Canadian Tipping Customs

Tipping in Canada is very similar to that in the United States due to the relatively close nature of the two countries. Like their American counterparts, waiters in Canada receive a 15-20% gratuity for good service.

Tips make up the majority of a server's salary because most restaurants pay their staff minimum wage. Wait staff must also tip out to the kitchen, bus staff, hostess and others too, meaning they may only take home 8-10% of a given tip. Servers sometimes must pay out of their own   More...

Canada Time zones

Would you believe a Canadian came up with the idea of standardized time? Prior to 1885, towns set their time by the sun. Noon meant the sun was directly overhead, which worked for some but caused massive headaches for people like Sir Sandford Flemming, Chief Engineer of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

The lack of any official time structure often caused problems for departure and arrival times for his trains, especially with a country as large as Canada. Flemming's first proposal of 24 time   More...

Canada's Top 10 Attractions

Exactly what makes Canada the world's second-largest country in the world has more to do with its people than the 8,000 kilometers (500 miles) of red and white-blooded land separating the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. They are equally as appreciative of the thousands of manmade and natural attractions that draw millions of visitors each year and will stop on a dime to tell you about the best poutine joint in Quebec, lobster restaurant in Nova Scotia or sushi bar in Vancouver.

Satisfying your appetite   More...

Renting a Car in Canada

Ambitious drivers be warned. Mapping the world's second largest country through a car window can be as tedious as it is rewarding. Long stretches of highway, although imbued in scenery, can wear out their welcome faster than the in-laws on Thanksgiving. Yet year after year, hundreds, maybe thousands trek the seam of asphalt between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Crazy? Probably. But more than likely they have more time then the average traveler. To drive across Canada, and still take in all   More...

Canada's Health Care System

The last stop anyone wants to make during their vacation is to the hospital. It can be a huge damper on your trip. Yet thousands of visitors make unexpected stops to Canadian hospitals and emergency rooms because of injuries, allergies or general illness every year. It can happen to anyone. Fortunately, Canada's healthcare system is regarded as being among the best in both quality and affordability.

While resident Canadians enjoy free healthcare, visiting patients are charged a fee depending   More...

Statutory Holidays in Canada

Federal Statutory Holidays

The following lists Canada's federal statutory holidays. Government offices, schools, banks and some stores in Canada are closed on these dates:

• New Year's Day - January 1
• Good Friday - Friday preceding Easter
• Easter Monday - Monday immediately after Easter
• The date for Easter is set each year by a formula adopted by Christian churches (the first Sunday after the first fourteenth day of the Paschal Full Moon that is on or   More...