It doesn’t take a lot of convincing to become excited about moving to Canada. Your neighbors are super-friendly, you get to ride moose to Tim Hortons and eat entire bowls of fresh maple syrup and poutine. What’s not to love about the ginormous country?
However, before you actually pack up and head north, there are several things you need to know about Canada. While you’ll learn the culture and adapt their way of saying about in no time, it’s worth taking some time to learn about any new place you wish to visit, let alone live in.
But before you actually pack up your belongings and make your way north, there are several things about the country you should know about. Luckily, you can find all the information you need online. On Canada2036.com, for example, you can ask for expert advice on the entire immigration process to Canada. Below, we want to share with you 16 important facts you should know before moving to the Great White North.
1. World-Class Cities
The city life in Canada is unlike any other. Vancouver, Toronto, and Calgary were named some of the most livable cities in the world in 2017 by the Economist. The publication’s reasons for choosing these three cities were healthcare, education, and infrastructure. But don’t let that deter you from calling the capital city, Ottawa (not Toronto), your new home!
2. Two Languages
You probably know that Canada has two official languages: English and French. For Americans, this might be too much to wrap their heads around, but can you imagine living in Singapore with four official languages or in India with sixteen? Don’t worry about learning French; you’ll only really need to speak it if you live in Quebec.
3. Excellent Healthcare
One of the main reasons people seriously consider moving to Canada is its excellent healthcare. The tax-funded healthcare system ensures that everyone gets the treatment they need without having to seek debt or declare bankruptcy. However, the wait times can be excruciatingly long, so if you’re in need of treatment, make sure you visit a hospital right away.
4. More Lakes Than You Can Count
Whether you’re a freshwater kind of person or you prefer fishing in the open sea, you won’t have to choose if you live in Canada. The humungous country houses over 20% of the entire world’s lakes, and it has the longest coastline of any country on the planet. In Canada, you can enjoy all of the watersports as you would in Australia without worrying about shark attacks.
5. The Winters Are Cold
Saying Canada is cold is probably the understatement of the century. There’s no place in Canada above 0°C during winter. Some places average between -30° and -40° for the entire season! So, yeah, make sure you pack plenty of jackets and mittens before moving, or you can shop on amazon.ca.
6. “Sorry!”
The term “sorry” is perhaps the country’s most important word in their dictionary. They’ll use it any chance they get, even when they know they’re not at fault. In fact, apologies got so bad that Ontario had to pass the “Apology Act”, which prevented the police from using someone’s apology as an admission of guilt.
7. Bagged Milk
Yes, you read that right. Canada sells milk in bags, not cardboard or plastic cartons like they do in pretty much every other country in the world, but you’ll only find bagged milk in Ontario and Quebec. The reason for using bags in Canada is that they switched to the metric system in the 1970s, and switching from gallon and quart containers to liters was too much work. So, they ended up using the bag system, and it’s worked beautifully ever since.
8. Excellent Educational System
Canadians don’t play around when it comes to their education. With over 50% of adults between 25 and 64 years old with college degrees, you know that your neighbors will be highly intelligent people.
9. Canadians Love Ice Hockey
While being polite is the way of life in Canada, they can’t get enough of violence. Violence on the hockey rink, we mean. In fact, hockey is so revered in Canada that a group of kids playing the sport is featured on the $5 banknote.
10. Watch Out for Bears
There are about 500,000 bears scattered across the vast wilderness in Canada, and boy, do they mean business when they’re starving. Leave them alone and, hopefully, you’ll return home with all your limbs.
11. You Need a New Canadian Driver’s License
In general, your driver’s license from your country of origin will allow you to drive in Canada for between 60 and 90 days. After that, you need to line up at the Services office, where they’ll issue a new license after you pass their rigorous exams.
12. You Pay More Than the Price Tag Amount
Americans will feel right at home when shopping in brick-and-mortar shops in Canada. The price tags don’t include the sales tax (between 6 and 15%, depending on where you live). Don’t worry about bringing a calculator to the store; you can always remove items before paying the cashier.
13. Tipping Is a Way of Life
Tipping isn’t customary in many countries, but it’s a way of life in Canada. Servers rely on tips to survive, much like their counterparts in the States do. So, if you love the services provided to you, consider paying 15-20% more than the actual bill.
14. Canada Is as Multicultural as Can Be
Every country will try to convince you that they support multiculturalism, but Canada takes it a step further. Over 40 of their parliament members were born overseas. Take your culture with you when you move to Canada; your neighbors are more than willing to learn and share their customs with you.
15. High Internet Fees
Staying connected in Canada is going to cost you a pretty penny. Texting, calling, and internet expenses in Canada are among some of the most expensive in the world. If you’re new to the country, consider using public hotspots as much as possible until you land a job.
Begin Planning Your Move to Canada Today!
We hope we didn’t scare you off about moving to Canada. In all honesty, it’s not much different from living in the United States, though Canadians are a heck of a lot more polite than your average American. If you’re scared about moving to a new country, don’t be—Canada is more than happy to accept anyone from any background at any time!
