Steph rounds up Canadian feel-good stories: a Guatemalan refugee who founded London's Sunfest gets the Order of Canada, identical twins from Thunder Bay become the first twins on Jeopardy!, and the viral IKEA monkey Darwin is thriving at a sanctuary. Also: the MKO Santa Express is using planes to reach 25 northern Manitoba First Nations after wildfires.
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Are you sick of doomscrolling and seeing headlines like this? I'm Steph, I work for Tod, and here's some of the good news in from this week. The founder of London's Sunfest, a Guatemalan refugee, has been awarded the Order of Canada. He arrived in the Forest City 40 years ago and started the festival in 1994, and it's since grown into a major draw for musicians from all around the world. As a born and raised Londoner that's been going to Sunfest for like more than 30 years, I can say firsthand this festival is truly special and you should go if you ever get the opportunity to. Santa's also in the news, and he's trading his sleigh for planes and helicopters this week. The MKO Santa Express is flying into 25 northern Manitoba First Nations communities, bringing some much-needed holiday cheer after a tough wildfire season. Next, identical twin brothers from Canada made Jeopardy! history. Ron Malone walked on stage and fans had a glitch-in-the-matrix moment because his twin, Ray, had already dominated a 13-game streak. The brothers from Thunder Bay are officially the first identical twins to ever appear on Jeopardy! And this is going to make you feel old, but 13 years ago, a baby monkey wearing a shearling jacket and a diaper in a Toronto IKEA parking lot went viral, also known as the IKEA monkey. Where is he now? Meet Darwin. Now he's all grown up and he's living his best quieter life at Storybook Farm Primate Sanctuary in Ontario. No more parking lots. These days he enjoys indoor swings and eating grapes. And in Sault Ste. Marie, winter escalated quickly. Apparently, winter isn't just cold AF in the Sioux, it's also weaponized. A neighbor dispute ended with one man allegedly turning a snowblower on the other. No injuries, thankfully, just a very Canadian assault charge. And finally, Toronto takes the crown again. For the 4th year in a row, the city has been named Canada's rattiest city by the pest control company Orkin Canada. Stay safe out there, Toronto. The rodents are winning. Our newsletter called Far and Wide with Tod Maffin covers these stories and more. You can get it for free at farandwide.news.
