Fan of the Vinyl Café or the News from Lake Wobegon? You’ll feel at home in Mirror Falls.
New episodes every Sunday morning.
Select your podcast app:
Apple Podcasts • Spotify • I use something else
NOW AVAILABLE: Mirror Falls shirts and stickers
by Tod Maffin
Follow me on Bluesky (or elsewhere)
▶️ All my videos • 👾 Join My Discord
Yes, we fought over curling, and I’ll tell you why.
First of all, it’s been a hell of a year.
The American government wants to annex us
People are saying our Prime Minister has “daddy vibes,” whatever the hell that is
And last week the price of a king size Coffee Crisp went up at the Rexall on Tenth so IT’S BEEN KIND OF A YEAR OKAY?
We take curling seriously for the same reason we take winter seriously: Because the season shows up whether we ask for it or not, and once it’s here, we get extremely organized about it.
Curling is not a hobby in this country. It is infrastructure.
This is a sport that began before Confederation. The first curling club in North America opened in Montreal in 1807. Thomas Jefferson was President, and who was Prime Minister? Nobody! We wouldn’t even have one for another 60 years. That’s how early this was. Curling existed before Canada, which means curling is more Canadian than Canada.
Curling predates the lightbulb and the telephone. We were sliding rocks on ice before we had a flag, a rail system, or any consensus on vowels.
And why? Because it’s perfect for us. It’s slow, usually polite, rule-heavy, and powered almost entirely by volunteers named Doug.
You don’t win by dominating American style. You win by placing one annoying rock in exactly the wrong spot and forcing the other team to think about it for a full minute. That is Canada’s entire diplomatic strategy, but with ice.
You think we don’t take this seriously? The woman who led Canada to our first Olympic gold medal for women’s curling in 1998 was named Sandra. Sandra Schmirler. Yes, Schmiler the Curler.
T O D B I T
Canada has more than 1,000 curling clubs and roughly 1.2 million active curlers in a country of 40 million. That makes curling one of the highest participation sports per capita in the world, ahead of hockey.
So yeah, let’s talk about the cheating. All this talk, about “Oh Canada cheated.” But really… did we cheat?
Yeah, we probably cheated a bit. But can you blame us? Like they say at the colonoscopy clinic, what’s a finger between friends?
Also, context matters. You try throwing a 42-pound rock down pebbled ice while a guy wearing polyester is yelling at you “HARD! HARD!” Bruh, we’re trying! How about a couple of hair dryers instead of a broom?
So yeah, we fought about curling. Because when everything else feels loud and stupid and out of your control, this is the one place where the chaos moves at three kilometres an hour and you’re allowed to stop it with physics.
It’s therapy. With rocks. And beer.
And if you think we’re going to be chill about it… buddy, you have fundamentally misunderstood our country.
Trivia
What is the name of the target area in curling?
— 30 —
Join the discussion about this issue in my Discord community
The Weekly Poll
Which sport do you watch the most during the Winter Olympics?
Last Week:
What You Missed This Week
The Good News ♥️
Busy Bee-Zach Choboter of Squamish BC plans to rollerblade around the globe with the goal of raising $1 million dollars for bees and to feed communities.
Nadine Sparks of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia is teaching women in her community to not only style their hair, but to love it.
Slow Sports- Walking Soccer has become a game changer for senior citizens in Victoria, BC. No running or contact is allowed, giving seniors the chance to play without risking injury.
Volunteers gathered to pack 1,500 bags of groceries for vulnerable families across Windsor-Essex, marking the fourth annual ‘Food for Families on Family Day’ initiative.
Heated Charity- 'Heated Rivalry' fans have raised over $65,000 for the BC Children’s Hospital to celebrate the show's Canadian star Hudson Williams on his birthday.
The Olympics 🏅
Team Canada’s trio of Ivanie Blondin, Valérie Maltais, and Isabelle Weidemann have won their second Olympic gold medal for speed skating in the women’s team pursuit.
Golden Oldham- Megan Oldham won the Olympic gold medal for Freestyle Skiing Women’s Freeski Big Air.
Mikaël Kingsbury made history winning gold in a brand-new Olympic event—dual moguls.
After a truly nail-biting game Team Canada’s women’s hockey took home the silver medal.
Medal Count- Team Canada currently has a total of 15 medals with 4 gold, 5 silver, and 6 bronze.
SCIENCE!!!!!! 🔭
New Dino- A new fossil has been discovered in Cape Breton, the Tyrannoroter heberti lived about 315 million years ago, and may be the earliest vertebrate herbivore ever found.
According to Saskatoon optometrist Rachael Berger, LED headlights are to blame for the increase in the number of patients concerned about their vision when driving at night.
In an effort to help tree swallows find homes and successfully breed, Halifax resident Jessica Ryuzaki is encouraging others to build nesting boxes.
Scientists have identified what may be the world’s oldest fossilized predator vomit with the help of an associate professor from Brandon University.
The First Peoples 🪶
Survivor Honoured- Shirley Horn, a survivor of a Residential School in Sault Ste. Marie has received the Order of Ontario for advancing truth and reconciliation through her work.
Donita Large, a member of Saddle Lake First Nation in Alberta just released her first full-length album titled Ancestors.
A Cree Approach, a documentary centered on Cree educator Freda Ahenakew will make its world premiere in Vancouver as part of the Gender Equity in Media Festival.
History Maker-Jocelyne Larocque a Métis athlete from Ste. Anne, Man, the most decorated Indigenous athlete in Canadian history won a silver with Team Canada’s women’s hockey team.
Wild Things 🐻❄️
Sonia Kong, an assistant professor at UNBC, is studying the impact of caring for animals on the well being of teens with her pet chicken Saturday, by her side.
Homer’s Odyssey- Homer, an 11-year-old terrier mix with health issues from Montreal was miraculously returned to his owners after 80 days on the lam.
An orphaned, and injured bear cub has been rescued after trying to make a home on someone’s deck in Slave Lake, Alberta.
Trade Tea 🫖
New Negotiator-Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office has announced that Janice Charette will serve as the country’s chief trade negotiator to the United States.
Dominic LeBlanc, minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, led a delegation of 230 Canadians to Mexico on a trade mission.
No Visa? No Problem!-Canadian Citizens can now enter China without a visa. Visitors can stay for up to 30 days for business, tourism, exchange programs and to visit loved ones.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump overstepped his presidential authority by imposing tariffs on Canada and other countries.
Across Canada 📍
Fine (Alcohol Free) Wine- Canada's first non-alcoholic winery landed a $1M investment deal on the television show Dragons' Den.
Atlantic Canada’s population boom has ended, with each of the four provinces losing residents at the end of 2025.
Oh Baby!- Alberta has revealed the top baby names for 2025 with Amelia, Emma, Sophia taking the top spots for girls and Theodore, Oliver, Henry, for boys.
Canada’s Market This Week
Royal Bank | |
TD Bank | |
Enbridge | |
ScotiaBank | |
Bank of Montreal | |
CP Rail | |
Shopify | |
Canadian Tire | |
Loblaws | |
Tim Hortons (RBI) | |
Dollarama | |
Rogers |
In partnership with
