by Tod Maffin
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About five and a half years ago, Canada Post — perhaps our most bureaucratic, faceless institution — did something so relentlessly decent that it felt like they’d made a mistake.
It was March 2021. COVID had been around for a year, but it had really been the prior couple of months when it started to feel really dark.
Lockdowns had come and gone. And then come again. And the mood of everyone was pretty low.
It was strangely isolating. Physically, of course, but also emotionally. For many folks, the only time they saw people was on a laptop or a phone.
The postcard
So Canada Post decided to send something to every residential address in the country. 13 and a half million of them — a postcard with a stamp already on it. Ready to go, postage paid. (One of six, actually.)
With only one instruction: ‘Send this to someone who needs it.’
T O D B I T
When I posted this as a video recently, many comments came from Canadians who said they never got one. Many postal staff, also in the comments, insist they did get one but assumed it was a flyer or junk mail and tossed it.
Lots did. A Canada Post spokesperson reported that many people picked relatives in long-term care. Or front-line healthcare workers. And some angry missives to politicians.
Fridge-door time capsules
Postcards are really the opposite of email, when you think about it. They have limited space; there’s no undo button, and best of all, they don’t end up in a spam folder. At our house, at least, they end up on our fridge.
But one of the things about the Canada Post project that disappointed me was that, unless someone chose you to send their card to, the public didn’t get to see the messages. They were a kind of time capsule of what it felt like to be in Canada at that moment.
T O D B I T
Canada was a postcard pioneer. On June 1, 1871, it became the first non-European nation to issue a postcard. That first card cost one cent. The price covered both the card and delivery to any address within the Dominion.
Dear Canada
That’s partly what’s behind the new project Jocelyn and I launched a couple of weeks ago. We call it Dear Canada.
Write a postcard to Canada. (A real paper postcard you put in the mail to us.) A thank-you you never got to say. A kindness that made you proud to live here. What you hope we’re still arguing about in 50 years.
Don’t live in Canada? You can write us too. Help us see ourselves through your eyes.
📫 Find the mailing address at postcard.todmaffin.com.
Help us do what we couldn’t do five years ago: look into the time capsule early.
We’ll be sharing some of the postcards with you over the next few months, and we have plans for something big down the road.
⚠️ Have you already sent one and want to see if we’ve gotten it? Check out the list at https://dearcanada.todmaffin.com
Join the discussion about this issue in Tod’s Clubhouse!
Test Your Knowledge!
Which country operates one of the world's oldest continuously functioning postal services, dating back to 1635?
The Weekly Poll
Do you send snail mail?
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Drawing Conclusions
Alberta votes to stay in Canada
What You Missed This Week
The Good News ♥️
Over 200 people volunteered to be part of a “human book chain” to help an independent bookstore in Ottawa move to a new location.
Julia Cardy of Fredericton, NB, is walking over 250 km across PEI on the Confederation Trail to raise money and awareness for the ongoing war in Ukraine.
In an effort to encourage voter turnout and engage young citizens, the town of Kitimat, BC, has elected its first-ever dog mayor, a very good boy named Gus.
Balkan Mediterranean Restaurant in Banff has been named one of TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best for 2026.
SCIENCE!!!!!! 🔭
Several websites around the world, including Government of Canada sites, went dark as operators raced to patch cracks in a programming language called PHP.
The Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory in rural Ontario installed a small data centre as it modernised its recordkeeping systems to help preserve its heritage.
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has confirmed that the two-year measles outbreak, which lost the country its global elimination status, is officially over.
The First Peoples 🪶
First Nations leaders believe record voter turnout in their communities helped deliver a decisive victory for treaty rights in Alberta's separation referendum this week.
The Williams Lake First Nation celebrated the grand opening of a new memorial park in downtown Williams Lake, unveiling its name as Sḱulé7ten Park.
The University of Ottawa has unveiled a mural that brought together five artists from diverse Indigenous backgrounds to contribute to the bike path artwork.
Canadian Content 🍁
Musician Bruce Cockburn’s 5-decade career shows no signs of slowing down with his latest release The Blood of Others.
Comedian, actor, and author Mark Critch explores what makes Canada worth fighting for in his new book Sorry Not Sorry.
Ojibway author Drew Hayden Taylor tells the story of Ladybug LaFlesche, a con artist, in his new novel Sucker Falls.
Montreal yacht rock band Sweet Agnes have released a new single called Trust Me featuring Mona.
Trailblazer Nora Cummings has released her memoir, Nora Cummings, Enn pchit fee Michif: A Life and Legacy.
Wild Things 🐻❄️
Winnipeg musician Carlyn Graff-Czehryn has organized Music and Mutts, an evening of songs, stories, comedy, and adoptable dogs to raise money for Manitoba Mutts Dog Rescue.
A giant pumpkin from Port Elgin, Ontario’s Pumpkinfest, has been donated to the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat, where polar bear Ganuk has enjoyed ripping it apart and eating it.
A report by pet care app Rover has revealed that Luna is the most popular name for dogs in Canada.
Across Canada 📍
A Cambridge, ON man who has been going to the cinema every Tuesday since 2001 is about to watch his 1000th movie.
Mount Allison University has announced it will be bringing back its Bachelor of Education program.
200 nurses gathered outside of Corner Brook’s city hall to stand with other union members who are locked in a dispute with the city.
A series of workshops are being held on P.E.I. to help people with intellectual disabilities and their families to identify barriers in police and court interactions and discuss solutions.
Politics 🧑⚖️
David Suzuki was in Toronto to show support for mayoral candidate Olivia Chow and share some choice words on Brad Bradford’s plan to privatize the city’s water.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada is forming a “strategic partnership” with Turkey with the aim of securing a free-trade agreement.
Politicians in Ottawa are moving to curb gambling ads frequently seen across sports broadcasts, social media, and online video games.
Entertainment🎭
Comedian Will Ferrell poked fun at Canada-U.S. tensions with a parody of "O Canada” during a live taping of the Smartless podcast.
Quebec author Thélyson Orélien has abandoned efforts to compile evidence supporting his denial that artificial intelligence was used to write his novel.
Cineplex has announced they will be screening all 6 episodes of the hit TV series Heated Rivalry.
Made in Canada
Hemlock & Oak is a Canadian stationery brand founded by Tia Masic in Vancouver, British Columbia.
After experiencing a workplace injury and burnout, Tia wanted to create a planner that encouraged mindfulness and balanced living rather than hustle culture. She launched the brand’s first planner through Kickstarter in October 2020. It sold out within two months.
The planners are designed to support personal values, intentional planning, and everyday well-being. The company prioritises recyclable materials, reduced plastic packaging and partnerships with Canadian manufacturers. Today, it sells planners, notebooks, stickers and notepads.
⚠️ This is not sponsored. This brand learned we profiled them the same time you did.
Also see: Tod and Jocelyn’s Buy Canada projects: Main Street Canada and Unplug America
In partnership with
