Page 18 - Travel Guide to Canada 2019
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child restraint seats. Every province and ambulances and prescription drugs from evening hours (and often reduced prices)
territory, save for Nunavut, forbids using pharmacies. Buying supplementary medical once a week.
hand-held electronic devices when driving. insurance can alleviate these costs. Store hours are generally 10 a.m. to
Permissible blood alcohol limits vary, 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, though
but drinking and driving laws are strictly A TIP ABOUT TIPPING these may be extended on Thursday and
enforced nationwide. Friday nights; times vary on Sunday.
British and U.S. driver’s licences are Service charges are seldom added to Shopping centres are typically open 10 a.m.
valid in Canada for up to three months. Car bills, except in resorts. Gratuities of 15 to 9 p.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on
rental companies are found at airports and to 20 percent are customary for Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
in many municipalities. Internationally- waiters, taxi drivers and similar Supermarkets often have longer hours.
observed age limits apply, and drivers personnel. Porters and bellmen Drugstores may remain open until
should present an acceptable credit card. expect $2 to $5 per bag handled; a midnight with some 24-hour locations, and
All motorists must have accident liability room maid, $2 or $3 per day. convenience stores sometimes operate 24/7.
insurance. Americans driving across the Canada’s liquor laws vary between
border should obtain a Canadian Non- provinces and territories, and liquor store
resident Inter-Province Motor Vehicle MONEY MATTERS hours vary accordingly. The sale of spirits,
Liability Card, commonly known as a Canada’s paper currency comes in 5, 10, 20, wines and beer in provinces differ, with
yellow card (available from their insurer in 50 and 100 dollar bills, which differ in most being sold in provincially-owned or
the U.S. only) before leaving. Drivers should colour but not size. Coins are in 5¢, 10¢ and supervised stores, as well as some available
also bring their vehicle registration card, 25¢ denominations; there are also $1 and in private shops.
a letter of permission from the registered $2 coins, dubbed the loonie and toonie.
owner or a rental company contract U.S. currency is widely accepted at the COMMUNICATIONS
stipulating permission for use in Canada. prevailing exchange rate, though you The Canadian telephone system is identical
should expect to receive change in to the U.S. one and shares the same interna-
HEALTH AND SAFETY Canadian funds. tional country code (01). Telephone numbers
Even in Canada’s largest cities it is generally Sales taxes are added to the price of have a 3-digit area code followed by the
safe to walk the streets and use public virtually everything, including meals and 7-digit phone number (note that in some
transportation at night. Nevertheless, lodgings. For starters, there is a federal areas, 10-digit dialing is required for local
prudent visitors will let common sense be 5 percent Goods and Services Tax (GST). calls). Toll-free numbers are prefixed by
their guide and take the usual precautions. Except in Alberta and the territories, there 1-800, 1-888, 1-877, 1-866, 1-855, 1-844 or
Belongings left in parked cars should be is also a provincial sales tax (PST), which 1-833. For emergencies, dial 911; for directory
stowed out of sight. Purses and wallets are is sometimes combined with the GST to assistance, dial 411; for the operator, dial 0.
best kept beneath outer clothing; passports create one Harmonized Sales Tax (HST). Public phone booths, while increasingly
and other valuables stored in a hotel This means you’ll pay an extra 10-15 percent rare, can be used for local or long-distance
safe. To avoid unnecessary grief if theft on top of most advertised purchase prices. calls. The cost of the former is 50¢; you can
occurs, keep a list of credit cards and other Automated teller machines (ATMs) pay for the latter with coins, a phone card
important numbers in a secure place. that accept international debit cards are and sometimes a credit card, or by reversing
In the event of illness or accident, it is plentiful, and many are accessible around the charges. International visitors can
reassuring to know that Canada’s health the clock. Just bear in mind that four-digit typically use their own multiband cell phone
services rank among the world’s finest. PIN codes are considered standard—if but should be mindful of high roaming and
Most hospitals are publicly managed, yours has more, change it before leaving data charges. One way to avoid these is to ask
their fees set by provincial authorities. home. To minimize transaction fees, your provider to temporarily add Canadian
Non-residents hospitalized in Canada choose an ATM affiliated with your access to your service plan before arriving.
are charged a daily rate. These differ by home bank; users of Cirrus or PLUS Renting a travel phone or bringing an
province and can be cost prohibitive, so networks can research locations on-line. “unlocked” cell phone and then buying a
it is important to purchase travel health Americans who’d rather pay by credit card local SIM card are other alternatives.
insurance before leaving home. should note that chip & PIN cards are On-line options such as Skype, FaceTime
Canadians travelling domestically can commonplace here; however, transactions or WhatsApp offer cheaper ways to keep
typically rely on their provincial health can often be processed using the old swipe in touch. Most hotels provide broadband
coverage. All provinces and territories and sign method, too. connections or WiFi, at least in common
except Québec have a co-operative agreement areas. Many airports, bus and train stations,
allowing physicians to submit claims OPERATING HOURS ferry terminals and libraries also offer WiFi;
for services involving out-of-province Most communities have branches of major ditto for countless coffee shops and fast
residents to the local medical plan; these banks which are open, at minimum, from food franchises, including those ubiquitous
are then charged to that resident’s home 10 to 3 on weekdays. Banks are closed on Tim Hortons outlets. If you are bringing a
plan. Residents who are required to pay legal holidays, but exchange bureaus in phone charger, laptop, or any other electrical
for health services can submit receipts cities, airports and at border crossings device, be advised that Canada (like the U.S.)
to their local ministry office for possible usually remain open. Museums and has a 110-V, 60-Hz current. To use 220-V
reimbursement. Services not covered similar sites are typically open 10 a.m. to British equipment, you’ll need a power
while travelling out of province include 5 p.m.; some close on Monday but have converter plus a plug adaptor.
