by Tod Maffin
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In the comments of my social media posts, I often see Canadians asking how we can help while America unravels.
We want to help, but we stumble on the same fear: that whatever we do, it will never be enough.
Too much, too fast
About 20 years ago, I was terminally ill. I was in the late stages of alcoholism. I ended up in a residential treatment centre that saved my life.
That rehab used patients as kind of free labour. We had chores. Every week, we got assigned a daily chore to do. Take out the garbage. Tidy up the smokers’ pit. Clean the windows. It wasn’t exploitation, it was structure. It was rhythm. It was learning how to show up for something outside yourself.
My first week there, I got assigned to wash the pots and pans. This is a job that takes one hour. It doesn’t matter how fast you go, how poorly a job you do, this is one hour of work.
But the window of time they gave us to get our chores done was 45 minutes. Everyone got 45 minutes, regardless of your job.
Needless to say, I was confused. I did my best, but I kept going past the 45-minute chore block and was late for the next session. Every day. Then they gave it to me the following week. And again the week after that.
At some point, I remember going up to my counsellor and saying “Have you people not realized that this job takes an hour?! Why do we only get 45 minutes?”
The 15-minute window
Here’s what I didn’t know until that moment: Only half the chores took an hour. The other half, things like mopping the floor or straightening out the TV room, only took a half hour.
Which meant that there was a window of time, at the 30-minute mark, where half of the patients finished their chores, and didn’t have anything to do for 15 minutes.
My counsellor said “Have you asked anyone for help? Half this building has people just wandering around with nothing to do.”
Say nothing, mean everything
We’re very fortunate in Canada. We put people first. We lift communities before profit. We choose balance over chaos, even when the world around us can’t slow down.
We’re the ones with the 30 minute jobs. We can help. We have the time.
How do we help? I don’t think it’s complicated. I think we find one person and ask them how they’re doing. One person.
In a Facebook group you’re in.
In your video game squad between matches.
In the email thread you got added to.
One person, and here’s the best part — other than “How are you doing?” you don’t have to talk at all.
No crosstalk
In some recovery meetings, there’s a rule called No Crosstalk. It means when people speak, the room goes still. No one argues. No one debates. No one rushes to fix them or even support what they’re saying. Their story just hangs there, in the air, and for once it’s theirs alone.
For some people, it’s the first time in their lives they’ve spoken and not been corrected, not been doubted, not been made small. Just heard.
Heard, without a word
At one of my home group meetings a few years ago, a woman none of us had ever seen before walked up to the lectern, said her name, and then stood and wept for three minutes. And then sat down. We never learned why, but it didn’t matter.
Sometimes, there’s a place for just listening.
Sometimes, there are people who will just listen.
THE WEEKLY CROSS-CANADA POLL
Have Your Say!
How often do you check in on someone “just because”?
Last Week’s Results
THE WEEK THAT WAS
The News You Didn’t Hear… But Should Have
There’s Still Good News Out There ❤
Canada's minimum wage has been named one of the highest in the world, ranking 10th globally.
Elvis lives… in Alberta?: An Albertan won $1 million in the lottery, and showed up to claim the prize dressed head to toe as Elvis Presley.
A 29-year-old woman from New Brunswick says she feels more whole than ever after donating a kidney to her cousin in Ontario, whose transplant has already been life-changing.
Oh my gourd!!: A Johnstown, Ontario, teen set a new local pumpkin record with a 500-kg gourd, the pumpkin was growing at a rate of nearly 20 kilograms a day.
An Ontario fantasy hockey league is preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary, growing from two high school friends’ paper-bag drafts in a bar to a league including sons, coworkers, and even a Stanley Cup champ’s family.
Gold > Hamstring: Canadian race-walker Evan Dunfee won gold at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo… with a torn hamstring!
Two B.C. hospitals have earned global recognition, with BC Children’s Hospital ranking eighth in the world for paediatrics and Vancouver General Hospital placing in multiple specialties on the 2026 World’s Best Specialized Hospitals list.
Wild Things 🐻
A B.C. teen rescued a week-old baby beaver from river rapids during a tubing trip, and after care at a wildlife rescue, the little beaver is now thriving and on track for reintroduction.
Heroic pupper protects family: A bear broke into a Nipigon, Ontario, home this week, injuring a couple before the family dog contained the animal until police arrived.
A stowaway kitten from Italy, now named Grim, survived a transatlantic voyage on a cargo ship and has found a forever home in Nova Scotia.
Chimps drinking a lager a day: A new study finds that chimpanzees consume the equivalent of at least one alcoholic drink a day by eating fermenting fruit.
BC Ferries passengers were treated to an unforgettable show when a pod of three killer whales appeared right by the Sunshine Coast ferry dock.
The First Peoples 🪶
Archaeologists on Newfoundland's east coast have uncovered what is believed to be the first wampum beads found in the province.
Wampum are white and purple tubular beads made from quahog and whelk shells, traditionally used by Indigenous peoples for ceremonial and decorative purposes, often woven into belts that recorded traditions, historic events, diplomacy, and laws.
B.C.'s 4th annual Stalew Powwow featured its first-ever women's singing category, drawing social media celebration and sparking discussions about the role of women singers and drummers in powwow traditions.
Entertainment 🎭
Dear Jimmy, we’ve got poutine: Many Canadians have taken to social media, inviting Jimmy Kimmel to bring his late-night program north of the border, after ABC pulled his show.
The Jonas Brothers have officially confirmed that the beloved Disney movie franchise 'Camp Rock 3' is filming in Metro Vancouver.
🎵 Isn’t it iconic, don’t you think? Alanis Morissette received an honorary doctorate from the University of Ottawa, recognizing her achievements in music and commitment to women’s empowerment.
Ryan Reynolds helped rename a Cobourg, Ontario, arena in honour of Grace Bowen, a nine-year-old hockey player who died of cancer.
Montreal singer-songwriter-producer Yves Jarvis has won the 2025 Polaris Music Prize for his album All Cylinders, an award meant to honour the most artistically significant albums of the year regardless of genre, sales, or popularity.
Across Canada 📍
The federal Liberal government plans to make it a crime to intentionally promote hate against an identifiable group by displaying designated terror and hate symbols in public.
OnlyCans: Moosehead Breweries is ditching bottles for good, switching its entire lineup to cans and kegs, a move that’s leaving some Maritimers divided.
Ontario's police chiefs are pushing back against Premier Doug Ford’s plan to scrap automated speed cameras, saying the devices reduce dangerous speeding despite his claim they’re just a “tax grab.”
Downtown Hamilton now sports a 30-metre-wide mural of a local real estate agent, raising eyebrows over whether it’s street art or an ad.
MY WORK THIS WEEK
In Case You Missed It
HOW CANADA’S COMPANIES ENDED THE WEEK
The Market
Royal Bank | |
TD Bank | |
Enbridge | |
ScotiaBank | |
Bank of Montreal | |
CP Rail | |
Shopify | |
Canadian Tire | |
Loblaws | |
Tim Hortons (RBI) | |
Dollarama | |
Rogers |
I write this newsletter because I care about this country, and I know you do too.
There’s no big media boss here. No hedge fund. Just one person with a keyboard, some facts, and a healthy dose of Canadian side-eye.
If that’s worth something to you, please consider chipping in if you can. 💚
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