On the Trail with Isaac Peltz

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Astoundingly, we’ve made it nearly 1500 KM into Ontario, with no end in sight. There remains another near 1000 Km to go. There are also few people in the west of the province, with a total of about 1/5 the population of the prairies in the area, despite taking up nearly as much distance. It’s challenging to create a large society when there isn’t a lot of industry to rely on. The problem is, of course, that there isn’t any farming potential west of Sault Ste Marie. Instead, the Canadian Shield takes the whole landmass up, with pine trees lining either side of the highway that we’re biking on. Still, as we broke through Marathon, we discovered an untapped beauty that’s more or less incomparable with anything else in the country.

Despite our minimal interactions with society, we’ve still managed to fit in some excellent journalism; food critiquing. Today we will reveal the astounding revelations of our time in Thunder Bay and eating their famous pastry, the Persian. Then, we try Robin’s Donuts (it was bad) and then we have the greatest Apple Fritters in the world. 

After all this faffing about, we discuss how much we love the prairies, and bid our final adieu to the region which so impressed upon us. We walked away a changed people, deeply in love with a strange but beautiful culture that all of us tend to ignore. What does it mean to have a news desert? Sadly the prairies are an undercovered, under appreciated region of the country. Luckily, we have tons of articles coming out about the place— it left a lasting impression on us, and we hope you’ll enjoy what’s to come. Nonetheless, we rank the prairies in our usual lighthearted fashion.

This, and more in this week’s Paper Trail Podcast.

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A&W is clearly the dominant culture of Canada. It’s hard to believe, we know, but as we journey from place to place, it is without doubt that we have discovered the truth: A&W is the most full expression of modern Canadian culture. As the years drag on, and time lapses, Tim Hortons has been overcome by the true fast food chain. Across every town, every city, and in every corner, it’s almost guaranteed that there will be an A&W waiting for you. 

We have travelled massive distances since we last updated you— we were in Regina last week, but now? Well, you’ll have to listen to find out. We’ve seen the greatest of Canadian cultures, and the depth of the people around us, but we have questions. Isaac ponders about the logistics and practicality of such a large nation, where Jay thinks that the nation is united nonetheless. He recounts his time reading through a book about city planning, and how poor a job Canadian cities have done to create street culture. Instead… well, read the first paragraph.

In this lighthearted episode, we go into our ideas of the future book about this project, and lament that maybe we’ve done a poor job selling this project as much as we could have. Listen now to hear all this, and more!

Sign up for the newsletter, and support our work at https://onthetrail.info ! This is entirely reader funded, and we don't accept corporate payouts. Support the hardest hitting journalism in Quebec.

That’s a fancy way to say that we lost. To Front Burner! But we still got the honourable mention, which is something that will be going in our bios and whatnot. Still, we did well with a $2000 budget against Front Burner’s millions, and the other podcasts we were up against. We’re super happy with how things are going.

Meanwhile, we haven’t moved very far since last week. Isaac had to fly home to go to their sister’s wedding, and was gone for a period of about 30 hours (with no sleep). Now the trip is radically freed up as the two of us charge across the country with nothing on our backs weighing us down! Ontario, here we come.

We also talk about the weird experience of talking about separation on social media, and people expecting us to be activists as opposed to journalists, something which confuses people. We explain the details of what it means to be openly on the left, but non partisan, and Agnes, the dog, barks at us in the background. 

All this and more this week!

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This week the two of us recount our vast journey through Alberta and the experience that we had in Calgary. In the past week we have talked to dozens and dozens of people and interviewed people from across Alberta about separatism! We stood outside on the street and conducted interviews with people who were interested in speaking with us, getting yelled at, told off, and even getting threatened here and there. Get off my lawn, kids!

Still, from hearing about Ottawa taking taxes to people getting rowdy about wanting to stay in Canada, we have seen it all. We escaped the province feeling spirited, and with a fair few stories to tell. As we crossed over the border into Saskatchewan, the roads changed, as did the culture. We love— no like, we *love* Saskatchewan. This might be the forever home. If Jay and I stay, you’ll know why. But only if you listen to this here episode of the Paper Trail podcast!

Then, after settling into Sask, we review Alberta. How many dinosaurs will it receive? Why does Isaac declare war on Calgary? And where is Jay even from? All this and more in this week’s episode!

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This is the last 24 hours you have to sign up for the Paper Rag— this is a physical only version of the articles we’ve been publishing, with extra articles, poetry, and a ton of photo journalism. If you don’t sign up by the end of May 25th, you will never get the magazine. This magazine is a once in a lifetime, limited edition copy of our work and this trip, and a form of gonzo journalism that will never be seen again. https://patreon.com/paperrag

Today we break down how we got to Alberta, and we do the first of many reviews of the provinces. First we break down the long laborious journey through Rogers’ Pass, and how we were destroyed by constant brutal weather changes, and then eventually we get to our confusing, but epic scale of how we would rank British Columbia. Trust me, this is an objective scale. We rank our personal experiences devoid of any cultural or political context that would actually inform any type of deep thoughts around the subject. We hope you enjoy the greatest, and most objective, review of BC!

Sign up for the newsletter, and support our work at https://onthetrail.info ! This is entirely reader funded, and we don't accept corporate payouts. Support the hardest hitting journalism in Quebec.

Here we are, another week in. Many disasters have taken place. Many great conversations.

Jay and Isaac break down week two of the trip across the country. We have encountered up to 50 people in our conversations, had interviews with the most strange (sometimes offensive) people whom you could have imagined. Above all, we’re getting tossed out of Lytton and destroyed by the wind. Here is the full story behind the stories.

Right now we’re at the end of BC, about to enter Alberta. We took the scenic route, adding four hundred extra kilometers. There’s much to say about the country— not all of it positive. BC has been an amazing place to bike through. The people have been incredibly considerate and we’ve seen the goodness of the people here. We’ve also met Quebecers on the road, and seen the greatest bike race we’ve ever imagined. All covered this week on the trail!

Sign up for the newsletter, and support our work at https://onthetrail.info ! This is entirely reader funded, and we don't accept corporate payouts. Support the hardest hitting journalism in Quebec.

Welcome to the Paper Trail Podcast, where we update you on our whereabouts and the hell we’ve been through so far. This week we began the journey across Canada. We’ve interacted with dozens of people, and had long drawn out conversations with tons of strangers. The country is more diverse than we think. The two of us also consider the challenges of explaining how the nature affects this trip. How do we explain the beauty and importance of nature in uniting Canada? Is it a major factor in keeping us together? 

After that we dive into our predictions for the coming weeks, and hope to god that this trip won’t lead to our deaths.

Expect this once a week until the journey is over, because it’ll be the secret, behind-the-scenes of what we’re up to.

Sign up for the newsletter, and support our work at https://onthetrail.info ! This is entirely reader funded, and we don't accept corporate payouts. Support the hardest hitting journalism in Quebec.

Today we have a special episode for you! Instead of breaking down the news, we look backwards and forwards and look at the state of the world right now. We assess the past year— radical shifts in Quebec and Canada— and then we discuss how the election this fall will go, how Carney will continue moving forward, and finally how the war in Iran will shape the world. 

This will be the last episode of the Gab and Isaac show for a little bit, but don’t worry, a special show will be replacing it each week for the next little while. Keep your ears tuned for next week, because by this time next week, you should know what’s happening. A show will replace it for a bit!

I accidentally uploaded the French version of the podcast yesterday. Here is the English one.

Sign up for the newsletter, and support our work at https://onthetrail.info ! This is entirely reader funded, and we don't accept corporate payouts. Support the hardest hitting journalism in Quebec.

Sign up for the newsletter, and support our work at https://onthetrail.info ! This is entirely reader funded, and we don't accept corporate payouts. Support the hardest hitting journalism in Quebec.

This week was an eventful one, but most importantly, we celebrate one year of Carney. Happy Carneyversary everyone!

On the first anniversary of his 2025 election victory, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the creation of a $25 billion sovereign wealth fund. The new Crown corporation aims to fund major infrastructure projects through partnerships with Indigenous peoples and organized labor. Carney stated the fund would avoid the historical displacement associated with projects like the Canadian Pacific Railway. Specific financial details remain vague, with the Prime Minister stating that the upcoming economic update will clarify how the initial $25 billion investment will be sourced. A consultation period will take place over the coming months to finalize the fund's investment strategy.

In Quebec provincial politics, Minister Gilles Bélanger resigned from the CAQ after Premier Fréchette appointed Bernard Drainville as Minister of Energy and Finance. Bélanger had been one of Fréchette’s earliest supporters. Simultaneously, Fréchette announced a $400 million investment for preparatory infrastructure work in eastern Montreal, specifically targeting water, sewage, and power networks for the expansion of the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital. This pivot toward public reinvestment has led to a slight recovery for the CAQ in polls, though the Parti Québécois (PQ) remains positioned to win the next election. A poll indicated the PQ could win a supermajority if they dropped their referendum proposal, but leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon rejected the idea as dishonest.

A shooting occurred at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. A gunman is in custody, but the lack of footage from the media event has fueled online conspiracy theories claiming the event was staged. These rumors follow similar unverified claims regarding a previous shooting incident in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Other News

A Canadian woman was killed and 13 others injured in a shooting at the Teotihuacán pyramids in Mexico. Mexican officials report that a lone gunman opened fire at the tourist site, striking eight individuals, including another Canadian and citizens from the United States, Colombia, Russia, Brazil, and the Netherlands. Two minors, aged six and 13, were among the wounded. The woman’s identity has not been officially released.

The Prime Minister’s Office has vehemently rejected a report from The Globe and Mail claiming Ottawa is considering an oil pipeline from Alberta to Southern British Columbia. While the article cited anonymous sources, the government corrected the claim the following day. Alberta continues to favor a northern route for the pipeline.

The British Columbia NDP government has canceled planned amendments to UNDRIP laws for the spring session following significant public backlash. The controversy has negatively impacted the party's standing in recent polls.

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers murdered two Palestinians, including a 14-year-old, amid a surge in settler violence.

Instagram is testing premium, paid features, further transitioning the application toward a model where specific functionalities are locked behind a paywall.

Manitoba has introduced legislation to increase electricity rates for data centers and cryptocurrency mining operations to prevent industrial entities from being subsidized by the public. Quebec is set to implement a similar measure in June 2026. Additionally, Manitoba has introduced a ban on social media and AI for children. While intended to protect minors, the bill requires users to submit identification to technology companies, raising privacy concerns. This first-of-its-kind legislation in Canada has sparked intense debate across the political spectrum regarding government overreach and digital safety.

A British Columbia MLA faced widespread condemnation after using the Nazi slogan "blood and soil" in parliament. The MLA used the phrase while referencing the BC NDP’s policies regarding Indigenous peoples.

Sign up for the newsletter, and support our work at https://onthetrail.info ! This is entirely reader funded, and we don't accept corporate payouts. Support the hardest hitting journalism in Quebec.

This week was an eventful one, but most importantly, we celebrate one year of Carney. Happy Carneyversary everyone!

On the first anniversary of his 2025 election victory, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the creation of a $25 billion sovereign wealth fund. The new Crown corporation aims to fund major infrastructure projects through partnerships with Indigenous peoples and organized labor. Carney stated the fund would avoid the historical displacement associated with projects like the Canadian Pacific Railway. Specific financial details remain vague, with the Prime Minister stating that the upcoming economic update will clarify how the initial $25 billion investment will be sourced. A consultation period will take place over the coming months to finalize the fund's investment strategy.

In Quebec provincial politics, Minister Gilles Bélanger resigned from the CAQ after Premier Fréchette appointed Bernard Drainville as Minister of Energy and Finance. Bélanger had been one of Fréchette’s earliest supporters. Simultaneously, Fréchette announced a $400 million investment for preparatory infrastructure work in eastern Montreal, specifically targeting water, sewage, and power networks for the expansion of the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital. This pivot toward public reinvestment has led to a slight recovery for the CAQ in polls, though the Parti Québécois (PQ) remains positioned to win the next election. A poll indicated the PQ could win a supermajority if they dropped their referendum proposal, but leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon rejected the idea as dishonest.

A shooting occurred at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. A gunman is in custody, but the lack of footage from the media event has fueled online conspiracy theories claiming the event was staged. These rumors follow similar unverified claims regarding a previous shooting incident in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Other News

A Canadian woman was killed and 13 others injured in a shooting at the Teotihuacán pyramids in Mexico. Mexican officials report that a lone gunman opened fire at the tourist site, striking eight individuals, including another Canadian and citizens from the United States, Colombia, Russia, Brazil, and the Netherlands. Two minors, aged six and 13, were among the wounded. The woman’s identity has not been officially released.

The Prime Minister’s Office has vehemently rejected a report from The Globe and Mail claiming Ottawa is considering an oil pipeline from Alberta to Southern British Columbia. While the article cited anonymous sources, the government corrected the claim the following day. Alberta continues to favor a northern route for the pipeline.

The British Columbia NDP government has canceled planned amendments to UNDRIP laws for the spring session following significant public backlash. The controversy has negatively impacted the party's standing in recent polls.

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers murdered two Palestinians, including a 14-year-old, amid a surge in settler violence.

Instagram is testing premium, paid features, further transitioning the application toward a model where specific functionalities are locked behind a paywall.

Manitoba has introduced legislation to increase electricity rates for data centers and cryptocurrency mining operations to prevent industrial entities from being subsidized by the public. Quebec is set to implement a similar measure in June 2026. Additionally, Manitoba has introduced a ban on social media and AI for children. While intended to protect minors, the bill requires users to submit identification to technology companies, raising privacy concerns. This first-of-its-kind legislation in Canada has sparked intense debate across the political spectrum regarding government overreach and digital safety.

A British Columbia MLA faced widespread condemnation after using the Nazi slogan "blood and soil" in parliament. The MLA used the phrase while referencing the BC NDP’s policies regarding Indigenous peoples.