: The most asked questions by border guards are about these three. You will pay duty if you bring more alcohol and tobacco than the current limit per person. They cost less in many other countries.
Hand guns may not be taken into Canada unless you are participating in competition. You may take a long gun into Canada if it is on the approved list. Follow the steps at:
. After you see what guns can be brought, download form PDF file JUS 909. Fill it out, but do not sign it until you are in the presence of the customs officer. Answer all questions and pay the fee of $50.00.
Check the website as close as possible prior to your trip for any updates. Remember that we have very good food in Canada and shopping is a big part of the travel experience. Your big box store meat may come from South America. I try to have at least one restaurant meal per week to sample local meals. Remember the best cooks won't be in places that look like home.
Bringing Pets Into Canada: Health of Animals -- Pet Imports
You will notice that your pets should be in good health. My vet has recommended a recent vet signed certificate of good health. Remember Border Guards can confiscate your pet food. I have my dogs on a brand that I can buy on both sides of the border.
Passports: Remember that at the moment if you have to fly to the United States, you need a passport now. There is talk about alternative identification, but nothing concrete yet. To get back the States in 2008, you will need a passport.
Towing Regulations: What you can tow in Canada:
Provincial RV Regulations It's by province. Can you tow a boat behind your 5er, etc. Remember 39.2 inches to the meter.
Cell Phones: Many have found it very useful to pick up a cell phone card in a big box store soon after crossing the border. Here are a few cell phone service providers:
Bell Aliant
Shop Rogers
Telus Mobility
Television: Check with your provider. Satellite dishes with a particular provider are more effective in more southern areas of Canada.
Metric:
World Wide Metric Miles are especially important 50 km/hr is closest to 30 mph, 80 km/hr to 50 mph, 100 km/hr to 60 mph. One litre is more than 1 U.S. quart. One U.S. gallon is 3.7843 litres. To calculate what you're paying for gas = price per litre x 3.7843 x
exchange rate. Give yourself less than prime rate.
Time Zones: you don't want to miss your ferry or your theatre reservation because you didn't change your clocks. Here's where you can check
time zones and if you're not sure, check these cities at
World Clock.
Newfoundland -- St. John's
Atlantic -- Halifax
Eastern -- Montreal
Central -- Winnipeg
Mountain -- Edmonton
Pacific -- Vancouver
Connect via Canadian Media:
Canadian Broadcasting Corp., or just turn the dial. This will tune you in on many Canadian customs and most importantly, make you aware of the time zone you're in. It's part of appreciating the area where you are. I know one person who hunts up the online newspapers for the communities where he plans to visit.
Internet Access: Many public centres have computers and internet connectivity via the national Community Access Program. The current government has severely reduced federal spending, but several provinces have continued or upped their support to public centers with computers for public use. In most cases this is free. Many of these places have wireless or wifi connectivity. If they have broadband connectivity, wifi access is always available. Wifi won't go through brick. I am sure that most public libraries in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador have wifi access. Most tourism centers also have computers for public use. Internet Cafes are also fairly common.
Changing your Money: The worst place to change your money is your local U.S. bank, just because it's local. Almost and maybe completely without exception credit cards and ATMs now charge a fee for international transactions. Three percent is average. This amounts to $3.00 per $100.00. With credit cards you get the exchange rate of the date of your purchase. If you have to get cash, go to an ATM or a Canadian bank. Canadian banks are national and have significantly lower fees than U.S. banks.
A good source of prime exchange rate is
BMO Capital Markets Remember to give yourself not quite a good rate.
The worst rate you will ever get is using United States currency in a store. A store has to make money. Not every store will accept U.S., money particularly smaller stores in remote regions.
National Park and Heritage Site Passes information can be found at the following websites:
Parks Canada Passes and
Parks Canada
Google Maps: Use
www.google.ca. Click on maps. You can see what a place looks like. Does the campground have trees? You can put in the name of a place, then the specific campground.
Or you can put in a postal code.
Or you can left click and move the map with your mouse until you find the place you want. Double clicks bring you in closer. Then click satellite. Places shot more recently will be closer than older satellite images. I won't give away where I live in Newfoundland, but it's more clear (& 532 feet from ground) than the RVing Outpost store at "1013 E. Spruce Street, Abbotsford, WI 54405." Just try that and check the satellite view. The only way I know to move to a wider view is by using the minus "-" sign.
Webcams for the Continent can be found at the
Canada Web Cam Locator.
Date Added: 2007-05-06
877-523-4446 (toll free)
715-223-3800 (phone & fax)
Abbotsford, WI 54405
Bringing Alcohol, Tobacco and Guns into Canada: The most asked questions by border guards are about these three. You will pay duty if you bring more alcohol and tobacco than the current limit per person. They cost less in many other countries. 
