To be fifteen in Canada in 2017 was to have “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber everywhere, Wonder Woman on every screen, and Anne with an E on after school. That year, gas cost approx. $1.06/L and Nintendo Switch was the new thing. Born in 2002? You turned 15 in 2017 — a teenager from 2015 to 2021, 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.
The Bieber remix turned a Puerto Rican summer song into Canada's summer song too - inescapable at every bonfire, every beach, every open car window from June through September.
the year-end #1 was Spent 16 weeks at #1 on the Canadian Hot 100 (tying the chart's longest-ever run) and finished #2 on the year-end chart.
what topped the Canadian box office in 2017
Wonder Woman
It
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Get Out
Beauty and the Beast
the tv shows you are binging in 2017
Anne with an E
Riverdale
Alias Grace
Big Brother Canada
Letterkenny
the games you are playing in 2017
Fortnite
Super Mario Odyssey
Minecraft
Roblox
Assassin's Creed Origins
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
what things cost in 2017
What things cost in 2017
Average annual income
approx. $72,000 (household)
Gas
approx. $1.06/L
Minimum wage (Ontario)
$11.60/hr
Movie ticket
approx. $9.09
Stamp
$0.85 (booklet) / $1.00 (single)
trending this year
Wikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fidget_spinner_red,_cropped.jpg · CC0Fidget spinnersAI-generated illustrationCanada 150 commemorative tooniesPhoto by Grayliptrot (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bitcoin.svg · Public domainBitcoin maniaAI-generated illustrationBill C-45Dennis Cortés (Unsplash), CC0 / Public DomainiPhone X
the gadgets you just got
Liam Dawe / GamingOnLinux; PNG by VulcanSphere, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Nintendo SwitchDennis Cortés (Unsplash), CC0 / Public DomainiPhone XPhoto by Maurizio Pesce (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AirPods_(cropped).jpg · CC BY 2.0AirPodsPhoto by Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Instant_Pot_(49907000991).jpg · CC BY 2.0Instant PotPhoto by DReifGalaxyM31 (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FitbitIonicMomentDisplay.jpg · CC BY 4.0Fitbit Ionic
what everyone is snacking on
AI-generated illustrationMr. BigPhoto by Alex Lozupone (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NanaimoS1370051.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0Nanaimo barsAI-generated illustrationHickory SticksWikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Poutine_from_Windsor,_ON.jpg · CC0PoutinePhoto by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Smarties-UK-Candies_(cropped).jpg · CC0Smarties (the Canadian kind)
what everyone is drinking
Photo by Chris Woodrich (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A%26W_Root_Beer,_Caffeine_and_Sugar_Free,_Canada_(obverse),_2026-03-27.jpg · Public domainA&W Root BeerPhoto by Justin (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tim_Hortons,_extra_extra_large.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0Tim Hortons double-doublePhoto by AirIntake at English Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Caesar_Cocktail.JPG · CC BY-SA 3.0Clamato CaesarPhoto by Lynette (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Canada_Dry_ginger_ale_bottles.jpg · CC BY 2.0Canada Dry ginger alePhoto by Hillelfrei (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nestea_bottle.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0Nestea Iced Tea
what made the news in 2017
Canada 150 celebrations, July 1
Death of Gord Downie, October 17
Fidget spinners take over every classroom, spring
Las Vegas mass shooting shocks North America, October
Bill C-45 cannabis legalization introduced in Parliament
Photo by Shwangtianyuan (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Canada_150_at_Parliament_Hill.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0Canada turns 150: nationwide Canada Day celebrations mark the sesquicentennial of Confederation, July 1, 2017.Photo by Ryan Merkley (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gord_Downie_2001.jpg · CC BY 2.0The Tragically Hip's Gord Downie dies at 53, and the country mourns as one, October 17, 2017.Photo by Michael Miller (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sidney_Crosby_with_Stanley_Cup_2017-06-11_16214.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins repeat as Stanley Cup champions, June 2017.Photo by Aubrey Gemignani (NASA) (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2017_Total_Solar_Eclipse_(NHQ201708210100)_-_square_crop.jpg · Public domainA rare solar eclipse crosses North America, watched partially from Canadian backyards, August 21, 2017.Photo by James St. John (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cannabis_sativa_(marijuana_plant)_(Zanesville,_Ohio,_USA)_(15170902403).jpg · CC BY 2.0The federal government tables legislation to legalize cannabis nationwide, spring 2017.
what everyone is saying
"beauty"high praise for anything genuinely great
"loonie / toonie"the dollar and two-dollar coins jingling in every pocket
"keener"the kid with their hand up before the question finished
"gong show"a chaotic mess of a situation, usually said laughing
"hydro"what Canadians call the electricity bill, confusing everyone else
