Morning Brief: The World's Best Beaches, Canada's Weirdest Jobs & More

TGIF — Andrew from Narcity here. ☕

Off The Top: A group of university students in China have unveiled a, um, creative way to solve the loneliness plaguing long-distance couples: A silicon mouth that allows a user to remotely kiss their partner through their cell phone. Not creepy whatsoever! And definitely not something that will immediately be used for, well, not kissing lips, right? Right?!

What's more, there's a function built into the accompanying app that allows users to be paired with strangers at random. Mom, tell me again how you and Dad met!

HEY YOU! You should sign up for the email version of this newsletterright here. It's better than this version. Trust me.

In Case You Missed It

Where Are The World's Best Beaches?

A beachgoer in Praia da Falesia, Portugal. Right: A Divi tree on Eagle Beach in Aruba.

Wirestock | Dreamstime, Kjersti Joergensen | Dreamstime

Vacationers, take notice. TripAdvisor has released its updated ranking of the world's best beach destinations for 2023. That either means that you should make a beeline directly to one of these sunny locales... or avoid these soon-to-be-overrun tourist havens like the plague.

Per our Josh Elliott, the list spans the globe over, with representatives from the Caribbean, South America, Australia, the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands and even the middle of the northern Atlantic ocean. Start packing your sunscreen.

• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

What Do You Need To Know Before Travelling Through Pearson Airport?

Passengers waiting for their baggage at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ).

Chandra Ramsurrun | Dreamstime

Before you head to the beach, make sure you reacquaint yourself with what's new at your local airport, especially if you haven't travelled since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. That goes twofold if your travel itinerary has you disembarking from or connecting through Toronto's Pearson International. With March Break right around the corner, YYZ is about to get very busy. Save yourself a headache by going over Stuart McGinn's list of six changes at the airport you should know before checking in.

• Like What? One huge time-saver for anyone heading down to the U.S. is the CBP Mobile Passport Control app. It's totally optional but by filling in your information before getting to the airport, you'll make clearing customs a breeze.
• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

What Are The Weirdest Jobs In Canada?

Dog treats. Right: A medical professional carrying a snake.

Mfelixphoto | Dreamstime, Andrii Zastrozhnov | Dreamstime

Help wanted; must bring own snake-milking gloves. If pushing papers in an office isn't the adventurous life you envisioned for yourself, maybe it's time for a major career change. If so, Janice Rodrigues' story is for you; she's collected a list of some of the most unique jobs in the country — like getting paid over $45K to be a "professional sleeper" or being a "dog food taster" for $34K. Hey, even if the pay's not great, at least you'll be the most interesting guest at the family reunion this summer.

• SORRY, SNAKES?! Yes, "snake milker" is indeed a real job; get paid (a somewhat alarmingly low) $19.21 an hour to extract the venom from snakes for research purposes.
• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

What Else You Need To Know Today

💊 SELF-CONTROL
Starting April 1, B.C. will be the first province in Canada to offer prescription birth control for free — and no, this isn't an April Fools' Day prank. Unveiled as part of the province's 2023 budget, the program covers pills, injections, intrauterine devices, implants and Plan B. Morgan Leet explains why B.C. feels the time is right to beef up their support of reproductive health.

🫘 ORGAN GRINDERS
A man received an unexpected surprise while recovering in hospital after receiving a kidney donation: His own daughter was the anonymous donor. After 25-year-old Delayne had watched her dad suffer through almost-daily dialysis for months, she hatched a plan to radically change his life for good. "I knew you were up to something," he whimpered. Asymina Kantorowicz has the full story here.

🏠 SURREAL ESTATE
If you're ready to leave city life behind for good — of maybe just want to invest in a little slice of remote heaven — you could do a lot worse than this lovely 1,350-square foot lakeside home in Kenora, Ontario. The winterized property has two bedrooms, a bathroom, a huge three-car garage, and over 200 feet of lake frontage. Listed at just under $650K, come join Madeline Forsyth for a virtual tour.

📌 JOB BOARD
Don't worry, broke Montrealers; MTL Blog's Willa Holt has scoured the job boards so you don't have to. There are a number of part-time jobs right now that pay at least $20 an hour — and some that pull upwards of $45. Many of the jobs, from school lunchroom supervisor to real estate secretary, require bilingualism, so brush up on your French ASAP. Check out the list here.

🎂 BIRTHDAYS
Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum turns 25 years old today. Cuban-American pop star Camila Cabello is 26. Former Maple Leafs tough guy Colton Orr is 41, as is actor Jessica Biel. Modern Family matriarch Julie Bowen is 53. New York Rangers great Brian Leetch is 55. The somehow-still-ambulatory football star turned cage-fighter turned U.S. Senate also-ran Herschel Walker is 61. U.S. athletics great Jackie Joyner-Kersee is 61. This American Life host Ira Glass is 64. Mad Max franchise director George Miller is 78. The late, Vancouver-born Star Trek beamer-upper James Doohan was born on this day in 1920.

Thanks for reading Narcity's Canada Morning Brief — the newsletter that will never offer a remote-kissing service for an additional fee.

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 weekend and I will see you back here on Monday!