The Fediverse is a confusing concept. I’m a giant nerd and even I don’t really understand how this is supposed to work. Centralized platforms provide a more straightforward user experience. And as others have said, that’s where the content is right now.
It’s become increasingly difficult to find French teachers.
Not Canadian, but German: posteo.de for email. One euro a month, very focused on privacy, and you can get a posteo.ca address (as well as many others). Been using them for years and very happy with them.
The good news is you and Tim are unlikely to be attending the same class of barbecues.
Having said that, I’ve postponed my MacBook purchase as part of my boycott of the US. And because as nice as Apple hardware is, it’s hard to shake the feeling that they’re just treading water.