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Oh, Canada, the land that sounds almost made up. Famed for its politeness, endless maple syrup, and free healthcare, the country seems like a dream already. But when you add the more villainous side to the mix, like the geese that are always prepared for combat and the seemingly never-ending cold, it’s like you’re in a fairytale land. Add a bunch of wild animals and plaid and you've got yourself a weird Disney movie.

This inoffensive weirdness is reflected in the many Canadian memes floating around the internet. They’re always a little self-deprecating, a little modest, and never too in-your-face. The ones you’ll find in the list below were acquired at Only in Canada, a Facebook group with over 438,000 members. Scroll down to enjoy the selection.

One of the most beloved Canadian things all around the world is, of course, maple syrup. But while it has the love of most of the world’s sweet-toothed population, it needs more attention from scientists. That is because the liquid gold is a mystery to this day. The syrup is made by boiling maple sap, which seems straightforward enough. However, a lot of the chemical reactions caused by the heat are still unknown because sap is so complicated. That’s why replicating the flavor is so difficult.

Replicating the flavor might be necessary as reservoirs of this deliciousness is limited. Just in 2021, we all experienced a worldwide maple syrup shortage. To manage it, Canadians, more precisely, the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, tapped into their strategic reserve to fix the problem. They released an additional 50 million tons of the good stuff. It’s not the first time they had to do it, too. Three years before that, in 2018, they had to dip into their stockpile as well.

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    #2

    Cheryl Bitz Rygh Report

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    dc1 avatar
    DC
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    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    When work had booked me a room on a farm in southern germany, everytime I went out to smoke and didn't just stand by the door, but wandered around a bit, the geese would come and try to scare me off. AHs!

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    The reason why shortages happen is because the harvest period highly depends on weather. It can only happen for a limited time during the year, when the temperatures are above freezing during the day, but still drop below 32°F at night. Back in 2021, the spring harvest period was too short to collect enough supply, which caused the unfortunate situation.

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    It’s important to note that, if done responsibly, sap harvesting does not affect the growth of the tree. After all, it takes about 42 gallons of sap to get 1 gallon of syrup. That is why there are strict rules in place to regulate it. One can only tap 1–1.5 quarts of sap per tree, or one tenth of a tree’s sugar. Maples have to be over 8 inches in diameter to be tapped and even the biggest ones can only be tapped up to three times a year. 

    The produced syrup is classified according to color and taste. The deeper the color, the later in the season it’s harvested, the stronger the flavor it has. And it can be used everywhere, not just on pancakes and waffles. That is why the myth that Canadians use it every day is not so far from the truth. People put it in their morning coffees, use it in salad vinaigrettes and marinades, and replace the sugar with it in baked goods.

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    #9

    Van James Report

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    robert-thornburrow avatar
    Robert T
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    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay. I cut down trees, I skip and jump, I like to press wild flowers, I put on women's clothing, And hang around in bars.

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    When it comes to nutritional value, it’s important to remember that maple syrup is a sweetener that’s high in sugar, so it’s not going to be incredibly healthy. However, it does have some valuable nutrients in it such as calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, and manganese. One study also found that it has 24 different antioxidants, with darker ones having more than the lighter ones. So, replacing your average refined sugar with maple syrup does have some small benefits.

    #10

    Pure Canadian

    Pure Canadian

    Johnny Cooper Report

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    danielmd632337 avatar
    G.O.A.L.
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Looks like Scott Wilson. Herschel from The Walking Dead. Great actor

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    Maple syrup has also been a target of a heist. You see, it is not only a delightful indulgence, but also an expensive delicacy. And wherever there’s money involved, there will be somebody trying to play dirty. That’s what happened in 2012 when a group of people siphoned off 18 million dollars worth of syrup off of the aforementioned Quebec stockpile. 

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    #14

    Darren Nivens Report

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    fredneobob90 avatar
    Huddo's sister
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    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I've told this story before, but anyway. When I was in Charlotte Town, PEI, it had snowed over night, so they had the plough out. They chose not to clear the main street first, because Tim Horton's was on another street, so that had to be done first.

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    The criminals, led by Richard Vallières, did it gradually, over several months. At first, they were replacing the liquid in the barrels with water, but, later on, as they kept getting away with it, they would just leave them empty. The disappearance of the massive 3,000 tons was discovered accidentally, during the annual inventory. The inspector started climbing the barrels, expecting them to hold his weight. However, they did not and he almost fell to the ground. Once they realized that some of the syrup was gone, they called the police to identify the damage. That’s when they found out that 9,571 barrels out of 63,000 were gone.

    #16

    Remember Walking To School In The Winter When We Were Kids? Our Parents Never Drove Us - Ever

    Remember Walking To School In The Winter When We Were Kids? Our Parents Never Drove Us - Ever

    Van James Report

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    #17

    Stacey Hartnett Report

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    laura_ketteridge avatar
    arthbach
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    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Given what has been said on other posts in this thread, this job applicant is resourceful, intelligent, and dexterous.

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    Vallières was caught after the police were tipped off, together with 15 others related to the crime. He was sentenced to eight years in prison, the harshest penalty in Canada for anyone involved in a heist. The man also needed to pay 7 million US dollars, or all the profit he was able to make, to his victims. Vallières says he did it to get back at the federation. Apparently, they had fined him 1.3 million US dollars back in 2007 for selling maple syrup illegally. Unfortunately for him, he got too greedy to get away with his revenge plan.

    #19

    Jacob Bos Report

    When you think about it though, what a Canadian crime: a maple syrup heist. You can safely file it under the list of things Only in Canada. If you’re curious to see more of those, be sure to check out this and this post as well.

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    #24

    Go Canada! You’re Looking At The Longest Covered Bridge In The World!!

    Go Canada! You’re Looking At The Longest Covered Bridge In The World!!

    The Hartland-covered bridge in New Brunswick holds the record. Built in 1909 the covered bridge over upper ward creek in New Brunswick has been a charming part of the landscape for over a century.❤️🇨🇦❤️

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    #28

    Cheryl Bitz Rygh Report

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    kb0569 avatar
    Karl
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    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Tbf this is a thing in any country where manual transmission in cars are in the majority. I did it myself 10 mins ago after dropping my missus off at work.

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    #29

    Made Only In Canada

    Made Only In Canada

    Van James Report

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    christocyclist avatar
    Christos Arvanitis
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    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I crave these in the way that I used to crave cigarettes... I devour them when I find them and then feel horrible afterwards. But they are unnaturally delicious.

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    #30

    Mike Kaube Report

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    Bob La Capra
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    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Somehow better than all the CSA flags that were displayed during the convoy protest

    robloxfangacha avatar
    Roblox Fan gacha
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Canadian conservatives that want to be American Republicans and think the rest of us should follow suits off they go

    tamaracooper avatar
    Canuckland
    Community Member
    8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Canada over the USA maybe? Dunno, trying to make it make sense 🤔

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    小呀小苹果
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Probably one of those brilliant "trucker convoy" guys who try to quote the US constitution and how it applies to him in Canada

    sievert357_1 avatar
    Mark
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    9 months ago

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    Bc Canadians have never been invaded bc of their bigger, stronger brother to the South

    grant-mcinnes avatar
    I agree with you but...
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    They've been invaded *by* their bigger, stronger brother to the South. Although that didn't work out that well.

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    Note: this post originally had 32 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.