Welcome to the October issue of my monthly newsletter! In 1955, the breakfast-cereal company Quaker Oats launched one of the most memorable marketing stunts in North American history: they purchased 19 acres of land near Dawson City, Yukon, and held a giveaway for customers to get their very own one square inch of the land. […]

Welcome to the September issue of my monthly newsletter! One of the most proudly Canadian traditions is right around the corner – the universally cherished Terry Fox Run. Terry Fox started his original run from St John’s on April 12, 1980, to raise funds and awareness for cancer research. His goal was to have every […]

Welcome to the August issue of my monthly newsletter! As the dog days of summer come to an end (technically they run from July 3 – August 11), let’s take a look at what in the world this saying means. Dating back to Roman and Greek empires, the phrase was based on the star Sirius […]

Welcome to the July issue of my monthly newsletter! When you think of a classic Canadian fast-food company, does A&W come to mind? It should! It has been completely Canadian owned and operated since 1972 and has over 1070 locations across the nation. The same is true of Mortgage Architects, Mortgage Centre Canada, and Dominion […]

Welcome to the June issue of my monthly newsletter! June is a month nearly all Canadians look forward to – longer days and warmer temps lingering into the evening. Speaking of hot air… Did you know the first successful public hot air balloon flight was in the month of June? It was back in 1783 […]

Welcome to the May issue of my monthly newsletter! Planning a road trip this summer? Canada has plenty of kilometers of roadway to offer! The Trans-Canada highway officially opened in 1962, crosses all 10 provinces, and stretches 7,821 km from Victoria BC to St. John’s NL. A few fun things to see include: The longest […]

Welcome to the April issue of my monthly newsletter! You may already know that April’s birthstone is a diamond – but did you know that 80% of mined diamonds are used for industrial purposes like cutting, drilling and grinding? It’s a good thing we’re producing man-made diamonds for these processes, because natural diamonds take over […]

Welcome to the March issue of my monthly newsletter! March is peak maple syrup time here in Canada – when the sap starts to flow from tapped trees into sugar houses across Quebec (where 90% of Canada’s liquid gold is produced). Maple syrup not only tastes great but also has zinc, magnesium, B2, calcium, potassium […]

The Canadian Economy Shrinks by 0.6% in Q4, Owing to a Decline in Business Inventories Statistics Canada reported this morning that the Canadian economy contracted by 0.6% at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, a significant reversal from the 2.4% expansion posted in Q3. The weaker growth rate reflected a steep decline in business inventories, which […]

February, the month best known for Superbowl, groundhogs, Mardi Gras, and adding an extra day to our calendars every fourth year. But did you know there was once (and only once in the past 2000+ years) a February 30th? From 1582-1752, most of the world was migrating from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. […]