The Legend of Rattlesnake Island.
In this episode of Canada Is Boring, Rhys shares the unbelievable true story of Eddie Haymour, a Lebanese-Canadian businessman who tried to build a Middle Eastern–themed mini theme park—complete with pyramids, mini golf, restaurants, and a giant camel—on tiny Rattlesnake Island in British Columbia. After years of obstruction, permit battles, and discriminatory treatment from provincial authorities, Eddie’s life collapses: his finances are ruined, his marriage ends, his house burns down, he’s confined to a psychiatric hospital, and the government seizes his island—later ruled illegal by the courts. Pushed to the brink, Eddie's next move was impossible to see coming.
0:00 – Cold open: “Canada Is Boring” and forgotten recording
0:26 – Croaky voices, bad sound, and the STD Zone tease
1:38 – Official intro: Canada Is Boring with Rhys and Jesse
2:33 – Introducing Rattlesnake Island in Okanagan Lake
3:22 – How tiny is this island, really? Jesse vs. Google Maps
4:06 – Eddie Haymour’s Middle Eastern–themed mini theme park dream
5:15 – Building pyramids, mini golf, and attractions on five acres
6:09 – Government steps in: permits, zoning, and obstruction
8:33 – Courts later slam the province’s conduct as discriminatory
9:21 – Eddie’s finances collapse and legal battles escalate
11:21 – Psychiatric confinement and Eddie’s life unraveling
12:53 – House burns down, marriage ends, island seized by the Crown
14:19 – Eddie heads to Lebanon with a plan for revenge
14:59 – Armed cousins, AK‑47s, and the Canadian embassy hostage-taking
15:51 – Jesse’s recap and disbelief at the entire story
17:27 – What were Eddie’s demands? Land, money, kids, and sanity
19:05 – Debate: obsession vs. injustice and who “ruined” his life
21:30 – The shockingly light legal consequences of the hostage-taking
22:50 – Ombudsperson report and official recognition of government wrongdoing
23:57 – Compensation, partial justice, and no return of the island
26:23 – Castle Haymour: building an Arab-style castle over Peachland
27:37 – Rattlesnake Island today and lessons about bureaucracy and power
29:02 – Eddie’s later life, documentary “Eddie’s Kingdom,” and reflections
30:16 – Entering the STD Zone (Small Talk Dimension)
31:05 – Rhys’s week from hell: no heat, propane failure, and snowstorm
33:20 – Working from an ice-cold basement and the dead snowblower
35:22 – Jesse’s Montreal night out, arcade bar plans, and dice games
36:31 – Remembering finishing (almost) the Simpsons arcade game
37:24 – Patreon plug, website, and listener engagement
38:07 – Listener email from Bob about swim-up bars and “bar flies”
38:49 – Jesse’s swim-up bar memory permanently ruined
39:22 – Wrap-up and sign-off
