the summer of

What it was like to be 15 in 2001 in Canada

To be fifteen in Canada in 2001 was to have “I'm Like a Bird” by Nelly Furtado everywhere, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone on every screen, and Trailer Park Boys on after school. That year, gas cost ~$0.71/L and The Xbox and GameCube both launch in Canada within weeks of each other. was the new thing. Born in 1986? You turned 15 in 2001 — a teenager from 1999 to 2005, right in the window a soundtrack bonds to you for life.

Compiled by the Original Lore archive from period charts, box-office and price records. How we build these · sources noted throughout.

▶ Play your 2001 reel with sounda 30-second video of your year — the song, the screen, the turn.

the mixtape of 2001

I'm Like a Bird — Nelly Furtado

  1. Fat Lip — Sum 41Ajax's own Sum 41 detonated, and suddenly Canadian skate-punk was the loudest thing at every house party.
  2. Pinch Me — Barenaked LadiesThe Barenaked Ladies got wistful, and this bittersweet bounce quietly soundtracked a summer already slipping past.
  3. Leader of Men — NickelbackBefore they ruled the world, Nickelback's grind was already thundering out of every Alberta pickup truck.
  4. American Psycho — Treble ChargerTreble Charger's snotty hook was pure MuchMusic afternoon, played between videos while you avoided homework.
  5. It Wasn't Me — ShaggyShaggy's ridiculous denial was the shameless singalong that took over every bus, cottage, and cafeteria.

▶ Play your 2001 reel

why this one mattered

A Victoria, BC singer with a wobbling falsetto and bare feet turned a breakup into the song every Canadian 15-year-old knew by heart off the radio before they ever bought the CD.

the year-end #1 was Juno Award for Single of the Year, 2001 (from Whoa, Nelly!); reached #19 on RPM's final national singles chart before RPM ceased publishing in Nov 2000, then ruled Canadian radio through 2001; later 2x Platinum (Music Canada) and Grammy winner for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Feb 2002.

what topped the Canadian box office in 2001

  • Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
  • Shrek
  • Monsters, Inc.
  • Rush Hour 2

the tv shows you are binging in 2001

  • Trailer Park Boys
  • Degrassi: The Next Generation
  • Hockey Night in Canada
  • Friends
  • Survivor

the games you are playing in 2001

  • Pokémon Crystal Version
  • Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
  • Advance Wars
  • Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
  • Super Smash Bros. Melee
  • Grand Theft Auto III

what things cost in 2001

What things cost in 2001
Gasoline~$0.71/L
Minimum wage (Ontario)$6.85/hr
Movie ticket~$7.05
Canada Post domestic stamp$0.47
the average income~$29,700 avg individual income (approx., StatCan)

trending this year

Apple iPod
© Raimond Spekking / CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Apple iPod
Trailer Park Boys
Photo by Jason Bain / Sun Media (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Trailer_Park_Boys,_April_2009.jpg · CC BY 2.0
Trailer Park Boys
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Photo by RealTVfilms (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Degrassi_The_Next_Generation_cast_on_RealTVfilms.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Halo: Combat Evolved
AI-generated illustration
Halo: Combat Evolved
Big Shiny Tunes 6
AI-generated illustration
Big Shiny Tunes 6

the gadgets you just got

Discman
Photo by Morn at English Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Discman_D121.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0
Discman
Nintendo GameCube
Photo by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GameCube-Set.jpg · Public Domain
Nintendo GameCube
Microsoft Xbox
Wikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Xbox-console.jpg · Public domain
Microsoft Xbox
BlackBerry pager
Photo by Jarek Tuszyński (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blackberry_RIM_957_-_01.jpg · CC BY 4.0
BlackBerry pager
MSN Messenger
AI-generated illustration
MSN Messenger

what everyone is snacking on

Dunkaroos
taylorhatmaker (Flickr), CC BY 2.0
Dunkaroos
Ketchup chips
Photo by Hannah Clover (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ketchup_chips.jpg · CC BY 4.0
Ketchup chips
Hickory Sticks
AI-generated illustration
Hickory Sticks
Nanaimo bars
Photo by Alex Lozupone (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NanaimoS1370051.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nanaimo bars
Pizza Pops
AI-generated illustration
Pizza Pops

what everyone is drinking

Tim Hortons double-double
Photo by Justin (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tim_Hortons,_extra_extra_large.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0
Tim Hortons double-double
Clearly Canadian
Arkpafisto, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clearly_Canadian_Orchard_Peach.jpg) · CC0
Clearly Canadian
Milk in a bag
Photo by incommunicado (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Four_litre_bagged_milk,_Quebec.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0
Milk in a bag
Orange Crush
Photo by Alextvmx (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Botella_Orange_Crush_Mexico.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0
Orange Crush
Canada Dry ginger ale
Photo by Lynette (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Canada_Dry_ginger_ale_bottles.jpg · CC BY 2.0
Canada Dry ginger ale

what made the news in 2001

  • Canada's dollar drifts near 64 cents US through the year amid a weak resource economy.
  • Vince Carter and the Toronto Raptors headline the NBA for a generation of Canadian kids.
  • RIM (Research In Motion) of Waterloo, ON debuts the BlackBerry in Europe.
  • Canadian security and border spending tightens sharply after 9/11.
September 11 attacks reroute hundreds of flights into Canada; Gander, NL alone takes in 6,500 stranded passengers under Operation Yellow Ribbon.
Photo by Aude (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gander_Airport_-_Jan_2014.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0
September 11 attacks reroute hundreds of flights into Canada; Gander, NL alone takes in 6,500 stranded passengers under Operation Yellow Ribbon.
Canada commits troops to the US-led war in Afghanistan in the weeks after 9/11.
Photo by Staff Sgt. Robert Hyatt (U.S. DoD) (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Canadian_soldiers_afghanistan.jpg · Public domain
Canada commits troops to the US-led war in Afghanistan in the weeks after 9/11.
The 1996 Canada-US Softwood Lumber Agreement expires, igniting a new trade dispute that runs the whole decade.
AI-generated illustration
The 1996 Canada-US Softwood Lumber Agreement expires, igniting a new trade dispute that runs the whole decade.
The Summit of the Americas in Quebec City draws mass anti-globalization protests behind a 3-metre security fence (April 2001)
Photo by Gates of Ale (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sommet_des_Ameriques_Summit_of_the_Americas_Quebec_City_2001_Protests.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Summit of the Americas in Quebec City draws mass anti-globalization protests behind a 3-metre security fence (April 2001)
Toronto's bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympics loses to Beijing.
Photo by Josh Graciano (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Toronto_skyline,_June_2001_(3271561937).jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0
Toronto's bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympics loses to Beijing.

what everyone is saying

  • "Eh"the all-purpose tag dropped at the end of any sentence
  • "Give'r"go all out, no holding back
  • "Toque"the winter hat, never a beanie
  • "Loonie / toonie"the $1 and $2 coins jingling in every pocket
  • "Keener"the kid who always did the extra credit

the summer of 2001.

you think you've got all the time in the world.

…and then it cools. Play the reel to feel where 2001 goes.

Turn 2001 into a 30-second reel →

▶ Play your 2001 reel with sound