Oh, Canada. Our northern neighbor provides the United States with so much: oil, maple syrup, and the Northwest Passage. But are the Canadians hiding a valuable resource that would be a boon to Penn State students? I am talking about collecting donations by canning for THON in America’s Hat.

You may be asking, “Why are you even discussing canning in Canada in the first place? Canada is too far away from State College.” However, this depends if you honestly believe that distance will stop Penn Staters from returning home to can. For instance, according to Google Maps, a drive from State College to Niagara Falls, Ontario takes fewer than four-and-a-half hours. Onward State’s Weekend One Canning Map shows that @Devon2012 canned on Long Island in Huntington, N.Y. Google Maps reveals that this journey from State College lasts more than five hours, and requires driving forty miles further than getting to Niagara Falls. Therefore, if an organization has someone who lives near Niagara Falls, the student could host a canning weekend across our nation’s border.

Now, before you grab your passports and coonskin caps, perhaps there are reasons why no one has canned in Canada in the past. According to Rules and Regulations Overall, Mairead Hanna, THON cannot convert loonies into bucks, and it would be an arduous task for the organizations to exchange currency on their weekend up north as well. Furthermore, she notes that border patrol may not take kindly to young adults carrying large amounts of money in aluminum cans from one country to another. While canning in Canada is possible, monetary and legal issues limit our street corners to the United States.