Canada Local Customs

  Fishermen!
by johngayton
 
  • Fishermen!
      Fishermen!
    by johngayton
  •   Local Customs
    by henri123
  •   Local Customs
    by henri123
  • Wall Art in downtown Vancouver
      Wall Art in downtown Vancouver
    by GentleSpirit
  • honoring Dali in downtown Vancouver
      honoring Dali in downtown Vancouver
    by GentleSpirit
 

Most Viewed Local Customs in Canada

51.

Tipping   Toronto

Tipping, Toronto

 13 Reviews  Think. Don't listen to ignorant people about tipping. 10% is an insult at a sit down restaurant. Remember, 15% is an average standard tip all over the world, and included in EVERY bill in most... 

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52.

Drugs & alcohol   Vancouver

Drugs & alcohol, Vancouver

 5 Reviews  A clever new nickname for Vancouver that I just heard recently. Let me dispel the rumours somewhat. Yes the laws towards marijuana are somewhat less strict here (and everyelse in Canada) than other... 

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53.

Bilinguism   Montreal

Bilinguism, Montreal

 34 Reviews  I was somewhat worried about communicating in Montreal, especially as most of the signs are in French, but I didn't have a problem at all. We didn't run into anyone who didn't speak english.... 

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54.

Local food and drinks   Quebec

Local food and drinks, Quebec

 26 Reviews  Through our trip to the provences of Quebec and New Brunswick we would stop at a restaurant and see the mysterious word "Poutine" on the menu. Finally I was brave enough to ask, "What the heck IS... 

 See All 86 Local Customs in Quebec

55.

Drinking/Buying alcohol   Ottawa

Drinking/Buying alcohol, Ottawa

 10 Reviews  It happens for three days, once a year. The Ottawa Wine and Food Show is an excellent place to try different wines, food and other spirits prepared and presented by local businesses among others.... 

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56.

Cultural/Historical   Victoria

Cultural/Historical, Victoria

 24 Reviews  An artist and writer concerned with the culture of the First Nations of British Columbia, and thoroughly appreciative of the natural beauty of the place, Emily Carr is probably helped develop the... 

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57.

Cultural Mosaic   Edmonton

Cultural Mosaic, Edmonton

 4 Reviews  The Festival usually takes place the first weekend in August . Hawrelark Park serves as the venue where all the different ethnic groups have their tents and stages up. You can learn about the... 

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58.

Calgary Stampede   Calgary

Calgary Stampede, Calgary

 8 Reviews  One of Calgary’s symbols is a White Cowboy Hat. This is the home of the Stampede and of course you'll want to be one of the good guys wearing a white hat rather than wearing a black hat. White Cowboy... 

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59.

General city Information   Winnipeg

General city Information, Winnipeg

 1 Review  The legal drinking age in the province of Manitoba is 18 years. If you look 20ish, you will be asked for ID when buying alcohol or entering a pub. It is illegal to drink alcohol in public other than... 

 See All 10 Local Customs in Winnipeg

60.

Birds/ Animals/Flowers   Banff National Park

Birds/ Animals/Flowers, Banff National Park

 25 Reviews  These cheeky little fellows popped up everywhere and were a joy to see. Please do not feed them although they will squeek for your attention = when tourists are thin on the ground they have to survive... 

 See All 44 Local Customs in Banff National Park

61.

Summer festivals   Charlottetown

Summer festivals, Charlottetown

 3 Reviews  In August, there's Old Home Week at the Charlottetown Driving Park. The main event is the big horse race, but there's also a midway with carnival rides and games, as well as farm animal exhibits. All... 

 See All 9 Local Customs in Charlottetown

62.

People / Different cultures   Toronto

People / Different cultures, Toronto

 37 Reviews  Tastes of Thailand offered a wealth of activities that surely made a mark to event goers who like cultural dance and music. I have enjoyed the parade of native Thai costumes. It was colourful. You... 

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63.

Language, accents & slang   Vancouver

Language, accents & slang, Vancouver

 8 Reviews  Take note of Vancouver's proprietary geographical terms. “The Valley” is the Fraser Valley, roughly from Surrey to Hope. “The Island” is Vancouver Island. There are other islands, but this rule is... 

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64.

Français   Montreal

Français, Montreal

 18 Reviews  If the red octogon isn't obvious enough, "Arrêt" is the French word for "Stop". Apparently the province of Quebec is the only place in the world where they have translated the word "Stop" on stop... 

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65.

Languages (French, English)   Quebec

Languages (French, English), Quebec

 20 Reviews  Outside the Old City, very few people speak fluent English, but in the tourist area, most everyone speaks English. Signs, however, are often only in French (unless the English is smaller), so take... 

 See All 86 Local Customs in Quebec

66.

French and English   Ottawa

French and English, Ottawa

 11 Reviews  Canada is English speaking, apart from Quebec which has remained French speaking, with people of French origin. Ottawa and Gatineau are divided by Ottawa river, Ottawa being in Ontario on the English... 

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67.

Currency/Tipping   Victoria

Currency/Tipping, Victoria

 6 Reviews  Please excuse me if you think this is a silly tip but I just wanted to point out that American coins (quarters, dimes, nickels etc) are NOT considered eligible for preferential exchange in stores or... 

 See All 58 Local Customs in Victoria

68.

Fort Edmonton Park   Edmonton

Fort Edmonton Park, Edmonton

 1 Review  Fort Edmonton Park, Canada’s largest open-air history park, is a recreation on the city’s early history. There’s an evocative reconstruction of the original Hudson’s Bay Company trading post of 1846,... 

 See All 24 Local Customs in Edmonton

69.

Mountains   Calgary

Mountains, Calgary

 1 Review  1.Canadians in general are very friendly and helpful, if asked for information about locations or history (although in Calgary there is NOT MUCH history left... i mean places, older than 5-10 years)!... 

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70.

Winnipeg Festivals   Winnipeg

Winnipeg Festivals, Winnipeg

 2 Reviews  Winnipeg is a cultural mosaic. There are people here from every part of the world. For the first two weeks of August each year, there is a two week long festival (called Folklorama) where 40 different... 

 See All 10 Local Customs in Winnipeg

71.

Presents/Souvenirs   Banff National Park

Presents/Souvenirs, Banff National Park

 5 Reviews  All these wonderful items were found at the shops along Banff Avenue. I took these pictures because I've learned to curb my spending on decorative items. You wouldn't believe the amount of things I've... 

 See All 44 Local Customs in Banff National Park

72.

Liquor / Beer / Wine   Toronto

Liquor / Beer / Wine, Toronto

 10 Reviews  The laws concerning alcohol consumption in Toronto follow mostly Ontario laws. The government regulates all sales of beer, wine and liquor, so you can expect prices to be expensive here. Even local... 

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73.

Multiculturalism   Vancouver

Multiculturalism, Vancouver

 9 Reviews  Vancouver is often considered one of the most integrated cities in the world with more interracial couples and less racial segregation than any other city in Canada. Since its beginnings as a city in... 

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74.

Festival   Montreal

Festival, Montreal

 8 Reviews  Montreal is a city which takes pride in its summer festivals. I happened to be in town for the World Beer Festival: can you say "happy coincidence"? The "Mondial de la Biere" provides a space for beer... 

 See All 224 Local Customs in Montreal

75.

History, culture and politics   Quebec

History, culture and politics, Quebec

 8 Reviews  When walking through an old city you will always come across some nice brass monuments preserving the history of the district and the way of life. We found this brass monument whilst walking the old... 

 See All 86 Local Customs in Quebec

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

The overexaggeration of Canadian language

by Carmanah

What am I talking aboot, eh?I'm not sure how Canadians got stuck with the dopiest of language stereotypes, but it has managed to leave a strong impression on the world. As a result, many people expect to hear every Canadian pronouncing about as "aboot" while finishing every sentence with "eh".This is really just an overexaggeration, as well as a stereotype. And the scary thing about this is that people around the world have actually bought into this idea of Canadian speech... and this is where the myth of Canadian languages begin."Eh". The word "eh", although considered to be a very Canadian thing to say, isn't spoken by everyone, nor is it spoken all the time. In other words, you don't hear "eh" in Canada any more than you hear "g'day" in Australia, "y'all" in the USA, or "cheerio" in England."Eh" is a word that is predominantly used in rural communities and small towns over large...

A HOCHELANGAN IN QUEBEC :)

by RafaelTheSecond

This is Proud and Happy Pierre whowing me his lands!;) And indeed Quebec is a mental orgasm!It is a place where I will always want to go until the end of my life!Specially Sainte Anne in the winter!It is simply gorgeous as you can easily see in the pictures!

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ONE VERY POWERFUL CORNER

by RafaelTheSecond

Maybe it is the most powerful corner in the World, one side of the street is the cute canadian town Stanstead and the other side infront is the american little lovely town Derby Line!It was safer for me to be home (Canada) if I cross the street I had the risk to be deported to Brazil with no mercy!;) I will tell you the end of this story later!;)January 29th,2005

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THE THIRD CAT I MET IN CANADA

by RafaelTheSecond

It was impossible to resist, everytime I saw her, I hugged her so tight that I think she was trying to avoid me all the time, she is a country cat from Pakenham, not so far from the beautiful capital Ottawa.I forgot her name as usual, I am terrible for names!but I was at another great friend of mine, Mike's Farm.February 2005

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THE SECOND CAT I MET IN CANADA

by RafaelTheSecond

This time I was in Toronto, at yves House, my good friend who lives in Toronto, he had the great genrosity to host me in his house and I am very grateful to him!So when I think about Toronto I think about this wonderful quebecois fellow!His Cat, I also forgot her name was too kind with me as well, the two nights I spent there she was sleeping under my feet!February 2005

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THE FIRST CAT I MET IN CANADA

by RafaelTheSecond

He was very friendly, unfortunately I forgot hisname, it is a french name and I am not so keen on french language, but he belongs to my friend Bruno whi lives in Chateauguay. That cat was quite funny, he was treated like a puddle, long hair just in the tail!;)February 2005

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The necessary trivials of everyday life in Canada

by Carmanah

When you come to Canada, expect to......measure your speeds and distances in metric Speeds are measured in kilometers per hour (km/h) and distances in meters (m) or kilometers (km).... refer to your weight in pounds, and your height in feet and inches Yes, Canada adopted the metric system in 1970, but some habits die hard. There are still many generations of people who grew up learning the imperial system. As a result, it's culturally standard to measure your body's height and weight in imperial: feet, inches and pounds.... measure temperatures in degrees CelsiusTemperatures are always in °C in Canada, not Fahrenheit... unless you're cooking, or speaking to older generations.... measure your liquids according to the type of liquidOften liquids are measured using the metric system. Gas is sold in cents per litre. Milk is sold in 250 millilitres (ml), 500ml, 1 litre and 2 litre cartons, or...

MY SECOND STEP IN LIFE

by RafaelTheSecond

Well the first one was made somewhere in Rio de Janeiro, maybe in the neighborhood of Meier or Realengo, in the suburbs...The second most important step in my life was made in Ottawa, thanks to my patient friend Mike.January, 2005

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RAFAEL AFTER A BUSY DAY IN MONTREAL

by RafaelTheSecond

Shame on me...visiting a house of a good friend and getting dead stuck on the sofa...Montreal is full of incredible things to do, and the result is....DYING!!!Not a problem...when you have the chance to taste the wodners of a home made food!!! HAHAHAHAVery typical of me, putting my glasses on my leg...and going to meet the angels!;)This is me in my sleeping baby moments!January 2005

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Canada Geese

by rmdw

Our national bird is the infamous Canada Goose. I say "infamous" because though they're amazing to watch in flight, they're become more known for the "natural deposits" they leave over parks and lawns all over the U.S. and Canada. And because they're a protected bird, their numbers just keep growing and growing!If you'd like to see a video of an itchy goose then click here. It's size is 12.8MB and you need to have Quicktime installed. It's quite hilarious!

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Top 3 Hotels in Canada

Residence Inn Toronto Downtown / Entertainment District  Toronto

 4 Reviews and 508 Opinions  I like it really much. Very clean, personnel was very professional, the suites are like a real home... 

 Hotels in Toronto

Opus Hotel  Vancouver

 5 Reviews and 653 Opinions  A contemporary hotel located in the very cosmopolitan Yaletown. Top-notch service from a very... 

 Hotels in Vancouver

Le Square Phillips Hotel  Montreal

 5 Reviews and 696 Opinions  The stay was unremarkable. The hotel was drab. Dark, old, office building appearance. Our bedroom... 

 Hotels in Montreal

Questions and Answers

James_ profile photo

Q:  Hi, I'm traveling to Vancouver next week, and I wondered if anyone knows whether there might be a problem with withdrawing... 

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A: The only issue that you may run into is trying to withdraw money from a machine that is not part of the Visa network. Most Canadian banks are on this network; the only... 

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