iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

TODAY IN CANADA: In 1758, the first meeting of an elected assembly in what is now Canada took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia. 🍁 YOUR SAY: Has Canadian democracy gotten stronger or weaker in the last 20 years?

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Every quarter, Jocelyn and I donate a portion of all merch sales to the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund — helping reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Our full transparency report is at transparency.todmaffin.com and you can check out the merch at shop.todmaffin.com

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Canadians build great technology. Some of them are sitting in your app store right now, waiting for a turn. From email to streaming to ride apps, each of these alternatives is Canadian-owned and operated. (A check mark means I use it myself!) ✅ Our full list is at unplug.todmaffin.com #BuyCanadian

A one-page guide titled "Unplug America" recommending Canadian alternatives to U.S. tech services, listing pairs like ChatGPT → Augure/CanadaGPT, Netflix → CBC Gem/APTN+, Uber/Lyft → Poparide/R-Hero.

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 01/10/2026

It was great to spend the morning with my former CBC colleague Ian Hanomansing. Watch for my feature interview on The National in the coming weeks. :-) * video has no audio

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TODAY IN CANADA: In 1986, children's author Robert Munsch published "Love You Forever"; the book went on to become one of the best-selling children's books of all time. 📕YOUR SAY: Name a Canadian kids' book you can still partially recite from memory?

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 01/10/2026

Here are 16 Canadian-owned brands you can buy instead of the usual grocery store picks. 🇨🇦 #BuyCanadian ✅ Get my free weekly newsletter: farandwide.news Note: A previous version of this graphic listed a Canadian-owned company which had moved its production to the U.S.

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 30/09/2026

In 1973, Phyllis Webstad, age 6, arrived at residential school in a new orange shirt her grandmother had bought her. To her, the shirt stood for belonging. It was taken away on her first day. Today, in part, is about what was taken from children. 🪶 READ: orangeshirtday.org/about/phylli...

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 30/09/2026

Tomorrow is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Here's one small, practical thing you can do: learn the right words. Pick up this great book as a first step: ✅ Your local bookstore: www.indiebookstores.ca/bookstores/ OR ✅ Nanaimo's Indigenous-owned bookstore: StrongNations.com

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 29/09/2026

TODAY IN CANADA: In 1962, the Alouette 1 was launched to study the ionosphere; it was Canada's first satellite and the first satellite constructed by a country other than the Soviet Union or the United States. 🛰️ YOUR SAY: If Canada launched a new satellite tomorrow, what should we name it?

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 29/09/2026

What would you tell Canada, if you could write to the whole country? Write it down. Mail it. Then tag a friend who needs to do the same. Get the mailing address at postcard.todmaffin.com

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 29/09/2026

Confession: I keep some extra stuff just for my "Tod Squad" supporters. The ones most people love are: 1. The exclusive Behind the Scenes video I do most weeks 2. The monthly Zoom meeting hangout with me and other members ✅ Want to try it out? The first month is 50% off upgrade.farandwide.news

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 28/09/2026

This weekend, I asked my newsletter readers what would be the hardest thing for folks from #Australia and #NewZealand to handle about Canada if we were to merge our countries. ✅ Get in on the next poll at join.farandwide.news

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 28/09/2026

Thanksgiving is in two weeks, which means Americans, once again, are about to find out we do it on a different day in #Canada. Tag the American in your life who needs a heads-up. 😂

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 28/09/2026

Some scary numbers are coming your way Monday. Here's the context, and why Canada's going to be okay. 🇨🇦 My free newsletter: join.farandwide.news

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 27/09/2026

What was #Canada's greatest invention it gave the world? Pick one of the below, then defend it in the replies. ☑️ Basketball ☑️ Insulin ☑️ The Canadarm ☑️ Poutine ☑️ Garbage bag ☑️ Paint roller ☑️ Electric wheelchair

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 27/09/2026

Jocelyn and I are collecting postcards to Canada. Tell Canada where we're headed as a nation. Or if you’re from elsewhere, how you see us. No reply guys, no comment section. Just you and the country. It takes two minutes. #DearCanada We’ll publish some 🥰 ✅ Mailing info: postcard.todmaffin.com

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 26/09/2026

Soooo.... Those Ontario kids who made that hilarious and deeply satirical American Dictator board game (think "Monopoly: Fascism Edition" — see my video yesterday) sent me this email last night. 3,000 games sold in six hours after my video. As of this morning, they're up to 7,000. 🫪

Email screenshot announcing a massive influx of orders—over 3,000 in the past few hours—and thanking the recipient for their support.

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 26/09/2026

Hey #Montreal! Jocelyn and I will be close to your neighbourhood next month, and we'd love to meet you. Join us in Hudson October 9th. No agenda or presentation. Just food, drink, and mingling. 🎟️ DETAILS AND RSVP: meetup.todmaffin.com

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The first postcard in our new Dear Canada project is in! Do YOU want to send Canada a message? ✅ Details at postcard.todmaffin.com

Postcard showing a snowy Plateau Montreal street with exterior staircases and a lone walker, paired with a handwritten message reading "Dear Canada,

I'm so sorry for dissing you when I was a kid &, later, as a young adult.

I was young, naive &, dare I say it, dumb! I was born in Montreal in 1961 & grew up idolizing American culture. I moved to the States as soon as I could, & I lived & worked in the USA for decades on both coasts. As I matured, I've realized that Canada is really WHERE IT'S AT. And it's ALWAYS been where it's at — hidden in plain sight.

I moved back to Canada, to Vancouver, in 2017 & I promise, I'll never leave again.

Nancy, Vancouver, BC"

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Thinking of visiting the US? Consider it carefully, as they’re going to seize your phone and look at everything you have on it.

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TODAY IN CANADA: In 1976, the Montréal Expos baseball team played their last game at Montréal’s Jarry Park before moving into Olympic Stadium. ⚾YOUR SAY: Would Canada benefit from having more sports teams in the MLB, NBA, and NHL?

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 24/09/2026

St. John's: I'm coming to visit! Come hang out with me after work October 6. ✅ Details at: meetup.todmaffin.com

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TODAY IN CANADA: In 1984, Queen Elizabeth II began a two-week tour of Canada accompanied by Prince Phillip. The pair visited New Brunswick and Ontario to celebrate the provinces' bicentennials. She then traveled to Manitoba on her own. 👑 YOUR SAY: Is the royal family still relevant in Canada?

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 22/09/2026

TODAY IN CANADA: In 1967, Expo 67 in Montreal, QC, officially broke the all-time World's Fair attendance record during its run, finishing with 54,991,806 total visitors. YOUR SAY: Should Canada continue spending to host international events?

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 22/09/2026

Canada's in a precarious moment: • Our biggest ally is pulling away • Europe's calling • A province is telling people to leave It's hard to say anything real about that on platforms built to amplify division. So Jocelyn and I built something different. Learn about it at 5pm PT videos.todmaffin.com

"Dear Canada" postcard mockup: a cream postcard on a wood table, divided by a vertical line into two halves. The left half reads "Dear Canada" in red script, with a small red maple leaf and two short flourish lines underneath. The right half has a red postage stamp with a white maple leaf in the top corner, a circular "Canada" postmark beside it, and four blank ruled lines below for a written message.

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 21/09/2026

TODAY IN CANADA: In 1928, Canada’s Post Office Department (now Canada Post) introduced the country’s first airmail stamp. 📬️ YOUR SAY: With the rise of e-mail and courier services, is Canada Post still relevant?

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 20/09/2026

I’ll take “things that were obvious a week ago” for $200 please Alex.

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 19/09/2026

We researched and added six more services to the Unplug America directory this week. Replace your US tech with Canadian alternatives now at unplug.todmaffin.com

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Every weekend, I poll my newsletter readers. Here's this week's results. It's interesting to see how few people think counter-tariffs are a solution. #cdnpoli What do YOU think? ✅ Join the newsletter: join.FarAndWide.news

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For those of you confused by the current state of B.C. politics, here is a quick guide of where things stand. #bcpoli

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TODAY IN CANADA: In 1841, Solicitor-General Charles Day passed the Public Schools Act. 🏫 YOUR SAY: How could the Canadian public school system be improved?

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 17/09/2026

The MGM Restaurant in #Nanaimo is closing on Oct 11. MGM has been a champion for the queer community on the island and a huge supporter of local nonprofits. Great food, great people. If you get the chance to go and take some friends, I know it will pay off in spades in karma.

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TODAY IN CANADA: In 1942, the Federal Finance Minister announced the Victory design on the new 5¢ copper-zinc alloy (Tombac) coin. 🪙 YOUR SAY: Did we make the right decision to eliminate the penny? Why or why not?

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 15/09/2026

TODAY IN CANADA: In 1959, Major-General Georges Vanier was installed as Canada’s First French Canadian and 19th Governor General, replacing Vincent Massey; the soldier-diplomat served until 1967. ⚜️ YOUR SAY: In your opinion, are French Canadians well represented by the government of Canada?

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 14/09/2026

TODAY IN CANADA: In 1974 Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s Not Fragile album enters the Billboard album chart, where it goes straight to #1; features the #1 single, You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet. 🎸YOUR SAY: Who is your favourite Canadian musician or band?

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 12/09/2026

Jocelyn and I added five more Canadian companies to our UNPLUG AMERICA directory today. If you want to switch YOUR technology to Canadian alternatives, check out unplug.todmaffin.com It's free, no ads, no trackers, and contains no affiliate links. #BuyCanadian

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Tod Maffin 🇨🇦 @todmaffin.com · 11/09/2026

CBC Radio's "White Coat, Black Art" has an episode up about the surge in healthcare workers coming to Vancouver Island. Host Brian Goldman interviewed me and Jocelyn about the Nanaimo Infusion, and the national Healthcare Infusion movement that grew out of it. ✅ LISTEN: www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

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Our UNPLUG AMERICA directory of Canadian alternatives to American technology isn't just a basic list on the Internet. My team deeply researches each individual company that requests to be listed: 🔎 Where they store their data 🔎 Who owns the company 🔎 What money they've taken ✅ unplug.todmaffin.com

Email requesting clarification that PitchBook lists a minority investment by Astralabs (Texas) and asking whether the app’s tournament booking uses Google Firebase hosting or Google-hosted servers for user data.

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Going over the upcoming design with my partners Kindred Coast in Parksville B.C. I think you're going to love it. (Trump, not so much 😉) The merch store opens Monday at shop.todmaffin.com 🇨🇦 100% MADE IN CANADA WITHOUT AI (Sorry U.S. friends: I can't ship to the U.S. any more. Please vote.)

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TODAY IN CANADA: In 1985, Canada drew straight lines around the Arctic islands and declared those waters ours alone. It was a direct answer to a US icebreaker's unannounced voyage north. ❄️YOUR SAY: Should Canada patrol the Arctic more aggressively?

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