Did you know??? Interesting facts about Canada...
Trip Start
Jul 01, 2008
1
12
16
Trip End
Sep 01, 2009
Toronto,
Ontario,
Canada
Friday, July 18, 2008
We decided to apply for all neccessary documents today and were able to do only one out of three. For the medical we need the proof of address (but we'll get it sooner or later because as you know, Canada has a public health system), but most ridiculous one is the driver's licence. First of all, Canada does not have a Department of Transportation or a similar name that makes sense. Here, when you want to apply for a driver's licence, you go to Services Ontario. All the public government offices we had to visit were located at shopping malls, and when we were searching on-line for a post office, it was directing us to various pharmacies! Looks like they have more postal services at pharmacies than the actual post offices...
So, going back to the driver's licence: you can transfer your American driver's licence to Ontario's, but they will take the American one away from you!!! Unless you don't want to transfer and just apply for a new Canadian driver's licence, but then you have to wait one year to take the test! Kanada to dziwny kraj... Oh, and we asked the security guy at Services Ontario about ID, and he said they don't have anything like that! Sounds strange, we will have to investigate on that...
So we learned a lot today about Canada.
Tired od trying to understand different rules and regulations, we decided to treat ourselves in the evening and got delicious Polish mushroom dumplings with borscht, some freshly baked pork shoulder, sweets for dessert (Krowki i Flipsy orzechowe), and Ukrainian and Polish beer! Pycha!
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Some other interesting facts about Canada:
* Sales tax in Ontario is 13% (10% on entertainment and alcohol at restaurants, and 12% on alcohol at retail stores).
* Restroom is called a Washroom.
* No alcohol is sold at grocery stores. Not even beer & wine. You have special liquor stores for that. The most popular is LCBO.
* Drinking age is 19, and we found out that a lot of people from Buffalo, NY of this age come here to party.
* Groceries are slightly more expensive than in the States, Cosmetics at drug stores are 30-70% more expensive, and clothes are about the same (this is what I've seen so far...)
* Girls dress up really well in downtown of Toronto (I cannot say the same about where we live...)
I guess we'll add some more interesting facts later on...
Laters,
issa
