What does hard rock mining have to do with comedy? Let me tell you. Before I became a comedian… I was born in the northern Canadian mining town of Sudbury, Ontario. My father worked at the nickel mine there as an industrial mechanic. At one point they sent him down the mine and after he worked there one day he got a doctor’s note to say that if he were to continue working underground he would go crazy. Thank you pops for refusing to go down the mine. Exercising your right

THE PROBLEM WITH BEING FUNNY IN CANADA - A White Paper Policy Brief I wrote on the state of Comedy in Canada is available. Over the last year I had the great opportunity to research and write this paper and discovered another layer of context that I hadn’t seen before. As we launch this campaign of Comedy is Art I deeply and wholeheartedly encourage comedians to join us. This is our livelihood and the only way for change is through community and collective action. Read more:.

Welcome to another installment of my blog Batts Outta Hell. For those of you who are new to my blog, I’m a stand-up comedian and actor based in Toronto and when I get really wound up about something I take it out on my blog. The last piece I wrote was an open letter to the Prime Minister regarding the current state of stand-up comedy in Canada. To recap! Canada is home to some of the best stand-up comedy in the world and a thriving community exists from coast to coast, yet ou

It was a lovely Halloween day in Toronto. The city was a buzz with official news from Toronto Police Services that they were in possession of a video of our adorable mayor just doing his job. In this instance it was connecting with his constituents who just so happened to be a couple of drug dealers doing their job. After I’d consumed all the news I could about this major development in the Ford drama I was hungry. I hooked up with my fave man, Phil Luzi and we went to the Le

I used to use Febreze like a maniac. I’d spray my couches, my curtains, the carpets, smoky blouses and of course the AIR. Oh the air, how it gets tainted by life. Whatever fabric I could find, I’d Febreze it. I febreezed with the kind of zealousness usually relegated to a Jehovah’s Witness or a Christian Crusader. Just in case I wasn’t home to spray, my ever so reliable Febreze Plug-in would pump a summer breeze into the air like clock work. If you’re not into summer breezes

Before I became a comedian I was in the marketing and ad business. I wanted to do something creative and decided that marketing just might be the thing. Well sorta, kinda, not really. There was a shit tonne of passive aggressive behaviour firing off in all directions which the business world is predicated on. Don’t get me wrong the creative people I worked with were brilliant but the minute a great concept got in front of the ‘client’ forget about it. They’d find a way to suc

Starbucks sells a brand of water called Ethos Water. I’m sure all you ‘ethical’ bastards out there have purchased a bottle or two when you’ve gone to the monster coffee shoppe to buy a ventisimo, frapacisimo, americanissimo latte. But it’s not just any water it’s Ethos Water. It has morals. It follows an ethical code and for that you pay $2. You bought it cause you were thirsty… totally human. But they got taps. Several of them. Do you know what kind of miracle that is? Runni

One day I was walking along Queen St. in Toronto minding my lmnop’s and then it hit me – a billboard with the most outlandish call to action I’d ever seen. It was an avalanche of nonsense that ground my 7.5 feet to a halt. (Sometimes I wear 8 but that’s uje with an orthotic… sex-eh!) The billboard’s message: Rock a cradle in Afghanistan, from the comfort of your couch. Oh no you didn’t! I thought I’d seen every patronizing first world campaign to help the third world. O

Welcome back for another instalment of my blog – Batts outta Hell – where I take the piss out of ads. I could take the shit out of ads, but that’d be more work. Today it’s about a bag of coffee. About two years ago, I decided to pop into the Grass Roots store on the Danforth in Toronto after my hot yoga class to cool down one winter day. Grass Roots is an environmental store that sells everything from organic bedding to organic skincare to organic baby products to they just w

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau, Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. Maybe it’s more of a plea… you be the judge. I am a comedian based in Toronto and I am proud to say we have a vibrant, eclectic and incredibly edgy community here. Some say it’s the best in the world. We are truly lucky to live in a country that affords us freedom of speech. It’s a hallmark we sometimes take for granted but one that makes nations great. I wanted to share something with you that be