8 Things You Need To Know For September 19

Good morning — Andrew from Narcity here! ☕

Off The Top: Naturally, the big story of the day is the ongoing funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, which officially commenced at 6 a.m. ET. The second point of order is that it's also International Talk Like a Pirate Day — though it seems somewhat unlikely this will have much crossover with the events at Westminster Abbey.

As a reminder, here's how each province is marking the occasion (aka, whether you have the day off).

In Case You Missed It

1. The Queen's Funeral Is On & Here's Who's In Attendance

Depending on when you open this newsletter, the live broadcast of the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II can be found (among many places) right on the CBC homepage. Naturally, there was plenty of Canadian representation at the ceremony. In addition to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, former PMs Stephen Harper, Paul Martin, Jean Chrétien and Kim Campbell were there, as were Indigenous leaders RoseAnne Archibald, Natan Obed and Cassidy Caron. Tristan Wheeler breaks it down here.

• Who Else? Perhaps the most surprising inclusion among the attendees is former Grey's Anatomy and Killing Eve star Sandra Oh. The screen legend is part of a small contingent of Order of Canada recipients at the funeral.

2. We Still Don't Know How One Saskatchewan Stabbing Suspect Died

With well over a week since the RCMP announced that Myles Sanderson had died after being taken into police custody, the exact cause of death of the second of two suspects at the centre of this month's mass stabbing attack has still yet to be determined. As Lisa Belmonte reports, the Mounties are advising the public against speculation, with Saskatchewan RCMP Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore noting that the arresting officers were "highly trained experts in the field but (...) not medical experts or pathologists." Read more about the strange case here.

• In Her Words: "I ask you all to remember this is not a TV drama where we will have all of the answers by the end of the episode," she said. "Complex investigations of this nature take time and we look forward to providing further details once they have been confirmed."

3. Toronto's Coffee Shops Dominated A Ranking of Canada's Top 25

Given the size of the Greater Toronto Area, maybe there's little surprise that Ontario's capital city boasts some of the best coffee in the country — at least according to restaurant review aggregator Yelp. As Mira Nabulsi writes, Toronto java joints comprised 10 of the 25 cafes in the list, with east downtown's Fahrenheit Coffee ranking tops among shops in the 6ix. You can find the full breakdown here.

• However! Though Toronto fared well, none of the city's cafes even reached the podium for Canada overall. Vancouver's Incognito Coffee came in at No. 1, followed by Montreal's Café de Mercanti at No. 2 and Québec City's Cantook at No. 3.
• Shocking: Your local Tim Hortons did not appear on Yelp's list at all — despite the fact that none of the other ranked shops sell both flatbread pizza and some concoction called the Hershey S'mores Creamy Chill. An outrage!

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

What Else You Need To Know Today

🎒 BACK TO SCHOOL
Statistics Canada has released university tuition data for the 2022-23 school year and — surprise! — everything is expensive. But while the average undergrad program costs $6,834 per year, several cost more than twice that amount, Lisa Belmonte reports. From medicine to law, here are the priciest programs in Canada.

🍂 FALL INTO AUTUMN
Imagine stunning vistas featuring lakes and mountains. Now picture that same slice of heaven but decorated in a shock of yellow and red leaves. From our Calgary bureau, Charlie Hart breaks down seven Alberta towns worth road-tripping to this autumn.

🏠 DREAM HOUSE
Listed at just under $1.3 million, this secluded and newly renovated four-bedroom home is on the pricier side — but considering you could get an older, semi-detached house for the same price in Toronto, it seems like a pretty solid deal for panoramic views and your own private cove out in Nova Scotia.

📌 JOB BOARD
Choo-choo! Southwest Ontario's big regional transit operator Metrolinx is looking to fill a number of jobs — and as Brooke Houghton points out, a few of them offer six-figure salaries, solid benefits and flexible work arrangements. From business analyst roles to being a literal train scheduler, here are the open positions we've found.

🎂 BIRTHDAYS
Jimmy Fallon — the No. 1 character-breaker in SNL history — turns 48 years old today. Country songstress Trisha Yearwood is 58. Disgraced celebrity chef Mario Batali is 62. Funky music legend Nile Rodgers celebrates the big 7-0 today. Jeremy Irons, whose booming voice could make a hyena stop laughing, is 74. The late great Batman actor Adam West was born on this day in 1928. KA-POW!

Thanks for reading Narcity's Canada Morning Brief — where we at least have to wonder aloud whether the queen was a fan of Sandra Oh's supporting turn opposite Paul Giamatti in 2004's Best Picture-nominated Sideways.

Have any questions or comments 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!