1 00:00:01,500 --> 00:00:02,740 {\an8}Jonny: Here we are in Flin Flon, Manitoba! 2 00:00:02,840 --> 00:00:06,080 {\an8}[cheering & applauding] 3 00:00:06,170 --> 00:00:09,610 {\an8}Flin Flon, surrounded by beautiful Boreal Forest 4 00:00:09,710 --> 00:00:12,210 here in northern Maniskatchewan. 5 00:00:12,310 --> 00:00:14,450 [laughing] 6 00:00:14,550 --> 00:00:17,090 Flin Flon is truly a border town of Manitoba 7 00:00:17,180 --> 00:00:18,950 and Saskatchewan, 8 00:00:19,050 --> 00:00:21,120 especially if you include the communities of 9 00:00:21,220 --> 00:00:22,860 Creighton and Denare Beach, 10 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:25,200 which we will be, as we will be talking about 11 00:00:25,290 --> 00:00:27,590 what I will call the Tri-City area 12 00:00:27,690 --> 00:00:29,090 of Greater Flin Flon. 13 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:30,600 [laughing] 14 00:00:30,700 --> 00:00:32,070 [cheering & applauding] 15 00:00:32,170 --> 00:00:35,170 We were actually set to shoot this episode when, 16 00:00:35,270 --> 00:00:36,740 as I’m sure you remember, 17 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:38,980 things around here got pretty hot. 18 00:00:39,070 --> 00:00:41,110 [laughing] 19 00:00:41,210 --> 00:00:43,510 On May 28th, 2025, 20 00:00:43,610 --> 00:00:46,050 a mandatory evacuation was called. 21 00:00:46,150 --> 00:00:48,920 A successful evacuation, I’m glad to say. 22 00:00:49,020 --> 00:00:52,290 [applauding] 23 00:00:52,390 --> 00:00:54,290 I was a bit confused because one of my producers 24 00:00:54,390 --> 00:00:56,390 told me we were canceling the trip, 25 00:00:56,490 --> 00:00:57,990 and I said, "Why?" 26 00:00:58,090 --> 00:01:00,630 and she said, "That place is on fire," 27 00:01:00,730 --> 00:01:03,330 but she’s Gen Z. 28 00:01:03,430 --> 00:01:05,230 I thought that was like a good thing, like- 29 00:01:05,330 --> 00:01:07,270 [laughing] 30 00:01:07,370 --> 00:01:10,410 Right, like it’s on- like totally slay, it’s on fire. 31 00:01:10,500 --> 00:01:11,970 [laughing] 32 00:01:12,070 --> 00:01:14,510 Jonny: When you grow up in a small town in Newfoundland, 33 00:01:14,610 --> 00:01:16,110 you see that people have a sense of humour 34 00:01:16,210 --> 00:01:17,110 about hard times. 35 00:01:17,210 --> 00:01:18,340 Check, check. 36 00:01:18,450 --> 00:01:20,290 I turned that into a career and hit the road. 37 00:01:20,380 --> 00:01:22,820 Announcer: Mr. Jonny Harris! 38 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:24,220 Jonny: Now I’m on a mission to find the funny 39 00:01:24,320 --> 00:01:26,090 in the places you’d least expect, 40 00:01:26,190 --> 00:01:28,190 Canada’s struggling small towns. 41 00:01:28,290 --> 00:01:30,060 Towns that are against the ropes, 42 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:31,400 but hanging in there, 43 00:01:31,490 --> 00:01:33,960 still laughing in the face of adversity. 44 00:01:34,060 --> 00:01:36,300 This is Flin Flon, Manitoba. 45 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:39,670 ♪ 46 00:01:41,530 --> 00:01:42,770 ♪ 47 00:01:42,870 --> 00:01:45,110 [laughing] 48 00:01:45,210 --> 00:01:47,180 ♪ 49 00:01:47,270 --> 00:01:50,670 [cheering & applauding] 50 00:01:50,780 --> 00:01:52,580 Jonny: Long before you made headlines 51 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:54,180 with forest fires this summer, 52 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:57,720 Flin Flon was known mostly for producing rock-hard 53 00:01:57,820 --> 00:02:01,360 hockey players and hard rock mining. 54 00:02:01,450 --> 00:02:03,350 And let’s face it, probably a lot of Canadians 55 00:02:03,460 --> 00:02:05,730 know the name Flin Flon for the name itself. 56 00:02:05,830 --> 00:02:07,530 -[laughing] -It’s... 57 00:02:07,630 --> 00:02:09,400 I don’t want to make "Flon" of it, but it’s... 58 00:02:09,500 --> 00:02:12,370 -[laughing] -...unusual. 59 00:02:12,470 --> 00:02:13,570 ♪ 60 00:02:13,670 --> 00:02:15,570 [laughing] 61 00:02:15,670 --> 00:02:20,810 ♪ 62 00:02:20,910 --> 00:02:22,910 What is somebody from Flin Flon called? 63 00:02:23,010 --> 00:02:25,980 Ken: Flin Flonian, I guess. Jonny: A Flin Flonian. 64 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:28,420 To tell me about mining minerals and 65 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:31,560 how the town’s novel name came about, 66 00:02:31,650 --> 00:02:33,850 I had a chat with retired miner, 67 00:02:33,950 --> 00:02:35,920 Ken Pawlachuk. 68 00:02:36,020 --> 00:02:40,090 {\an8}[cheering & applauding] 69 00:02:40,190 --> 00:02:43,490 {\an8}Jonny: Ken told me in 1915 a prospector by the name of 70 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:47,270 Tom Creighton came up north looking for gold, 71 00:02:47,370 --> 00:02:50,570 and fortunately he was introduced to a Métis trapper. 72 00:02:50,670 --> 00:02:52,270 {\an8}Ken: A guy named David Collins, 73 00:02:52,370 --> 00:02:54,110 {\an8} who was a rock collector, also. 74 00:02:54,210 --> 00:02:55,750 {\an8}He used to collect shiny rocks. 75 00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:57,580 It took two people, one guy to find the rocks and 76 00:02:57,680 --> 00:02:59,650 one guy to distinguish what it was. 77 00:02:59,750 --> 00:03:01,950 Tom Creighton put claims in on it. 78 00:03:02,050 --> 00:03:03,420 Jonny: But when he was asked 79 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:04,920 what he wanted to call his claim, 80 00:03:05,020 --> 00:03:06,790 he named it... 81 00:03:06,890 --> 00:03:10,630 after a fictitious character in a sci-fi novel 82 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:13,220 he randomly found in the bush. 83 00:03:13,330 --> 00:03:15,370 Ken: Tom Creighton found a book called 84 00:03:15,460 --> 00:03:16,730 The Sunless City. 85 00:03:16,830 --> 00:03:18,430 And in The Sunless City, there was a story about 86 00:03:18,530 --> 00:03:21,570 this character, an eccentric scientist kind of. 87 00:03:21,670 --> 00:03:23,710 Jonny: And that character’s name? 88 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:26,400 Ken: Josiah Flintabbatey Flonatin. 89 00:03:26,510 --> 00:03:28,610 Ken: It’s a mouthful. Jonny: Say it again. 90 00:03:28,710 --> 00:03:30,450 Ken: Josiah Flintabbatey Flonatin. 91 00:03:30,540 --> 00:03:33,180 Jonny: Or to his friends, Flin Flon. 92 00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:34,310 -Woo! -[chuckling] 93 00:03:34,410 --> 00:03:36,710 Jonny: There’s a great statue down by the museum, 94 00:03:36,820 --> 00:03:38,760 but I was told, 95 00:03:38,850 --> 00:03:40,950 if you looked at it from a certain angle... 96 00:03:41,050 --> 00:03:42,790 [laughing] 97 00:03:42,890 --> 00:03:45,990 Flinty’s thumb looks like not his thumb. 98 00:03:46,090 --> 00:03:47,730 [laughing] 99 00:03:47,830 --> 00:03:50,270 I didn’t see it at first, and I’m like, 100 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:51,760 somebody’s pulling my leg. 101 00:03:51,860 --> 00:03:53,300 This is nonsense, 102 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:55,800 and then I look at it and... 103 00:03:55,900 --> 00:03:57,440 I was wrong. 104 00:03:57,540 --> 00:03:59,940 [laughing] 105 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:01,410 In fact, I was humbled. 106 00:04:01,510 --> 00:04:05,750 [laughing] 107 00:04:05,850 --> 00:04:08,420 Jonny: Ken told me that back in the 1930s, 108 00:04:08,510 --> 00:04:11,080 it was the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Company 109 00:04:11,180 --> 00:04:14,520 that decided to go all-in on Flin Flon. 110 00:04:14,620 --> 00:04:17,160 I mean, it was a massive, massive operation. 111 00:04:17,260 --> 00:04:20,260 Ken said people came here from all over the world. 112 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:21,730 Ken: They were pioneers. 113 00:04:21,830 --> 00:04:23,870 There were people that were kicked out of Russia. 114 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:25,560 There were the people that came from Europe. 115 00:04:25,670 --> 00:04:29,370 Scandinavians and Ukrainians and Polish people, 116 00:04:29,470 --> 00:04:32,210 a true melting pot of white people. 117 00:04:32,310 --> 00:04:35,550 [laughing] 118 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:38,340 The company knew that it was gonna struggle 119 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:40,840 to keep workers here in a remote area 120 00:04:40,950 --> 00:04:43,490 if things were all work no play. 121 00:04:43,580 --> 00:04:44,880 Ken: They would look for... 122 00:04:44,980 --> 00:04:47,820 sports people, they would look for arts people, 123 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:50,060 because if you didn’t have entertainment, 124 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:51,530 people wouldn’t stay here. 125 00:04:51,620 --> 00:04:53,160 Jonny: Artists and athletes. 126 00:04:53,260 --> 00:04:55,660 Hockey players were particularly sought after, 127 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:57,900 and were paid to play 128 00:04:58,000 --> 00:04:59,870 for the Flin Flon Bombers. 129 00:04:59,970 --> 00:05:01,710 Ken: There’s about 17 or 18 guys that 130 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:03,300 went into the NHL. 131 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:05,740 Sid Abel, Eric Nesterenko, 132 00:05:05,840 --> 00:05:07,140 of course, Bobby Clarke. 133 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:08,310 He got drafted to Philadelphia, 134 00:05:08,410 --> 00:05:09,280 and that’s history. 135 00:05:09,380 --> 00:05:11,380 Like, two years, two Stanley Cups. 136 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:13,580 Jonny: Now, they were also looking for artists, 137 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:15,180 although Ken said he considers 138 00:05:15,280 --> 00:05:17,920 hockey players to be artists. 139 00:05:18,020 --> 00:05:20,020 Ken: They’re artists in their own... 140 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:22,060 Jonny: I mean, if you define art as, you know, 141 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:24,760 a creative, beautiful performance... 142 00:05:24,860 --> 00:05:26,100 Ken: That’s what it is. 143 00:05:26,190 --> 00:05:27,360 Jonny: Although, I suppose it depends on 144 00:05:27,460 --> 00:05:29,000 how you define artist. I mean, 145 00:05:29,100 --> 00:05:30,700 if you dropped the gloves with Bobby Clarke, 146 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:32,570 he could turn you into a Picasso. 147 00:05:32,670 --> 00:05:35,670 [laughing] 148 00:05:35,770 --> 00:05:38,840 ♪ 149 00:05:38,940 --> 00:05:41,340 Ken: Once the mine we drove by there... 150 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:44,380 ran out of ore, basically, they had to close and then 151 00:05:44,480 --> 00:05:46,350 they transferred everybody to Snow Lake. 152 00:05:46,450 --> 00:05:49,420 Jonny: In 2022, the last mine, 153 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:51,860 the Triple Seven, closed down. 154 00:05:51,950 --> 00:05:53,920 Ken: People have moved away and... 155 00:05:54,020 --> 00:05:56,620 and it changed the community, it did. 156 00:05:56,720 --> 00:06:00,860 Jonny: However, exploration continues all over the area. 157 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:02,430 Ken: We didn’t take all the copper and zinc 158 00:06:02,530 --> 00:06:04,100 out of the ground in this area. 159 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:06,240 We took a lot of it out, but there’s a lot more. 160 00:06:06,330 --> 00:06:08,070 I don’t think we’re done. 161 00:06:08,170 --> 00:06:10,210 Jonny: Ken holds out hope that mining 162 00:06:10,300 --> 00:06:12,100 will come back to Flin Flon, 163 00:06:12,210 --> 00:06:14,210 which everybody would love to see, 164 00:06:14,310 --> 00:06:17,310 except perhaps for the Flin Flon Bombers. 165 00:06:17,410 --> 00:06:18,950 I don’t know any hockey player who wants to 166 00:06:19,050 --> 00:06:20,720 be sent back down as a miner. 167 00:06:20,810 --> 00:06:22,480 [laughing] 168 00:06:22,580 --> 00:06:24,780 [applauding] 169 00:06:29,090 --> 00:06:32,490 ♪ 170 00:06:32,590 --> 00:06:33,930 The summer of 2025 171 00:06:34,030 --> 00:06:36,800 is a time nobody here in town will ever forget. 172 00:06:36,900 --> 00:06:39,600 When a series of four major fires 173 00:06:39,700 --> 00:06:43,240 joined forces to create one massive inferno 174 00:06:43,340 --> 00:06:45,380 that moved toward Flin Flon, 175 00:06:45,470 --> 00:06:47,610 when the entire community of Denare Beach 176 00:06:47,710 --> 00:06:49,350 was forced to evacuate. 177 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:51,140 -I’m Jonny. -I’m Kari. 178 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:54,180 Jonny: I met a woman who had an interesting strategy for 179 00:06:54,280 --> 00:06:58,380 stress during the wildfire evacuation, Kari Lentowicz! 180 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:03,250 [cheering & applauding] 181 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:05,000 Kari: We’re at the... 182 00:07:05,090 --> 00:07:06,930 remains of my home, 183 00:07:07,030 --> 00:07:08,370 most of it’s been taken away. 184 00:07:08,460 --> 00:07:11,100 The fire came in like a blowtorch, 185 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:14,300 with its own lightning, formed its own weather. 186 00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:17,070 Jonny: Her house was one of the 230 homes 187 00:07:17,170 --> 00:07:19,570 and 400 structures that were lost to 188 00:07:19,670 --> 00:07:21,570 the fire in Denare Beach alone. 189 00:07:21,670 --> 00:07:23,270 Kari: I was fortunate to have something to lose. 190 00:07:23,380 --> 00:07:24,820 There’s a lot of people who didn’t. 191 00:07:24,910 --> 00:07:26,180 Nobody was hurt. 192 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:27,980 Jonny: Yeah, that people evacuated successfully. 193 00:07:28,080 --> 00:07:29,620 Everybody I ever talked to that’s been through 194 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:31,260 a mandatory evacuation, 195 00:07:31,350 --> 00:07:34,020 they’re always amazed, in hindsight, 196 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:36,820 at what they chose to bring, or even more so 197 00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:38,920 what they did not bring. 198 00:07:39,030 --> 00:07:41,700 Kari: Because I’ve got a big background in disaster 199 00:07:41,790 --> 00:07:43,060 and emergency management, 200 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:44,730 I took some things that... 201 00:07:44,830 --> 00:07:46,670 were high value, but... 202 00:07:46,770 --> 00:07:49,010 all the things that cost nothing meant more. 203 00:07:49,100 --> 00:07:50,600 Jonny: Really? Kari: Yes. 204 00:07:50,700 --> 00:07:52,870 A wool blanket that I made with my friend’s mom, 205 00:07:52,970 --> 00:07:55,040 who’s since passed, card from my kokum. 206 00:07:55,140 --> 00:07:56,840 -Your kokum? -Kokum. 207 00:07:56,940 --> 00:07:58,410 It means grandmother in Cree. 208 00:07:58,510 --> 00:07:59,610 Jonny: Okay. 209 00:07:59,710 --> 00:08:01,410 I can’t imagine what it’s like if you’re leaving 210 00:08:01,510 --> 00:08:03,180 your home, you can only take so much stuff, 211 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:05,680 and you think, I might never be here again. 212 00:08:05,790 --> 00:08:07,390 I mean, I start panic packing 213 00:08:07,490 --> 00:08:08,930 every time I go on the road. 214 00:08:09,020 --> 00:08:11,260 When I came here, the taxi for the airport’s 215 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:14,260 in the driveway, I’m rifling through random drawers. 216 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:16,930 Meanwhile, I haven’t packed any socks or underwear. 217 00:08:17,030 --> 00:08:19,230 I’m grabbing random- I’m going like, oh my God, 218 00:08:19,330 --> 00:08:20,900 you know, it’s northern Manitoba, 219 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:22,600 maybe I’ll need wood glue. 220 00:08:22,700 --> 00:08:24,370 [laughing] 221 00:08:24,470 --> 00:08:26,670 Throw that in my bag and... 222 00:08:26,770 --> 00:08:29,270 You’re not thinking straight! 223 00:08:29,380 --> 00:08:31,120 Wood glue, which, by the way, 224 00:08:31,210 --> 00:08:34,110 is not a cream or gel, airport security. 225 00:08:34,210 --> 00:08:36,780 [laughing] 226 00:08:36,880 --> 00:08:40,580 ♪ 227 00:08:40,690 --> 00:08:42,890 Jonny: And I went, you know, I walked around that area, 228 00:08:42,990 --> 00:08:45,160 and it is eerie, all these empty lots 229 00:08:45,260 --> 00:08:46,760 where homes once stood, 230 00:08:46,860 --> 00:08:48,900 but I have to say, obviously the first part 231 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:50,970 of the rebuild is cleaning up, 232 00:08:51,060 --> 00:08:52,900 and I was amazed by how much of that 233 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:55,040 has been done already. 234 00:08:55,130 --> 00:08:57,930 [cheering & applauding] 235 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:01,140 It’s only been three months and the place is 236 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:02,880 completely cleared out. 237 00:09:02,980 --> 00:09:04,820 I went up to where they brought all that, 238 00:09:04,910 --> 00:09:06,550 the mangled wreckage, 239 00:09:06,650 --> 00:09:08,250 they’ve got a huge mountain of it. 240 00:09:08,350 --> 00:09:10,420 Kari: They’ve got what looks like 241 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:12,260 an amazing mount of stuff- 242 00:09:12,350 --> 00:09:16,120 trees, and concrete, and metal. 243 00:09:16,220 --> 00:09:20,620 Then you think there’s over 200 homes in those piles. 244 00:09:20,730 --> 00:09:23,200 Jonny: It’s all burnt black and rust brown 245 00:09:23,300 --> 00:09:25,770 and you kind of can’t make anything, 246 00:09:25,870 --> 00:09:28,740 almost like one of those like 3D eye puzzle books. 247 00:09:28,830 --> 00:09:31,170 You can’t really make, and then you focus, 248 00:09:31,270 --> 00:09:33,510 you’re like, oh my God, that’s a truck chassis. 249 00:09:33,610 --> 00:09:35,980 The fact that they’ve hauled it all out, 250 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:38,550 it speaks to the incredible effort to get people’s 251 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:42,380 property cleared and ready to rebuild. 252 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:43,950 Will you rebuild here? 253 00:09:44,050 --> 00:09:47,250 Kari: Absolutely, 100%. The beauty’s still here. 254 00:09:47,350 --> 00:09:48,990 The reason I’m here is still there. 255 00:09:49,090 --> 00:09:52,030 Nature gives me what I need to do my stress relief, 256 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:53,990 like my birch bark biting, 257 00:09:54,090 --> 00:09:57,290 which I took with me and do on the road to 258 00:09:57,400 --> 00:09:59,040 keep me from being distracted. 259 00:09:59,130 --> 00:10:01,870 Jonny: And Kari said that as she was driving out during 260 00:10:01,970 --> 00:10:04,710 the evacuation, one thing she did to battle stress, 261 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:06,600 she was chewing on birch bark. 262 00:10:06,710 --> 00:10:08,550 Kari: Basically, you peel bark and 263 00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:10,510 you bite designs into it. 264 00:10:10,610 --> 00:10:13,050 Jonny: She’s Cree, and birch bark biting 265 00:10:13,150 --> 00:10:15,650 is a traditional art form. 266 00:10:15,750 --> 00:10:16,990 Kari: This is one here. 267 00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:18,480 Jonny: You did not do that with your teeth. 268 00:10:18,580 --> 00:10:20,650 Kari: Yeah, so if you hold it up to the light, 269 00:10:20,750 --> 00:10:22,090 you can see the pattern in it. 270 00:10:22,190 --> 00:10:23,730 Jonny: Oh, my God! 271 00:10:23,820 --> 00:10:25,060 She showed me how it’s done. 272 00:10:25,160 --> 00:10:26,830 So we’ve got this birch bark. 273 00:10:26,930 --> 00:10:29,230 Yeah, how do you get a piece of birch bark 274 00:10:29,330 --> 00:10:30,600 like this without damaging it? 275 00:10:30,700 --> 00:10:31,900 Kari: Very carefully. 276 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:33,870 Jonny: You fold it in different ways to 277 00:10:33,970 --> 00:10:35,570 result in different patterns. 278 00:10:35,670 --> 00:10:38,070 It’s incredibly intricate, all just made out of 279 00:10:38,170 --> 00:10:39,710 these tiny little bites. 280 00:10:39,810 --> 00:10:41,580 Kari: You want to bite hard, but not too hard. 281 00:10:41,670 --> 00:10:43,570 You look like you’re chewing it like a little mouse. 282 00:10:43,680 --> 00:10:45,920 [laughing] 283 00:10:46,010 --> 00:10:47,410 Jonny: I don’t have very good teeth. 284 00:10:47,510 --> 00:10:49,610 That’s one thing I got from my British father 285 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:51,420 was bad teeth. 286 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:53,260 My teeth don’t line up. 287 00:10:53,350 --> 00:10:56,050 When I eat something, my teeth don’t meet. 288 00:10:56,160 --> 00:10:58,230 They don’t chop off the food. 289 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:00,090 I got an overbite, so I just sort of like 290 00:11:00,190 --> 00:11:02,660 grab the food and then I twist it. 291 00:11:02,760 --> 00:11:05,560 Like a crocodile grabs the food and rolls around. 292 00:11:05,670 --> 00:11:07,810 [laughing] 293 00:11:07,900 --> 00:11:09,870 Kari: Okay, finish that line all the way to the side, 294 00:11:09,970 --> 00:11:11,310 and then you’re gonna do the same on the other side. 295 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:13,940 You can do this, I have faith. 296 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:16,080 Jonny: But also I’m worried that there’s wood chips 297 00:11:16,180 --> 00:11:17,880 that’ll chip my teeth away. 298 00:11:17,980 --> 00:11:19,280 And if the wood chips could chip, 299 00:11:19,380 --> 00:11:21,420 how much wood would the wood chips chip? 300 00:11:21,510 --> 00:11:22,950 [laughing] 301 00:11:23,050 --> 00:11:24,650 Basically, I’m biting birch bark and I’m worried 302 00:11:24,750 --> 00:11:26,590 the birch bark’s gonna bite back! 303 00:11:26,690 --> 00:11:28,530 [laughing] 304 00:11:28,620 --> 00:11:30,490 Kari: Let’s see what you came up with. 305 00:11:30,590 --> 00:11:32,760 Jonny: Oh my God, yours is a perfect flower. 306 00:11:32,860 --> 00:11:35,630 After like five minutes, Kari unfolds hers, 307 00:11:35,730 --> 00:11:40,000 and this beautiful, intricate flower... 308 00:11:40,100 --> 00:11:42,270 And I unfolded my birch bark, 309 00:11:42,370 --> 00:11:45,410 and let’s just say my bark was worse than my bite. 310 00:11:45,500 --> 00:11:47,440 [laughing] 311 00:11:47,540 --> 00:11:50,110 [applauding] 312 00:11:53,950 --> 00:11:56,620 ♪ 313 00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:58,020 [laughing] 314 00:11:58,120 --> 00:11:59,920 Jonny: If you’re here in Flin Flon and you love 315 00:12:00,020 --> 00:12:01,990 drive-in movies, you are a 316 00:12:02,090 --> 00:12:04,290 winner, winner chicken dinner. 317 00:12:04,390 --> 00:12:05,760 Wah! 318 00:12:05,860 --> 00:12:09,330 The wildfires came, but they’re still surviving. 319 00:12:09,430 --> 00:12:12,430 I talked with the owners of Big Island Drive-In, 320 00:12:12,530 --> 00:12:14,830 Dan and Dawn Hlady. 321 00:12:14,930 --> 00:12:18,470 [cheering & applauding] 322 00:12:18,570 --> 00:12:20,470 Jonny: The Big Island Drive-In is the most 323 00:12:20,570 --> 00:12:24,010 northerly drive-in theatre in North America. 324 00:12:24,110 --> 00:12:27,110 Dawn: We are the only screen, 4 hours radius. 325 00:12:27,210 --> 00:12:29,950 Jonny: Only movie place, indoor or outdoor? 326 00:12:30,050 --> 00:12:31,790 -Yes, for 4 hours. -Yes, within 4 hours, yes. 327 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:33,180 Jonny: Wow, okay. 328 00:12:33,290 --> 00:12:35,630 And running an outdoor theatre this far north 329 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:37,590 comes with certain challenges. 330 00:12:37,690 --> 00:12:39,360 Dawn: In June, ah... 331 00:12:39,460 --> 00:12:41,200 we’re playing movies at 11 o’clock at night. 332 00:12:41,290 --> 00:12:42,660 Dan: Starting movies. Dawn: Starting movies. 333 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:44,430 Dan: Starting trailers at 11 o’clock at night. 334 00:12:44,530 --> 00:12:45,430 Jonny: Really? 335 00:12:45,530 --> 00:12:46,900 And, this far north, it doesn’t just 336 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:49,300 get dark late it gets light early. 337 00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:50,500 [laughing] 338 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:51,800 Like I said to Dan, I said, 339 00:12:51,900 --> 00:12:55,000 "If you start a doubleheader at 11 pm, 340 00:12:55,110 --> 00:12:57,050 when does it end? 341 00:12:57,140 --> 00:12:58,170 [laughing] 342 00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:01,320 And he said, "To tell you the truth, dawn." 343 00:13:01,410 --> 00:13:03,750 And I said, "Okay, Dawn tell me the truth, 344 00:13:03,850 --> 00:13:06,950 if you start a double header at 11pm..." 345 00:13:07,050 --> 00:13:10,120 [laughing & applauding] 346 00:13:10,220 --> 00:13:11,960 Perhaps an even bigger draw than the 347 00:13:12,060 --> 00:13:14,660 movies themselves is the food. 348 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:17,200 They got popcorn, gourmet pretzels, 349 00:13:17,300 --> 00:13:18,540 and ice cream. 350 00:13:18,630 --> 00:13:21,730 Dawn: And the classic pickled eggs. 351 00:13:21,830 --> 00:13:24,330 A recipe and an item that we inherited 352 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:25,840 when we bought the place. 353 00:13:25,940 --> 00:13:27,180 Jonny: This was something the previous owner 354 00:13:27,270 --> 00:13:29,140 told them they had to do. 355 00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:33,180 Flin Flonians demanded you have to offer pickled eggs. 356 00:13:33,280 --> 00:13:34,680 Dawn: We go through hundreds of these 357 00:13:34,780 --> 00:13:36,180 every couple of weeks. 358 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:37,720 Jonny: I don’t think I’ve ever seen 359 00:13:37,820 --> 00:13:39,360 a pickled egg at a movie. 360 00:13:39,450 --> 00:13:40,580 [laughing] 361 00:13:40,690 --> 00:13:42,560 I was amazed by this, but Dawn had some there, 362 00:13:42,660 --> 00:13:44,560 so I tried the pickled egg. 363 00:13:44,660 --> 00:13:46,530 -Cheers. -Cheers. 364 00:13:48,630 --> 00:13:49,600 I’m down with the pickled egg. 365 00:13:49,700 --> 00:13:53,940 Dawn: Mm-hmm. Jonny: Like, once a year. 366 00:13:54,030 --> 00:13:55,730 Dawn: [laughing] 367 00:13:55,840 --> 00:13:57,880 Jonny: I thought the birch bark had bite. 368 00:13:57,970 --> 00:14:00,570 -That pickled egg... -[laughing] 369 00:14:00,670 --> 00:14:03,040 But if you want to take the edge off your pickled egg, 370 00:14:03,140 --> 00:14:06,210 a popular choice among locals is to have a pickled egg 371 00:14:06,310 --> 00:14:09,450 smothered in melted nacho cheese. 372 00:14:09,550 --> 00:14:10,620 [laughing] 373 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:12,420 That is a thing here! 374 00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:14,560 And I can prove it ´cause I brought one. 375 00:14:14,650 --> 00:14:17,790 [laughing] 376 00:14:17,890 --> 00:14:20,290 A pickled egg smothered in nacho- 377 00:14:20,390 --> 00:14:23,060 This is perfect for the person who’s on a date 378 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:24,860 they don’t want to be on. 379 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:28,030 [laughing] 380 00:14:28,130 --> 00:14:29,060 Imagine you’re on a date, 381 00:14:29,170 --> 00:14:30,240 and the person you’re with is like, 382 00:14:30,340 --> 00:14:33,140 "Hey, do you wanna get in the back seat?" 383 00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:35,940 "Yeah, sure. Just let me finish 384 00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:39,280 my nacho cheese smothered pickled egg." 385 00:14:39,380 --> 00:14:41,350 [laughing] 386 00:14:41,450 --> 00:14:44,890 [cheering & applauding] 387 00:14:44,980 --> 00:14:46,680 "Still wanna get in the back?" 388 00:14:46,790 --> 00:14:49,960 [laughing continues] 389 00:14:54,730 --> 00:14:56,970 ♪ 390 00:14:57,060 --> 00:14:58,760 Jonny: I asked them about the fire this summer, 391 00:14:58,860 --> 00:15:02,230 Dan told me they evacuated to Saskatoon, 392 00:15:02,330 --> 00:15:06,670 and then, he saw pictures on social media of firefighters 393 00:15:06,770 --> 00:15:09,170 at the end of a long, exhausting day. 394 00:15:09,280 --> 00:15:12,150 Dan: They were cooking their own supper. 395 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:15,510 And, that’s when I talked to Dawn, and I said, 396 00:15:15,610 --> 00:15:19,110 you know, like, I’m, I’m needed back. 397 00:15:19,220 --> 00:15:21,590 Jonny: He got some supplies, he got back in the car, 398 00:15:21,690 --> 00:15:23,160 and he headed back to town. 399 00:15:23,260 --> 00:15:25,360 Eventually, Dawn came and joined him, 400 00:15:25,460 --> 00:15:27,360 and they spent the next few weeks, 401 00:15:27,460 --> 00:15:32,430 they worked 16 hours a day feeding 350 firefighters 402 00:15:32,530 --> 00:15:35,200 the best food they could get their hands on. 403 00:15:35,300 --> 00:15:37,270 What kind of stuff were you whipping up? 404 00:15:37,370 --> 00:15:39,640 Dawn: Ah, everything from eggs benedict 405 00:15:39,740 --> 00:15:42,010 in the morning, pastas at lunch. 406 00:15:42,110 --> 00:15:43,480 Dan: Stews, roast beef. Dawn: Roast beef. 407 00:15:43,580 --> 00:15:45,020 Dawn: Prime rib at night time. 408 00:15:45,110 --> 00:15:47,680 Dan: And they’re thanking us, and it’s like, 409 00:15:47,780 --> 00:15:49,320 but I gotta thank you, right? 410 00:15:49,420 --> 00:15:50,390 You’re in that heat of the moment, 411 00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:51,480 you’re going out there. 412 00:15:51,580 --> 00:15:53,350 Jonny: Dawn said, firefighters, 413 00:15:53,450 --> 00:15:55,090 on their way out in the morning, they’d stop by 414 00:15:55,190 --> 00:15:56,960 and say, like, "Oh, what’s for dinner?" 415 00:15:57,060 --> 00:16:00,500 And just that, it just brought a little bit of 416 00:16:00,590 --> 00:16:02,730 humanity back to this situation, 417 00:16:02,830 --> 00:16:04,700 the fact that these guys are about to go out 418 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:08,000 and do a dangerous, exhausting, 419 00:16:08,100 --> 00:16:10,440 hot, uncomfortable job. 420 00:16:10,540 --> 00:16:12,910 The fact that even a small part of your brain 421 00:16:13,010 --> 00:16:15,050 might be looking forward to dinner, 422 00:16:15,140 --> 00:16:17,910 like dinner might be nice, had to mean the world. 423 00:16:18,010 --> 00:16:21,080 [cheering & applauding] 424 00:16:21,180 --> 00:16:23,550 Dan said evacuees- homeowners, 425 00:16:23,650 --> 00:16:25,020 business owners- were calling him, 426 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:27,060 saying, "The key is under the mat." 427 00:16:27,150 --> 00:16:30,050 Dan: I could show tons of messages, "Go into my house, 428 00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:31,730 go into to my business, take whatever you need, 429 00:16:31,820 --> 00:16:32,990 feed those guys." 430 00:16:33,090 --> 00:16:34,260 Jonny: That’s awesome. Dan: "Feed those guys." 431 00:16:34,360 --> 00:16:35,900 So it was huge community support. 432 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:37,840 Jonny: But it’s a great story, 433 00:16:37,930 --> 00:16:39,730 and one that I’ve heard, not just from them, 434 00:16:39,830 --> 00:16:41,870 from other people in town who really appreciated 435 00:16:41,970 --> 00:16:43,770 the effort that they put in. 436 00:16:43,870 --> 00:16:45,470 It’s a heartwarming story. 437 00:16:45,570 --> 00:16:46,740 Beyond heart warm- 438 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:48,540 I find it almost heart-burning. 439 00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:50,680 Actually, that’s the pickled egg, never mind. 440 00:16:50,780 --> 00:16:53,050 [laughing] 441 00:16:53,150 --> 00:16:55,050 {\an8}[cheering & applauding] 442 00:16:58,950 --> 00:17:03,720 ♪ 443 00:17:03,820 --> 00:17:07,060 ♪ 444 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:09,530 Jonny: Next, I went and I got all pumped up for the 445 00:17:09,630 --> 00:17:12,700 great Flin Flon Forget the Fire Inflatable Race. 446 00:17:12,800 --> 00:17:16,100 [cheering & applauding] 447 00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:18,870 I met the president of the local SPCA, 448 00:17:18,970 --> 00:17:21,670 who managed to successfully cross fundraising 449 00:17:21,770 --> 00:17:24,710 with fun racing, Nicole Kendrick! 450 00:17:24,810 --> 00:17:28,910 [cheering & applauding] 451 00:17:29,010 --> 00:17:30,550 Jonny: It’s all for a good cause. 452 00:17:30,650 --> 00:17:32,590 Nicole: Yeah, I’m the president of our Flin Flon 453 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:34,250 and Creighton area SPCA. 454 00:17:34,350 --> 00:17:38,320 We house dogs, cats, recently rabbits. 455 00:17:38,420 --> 00:17:40,360 Jonny: Nicole told me things were looking bleak 456 00:17:40,460 --> 00:17:41,930 last year for the SPCA. 457 00:17:42,030 --> 00:17:43,500 They were facing the real prospect of 458 00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:45,240 declaring bankruptcy. 459 00:17:45,330 --> 00:17:47,230 Nicole: A friend and I actually came up with 460 00:17:47,330 --> 00:17:49,630 the complete shenanigans that is this 461 00:17:49,740 --> 00:17:51,380 over a couple glasses of wine. 462 00:17:51,470 --> 00:17:53,670 Jonny: It is a brilliant idea, I gotta say, 463 00:17:53,770 --> 00:17:55,770 because you’re setting people up for failure 464 00:17:55,870 --> 00:17:57,440 in the funniest of ways. 465 00:17:57,540 --> 00:17:58,610 Nicole: And they’re paying to do it. 466 00:17:58,710 --> 00:18:00,410 Jonny: And they’re paying to do it. 467 00:18:00,510 --> 00:18:03,080 But Nicole said last year it was about raising funds 468 00:18:03,180 --> 00:18:04,250 for the SPCA. 469 00:18:04,350 --> 00:18:06,620 This year it was more about getting people out, 470 00:18:06,720 --> 00:18:07,890 getting the community together 471 00:18:07,990 --> 00:18:09,790 and just having some fun. 472 00:18:09,890 --> 00:18:11,760 Nicole: Some people have lost their homes, 473 00:18:11,860 --> 00:18:14,630 their everything, and just to come here, 474 00:18:14,730 --> 00:18:16,400 forget about it for just a couple minutes, 475 00:18:16,500 --> 00:18:18,100 and watch some inflatable costumes 476 00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:19,900 possibly fall on their face. 477 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:21,700 [laughing] 478 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:24,140 Jonny: I put on a costume, I participated. 479 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:27,540 ♪ 480 00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:29,840 Nicole and I raced each other. 481 00:18:29,940 --> 00:18:31,910 Announcer: Do you think Jonny with Still Standing 482 00:18:32,010 --> 00:18:33,450 is gonna win? 483 00:18:33,550 --> 00:18:35,890 What about our president of the SPCA? 484 00:18:35,980 --> 00:18:37,180 [cheering & applauding] 485 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:38,750 Jonny: She had a dog costume on, 486 00:18:38,850 --> 00:18:40,490 and it was a cross between a husky and 487 00:18:40,590 --> 00:18:42,760 a hot air balloon. -[laughing] 488 00:18:42,860 --> 00:18:44,600 Announcer: Get set... Go! 489 00:18:44,690 --> 00:18:48,160 Jonny: Agh! [effort grunting] 490 00:18:48,260 --> 00:18:50,730 [cheering] 491 00:18:50,830 --> 00:18:52,400 Jonny: And she was winning, 492 00:18:52,500 --> 00:18:54,840 but I was chasing that tail, and... 493 00:18:54,930 --> 00:18:57,130 [laughing] 494 00:18:57,240 --> 00:18:58,740 Ah! 495 00:18:58,840 --> 00:18:59,810 I’m not proud of it, 496 00:18:59,910 --> 00:19:03,350 I grabbed her tail to slow her down. 497 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:05,680 I know it’s not cool, but in that alien costume, 498 00:19:05,780 --> 00:19:07,180 I was getting carried away. 499 00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:08,980 [laughing] 500 00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:10,150 SFX: [camera flash] 501 00:19:10,250 --> 00:19:12,220 It was a photo finish, it was a tie. 502 00:19:12,320 --> 00:19:14,790 I lost money because I had bet on myself, 503 00:19:14,890 --> 00:19:16,190 which I knew I shouldn’t have done, 504 00:19:16,290 --> 00:19:17,830 because I should have known- 505 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:19,160 she’s with the SPCA, 506 00:19:19,260 --> 00:19:20,800 the whole thing was fixed. 507 00:19:20,890 --> 00:19:22,590 [laughing] 508 00:19:22,690 --> 00:19:25,990 [applauding] 509 00:19:26,100 --> 00:19:28,600 It was great to see some of the local firefighters there. 510 00:19:28,700 --> 00:19:31,270 I had to take the opportunity to ask one of them, 511 00:19:31,370 --> 00:19:33,170 how could there be fire everywhere, 512 00:19:33,270 --> 00:19:36,940 but not completely wipe out the town? 513 00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:39,510 And he said two words, 514 00:19:39,610 --> 00:19:41,310 "Human intervention." 515 00:19:41,410 --> 00:19:43,880 -[cheering & applauding] -And that’s what it was. 516 00:19:43,980 --> 00:19:47,050 [applauding] 517 00:19:47,150 --> 00:19:49,850 ♪ 518 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:51,360 [laughing] 519 00:19:51,460 --> 00:19:54,360 [chatter & laughing] 520 00:19:54,460 --> 00:19:56,130 ♪ 521 00:19:56,230 --> 00:19:58,330 Jonny: It’s tough to look at Denare right now, 522 00:19:58,430 --> 00:20:00,970 where homes once stood, it’s stark... 523 00:20:01,070 --> 00:20:03,110 but the people here are pretty tough too, 524 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:06,200 hard rock miners, the likes of Bobby Clarke. 525 00:20:06,310 --> 00:20:09,310 Like a pattern in birch bark isn’t easy to see 526 00:20:09,410 --> 00:20:11,480 till you lift it up to the sun, 527 00:20:11,580 --> 00:20:13,580 the beauty and struggle isn’t too easy to see, 528 00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:16,150 but in three months just look what’s been done. 529 00:20:16,250 --> 00:20:18,250 [cheering & applauding] 530 00:20:18,350 --> 00:20:20,750 And to the firefighters who fought all summer all 531 00:20:20,850 --> 00:20:23,850 across this great land from Vancouver Island to 532 00:20:23,960 --> 00:20:25,700 Conception Bay, Newfoundland. 533 00:20:25,790 --> 00:20:27,890 With no finer effort than here, 534 00:20:27,990 --> 00:20:31,060 so it’s from here we wish to show you our love 535 00:20:31,160 --> 00:20:33,700 and our thanks from Flin Flon, Manitoba. 536 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:35,270 Thanks for coming out, everybody. 537 00:20:35,370 --> 00:20:37,640 You’ve been great. Thank you! 538 00:20:37,740 --> 00:20:39,310 We love you. 539 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:40,700 {\an8}[cheering & applauding] 540 00:20:40,810 --> 00:20:43,410 {\an8}He brought all the nuance of the community... 541 00:20:43,510 --> 00:20:45,580 {\an8} sensitive because there’s the fire and the whole bit, 542 00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:47,250 {\an8}so it was perfect. 543 00:20:47,350 --> 00:20:49,550 {\an8}I was amazed by Jonny eating that egg. 544 00:20:49,650 --> 00:20:51,620 {\an8}[laughing] Oh yeah! 545 00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:54,620 {\an8}♪ 546 00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:57,020 {\an8}Kari: It’s very emotional for a lot of people, 547 00:20:57,120 --> 00:20:58,520 {\an8}myself included. 548 00:20:58,620 --> 00:21:00,590 {\an8} I shed a few tears, but it was from laughing. 549 00:21:00,690 --> 00:21:02,090 {\an8}So that was a good thing. 550 00:21:02,190 --> 00:21:05,730 {\an8}[cheering & applauding] 551 00:21:05,830 --> 00:21:07,130 {\an8}Nicole: He’s a dirty cheater. 552 00:21:07,230 --> 00:21:09,770 {\an8}[laughing] 553 00:21:09,870 --> 00:21:11,470 {\an8} He might have thought I didn’t feel him grab 554 00:21:11,570 --> 00:21:13,310 {\an8} my tail, but he grabbed my tail. 555 00:21:13,410 --> 00:21:15,610 {\an8}Jonny: "We’re wishing you lots of luck on 556 00:21:15,710 --> 00:21:19,610 {\an8}baby number four, congratulations." 557 00:21:19,710 --> 00:21:22,410 {\an8}♪