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| General
Information |
Area: 9,958,319 sq km (3,844,928 sq miles).
Population: 30,301,185 (1998).
Population Density: 3.0 per sq km.
Capital: Ottawa. Population: 1,000,000 (1997, including Hull).
Geography: Canada is bounded to the west by the Pacific Ocean and Alaska, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to
the northeast by Greenland, and to the south by the 'Lower 48' of the USA. The polar ice-cap lies to the north.
The landscape is diverse, ranging from the Arctic tundra of the north to the great prairies of the central area.
Westward are the Rocky Mountains, and in the southeast are the Great Lakes, the St Lawrence River and Niagara Falls.
The country is divided into ten provinces and three territories. A more detailed description of each province can
be found under the separate provincial entries.
Government: Constitutional Monarchy. Head of State: HM Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Governor-General Adrienne
Clarkson since 1999. Head of Government: Prime Minister Jean Chrétien since 1993.
Language: Bilingual: French and English. The use of the two languages reflects the mixed colonial history - Canada
has been under both British and French rule.
Religion: 46.2% Roman Catholic, 17.5% United Church of Canada, 11.8% Anglican, 24.5% other Christian denominations
and other religions.
Time: Canada spans six time zones. Information on which applies where may be found in the regional entries following
this
general introduction. The time zones are:
Pacific Standard Time: GMT - 8.
Mountain Standard Time: GMT - 7.
Central Standard Time: GMT - 6.
Eastern Standard Time: GMT - 5.
Atlantic Standard Time: GMT - 4.
Newfoundland Standard Time: GMT - 3.5.
Note: From the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October, one hour is added for Daylight Saving Time
(except in
Saskatchewan).
Electricity: 110 volts AC, 60Hz. American-style (flat) 2-pin plugs are standard.
Communications:
Telephone: Most public telephones operate on 25-cent coins. There is a reduced rate Mon-Fri 1800-0900, and Sat
1200 to Mon 0900. For long-distance calls, telephone cards are available. Credit card telephones are to be found
in larger centres. Full IDD is available. Country code: 1.
Mobile telephone: Digital PCS (1900MHz) services area available in and around major centres, while older analog
and digital cellular networks are available in less populated areas. A 'dual mode' handset is required outside
the digital service areas.
Network operators include Bell Mobility (website: www.bellmobility.ca), Telus Mobility (website: www.telusmobility.com)
and Rogers AT&T (website: www.rogers.com). GSM network operators include Microcell, operating under the Fido
brand name (website: www.canadagsm.com) and Rogers AT&T. Handsets can be hired from Rent Express (tel: (416)
622 7368 or (888) 290 1616; website: www.rentexpress.com), although it may be cheaper to buy a pay-as-you-go phone.
Fax: Services are available in commercial bureaux and most hotels all day at locally agreed rates.
Internet/E-mail: Major ISPs include Sympatico (website: www.sympatico.ca) and Inter.net (website: www.ca.inter.net/).
There are cybercafés all over the country. Internet terminals are usually available at airports and in photocopy
shops.
Telegram: These are handled by Canadian National Telecommunications or Canadian Pacific, and any telegrams must
be telephoned or handed in to the nearest Canadian Pacific or Canadian National office (address in local phone
book). Services available include Telepost, providing first-class door-to-door delivery, and Intelpost, which offers
satellite communications for
documents/photographs to London, Washington DC, New York, Berne and Amsterdam. In Newfoundland & Labrador,
telegrams are sent through Terra Nova Tel.
Postal: All mail from Canada to outside North America is by air. Stamps are available in hotels, some pharmacies
and local stores, or in vending machines outside post offices and shopping centres. Intelpost is offered at main
postal offices for satellite transmission of documents and photographs. Post office hours: generally Mon-Fri 0930-1700
and Sat 0900-1200, but times vary according to province and location; city offices will have longer hours.
Press: There is one national daily newspaper, The National Post, and Toronto's The Globe & Mail also has national
distribution. Daily newspapers published in the larger population centres have a wide local and regional circulation.
French-language dailies are published in seven cities, including Montréal, Québec and Ottawa. In
Alberta, the main English-language newspapers are the Calgary Herald, The Edmonton Journal, The Calgary Sun and
The Edmonton Sun; in British Columbia, the Vancouver Sun; in Manitoba, the Winnipeg Free Press and The Winnipeg
Sun; in New Brunswick, the Daily Gleaner and The Times Transcript; in Newfoundland & Labrador, the Telegram
and The Western Star; in Nova Scotia, The Chronicle-Herald and The Daily News; in Ontario, The Globe & Mail
(the main national newspaper), The National Post, The Toronto Star, The Toronto Sun, The Ottawa Citizen and the
Ottawa Sun; in Québec, The Gazette (daily); in Prince Edward Island, the Guardian and the Patriot; in Saskatchewan,
the Leader Post, Star-Phoenix, Times-Herald and the Daily Herald; and in Yukon, The Whitehorse Star. |
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| Travel |
AIR: Canada's principal national airline is Air Canada (AC).
Approximate flight times:
From London to Calgary is 8 hours 45 minutes, to Halifax is 7 hours 5 minutes, to Montréal is 6 hours 30
minutes, to Toronto is 7 hours 15 minutes and to Vancouver is 9 hours 20 minutes.
From Los Angeles to Montréal is 7 hours 20 minutes, to Toronto is 5 hours 15 minutes and to Vancouver is
2 hours 50 minutes. From New York to Montréal is 1 hour 15 minutes, to Toronto is 1 hour 20 minutes and
to Vancouver is 5 hours 20 minutes.
From Singapore to Montréal is 23 hours 45 minutes, to Toronto is 21 hours 35 minutes and to Vancouver is
26 hours. From Sydney to Montréal is 23 hours, to Toronto is 20 hours 30 minutes and to Vancouver is 18
hours 20 minutes.
International airports: Canada has 13 international airports. All have full banking and catering facilities, duty-free
shops and car hire. Airport-to-city bus and taxi services and, in some cases, rail links, are available.
Calgary (YYC) (website: www.calgaryairport.com) is 20km (12.5 miles) from the city (travel time - 45 minutes).
Edmonton (YEG) (website: www.edmontonairports.com) is 28km (17 miles) from the city (travel time - 30 minutes).
Gander (YQX) (website: www.ganderairport.com) is 3km (2 miles) from the city (travel time - 10 minutes).
Halifax (YHZ) (website: www.hiaa.ca) is 35km (21 miles) from the city (travel time - 30 minutes).
Hamilton (YHM) (website: www.yhm.com/) is 10km (6 miles) from the city (travel time - 20 minutes).
Montréal (YUL) (Dorval) (website: www.admtl.com/) is 25km (15 miles) from the city (travel time - 25 minutes).
Ottawa (YOW) (Macdonald-Cartier) (website: www.ottawa-airport.ca/) is 15km (8 miles) from the city (travel time
- 20-45 minutes).
St John's (YYT) is 8km (5 miles) from the city (travel time - 10-15 minutes).
Saskatoon (YXE) is 7km (4.5 miles) from the city (travel time - 15 minutes).
Toronto (YYZ) (Lester B Pearson) (website: www.gtaa.com) is 27km (17 miles) from the city (travel time - 30 minutes).
Vancouver (YVR) (website: www.yvr.ca/) is 15km (9 miles) from the city (travel time - 20-45 minutes).
Winnipeg (YWG) (website: www.waa.ca) is 10km (6 miles) from the city (travel time - 20 minutes).
Departure tax: Vancouver has an airport improvement fee which is C$15 for international departures and approximately
C$10 for departures to other North American destinations, including Hawaii and Mexico.
Montréal (Dorval) has a departure tax of C$10 for international departures and C$7.50 for departures to
other North American destinations. Transit passengers and children under two years of age not occupying a seat
are exempt.
SEA: The principal Canadian ports on the Atlantic Ocean (east coast) are Halifax (Nova Scotia), St John (New Brunswick)
and St Johns (Newfoundland). Montréal and Québec have ports on the St Lawrence Seaway, which links
the Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes and the industrial heartland of Canada and the USA. Toronto's port is on
the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. The port of Vancouver is on the west coast. All are served by international
shipping lines, but Montréal is the only port for passenger liners from Europe.
RAIL: The Canadian rail system connects to the USA at several points. Major routes are: New York-Montréal,
New York-Buffalo-Niagara Falls-Toronto, Chicago-Sarnia-London-Toronto, Cleveland-Buffalo-Niagara Falls-Toronto
and Detroit-Windsor-Toronto. VIA Rail Canada, the country's main rail operator, issues a discount pass for rail
travel within Canada and the USA: the North American Rail Pass (available to anyone) is valid for 30 days and allows
unlimited travel on VIA trains in Canada and practically any Amtrak train in the USA, with direct access to over
900 Canadian and US cities and towns. For details of ticket prices and reservations, contact VIA Rail in Canada
(tel: (888) 842 7245; website: www.viarail.ca).
ROAD: The only road access to Canada is through the southern border with the USA or from the west through Alaska.
Apart from private auto, the most popular way of travelling by road is by bus. The biggest coach company in the
world is the Greyhound Bus Company (see Coach section in Travel - Internal) and this is one of the most common
routes to Canada from the United States. There are many crossing points from the United States to Canada, but some
of the most common are: New York to Montréal/Ottawa; Detroit to Toronto/Hamilton; Minneapolis to Winnipeg;
Seattle to Vancouver/Edmonton/Calgary. |
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| Entry |
| |
Passport |
Visa |
Return Ticket Required |
| Australian |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| British |
Yes |
No/3 |
Yes |
| Canadian |
1 |
- |
- |
| Japanese |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| Other EU |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| USA |
2 |
No |
No |
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Restricted entry and transit: The Government of Canada refuses admission
to holders of passports, identity or travel documents issued by Somalia, Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Transkei, Venda
or the All Palestine government.
Note: (a) Visitors to Canada must satisfy an examining officer at the Port of Entry that they are genuine visitors
and have sufficient funds to maintain themselves during their stay in Canada and to return to their country of
origin, as well as evidence of confirmed onward reservations out of Canada. Persons under 18 years of age who are
unaccompanied by an adult should bring with them a letter from a parent or guardian giving them permission to travel
to Canada.
PASSPORTS: Passport valid for at least 1 day beyond the intended departure date from Canada required by all except
the
following:
(a) 1. Canadian citizens holding a Canadian Certificate of Identity, Canadian birth certificate or a certificate
of Canadian citizenship;
(b) permanent residents of Canada with proof of status, ie Permanent Resident Card, Record of Landing, Returning
Resident
Permit (IMM 1288) or a Refugee Travel Document issued by the Government of Canada to refugees who have been resettled
in Canada;
(c) Convention Refugees and Members of Designated Classes who have been accepted for resettlement in Canada and
are in possession of valid and subsisting Canadian Immigrant Visas (IMM 1000) where the immigrant category is coded
CR or DC;
(d) 2. citizens of the USA holding proof of citizenship (eg US birth certificate or US naturalisation papers);
(e) persons entering from St Pierre & Miquelon or the USA who are legal permanent residents of the USA and
hold a US alien registration card (Green Card);
(f) citizens of France who are residents of and entering from St Pierre & Miquelon;
(g) nationals who are residents of and entering from Greenland.
Note: Identity/travel documents issued to non-national residents of the country of issue, refugees or stateless
persons are recognized for travel to Canada.
VISAS: Required by all except the following:
(a) 3. nationals of countries referred to in the chart above (except holders of passports endorsed 'British Subjects'
and 'British Protected Persons', who do require a visa);
(b) nationals of Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Botswana, Brunei, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Dominica,
Grenada, Hong Kong (SAR), Hungary, Iceland, Israel (blue passports), Kiribati, Korea (Rep.of) Liechtenstein, Malaysia,
Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St
Vincent & the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Swaziland,
Switzerland, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Vatican City and Zimbabwe;
(c) those visiting Canada who, during that visit, also visit the USA or St Pierre & Miquelon (a French Overseas
Territory) and return directly to Canada as visitors within the period authorised on their initial entry (or any
extension thereto).
Types of visa and cost: Visitor: Can$75 (single-entry); Can$150 (multiple-entry). Family: Can$400 (parents and
minor children).
Transit: necessary for all nationals who require a Visitor visa. Although Transit visas are not required by British
citizens, they may be required by foreign nationals with British passports; check with the Embassy or High Commission
for details. Employment and Student visas are also available. For further information contact the High Comission.
Validity: Up to 6 months depending on circumstances of individual applicant. The determination regarding length
of stay in Canada can only be decided by the examining officer at the port of entry. If no actual departure date
is indicated within the visitor's passport, then the visitor will be required to depart within 3 months from the
date of entry. Visitors must effect their departure from Canada on or before the date authorised by the examining
officer on arrival. If an extension of stay is desired, an application must be made in writing to the nearest Canada
Immigration Centre well before the expiry of the visitor visa.
Note: A single-entry visa is still valid if used to visit the USA.
Additional Visa Information:
http://www.cic.gc.ca |
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