Unlike many expats and immigrants living in Sweden, Canadian-born Kevin Lee was never fazed by the Nordic nation's harsh climate and fondly remembers the first time he stepped off a plane and arrived in Stockholm. "It was the middle of winter and it was so beautiful," he tells The Local. "I just remember loving the Old Town and the feeling of having all these islands and water, but at the same time everything was so modern." As for the sub-zero temperatures, "Stockholm feels tropical compared to parts of Canada", he says with a laugh. Lee's initial visit to the Swedish capital was during a year he spent living and working in London, having quit a career in television production in Toronto that he had pursued relentlessly between the ages of 16 and 23. Despite being offered a full-time job working on Canadian Idol, one of the highest-rated shows in his country at that time, the music-obsessive had decided that if he didn't pursue his other dream in life – to travel … [Read more...] about ‘I gave up Canadian Idol to pursue my dreams’
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Mix WNY and Canadian brewers, get two ‘off-the-wall’ beer bashes
A Mountie and a Buffalo Walk into a Bar. No joke. It's the name of a small-batch craft beer brewed at Brimstone Brewing Company in Ridgeway, Ont., with help from the brewers at Rusty Nickel Brewing in West Seneca. The Belgian-style IPA is among a collection of more than 30 ambitious brewing collaborations that have taken place in recent weeks in Southern Ontario and Western New York – half of them in Canada, the other half in the States. A maple toffee milk stout, Italian grape ale and New England-style IPA were among those brewed on the American side. Ontario-based concoctions included a farmhouse IPA, a strong ale made with Belgian waffles and blueberries, and a German sour aged in oak with apricots. "Beer-wise, if you turn brewers loose, they will come up with some really off-the-wall beers," said Scott Shuler, brewmaster at 12 Gates Brewing Company in Amherst, who helped plan the inaugural Canadian-American Beer Festival, originally scheduled for this weekend in Niagara … [Read more...] about Mix WNY and Canadian brewers, get two ‘off-the-wall’ beer bashes
31 things Canadians say that Americans don’t understand
Canada and the United States are both English-speaking countries, but they don’t speak exactly alike. Canadians have a long list of slang terms and colourful expressions that set their dialect apart from American English. We compiled a list of 31 Canadian words that would confuse Americans, including words like “keener,” “gonger,” and “Texas mickey.” The United States and Canada are linked in many ways, from their intertwined history to their 5,500-mile border – the longest in the world. But the most obvious thing the two countries share is their language. Yet despite both having English as their primary language, Americans and Canadians don’t speak exactly alike. In fact, Canadian English is full of unique slang words and expressions that would leave most American speakers scratching their heads. Business Insider’s Portia Crowe compiled a list of words you’ll only hear in Canada. We’ve added some more … [Read more...] about 31 things Canadians say that Americans don’t understand
The Canadian dollar and Mexican peso are rallying on hopes of an early NAFTA deal
The White House wants to reveal a preliminary NAFTA framework by mid-April. The loonie was up 0.91% versus the dollar Tuesday morning, and the peso advanced 0.25%. Follow currencies in real time here. Canadian and Mexican currencies pared losses against the dollar Tuesday following news that President Donald Trump was pushing for a preliminary North American Free Trade Agreement deal to be ready as soon as mid-April. The Canadian dollar – also known as the loonie – gained 0.95% to 1.2792 per US dollar as of 11:55 a.m. ET. The Mexican peso also strengthened, advancing 0.25% to 18.1979 per US dollar. Sources familiar with the talks said the White House wants to unveil an updated NAFTA agreement at an April 13 summit in Peru, Bloomberg reported on Monday, easing some anxiety about a potential US exit from the pact. The loonie and peso traded lower versus the dollar on Monday as Trump linked NAFTA to immigration frustrations, centered around a group of about 1,200 … [Read more...] about The Canadian dollar and Mexican peso are rallying on hopes of an early NAFTA deal
The Canadian dollar’s “loonie swoon” is not over yet
By: Andrew Van Sickle 29/03/2018 Post a Comment The Canadian dollar, nicknamed the loonie, has spent most of the past two years clambering back from long-term lows against its US counterpart. But now it has hit the skids again. It has been the weakest major currency against the greenback in 2018, slipping by about 3% to a nine-month low around CAD1.30.Donald Trump has threatened to pull the US out of the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta), which he blames for increasing America’s trade deficit and destroying jobs. This year has seen the three signatory countries, the US, Canada and Mexico, begin negotiations to overhaul the deal. Ottawa has been making conciliatory noises, as it “has ample reason to bend”, as Tom Buerkle points out on Breakingviews. Exports to its two Nafta partners totalled $284bn in 2016, or 18% of economic output. For the US, the figure is just 3% of GDP. The US takes 75% of Canadian exports. If Nafta … [Read more...] about The Canadian dollar’s “loonie swoon” is not over yet