Canada is Boring

In this episode of Canada Is Boring, Rhys and Jesse dive into the life of David Thompson, the Welsh-born orphan who became one of the most important mapmakers in North American history. Along the way, they detour through tales of the Lake Louise Tea House, roast the bizarre social-media energy of Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry, and debate whether Thompson was more cat or rat on the Katy-cat/Katy-rat spectrum.

You’ll hear how Thompson:
Went from a charity school in Westminster to an apprentice with the Hudson’s Bay Company
Broke his leg, wrecked his eyesight, and still became a master surveyor
Quit HBC when they tried to pull him off mapping and walked 130 km through a snowstorm to join the North West Company
Helped define key sections of the Canada–US border and mapped huge swaths of the West, including the Saskatchewan River system, the Rockies, and the Columbia River
Built a long, complicated life with his Cree-Métis wife Charlotte, traveling and mapping as a team

Plus: a small-talk detour featuring awkward chats with other people’s kids, Kenny vs. Spenny live, and aging sketch comics still acting like teenagers.
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When 33-year-old Christopher Hiscox ran out of money halfway across Canada, he didn’t rob a bank—he stole a truck, found a ranch, fed the cats and horses, did some laundry, made coffee, and settled in like he lived there. Rhys and Jesse dive into the viral “gentle crime” that captured headlines, what it says about desperation, comfort, and mental health, and why the weirdest part might just be the toothbrush.
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In this episode of Canada Is Boring, Rhys and Jesse wade back into Canadian politics to unpack Pierre Poilievre’s slow slide from “inevitable” prime minister-in-waiting to a guy desperately trying to stay relevant against Prime Minister Mark Carney. Through a series of clips, they look at PP’s shifting persona, from attack dog to awkwardly “human” and back again, his bromance moment with Joe Rogan, and his current strategy of going after Carney’s biggest strength: his economic reputation. Along the way, they talk centrist politics, privatization, why Carney is hard for Conservatives to hate, and how much of this is really about policy versus pure political identity. Plus: bike-safety video confessions, dad bods, and a detour into capoeira, cold McCafé, and pressure-washing as a personality type.
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In this episode of Canada Is Boring, Rhys and Jesse dive into the bizarre, lucrative world of psychic mail-order scams led by one of Canada’s most successful fraudsters, Patrice Runner.

Starting with his obsession with old-school magazine ads and get-rich-quick schemes, we follow Runner’s journey to partnering with celebrity psychic Maria Duval, licensing her name for North American “psychic predictions,” lucky talismans, and vibratory crystals. Over two decades, his company Infogest Direct Marketing raked in more than $175 million USD from mostly older, vulnerable believers across Canada and the US—selling false hope, fake artifacts, and rigged “personal” letters.
For premium content, socials, merch, to leave a voicemail or message us go to canadaisboring.com
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In this special friends–only episode of Canada Is Boring, Rhys and Jesse dig into the story of how CSIS, Canada’s spy agency, allegedly spied on Indigenous and environmental activists protesting the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline, and then shared that information with oil companies and the National Energy Board.

They walk through the BCCLA’s decade‑long legal battle, heavily redacted court documents, and the cozy hospitality events between petroleum companies and Canada’s intelligence service. Along the way, they wrestle with the line between “national security” and corporate protection, and, of course, veer off into compost toilets, subway etiquette, and renting excavators.

Made possible by our wonderful special friends who support the show.
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.