Canada is Boring

In this episode of Canada Is Boring, Rhys Waters and Jesse uncover the strange true story of John Mark Tillman, an affluent Fall River, Nova Scotia man who stole historical artifacts from universities, museums, libraries, and private collections across Atlantic Canada.

The case came to light after an RCMP officer spotted a rare 1758 letter by General James Wolfe in Tillman’s car. A search of his home revealed a remarkable collection of stolen Canadian artifacts—including rare manuscripts, historical books, artwork, and a first-edition copy of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. The hosts discuss how Tillman’s brazen, opportunistic thefts went undetected for years, the impact on the institutions he targeted, and the troubling details of his criminal history and Nazi memorabilia.

Plus, Rhys and Jesse answer listener messages and share a fact check.
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A mysterious Toronto murder, a disputed confession, and a trial that captivated the city, welcome back to Canada Is Boring for part two of the Parkdale murder mystery.

In 1894, 18-year-old Frank Westwood was shot and killed, and Clara Ford, a Black woman who made her living as a seamstress, was arrested for the crime. Ford reportedly confessed to detectives, but later claimed her confession was fabricated under hours of police questioning. Her alibi fell apart, the physical evidence was inconclusive, and the case became as much a spectacle about Ford’s race, gender expression, and reputation as it was a search for the truth.
Rhys walks Jesse through Clara Ford’s arrest, the sensational press coverage, the courtroom drama, and the role of a very famous visitor to Toronto: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes. Ford was acquitted by an all-male jury, but did she really shoot Frank Westwood, or did the case turn an unconventional woman into the perfect suspect? The murder remains unresolved, and the truth is still uncertain.

After the murder mystery, step into the Small Talk Dimension for Jesse’s stories from Tuscany, including painting the countryside and discovering an underground garage in a tiny Italian village. Rhys also tells the story of seeing Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond at a Top Gear recording, and helping Tom Cruise when someone in the audience fainted.

Plus, a preview of next week’s episode: a bold, clever gentleman thief with an unusual accomplice.
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On October 6, 1894, 18-year-old Frank Westwood answered the door of his family's Toronto mansion, Lakeside Hall in Parkdale. Someone standing outside shot him through the gap left by the door chain. In part one of this two-part Victorian true crime story on Canada Is Boring, Rhys Waters takes Jesse Harley through the Parkdale Mystery, the Toronto murder that caused a newspaper frenzy in 1890s Canada. Before Frank died of his stomach wound, he described the gunman as a man in dark clothes with a thin mustache. The only name he gave police was Gus Clark, a "stone hooker" his family had chased off their shoreline for digging out shale. We cover the crowded funeral and the chaotic inquest. We meet amateur sleuth W. H. Hornberry, whom the papers mocked as "Parkdale's Sherlock Holmes." We also look at how newspapers begged Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, to solve the case. Then there's the Listowel Horror, the murder of 13-year-old Jessie Keith, which set off rumours that Jack the Ripper had moved to Canada. Part one ends on a cliffhanger: police arrest a surprising new suspect, a 32-year-old woman.

After the story, the Small Talk Dimension Zone covers Jesse's Tuscany wine festival trip, inspired by The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine. Jesse also shares a trick for quitting smoking with ice-cold ginger ale. Rhys helps elderly nuns at Rome's Ciampino airport, and the two trade TIFF celebrity sightings, including Jay Baruchel at the Ken Carter film Stuntman. It closes with Danny Elfman's story of writing the Batman theme in an airplane bathroom. If you like Canadian history, historical true crime, unsolved mysteries and a comedy podcast, subscribe so you don't miss part two.
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Canadian stuntman Dusty Friesen didn't just drive his jet boat off a 40-foot waterfall, he spent over a year researching whether it was legal first. Which is possibly the most Canadian thing that has ever happened.

On May 25, 2026, Dusty (aka Dusty Dozer) of Dawson Creek, BC took his battered jet boat Dent down the Crowsnest River in southern Alberta and straight over Lundbreck Falls, landing upright in front of a hollering crowd and simply carrying on downstream. He's calling it the highest naturally flowing waterfall ever descended in a jet boat, an unofficial world record, since Guinness doesn't have a category for it. The RCMP and conservation officers investigated. The maximum penalty? A $350 fine for careless operation of a small vessel. There was no warrant, and Dusty says he's just getting started: he wants to jump bigger than Niagara.

Rhys and Jesse break down the jump, the legal loophole, the ocean-cleanup fundraising angle, and why Canadian history deserves better movies. Plus a Small Talk Dimension segment featuring a terrified golden retriever, a noisy roof flap, and the worst rental bike in Montreal.
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Rhys and Jesse dive into the surreal and surprisingly inspiring story of Count Binface, the intergalactic space warrior with a bin for a head who keeps showing up on UK ballot papers. Starting from the obscure 1984 sci‑fi film Hyperspace and the original character Lord Buckethead, they trace how a low‑budget movie villain evolved into a viral political figure who has stood against multiple UK prime ministers and, most recently, Nigel Farage.

Along the way, they unpack the darker side of UK politics—anti‑immigrant sentiment, media manipulation, and shady political donations—contrasted with the joyful absurdity of a “joke candidate” who ends up uniting voters, humiliating extremists, and actually outperforming some serious far‑right parties at the polls.
For premium content, socials, merch, to leave a voicemail or message us go to canadaisboring.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.