Canada
Day to Day Living in Canada
Canada related forum posts
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Set up a company in Canada
We are incorporated in India and want to establish a new company or subsidiary company in canada (Which ever is recommended)
Total Posts: 3 Last post by aladjihassan
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Expand Business in Canada
Hello,We are a startup registered in India into Software business for Tourism Industry.We are looking at registering and expanding our services to Canada.Need advise on how to go about it.Thanks
Total Posts: 2 Last post by cchicken
Day-to-day Living in Canada
Will my English appliances work in Canada?
The electricity supply is 120 volts AC. Plugs have 2 flat blade prongs, so you will need a few adaptors.
What are the hours of shops and businesses?
Each province regulates the shop opening hours but generally there are few regulations. Most provinces allow 24/7 365 days of the year opening but some provinces require shops to close on major holidays.
Business hours are very standard, and shopping hours are good. 24 hour shopping is available too.
- Businesses are generally open between 9am and 5pm weekdays
- Banks are generally open between 8am and 5.00pm weekdays
- Shopping malls have longer hours. They are generally open from 10am until 9pm, Monday to Friday, 9.30am until 6pm Saturday (sometimes 9pm) and 12pm until 5-6pm on Sunday
- Quebec is the only province with stricter regulations on opening times, which are generally 8am until 9pm weekdays and 8am until 5pm weekends, excluding holidays
How do I get around?
There are over 1,700 registered airports in Canada, of which 42 have air traffic control.
The biggest 10 airports are located throughout Canada:
- Toronto Pearson International Airport is the busiest airport and is easily accessible by car, bus and rail links.
- Vancouver International Airport is expanding to cope with the Winter Olympics 2010.
- Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. The Societe de Transport de Montreal bus takes passengers to and from the Dorval bus terminal and train station. The shuttle bus also runs between the airport and the Dorval VIA train station.
- Calgary International Airport offers non-stop flights to UK.
- Edmonton International Airport has US Border Pre-Clearance facilities.
- Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport also has US Border Pre-Clearance facilities.
- Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport has US Border Pre-Clearance facilities. There is a bus service from Winnipeg city centre to/from the airport.
- Halifax Stanfield International Airport is located in Enfield, Nova Scotia.
- Victoria International Airport is located in North Saanick near Sidney and links with Vancouver International Airport.
- Kelowna International Airport is located 10 minutes from Kelowna with a single runway but is under expansion.
Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa have a rapid transit system. When travelling around Canada, there are several options:
Planes are a popular, and quick way to travel between the major cities especially as Canada is such a large country. Can Jet, JetsGo, WestJet and Tango are discount airlines. There are many special offers and discounts on the internet but internal flight can be more expensive than flying to the UK.
Trains run between the major cities and the lower US states. There is no connection with Alaska though. The railway system is large and well-developed but is mostly used for freight transport. The largest railway in Canada is the Canadian National Railway (CN).
Buses. Greyhound Canada is the only 'national' bus service. It services 1100 destinations, with many options as far as ticketing and stops are concerned.
Ferries are required in certain places e.g. Vancouver Island to the mainland, Quebec to Labrador.
Cars are probably your best bet as the network is vast and you can drive at a steady pace. Car rental is an option for long distances so shop around. Canadians are used to very long car journeys as everywhere is so spaced out.
What are the most popular sports in Canada?
Sport is a very important activity in Canada. Ice Hockey is the official winter sport with Lacrosse being the official summer sport. Other popular sports include soccer, baseball, basket ball, curling and water sports.
What's the television like?
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) is the national public radio and television broadcaster. The American media has a huge influence over television in Canada. There are a large number of channels including cable and satellite television, which are available throughout Canada.
English is the major language, followed by French and then numerous other languages. Australia, United Kingdom and the US programmes are the preferred viewing by English speaking Canadians.
Advertising features highly on most of the hundreds of channels available.
Canadian TV is to go completely digital in 2011.
And radio?
CBC Radio One, Two and Three, Premiere Chaine and Espace Musique make up the national radio network and satellite radio - Sirius. They offer features in English, French and eight aboriginal languages. On their national service and nine on their international service. Canada also has web-based broadcasters.
The newspapers?
There are a large number of publications in Canada some of which are listed here. Here a few newspapers to look for:
- National (English language) newspapers - The Globe and Mail, National Post, The Canadian National Newspaper
- Alberta - Calgary News
- British Columbia - The Province
- Manitoba - Winnipeg Sun
- New Brunswick - The Daily Gleaner
- Newfoundland and Labrador - The Telegram
- Nova Scotia - Metro Halifax
- Ontario - Ottawa Citizen
- Prince Edward Island - The Journal Pioneer
- Quebec - Le Journal de Quebec
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