There is a territory in Canada’s arctic that almost ended up being called Bob. In 1996, the Northwest Territories in Canada’s freezing Arctic held a naming contest for when the territory was to be split into two. The top vote for new names was the name “Bob,” ranking way ahead of the other competitors.
A website was created to campaign for the name Bob, much to the dismay of some leaders. Because of all the buffoonery, it was decided to just keep the old name of Northwest Territories.
Rats!
The province of Alberta is the largest rat-free populated area in the world. But it's not by accident! Back in 1951, the province began an aggressive rat control program that involved gassing, poisoning, and shooting rats as well as blowing up rat-infested buildings.
About a dozen or so rats enter Alberta every year, but they are very careful to keep the numbers down by employing rat control specialists before they can reproduce.
The Iron Ring
All Canadian engineers receive an iron ring when they graduate from engineering programs throughout the country. They get this ring to memorialize a bridge that collapsed as a result of the error in the judgment of Canadian engineers, which killed 75 people.
The weight of the ring, which serves to rub against the paper as they write or draw, acts as a reminder to always have humility and consider their fallibility as professionals.
Entry to Canada
All new citizens of Canada are given a Cultural Access Pass, which allows them free entry to over 1000 of the country's premier cultural attractions, including museums, art galleries, national parks, and historic sites.
The reason Canada does this is to give new Canadians the opportunity to explore and learn what it means to be Canadian.
It's Not Butter!
When Newfoundland joined Canada as one of its tenth provinces back in 1949, they had one interesting requirement upon joining.
Nowadays, we would never believe this, but their condition was that they must be allowed to continue producing and selling margarine.