fast Food Items Do Chefs Secretly Love?

Fried chicken from Jollibee. Right: Spicy fried chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A.

@jollibeecanada | Instagram, @chickfilacanada | Instagram

Ever wonder what Canada's top chefs are eating when no one's watching? Sure, maybe they're casually whipping up pan-roasted quail with red currant demi-glace (yeah right). What's more likely is that they're turning their collar up, making sure the coast is clear, then snarfing down on some guilty-pleasure fast food while no one's watching.

Janice Rodrigues recently caught up with eight of Canada's best culinary minds, including Mark McEwan, Hidekazu Tojo and Jae-Anthony Dougan, and got them to dish on their go-to fast food orders. Read on to learn who can't get enough of Tim Hortons Timbits, Subway's turkey sandwiches, Jollibee's fried chicken and (gulp) Arby's Beef 'n' Cheddar sandwich.

• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Where Are The Best Day Trips From Toronto?

Man standing at a beach. Right: Woman sitting at a restaurant by the water.

@danvillasin | Instagram, @tasdhaliwal | Instagram

Our Madeline Forsyth's been everywhere, man. When it comes to scouting out the location for a big summer day trip (aka Instagram photoshoot), look no further than Madeline's list of nine incredible destinations that are less than three hours away from Toronto.

You'll find stunning locales like the Elora Gorge's gorgeous turquoise waters, the eye-popping flora of Campbell's Cross Farm in Caledon, and the crushing rapids of Niagara Falls' White Water Walk. Plus, Madeline breaks down some of the costs of the activities for us. Happy planning!

• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

What Else You Need To Know Today

🤠 THE BLAST OF US
This is the season of Pedro Pascal. The 47-year-old's first season of HBO's The Last of Us just concluded this past weekend, his Disney+ series The Mandalorian is in full swing, and amidst all that, he found the time to host a great episode of SNL and charm audiences at last weekend's Oscars. So what's on the Chilean-born star's mind? Canada, Sierra Riley writes. "I miss it," Pascal said at the Oscars' red carpet. "I'm going back."

🇲🇽 VIVA MÉXICO
Canada has upgraded its travel advisory for Mexico, warning Canadians to take heed before packing their bags and flying to sunnier locales. The feds are urging Canadians to avoid non-essential travel to 14 Mexican cities and states. That includes Sinaloa — with the exception of the state's Pacific vacation town, Mazatlán. Katherine Caspersz breaks down the latest update for us.

🌭 JUMBO JUICYS
In some cities, consuming a hot dog is an act of desperation. In Montreal, "steamies" are a local delicacy. MTL Blog's Sofia Misenheimer examines the origins of Quebec's love of the humble wiener and what makes them the preferred snack of late-night revelry. Then, Sofia lists five of the best joints in the city so you can try a loaded-up steamy yourself.

🍿 FRUGAL FILM BUFFS
You don't have to break the bank just to spend a night at the movie theatre. Our Tristan Wheeler spoke with a five-year veteran of national chain Cineplex to get the inside scoop on how to save money on your next visit — starting with understanding when premium options like IMAX and AVX are actually worth it. Check out the full story to learn more.

🎂 BIRTHDAYS
Four-time Olympic gymnastics champ Simone Biles turns 26 years old today. West Side Story remake star Ansel Elgort is 29. NBA all-timer Stephen Curry is 35. American Pie film series actor Chris Klein turns 44. Longtime Scream franchise writer/producer Kevin Williamson slashes his way to 58. The late Minnesota Twins Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett would have been 63 today. Comedy legend Billy Crystal is 75.

The late German director Wolfgang Petersen, whose credits strangely include both submarine war film Das Boot and the high-fantasy epic The NeverEnding Story, would've been 82 today. The irreplaceable Michael Caine and Quincy Jones both hit the big 9-0. None other than Albert Einstein was born on this day in 1879.

Thanks for reading Narcity's Canada Morning Brief — am I entitled to 15 weeks of leave for birthing this newsletter into the world? No? Fine. Just thought I'd ask.

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!