CANADIAN HEROES - The Toronto Black Squirrel

You may not notice when you first arrive in Toronto, sometimes it can take a couple of days. But one day you will look up and realize there are a bunch of squirrel-looking things out there, except they seem a little crazier . . . a little more cunning . . . a lot more black. Toronto is a land where the black squirrel rules.

Johnada has seen black squirrels before (there are a couple in Loring Park), but never on this scale. They're everywhere. Grey squirrels are the exception, not the rule. And that is the reason the black squirrel is a true Canadian Hero. We don't like grey squirrels; they've done awful things to our aunt's house, our Wife's peanut butter and our super awesome Cubs jack-o-lantern.

The exact origin of the black squirrel is a little hard to pin down. They're actually just regular grey squirrels with a rare darker pigmentation (high levels of melanin). They have them in pockets around the United States, but Canada seems to be where they thrive the most. As always, if you want researched facts, go somewhere else.

To Johnada, there's something exciting every time we look out the window expecting to see a grey squirrel and see our little black-tailed friends instead. And the best part about the Toronto black squirrel: the town doesn't feel the need to announce that it's the black squirrel capitol of the world. It's just got them. Lots of them.

Finally, because we're all about transparency at Johnada, we have to admit one member of the Canadian Awards Committee protested this decision. Though I won't put words in his mouth, I believe this video expresses his views on black squirrels: