Beer Bets
One thing that no American would ever know, or for that matter most Canadians, is that the most southern part of Canada, specifically Point Pelee National Park in Lake Erie, (think Detroit-Windsor) is farther south (41.75 degrees latitude) than the most northern part of California next to the Oregon border. (41.99 degrees) Hard to imagine, yes. This one has won a lot of beer bets over the years. (pinot noir actually but that does not sound quite as macho as it should)
On a similar subject matter, Canada shares a land border with how many countries ? One is rather obvious. The second one will also lead to a few winning bets. Unknown to many, Canada shares a land border with Denmark. It seems that there is an island in the Arctic, somewhere in the middle of nowhere, Hans Island is the name. After years of to and fro, there was an agreement to divide ownership into two, thereby creating a land border.
Carrying on the theme, how far is Canada to the closest point in France?
The answer is a mere 12 miles. Check out the French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, off the coast of Newfoundland. Not that far to go for a baguette and un peu de francais, oui ?
This one is fairly well-known. Approximately 72% of the Canadian population is below the 49th parallel. That is the kinda sorta straight line which starts at Lake Superior and heads out west and divides Canada from the USA.
This topic invariably then leads to the story of Point Roberts. The magicians who created the 49th parallel border failed to examine the map closely. Point Roberts was cut off from direct land access to and from the USA, which became somewhat problematic during covid when the border was closed.
It is located at the tip of a small peninsula (also called Point Roberts) that juts southward from British Columbia and is bisected by the international boundary. It is surrounded on three sides by the waters of the Strait of Georgia (west and south) and Boundary Bay (east). It can be reached only through British Columbia.
OK here is the betting lever. What is a “pene-exclave” ?
Answer: appropriately enough – Point Roberts. It refers to a territory of one country (the United States) that can only be accessed by land through another country (you can guess which one).
Sports Trivia
The national sport of Canada is…nope, not hockey, seemed like it was basketball in 2019, but it actually is ……drum roll please,……… lacrosse. (this was actually revised recently to add a distinctive Summer and Winter National Sport)
Speaking of the Raptors, we must recall that this sport was invented in 1891 by a Canadian. True
I know what you are thinking. Big deal, no Canadian players in the NBA since? Not quite. Steve Nash from Vancouver was MVP two consecutive years in 2004 and 2005.
And……Andrew Wiggins from Toronto was first overall pick in 2014 NBA draft.
And…the first ever NBA game was played between the Toronto Huskies and the New York Knickerbockers on November 1, 1946 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.
Speaking of “first evers”, the first recorded baseball game took place in Beachville, Ontario in 1838. (no clue where this place is)
.and…..Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run on the Toronto Islands as a rookie in the International League on September 5, 1914.
Fascinating Trivia
The population of Canada is 40 million in 2023 whereas that of California is 39 million. Canada, however, is divided into 10 provinces, 3 territories each with a legislative body and one federal government. Seems like a lot of governing to me.
Ninety percent of the Canadian population lives within 100 miles of the American border. We are not crazy, after all !
Toronto is the fourth largest city in North America at 2.79 million, just a tad ahead of Chicago. Mexico City, New York and Los Angeles are the top three in that order.
Canada is a parliamentary democracy. The Prime Minister is the leader of the party in power. He or she is not specifically elected for this position as is the case in the republic to the south. However, the PM must be the successful candidate in his or her riding to sit in the House of Commons. All cabinet ministers are generally also elected members of Parliament. This is a custom as opposed to a legal requirement.
The Senate is an appointed body. It is an anachronism. It should be abolished. Every bill which is passed by the House of Commons must also receive Senate approval. The last Conservative government stated that it would simply refuse to appoint any more members to the Senate. The present Liberal government has not made any official position known.
Had the moron to the south been the Prime Minister and started an illegal unconstitutional war, declared illegal tariffs, threatened to annex Greenland, or anywhere else, there would be no need to resort to the unworkable impeachment process or even worse, the 25th amendment. There would be a vote of non-confidence in Parliament determined by a simple majority, the government would be fall, hopefully exiled and a new election would take place in 6 weeks.
Now tell me, please, which process is the preferred one, this parliamentary democracy or the constitutional republic. I will wait here for your answer. It should take, maybe, 10 seconds.
Quebec City is the sole walled city in North America and is a UNESCO site. It was founded in 1608.
Lunenberg, Nova Scotia also has the same international designation. It is an example of a planned British colonial settlement built in 1753. It remains today as originally constructed.
Many Canadians will know that Tommy Douglas is widely considered the person responsible for the creation of the Canadian universal medical health care system, but few know that his son was the late great Donald Sutherland and his grandson is….Kiefer Sutherland.
When Really Was The War of 1812?
The War of 1812 was kinda sorta between Canada and the US, except that Canada did not yet exist. Both sides claim victory but we know the real story. It actually was the war of 1812 to 1814 between the British and the US but the majority of the war was fought in Ontario and upper NY state, including Lake Ontario. (please don’t say the “other” name, it makes my stomach turn)
The war started because the British were then fighting Napoleon and the French, as usual, and had barred any trade between France and neutral countries, which included the US. This annoyed the powers-to-be in Washington who then declared war on the Brits. Actually, in fairness, the British had frequently intercepted American merchant marine ships and “suggested” their sailors join the British Navy.
When the Americans burned down the Capital building in Toronto (actually called York at the time), the British retaliated by burning down the White House, although it was not white then, it was then red . It became white when it was rebuilt.
Something to Sing About
After the British ransacked Washington, they then attacked Baltimore in the battle of Fort McHenry. It was not victorious as the Americans defended successfully. To get to the point, however at long last, it was this battle which inspired the American anthem, the Star Spangled Banner.
When the war was resolved by the Treaty of Ghent in December of 1814 signed in Belgium, news of this event had yet to reach the soldiers of either army in Louisiana. The Battle of New Orleans was fought when both sides had yet to learn that the war was over. Now that would be a tough way to go.
Beer Rocks
This advertisement caught the eyes of Canadians, appropriately run by a beer company, Molsons, which is no longer Canadian owned, but part of the Anheuser-Bush empire. It well reflects Canadian views of not being Americano.
The Hockey Sweater
This is a short story originally published in French, written by Roch Carrier. It was first written under the title :”Une abominable feuille d’érable sur la glace” (“An abominable maple leaf on the ice”)
The narrative was based on a real life event that the author experienced as a child, growing up in a small French town in Quebec, Sainte-Justine. Needless to say, all his compatriots were fans of Les Glorieux Canadiens. His mother ordered a Canadien’s sweater from the Eaton’s catalogue (hands up if you remember this) and she was sent, in error, the jersey of the detested Toronto Maple Leafs.
Carrier was forced to wear this sweater to the horror of his friends, resulting in his persecution and his coach banning him from the rink.
The story epitomized the French-English conflict au Canada, with the added backdrop of hockey culture. It became hugely popular and the subject of a CBC story which won many awards.
Getting finally, once again, at long last to the point, it appeared on the Canadian $5 bill from 2001 to 2013.
The wording on the note:
The winters of my childhood were long, long seasons. We lived in three places—the school, the church and the skating rink—but our real life was on the skating rink.
It is difficult to see in the graphic but included in the image is a young girl wearing the number 9 of Rocket Richard. Bien joue, mon ami (e)!
The man himself, well the boy, is below as well as stylized version of the story.
The next $5 bill will feature Terry Fox. Stay tuned to this station for further updates.