Morning Brief: A Primer On Sick Season, The Best Winter Boots & More

Good morning — Andrew from Narcity here. ☕

Off The Top: Did you know that a lot of budget airlines are able to offer cheaper routes to passengers by avoiding the pricier fees at major airports? For instance, a Flair Airlines jet en route for Vancouver recently stopped, uh, several hundred feet beyond the end of the runway at the Waterloo International Airport. Sure, fares a low — but the walk back to the tarmac is a killer.

In Case You Missed It

1. How To Tell If You Have COVID-19, The Flu Or Just A Regular, Old Cold

There's something in the air tonight — and it's not holiday cheer. Between the still very much circulating COVID-19, a big spike in influenza, a new challenger in Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and — oh yeah — the common cold, there's a little something out there to make every Canadian feel like crap at some point in the next while. Asymina Kantorowicz spoke with the University of Calgary's Dr. Dan Gregson about the key differences between all the various bugs going around — and whether it's actually a good idea to try to self-diagnose your ailment.

• In His Words: "The one thing that really stands out is this loss of taste and smell which is more common with COVID-19 than it is with the other common respiratory viruses," Gregson said. "[But] you're really left with testing as a way to tell between the two."
• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

2. According To Canadians, These Are The Best Places To Buy Winter Boots

As a new resident of Canada experiencing her first Toronto winter after years of living in the decidedly not-cold Middle East, Janice Rodrigues needed some local intel on exactly where she should be looking for her first pair of winter boots. After weeks of polling her friends, family and our newsroom, the hive mind came up with nine brands that are worth every penny — from more fashionable city-friendly options to heavy-duty footwear that's perfect for exploring.

• Rewind: Miss Janice's roundup of the best places to find a winter jacket in Canada? Revisit that piece here.
• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

3. POV: Our Writer Braced Himself For Black Friday Madness — But Couldn't Find It

We see the viral videos every year around this time: hoards of American consumers pouring into big-box stores, racing down the aisles in search of... heavily discounted electronics and home appliances. Yes, your average stateside Black Friday sale tends to have less in common with a day a the mall than The Walking Dead, which is why our own Tristan Wheeler was shocked to find that Black Friday festivities that one of Canada's shopping meccas — downtown Toronto's Eatons Centre — was decidedly... relaxed? Read Tristan's recap of a very Canadian Black Friday experience here.

What Else You Need To Know Today

💃 WHAT A DRAG
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an appearance on Friday's episode of Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. the World, bringing several of the drag queens to tears with an impassioned speech about celebrating our differences. As Lisa Belmonte notes, Trudeau now holds the distinction as the first world leader to sashay onto the popular reality TV competition.

🚰 POTENT POTABLES
Just how clean is the water in a major Canadian city? MTL Blog's Mike Chaar recently used a 16-in-1 kit to test the H₂O at his Montreal apartment. The process evaluates factors like chlorine levels, selection minerals and pH — and Mike was pleasantly surprised to learn just how clean his tap water is. Read more about the results here.

🗳️ GO WEST, YOUNG SHAM
Not long after former U.S. President Donald Trump announced his intent to seek a return to the Oval Office in 2024, fellow totally normal human being Ye (formerly Kanye West) announced that he too would seek the presidency. Furthermore, Sameen Chaudhry writes that in a meeting at Mar-a-Lago, Ye offered his orange-hued contemporary a spot on his ticket as vice president. Ha.

🍇 NOTL PROBLEM
We recently polled Narcity readers on their favourite places to eat in Niagara-on-the-Lake — and you didn't disappoint. The top nominations included wine-forward options, delicious farm-to-table eats and savoury Italian. Madeline Forsyth breaks down the full restaurant guide here.

🎂 BIRTHDAYS
Save the date; longtime NHL netminder Marc-Andre Fleury turns 38 years old today. Try to catch rapper Chamillionaire Ridin' (dirty or otherwise) into age 43. Political comedian Jon Stewart is 60. Ten-time Oscar-nominated director Alfonso Cuarón is 61. Hopefully its a banner year at the Nelson family for 63-year-old Breakfast Club actor Judd. Ed Harris is 72, while Toronto-born ivory-tickler Paul Shaffer is 73. You've got a friend in Randy Newman, 79 today.

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Thanks for reading Narcity's Canada Morning Brief — the only morning newsletter accompanied by a bald, bespectacled bandleader.

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!