In the collective perception of the global village, Canada has long been considered a nation of tiny towns, pristine forests, jagged mountains, clear lakes, vast farms and arctic wilderness. Times have changed: within the next decade, nearly eighty per cent of Canadians will be living in cities. We've become a country of urbanites, believe it or not.

In this groundbreaking miscellany of facts and unsupported assertions, the authors use the format of a traditional almanac as a vehicle for their irreverent take on Canuck folk wisdom. From the habits of urban landscape painters working in the tradition of the Group of Seven (read "graffiti artists") to the plight of city-slicker subsistence farmers (a.k.a. panhandlers and squeegee kids) to the latest fancy steps down at the square dance (er, rave), The Original Canadian City Dweller's Almanac provides readers with an insider's guide to Canadian urban life at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

In the Almanac, you'll find A-Z Survival Tips gleaned from frostbitten, transit-weary city dwellers across the nation; an Urban Zodiac with plenty of superfluous information; ruminations on such urban delicacies as bubble tea, bone-in goat roti and Italian ices; and handy tips on how to gracefully exit a poetry reading, where to get the best Chinese delivery on Christmas Eve, and what to do when a McDonald's, Starbucks or Home Depot threatens your neighborhood.

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