Morning Brief: Best Early Black Friday Deals, Elon Musk's Latest Edict To Twitter Staff & More

Happy "Friday Jr." — Andrew from Narcity here. ☕

Programming Note: I'm off tomorrow. My wonderful colleague Renée will take the reins and I'll rejoin you in this space on Monday.

Off The Top: New Chief Twit Elon Musk has delivered an ultimatum to the dwindling ranks of Twitter employees: respond to his latest midnight email edict — basically, a commitment to being more "hardcore" (aka longer, harder hours for the same pay, presumably) — or consider your employment with the company terminated. Sheesh, with incentive structures like this, Elon should really get into the daily newsletter game.

In Case You Missed It

1. Just In Time For U.S. Thanksgiving, Let's Thank The U.S. For Giving Us Some Deals

November no longer exists. Instead, the month has been replaced and rebranded as one massive, everlasting Black Friday sale — and the U.S.-born celebration of consumerism has fully permeated our shopping culture north of the border, too. Well, if you were already in the market for big-ticket items like electronics or furniture, or even smaller items like clothes and home goods, you may as well land a bargain. Helena Hanson breaks down 12 of Canada's best early Black Friday promotions, from Best Buy to SportChek.

• Context: For the record, the actual Black Friday is next week — November 25 — the day after U.S. Thanksgiving.
• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

2. With Negotiations Breaking Down, Ontario's Education Workers Re-Initiate Strike Notice

CUPE, the union representing 55,000 Ontario education workers — including education assistants, custodians and other essential support staff — issued another strike notice to the provincial government on Wednesday, signalling a potential labour disruption on Monday should the two sides not find common ground. Education Minister Stephen Lecce says the province has made several "improved offers"; top CUPE brass confirmed that the proposed hike amounted to $1 an hour, Stuart McGinn reports — still well below a raise they feel is commensurate with both the rising cost of living and the essential nature of the workers' roles.

• Go Deeper: In any case, both the provincial government and the president of CUPE's Ontario School Board Council of Unions confirmed their sides would stay at the bargaining table right up to Monday's potential strike action.
• My Take: You can't really say that the absence of these workers is jeopardizing the ability for kids to learn while also refusing to pay workers enough to remain in the profession. Are they essential or aren't they?
• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

3. Despite Loss After Loss, Donald Trump Is Officially Running For President Again

Set aside that former U.S. President Donald Trump lost his re-election bid versus Democratic candidate Joe Biden in 2020 (a fact the former guy still hasn't conceded). And ignore, if you can, that many of Trump's hand-picked congress and senate candidates — themselves largely proponents of the "Big Lie" — failed to win their races in the country's midterm elections just this month. From his tacky Mar-a-Lago pleasure dome did Donald Trump decree that he will seek the GOP's nomination as the party's 2024 presidential candidate, Josh Elliott writes. Oh brother.

• In His Own Words: "I think if they win, I should get all the credit," Trump said ahead of the midterms. "If they lose, I should not be blamed at all." It does not seem like America's conservative wing will play along with that flawless logic, however.
• Context: Given the performance of Republican candidates dating back to the 2018 midterms and spanning through 2022, it appears increasingly likely that the GOP establishment will instead congeal around recently re-elected Florida governor Ron DeSantis as its top challenger to... Biden? Kamala Harris? Pete Buttigieg?... in 2024.
• My Take: It's never a good situation when one man's last-ditch legal strategy is to simply become president.
• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

What Else You Need To Know Today

🥬 LETTUCE PRAY
Thanks to rising food costs spurred by an overheated growing season down in California, one Ontario restaurant has been forced to take lettuce off their menu entirely, Patrick John Gilson reports. Sudbury's JD Southern Smokehouse snapped a pic at their local grocery store showing romaine priced at $101.99 a case — basically triple the price from back in the summer.

🚫 CRAP RAP
A Montreal concert organizer has cancelled an upcoming December 4 performance by French rapper Freeze Corleone after Jewish human rights organization B'nai Brith Canada drew attention to his history of antisemitic lyrics, including Holocaust denialism. MTL Blog's Willa Holt has the details here.

🚜 SMALL TOWN BOY
It's the most wonderful time of the year — or it almost is, anyway. No matter. With the temperatures starting to dip below zero more frequently, wait for an afternoon of gentle snowfall and set your course for a romantic winter day trip to one of eight small towns in Ontario. From Almonte to St. Jacobs, Madeline Forsyth says you won't be disappointed.

🏠 SURREAL ESTATE
If small-town life is still too bustling for you, check out this massive off-grid farm in Quesnel, B.C. For $625,000, you get 412 acres — including 180 acres of hay farm — and a rustic three-bedroom lodge-style home. Ashley Harris writes that it's admittedly a bit of a fixer-upper — but it also looks like the perfect place to hone your Red Dead Redemption cosplay.

🎂 BIRTHDAYS
My notebook says that actress Rachel McAdams turns 44 years old today. Drag queen RuPaul is sashaying into 62. The wonderful character actor Stephen Root is 71. The late New York Mets all-time ace Tom Seaver would've turned 78. Canadian-born SNL boss Lorne Michaels and larger-than-life scene stealer Danny DeVito both turn 78. Happy 80th birthday to Martin Scorsese. Folk legend Gordon Lightfoot is 84.

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Thanks for reading Narcity's Canada Morning Brief — the only daily newsletter offering the special early Black Friday promotional price of 100% free.

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. Please give Renée a warm welcome tomorrow!