8 Things You Need To Know For October 14

Good morning — Andrew from Narcity here. ☕

Off The Top: Ahead of the release of his memoir, Friends actor Matthew Perry got candid about his past addictions, saying that his only "drug" today is making people laugh. If you never found Friends funny in the first place, you'll wish Perry got hooked on this new addiction about 25 years ago.

In Case You Missed It

1. Canada Earns High Praise In A Ranking Of The World's Best Employers

Forbes published its annual World's Best Employers list this week and Canada scored a handful of entries, Janice Rodrigues reports. Firms were rated for corporate impact and image, talent development, gender equality and social responsibility based on a survey of 150,000 workers from 57 countries to arrive at a breezy top-800 list (no, that's not a typo). You can find a somewhat abridged breakdown of the results here.

• By The Numbers: Twenty-five Canadian companies made the list; two — Shopify (No. 56) and TD Bank (No. 65) — were the sole representatives in the top 100.
• Around The World: The U.S. boasts 11 of the top 12 companies on the list. The lone exception? South Korea's Samsung Group, which topped the entire list at No. 1.

2. As Inflation Continues To Rage, Canada's Everyday Costs Have Risen In Tandem

Newsflash: Everything costs more right now. By at least one measure, Canada now ranks as the 25th most expensive country in the world, one spot ahead of the U.S. As MTL Blog's Sofia Misenheimer writes, Canadians are seeing many of our everyday costs from credit card fees to cell phone bills skyrocket in price. Here's where you are probably feeling the biggest squeeze on your wallet these days.

• For Example: Milk has seen a 7% year-over-year price hike, with Quebecers currently paying a Canada-high of $2.06 per litre.
• My Take: Guess I'll start taking my coffee black.

3. New Alberta Premier Danielle Smith Irks With Vaccination Comments

It hasn't taken long for Danielle Smith to turn heads since being officially sworn in Alberta's premier. In her very first news conference since taking over for Jason Kenney, the UCP leader said that unvaccinated people were "the most discriminated against group" she'd ever witnessed. As Charlie Hart reports, Smith's declaration naturally rankled a lot of Albertans, some of whom pointed out that residential schools literally still existed in Alberta while the 51-year-old was growing up. Read more here.

• Context: During her campaign for UCP leadership, Smith vowed to amend the Alberta Human Rights Act to protect unvaccinated people from discrimination — putting vaccination status on par with race, gender, religious beliefs, age and other protected grounds.
• My Take: If elected secretary general of the United Nations, I will amend the Geneva Convention to include a ban on hyperbolic rhetoric.

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What Else You Need To Know Today

🎉 PARTY PEOPLE
After analyzing the late-night ride and food delivery habits of Canadians, Uber Canada released a study breaking down the country's top partying cities — and the results might not be what you'd expect, Mira Nabulsi writes. For one, Montreal didn't even crack the top 10 but two Saskatchewan cities made the cut. Can you guess which Canadian party city topped the list?

🏒 PUCK BUCKS
Newsflash: NHL players make a lot of money (especially compared to workaday stiffs like newsletter writers). But even among hockey's well-heeled populace, some of Canada's top players are pulling in astronomical sums — like the Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid and Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews. These are the 10 highest-paid NHLers currently playing in Canada.

🛋️ TOTAL RECALL
The second-worst part about shopping at IKEA is how complicated all the names are. The worst part is when the item you can't even pronounce is also conspiring to kill you. As Tristan Wheeler reports, the Swedish home furnishings store has issued recalls for a whole whack of items, from bowls and cups to shelves and blinds. Here's which IKEA items are imperiling your life.

📌 JOB BOARD
Sure, money is nice (duh) but some companies are willing to go the extra mile to make sure their staff are satisfied. From big discounts to generous benefits packages, Canadian employers like TD Canada Trust, Tim Hortons, Lululemon and Cineplex all go above and beyond to incentivize their employees. Once again, here's Tristan Wheeler with the deets.

🎂 BIRTHDAYS
Happy 35th birthday to ex-SNL impression master Jay Pharoah. Is it Usher's 44th birthday? Yeah! Indefatigable ESPN blowhard Stephen A. Smith is 55. British comedic legend Steve Coogan turns 57. Original Harley Quinn voice actress Arleen Sorkin is 67. Famed fashion designed Ralph Lauren is 83. The late James Bond actor Sir Roger Moore was born on this date in 1927.

Thanks for reading Narcity's Canada Morning Brief — and remember: When I write, I write for king and country.

What's your favourite Bond film? Can you guess which villainous actor's autograph hangs above my desk? Send your answers to 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!