Project Canadiana #3: Chilly Beach

Chilly Beach was an animated comedy series that aired on the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) in 2003. It originally was a flash based website, until the CBC picked it up. The t.v. show ran a total of 65 episodes before being slowly cancelled in 2008. This was my favourite Canadian animated television show of all time. It was a sharp mix of wit and satire of Canadian stereotypes.

The show focuses on Dale MacDonald and his goings on in a failed resort town known as Chilly Beach. The fictional town itself is located on a large ice floe that drifts through the arctic, setting the series up many memorable episodes.

Most notably so, the episode called "Chilly Beachcombers". Wherein, Dale hires a Newfie fisherman to drag the ice floe closer to Iceland, to catch his favourite episode of the Beachcombers in a different timezone. This is the beauty of Chilly Beach; it is a culturally aware television show. Meaning: it mentions past quintessential Canadian shows in an effort to create a cultural mash-up of Canada.

It succeeded. That's the reason I loved this show. Each episode shows what Canadians really do. Drink beer, play hockey, watch hockey fanatically, eat at greasy spoons, play curling, get eaten by bears. The whole shebang. The characters on the show are an interesting bunch as well. They include hippies, Francophones, crazy Scots, Sikh mounties, and beer guzzling hockey lovers! It really represents the diversity of Canada and all of the different people here in a satirical way.

This show definitely had it's moments. In 2008 after three seasons it just disappeared. Which is sad, because it will be greatly missed. Great thing I found most of the episodes here, free to watch.

Jarrett

Project Canadiana #2: Robin's Donuts

Typical Robin's Donuts chain.

Yes, the time has come to talk about Canada's favourite coffee chain. NO, not Tim Horton's. Robin's Donuts. Yes, even though there is a spelling error in their company name, it's great all the same. They are a truly Canadian enterprise, built off hard work. Not to mention they can make a mean cup of coffee.

Robin's started off from a humble beginning in 1975. They owned one retail store in my home town of Thunder Bay Ontario. Through a little hard work they expanded to almost a dozen locations across the city. Robin's was so popular in the eighties to the nineties they amassed 130 stores across Canada!

Unlike Tim Horton, who tried several business ventures before succeeding in coffee, Robin's founders had it right. Offer a fresh baked doughnut, and a great cup of coffee for an affordable price. The main difference between Robin's and Timmies was, that the latter offered re-heated doughnuts. Thus, sealing Robin's market share in fresh foods. This is why Robin's stores are much larger in comparison to Tim Horton's. They have full in-store baking facilities.

Robin's interior.

Most stores offered a full deli selection, numerous different desserts, frozen coffee, cappuccino, and their trademark Robin's Eggs (like timbits).

By the 1990's Canada's per-capita ratio of doughnut shops surpassed those of all other countries. Due to the fact of Tim Horton's rapid expansion, to hopefully kill Robin's. And they almost succeeded.

When Robin's changed hands in the new millennium, the new owners slowly ran the franchise into the ground. They just couldn't compete with the big market hog: Tim Horton's. And in 2006, after permanently closing many stores, the franchise was sold to Coffee Time for an undisclosed amount.

Even though the franchise has changed hands numerous times, they have still managed fulfill a truly Canadian desire. A fresh doughnut, and a delicious cup of coffee free of nicotine. All at a great price.

Jarrett