In this episode of Canada Is Boring, Rhys and Jesse dive into the life of David Thompson, the Welsh-born orphan who became one of the most important mapmakers in North American history. Along the way, they detour through tales of the Lake Louise Tea House, roast the bizarre social-media energy of Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry, and debate whether Thompson was more cat or rat on the Katy-cat/Katy-rat spectrum.

You’ll hear how Thompson:

Went from a charity school in Westminster to an apprentice with the Hudson’s Bay Company
Broke his leg, wrecked his eyesight, and still became a master surveyor
Quit HBC when they tried to pull him off mapping and walked 130 km through a snowstorm to join the North West Company
Helped define key sections of the Canada–US border and mapped huge swaths of the West, including the Saskatchewan River system, the Rockies, and the Columbia River
Built a long, complicated life with his Cree-Métis wife Charlotte, traveling and mapping as a team
Plus: a small-talk detour featuring awkward chats with other people’s kids, Kenny vs. Spenny live, and aging sketch comics still acting like teenagers.

0:00 – Cold Open & Lake Louise Tea House
2:07 – Theme Montage: “Canada Is Boring”
2:45 – Intro Banter & Jesse the “Map Scourer”
3:37 – Perdo / Trudeau & Katy Perry Jingle
4:52 – Reaction to the Katy Cat / Katy Rat Clip
7:24 – Is Katy Perry Trudeau’s Yoko Ono?
9:19 – Imagining Trudeau Family Christmas
10:07 – Segway: From Celebrity Gossip to Maps
10:50 – Listener Andrew & Why This Story
12:39 – David Thompson’s Orphan Childhood & Education
15:06 – Hudson’s Bay Company Apprenticeship & Leg Injury
17:53 – Eye Damage, Tools over Clothes & Career Ambition
20:16 – What Do Mapmakers Actually Do?
22:27 – Hudson’s Bay vs. North West Company Rivalry
24:18 – Promo: Support “Canada Is Boring”
24:52 – Hudson’s Bay Company’s Rise and Fall
27:01 – Back to David Thompson: Career Frustration
27:20 – Quitting HBC & 130 km Snowstorm Trek
29:19 – Mapping the Canada–US Border
31:21 – Borders as Social Constructs
32:12 – Life on Expedition: Hardships & Methods
35:37 – Indigenous Knowledge & Survival
36:57 – The Uncomfortable Marriage Story
38:28 – Charlotte as Partner in Exploration
39:54 – Mapping the West: Rivers, Rockies & Pacific
41:04 – The Great Map of the Northwest & Later Life
42:09 – Was It a Good Life? Cat or Rat?
42:46 – Small Talk Dimension Intro
43:11 – Reese’s Awkward Story with Other People’s Kids
45:24 – Kenny vs. Spenny Live & Why It Can’t Happen Today
48:16 – Kids in the Hall Revival & Aging Comedy Heroes
48:59 – Wrapping Up David Thompson’s Story
49:55 – Closing Theme & Outro