Morning Brief: The Return Of Holiday Market Season, A New Face For The $5 Bill & More

We're back; happy Monday — Andrew from Narcity here. ☕

Off The Top: The Elon Musk era at Twitter is for the birds, particularly the stop-and-start rollout of allowing any user to pay for a verified account badge. Thus, for a brief, magical moment, the world got to experience a pitch-perfect verified fake Doug Ford account — and its stream of over-the-top folksy musings about swallowing bees, Timmies egg sandwiches and Stephen Lecce.

In Case You Missed It

1. As Flu Season Arrives, Ontario's Decision-Makers Encourage Vigilance

Not a joke, however, is the reality that flu season is coming — and likely a bad one at that. Speaking to the media on Sunday, Premier Ford said he would follow guidance from Ontario's Chief Medical Officer on whether a return to mask mandates is in the cards. To that end, Dr. Kieran Moore is set to provide an update on the province's public health efforts today at 9 a.m. ET; sources told CP24 that Moore will strongly encourage masking in public spaces but won't go as far as to recommend a formal, province-wide mandate. Brooke Houghton has the latest on the fight against COVID-19.

• Context: Children's hospitals across the country are already scaling back surgeries in order to account for the rising strain on their critical care capacity. As of Friday, SickKids hospital's ICUs had "been above 127 percent capacity for several days."
• In His Words: "We're seeing this, it's going to be a bad flu season," Ford said Sunday. "That's why I encourage everyone to go get a flu shot. Get your vaccination as well, and wear a mask where possible, especially if you have respiratory problems."
• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

2. It's Not Just You — Pretty Much Everyone Is Losing Sleep Over Housing in Canada

Unless you've literally been living under a rock, your view of Canada's current housing market probably aligns with the majority of respondents to a recent survey by Habitat for Humanity. Of the 1,501 respondents to the September study, 90% believe Canada has a shortage of affordable housing — with 54% believing that NIMBYs are to blame, according to Tristan Wheeler. What's a "NIMBY"? It stands for "Not In My Backyard" — as in, Oh, I totally agree that we need to build more medium-density housing projects but how about you build that literally anywhere other than my own neighbourhood?

• Go Deeper: Among the renters who participated in the survey, 54% expressed worry about their ability to pay their rent. Among homeowners, 31% had anxiety about meeting their mortgage obligations.
• My Take: For those who are actually living under a rock, how do you deal with the low ceilings?
• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

3. The Bank Of Canada Revealed Its Shortlist For The Next Face Of The $5 Bill

The Bank of Canada has whittled down its list of note-able Canadians who will be immortalized on the newest design for the $5 bill. The eight-person shortlist features a combination of Indigenous leaders, trailblazing women and others who left a considerable mark on Canadian society in their day. Perhaps the most recognizable among modern audiences? The late cancer activist Terry Fox, whose Marathon of Hope in the early 1980s has continued to inspire generations of Canadians (while raising more than a few $5 bills for cancer research). MTL Blog's Mike Chaar breaks down the full shortlist.

• Wait, What? There were three eligibility benchmarks for consideration: the individual must be a Canadian by birth or naturalization who served Canada in some meaningful way; they must be deceased for at least 25 years; and they have to be a real person (sorry, Bob and Doug Mackenzie).
• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

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What Else You Need To Know Today

💸 DOLLAR DAYS
Last week, Patrick John Gilson detailed the items he would never buy at Dollarama buy. This time, he's walking us through the eight great deals he regularly finds at the bargain retailer — like cleaning supplies, snacks and condiments. (Pro tip: if you must buy Kraft Dinner, Dollarama is your friend.)

🎄 MARKET CALL
The Ottawa Christmas Market returns to Aberdeen Plaza at Lansdowne with the lighting ceremony for the market's 40-foot tree on Friday, November 25. From mulled wine to German sausage, Megan Johnson breaks down what to expect this year.

⚽ WORLD CUP '22
Despite rumours to the contrary, pop star Dua Lipa confirmed she will not be performing at the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup this weekend. As Brooke Houghton reports, Lipa wrote in an Instagram story that she looked forward to visiting host nation Qatar once it had "fulfilled all the human rights pledges it made" in winning the World Cup bid back in 2010.

📌 JOB BOARD
Looking to make a career move? MTL Blog's Willa Holt scoured the job listings so you don't have to. From civil engineers to software developers, here are eight careers based in Montreal that each pays at least six-figure salaries.

🎂 BIRTHDAYS
Boston Bruins star Taylor Hall turns 31 years old today. Digital marketing guru (or inescapable huckster) Gary Vaynerchuk is 47. Ink-covered Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker is also 47. Actor Josh Duhamel hits the half-century mark. Loud-mouthed baseball non-Hall of Famer Curt Schilling is 56. Former Dubya lackey Condoleezza Rice is 68. King Charles III is 74; felt weird to type that.

Thanks for reading Narcity'sCanada Morning Brief — the invite to the royal birthday party must've landed in our spam folder.

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!