the summer of

What it was like to be 15 in 2005 in Canada

To be fifteen in Canada in 2005 was to have “Crabbuckit” by k-os everywhere, Batman Begins on every screen, and Corner Gas on after school. That year, gas cost ~$1.00/L and Same-sex marriage becomes legal nationwide. was the new thing. Born in 1990? You turned 15 in 2005 — a teenager from 2003 to 2009, 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 2005 reel with sounda 30-second video of your year — the song, the screen, the turn.

the mixtape of 2005

Crabbuckit — k-os

  1. Speed of Sound — ColdplayColdplay's soaring build was the earnest, arms-wide sound of driving home from a summer that felt endless.
  2. Some Say — Sum 41Sum 41 slowed down and grew up a little, and so, uneasily, were you.
  3. Helena — My Chemical RomanceMCR's black-parade grief and that funeral video were the emo bloodstream of every ninth-grade heartbreak.
  4. No Transitory — AlexisonfireSt. Catharines' Alexisonfire screamed and soared at once, the loud secret handshake of the scene kids.
  5. Holiday — Green DayGreen Day's snarling protest march made rebellion feel righteous, and you shouted it without fully knowing why.

▶ Play your 2005 reel

why this one mattered

A Whitby-raised MC strolling backwards down a sun-bleached street built the one song that made hip hop, funk, and Canadian pride all fit in the same three minutes.

the year-end #1 was Juno Award for Single of the Year, 2005 — the first hip hop song ever to win it; lead single off the platinum-certified (Music Canada) Joyful Rebellion, released August 2004; charted Top 5 on Canadian CHR/Pop radio (Radio & Records).

what topped the Canadian box office in 2005

  • Batman Begins
  • Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
  • Wedding Crashers
  • War of the Worlds

the tv shows you are binging in 2005

  • Corner Gas
  • Trailer Park Boys
  • Canadian Idol
  • Degrassi: The Next Generation
  • Rick Mercer Report

the games you are playing in 2005

  • Mario Kart DS
  • Nintendogs
  • Animal Crossing: Wild World
  • Pokémon Emerald
  • Neopets
  • Guitar Hero

what things cost in 2005

What things cost in 2005
Gasoline~$1.00/L
Minimum wage (Ontario)$7.45/hr
Movie ticket~$7.60
Canada Post domestic stamp$0.50
the average income~$32,800 avg individual income (approx., StatCan)

trending this year

Civil Marriage Act
Wikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wedding-chantelois-gomez.jpg · Public domain
Civil Marriage Act
Record gas prices
Photo by Avenue 51 (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Petro_Canada_Gas_Price_Tower_at_57th_%26_Knight_at_6-50_PM_on_March_23,_2007.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0
Record gas prices
Sidney Crosby drafted
Photo by Sean Russell (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crosby.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0
Sidney Crosby drafted
NHL shootout rule
Photo by Matthew Barera (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2014_NHL_Winter_Classic_Shootout.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0
NHL shootout rule
Corner Gas
Photo by Paul Jerry (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Corner_Gas_set.jpg · CC BY 2.0
Corner Gas

the gadgets you just got

Apple iPod Nano
Photo by Dillan Payne (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IPod_Nano_First-gen_(2017-06-11).jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0
Apple iPod Nano
Xbox 360
Photo by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Microsoft-Xbox-360-Pro-Console-FL.jpg · Public Domain
Xbox 360
Sirius Canada & XM Canada
Photo by TravKoolBreeze (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WLW-XM173.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0
Sirius Canada & XM Canada
Camera phones
Photo by Miguel Durán (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nokia_7650_01.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.5
Camera phones
YouTube
Wikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Logo_YouTube_(2005-2017).svg · Public domain
YouTube

what everyone is snacking on

Big Turk
AI-generated illustration
Big Turk
Eat-More
Photo by Mockingbus (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eat-More_Candy_Bars.jpg · CC BY 4.0
Eat-More
Sour Patch Kids
Photo by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sour-Patch-Kids.jpg · CC0
Sour Patch Kids
Ring Pops
Photo by Wolfvonder (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ring_pop_on_hand.jpg · CC BY 3.0
Ring Pops
May West
AI-generated illustration
May West

what everyone is drinking

Red Bull
VincentLR, Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lattina_di_Red_Bull.jpg) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Red Bull
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
A Caesar
Photo by AirIntake at English Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Caesar_Cocktail.JPG · CC BY-SA 3.0
A Caesar
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
Nestea Iced Tea
Photo by Hillelfrei (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nestea_bottle.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nestea Iced Tea

what made the news in 2005

  • Sirius Canada and XM Canada both launch satellite radio service on December 1.
  • The Canadian dollar keeps climbing, closing in on 85 cents US by year's end.
  • Paul Martin's minority government survives a spring non-confidence vote before falling in late November.
  • Kyoto Protocol implementation debates dominate Canadian federal politics.
The Civil Marriage Act receives royal assent on July 20, legalizing same-sex marriage across Canada.
Photo by Kitty Rainbow (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pride_parade_Toronto_2011_(1).jpg · CC BY 2.0
The Civil Marriage Act receives royal assent on July 20, legalizing same-sex marriage across Canada.
Hurricane Katrina sends Canadian gas prices to record highs, over $1.20/L in Toronto.
Photo by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Katrina_2005-08-28_1702Z.jpg · Public domain
Hurricane Katrina sends Canadian gas prices to record highs, over $1.20/L in Toronto.
Sidney Crosby is drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 30, ending the NHL's 'Crosby sweepstakes.'
Photo by Elliot (Castro Valley, CA) (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crosby,_Sidney.jpg · CC BY 2.0
Sidney Crosby is drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 30, ending the NHL's 'Crosby sweepstakes.'
The Gomery Commission's first report on the federal sponsorship scandal is released in November, rocking Paul Martin's government.
Photo by Quebecpress (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alfonso_Gagliano_testifies_at_the_Gomery_Commission_for_the_Adscam_inquiry.jpg · Public domain
The Gomery Commission's first report on the federal sponsorship scandal is released in November, rocking Paul Martin's government.
The NHL and NHLPA end the lockout, restoring hockey for the 2005-06 season with a new shootout rule.
Photo by Tom Szczerbowski (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hyman-First-Goal-Buffalo.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0
The NHL and NHLPA end the lockout, restoring hockey for the 2005-06 season with a new shootout rule.

what everyone is saying

  • "Give'r"full commitment, no holding back
  • "Beauty"high praise for anything great
  • "Loonie / toonie"the $1 and $2 coins jingling in every pocket
  • "Double-double"coffee, two cream two sugar
  • "Out for a rip"going for a drive, no destination needed

the summer of 2005.

the best of it still feels like it's coming.

…and then it cools. Play the reel to feel where 2005 goes.

Turn 2005 into a 30-second reel →

▶ Play your 2005 reel with sound