Morning Brief: Canada's Richest Neighbourhoods, Old Toys Worth Thousands & More

Happy "Friday Jr." and first day of the final month of 2022 — Andrew from Narcity here. ☕

Off The Top: French scientists say they have successfully revived a so-called "zombie" virus that had been safely frozen in Siberian permafrost for about 48,500 years. But have no fear! The revival effort is apparently just a practice run to prepare for the event that climate change could unearth thousands of other long-dormant viruses, according to one scientist at a remote research base who is becoming increasingly agitated while quite obviously hiding the gash on his arm from his colleagues.

In Case You Missed It

1. Where Are The Richest Neighbourhoods In Canada? Just Follow The Money

No matter which corner of Canada you call home, you probably have at least some sense of where the wealthiest Canadians park their Bentleys and store their jet skis while they're off wintering in some sunnier locale. According to a recent study by Slice, the wealthiest neighbourhood in Canada is Toronto's Sunnybrook, where the average household net worth stands at $22,709,428 — even higher than the adjacent Bridle Path, where famous denizens like Drake amount to a piddly average net worth of $19,729,093. Katherine Caspersz breaks down the rest of the top 20 neighbourhoods right here.

• Go Deeper: Though Toronto is well represented toward the top of the list, claiming five of the top seven spots, the greater Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver areas each boast five exorbitantly wealthy hoods of their own.
• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

2. Technological Improvements At Pearson Are Speeding Up Canada's Busiest Airport

If you've had to fly through Pearson International Airport at any point in the past year or two, it's no secret that Toronto's gateway to the world can frequently bog down into one seemingly never-ending line. Thanks to a big tech upgrade, however, not only will flight times be reduced but so will the general noise pollution in the areas immediately below the flight paths to and from YYZ. As Stuart McGinn reports, Pearson has installed "satellite-based positioning and modern aircraft flight management systems" that will allow planes to land simultaneously on parallel runways, an efficiency of time and space that wasn't previously possible.

• Wait, What? The old tech required planes landing on parallel runways to be more spaced apart. The new system — the wordy "Required Navigation Performance – Authorization Required" — means planes can spend less time jockeying for position in the air for their turn to land.
• Context: If the thought of planes landing in closer proximity freaks you out, it's worth noting that the RNP-AR made its debut in Calgary in 2018, and 40% of planes are now equipped with the time and fuel-saving tech.
• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

3. All Your Childhood Cardboard & Plastic Junk Could Be Worth Big Bucks

If the pandemic taught us anything, it's that anyone can delude themselves into thinking they've done as much research as someone who's devoted their life to studying epidemiology or public health. If it taught us a second thing, it's that bored adults with nothing else to spend their dough on will start collecting all the toys they couldn't actually afford as kids. As Tristan Wheeler points out, there are a ton of recent listings and sales on eBay that suggest that the collectible boom is still in full swing — and if you happen to have some mint-condition Pokémon cards, Beanie Babies or Polly Pocket sets, you could be in for a nice windfall.

• Go Deeper: Perhaps the most notable of the 90s-era collectibles is the first-edition holographic Charizard Pokémon card — the T206 Honus Wagner of its day. One listing is currently selling the dragon-like character for $20K (but they're open to offers). Ha!
• My Take: Buying a bunch of crap from eBay won't bring back the sense of safety that accompanied your worry-free suburban childhood. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm currently in a bidding war for a new piece for my James Bond memorabilia collection.
• READ THE FULL STORY HERE

What Else You Need To Know Today

🎄 HOLIDAY HAZE
From deep in the Narcity archives comes our classic piece on 31 Christmas movies currently on Netflix to watch this December. Frequent Morning Brief curator Renée LeBlanc Proctor has put a fresh spin on the monthlong countdown (though I regret to point out that none of the entries on the list involve a shoeless Bruce Willis hunting down European bank robbers at Nakatomi Plaza).

💑 DATE EXPECTATIONS
Montreal's calling. Whether you're a local or an out-of-towner looking to plan an incredible weekend in the Quebec metropolis, there's plenty to do this December. MTL Blog's Charlotte Hoareau has hand-picked 20 bucket list activities to check off before the ball drops on New Year's Eve, like having a cocktail at Hiverside, the iced-out pop-up by Saint-Henri joint Riverside.

📌 JOB BOARD
If you're looking for a new job, why not get a head start on everyone who's content with shutting down their search until after the holiday season? Charlie Hart scoured the listings to find six remote jobs based in Alberta, from social media coordinators to mobile mortgage advisors.

🎇 BABY, YOU'RE A FIREWORK
The city of Brampton, Ontario, has voted to make the use of personal fireworks illegal, noting the town had received 1,491 complaints and handed out over $38,000 in fines in 2022 so far. As Stuart McGinn notes, residents were previously only permitted to launch small fireworks on specific holidays — including Diwali, a major day of celebration for Brampton's large Hindu community.

🎂 BIRTHDAYS
Catwoman actress Zoë Kravitz turns 34 years old today. Foul-mouthed stand-up comic Sarah Silverman is 52. B.C.-born Baseball Hall of Famer Larry Walker is 56. The late Colombia drug cartel boss Pablo Escobar would've been 73 today. Did she ever know that she's our hero? Multi-talented performer Bette Midler is 77. The late Richard Pryor would've turned 82 today. Wax museum impresario Marie Tussaud was born on this day in 1761.

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Have a question or comment about today's edition? Let me know at [email protected], or hit me up on Twitter if you'd prefer at @andrewjoepotter.

Have a great day and I will see you back here tomorrow!