Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with canada

Can I fill my written US prescriptions in person at a local Canadian pharmacy??

soulbarn — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:56:02 -0800

I'm going to be in Canada next week. I was wondering if I could go into a local pharmacy with my written US prescriptions (non-controlled substances) and have them filled at Canada prices. Does anyone know? Pittfalls? (I'll be in Sherbrooke, if anyone ha recommendations.)

Tell me about professional development for teachers in Canada

terilou — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 07:19:27 -0800

Help me learn more about teaching in Ontario, please. I'm looking for information about continuing education/professional development for teachers in Ontario. I'm not a teacher--I'm not even Canadian, but I have a good grasp on how teachers' professional development/continuing education works in most states in the United States. I'd like to have a similar understanding of how these things work in Canada. For simplicity, I'm focusing on Ontario, but if you have information that's specific to other provinces, please feel free to share.

I'm not looking for information on BECOMING a teacher, but more about the kinds of education that teachers would undergo to renew their certification, get a pay raise, or become an administrator. In the U.S., this is most commonly accomplished through graduate coursework leading to a Master's degree. Is it the same in Ontario?

I've tried to google for the answers to my questions, but it doesn't seem to be something that's laid out anywhere. I know I'd be hard-pressed to find the information for any state in the United States, also--it's common knowledge among the teachers and principals, but not really written down in any one place. These things sometimes vary

If you know of any good resources for this kind of information, please point me in the right direction. For people who are teachers or know teachers in Ontario, anecdotal or "common knowledge" information is welcome also.

Dominosteine in Vancouver?

findango — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 10:52:05 -0800

WeihnachtsFilter: anyone have a confirmed source for Dominosteine in Vancouver? I will try European Specialty Food Imports, but they are closed (or not answering the phone) today.

Thanks!

All I want for Christmas is my yum smoked meat.

nosila — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:19:12 -0800

I'm traveling to Dallas on Northwest Airlines from Montreal Pierre Trudeau Airport tomorrow morning. I just bought three pounds of smoked meat that is NOT shrink wrapped. Can I take it? Can I carry it on? I just spoke with someone from Travelocity and someone from U.S. Customs at the New York border. Both said to put it in my luggage and it should be fine. I wasn't planning on checking a bag. Obviously, I CAN check a bag, and I will if I have to, but does anyone have any experience doing this, either in checked luggage or carry-on? Thanks!

How do I obtain a certified copy of my Canadian passport?

tickingclock — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:29:47 -0800

How do I obtain a certified copy of my Canadian passport? I am applying for a scholarship which asks that I provide proof of my Canadian citizenship. According to the scholarship website, this is what is required:

one certified copy of the following: birth certificate, citizenship card or passport (do not include original documents). A certificate of baptism is not accepted as proof of Canadian citizenship. Photocopies of "certified copies" cannot be accepted.

What does this mean? Does the passport office offer services for obtaining a certified copy?

After some Googling, I discovered that there is a company called Red Seal Notary that seems to offer a relevant service. Is this what the scholarship website means by a certified copy?

I did find this previous AskMe, but the question was for the UK and I wanted to post a separate question for Canada, just in case.

Thanks in advance!

Canadian clothing lines/stores for the big busted lady?

thelaze — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:55:10 -0800

Are there any stores or clothing lines for busty (but not plus size) women in Canada? I know about the fabulous Bravissimo for those of us whose disproportionately large boobies make buying regular clothes a chore, but sadly they only have stores in the UK. I'm a bit wary of online shopping for clothing so I've been trying to find something similar that's a bit closer to home (Toronto). I would love to be able to actually go in and try something on before buying.

Anyone have any ideas for where a relatively petite (dress size 6/8) but G/H cup size Canadian woman should shop?

Game Over

Sully — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:43:49 -0800

MagazineDistributionFilter: I used to buy the videogame magazine GameInformer at my local bookstores and magazine shops. I live in Montreal, Canada. I did this for years, going out during my lunchbreak and picking it up, then reading it on the bus home after work. Then, all of a sudden this past January, all the stores stopped getting it. I looked everywhere. All the big bookstores, all the magazine store chains. It was frankly, bizarre. The only place that still seemed to get it was EB Games, and they only got a few copies. I now subscribe to the magazine, but the question of why they would suddenly stop distributing to newsstands here has plagued me. Does anyone know?

Do I have to leave Canada to enter Canada?

Shepherd — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:00:50 -0800

Can I visit a Canadian border station without leaving Canada? Long story short: wife (U.S. citizen) needs to renew a temporary resident permit (TRP) to stay in Canada, we screwed up the paperwork, and there's a 4-6 month wait to process these things.

But she has an immigration interview in New York in January; we have to leave the country (obviously) for it. We'd much rather have a fresh TRP than have her try to re-enter Canada with an expired TRP and an explanation of how we screwed up the extension paperwork.

We live very close to a border station, and were considering just driving down and -- since it's where the TRP was initially issued -- seeing if they could issue another one rather than mailing everything back to the government. It's the same money and requirements there on the spot as it is far away.

BUT... she has "implied status" while she lives in Canada, since the extension hasn't been REFUSED, just on hold until we re-submit the appropriate paperwork. We don't want to LEAVE the country and re-enter to see them at the immigration desk, because if they can't renew the TRP, she might not be allowed back in. Period.

So: do we have to LEAVE Canada to see the people at an immigration station on the U.S. border? Or is it allowable to drive/walk over to it from the Canadian side and visit without leaving Canada?

This is most probably the station by Stanstead, if it makes a difference: Derby Line, VT on the American side.

Any difference for renting a car in Toronto if you are a foreigner or a local?

khregs — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 10:26:16 -0800

Car rental advice please! I have a group of relatives coming from overseas to visit me in southern Ontario for the holidays. We need to rent a minivan to cart everyone around. What is the best approach - for me to book the rental under my name, for them to book the rental under their name, or is there be no advantage either way? Bonus notes ... driving duties will be shared between me (canadian) and my brother-in-law (brazilian). I will be meeting them all at Pearson Airport where we will pick up the vehicle and then BIL will likely drive it from there. BIL has an international driver's license.

An Australian iPhone in the US of A

robcorr — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:30:49 -0800

I'm an Australian who is holidaying in the US and Canada in December -- from Sunday! I have an iPhone and I would like to know whether I can use it for 3G data while I'm there. I've waded through a number of telephony and travel forums to try to piece this together myself, but they're contradictory and circumstances seem to change constantly.

Let me set out what I *think* is the simplest way to do this, and hopefully you can provide either confirmation or corrections.

1. Network unlock my phone. (Done -- restoring as we speak.)

2. Change my credit card's address to my hotel address.

3. Buy an AT&T GoPhone Pay As You Go sim pack.

4. Put the sim into a phone -- not the iPhone.

5. Visit the AT&T activation site, entering the other phone's EMEI and my hotel's address.

6. While I'm at the AT&T site, buy a $20/100MB data pack.

7. Using wifi, visit one of the sites that allows me to patch the US carrier details into my iPhone.

8. Transfer the AT&T sim to my iPhone; cross my fingers.

Is this right? Does this mean I need to buy a throwaway phone just to activate the SIM? Is there an easier way?

For instance, some people say that T-Mobile has a better prepaid data offer that doesn't require hoop-jumping to activate in the iPhone (albeit Edge rather than 3G), but others say it's no longer available.

And finally, I'll be in Canada for about a week. I won't bother trying to get a Canadian sim for such a short period, but it'd be nice to know whether the US plan will work there.

Thanking you in advance.

Should we stay or should we go to The Great White North?

salsamander — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:30:26 -0800

Are my skills employable in Canada? My wife is considering a Ph.D. program in Toronto, and I don't know if my experience as a paralegal and journalist would allow me to find employment. Help! My wife is considering getting her doctorate at several schools. She's applied to several here in the US (where we're citizens) and is being encouraged to apply at a specific, and very attractive and exciting program, at the University of Toronto. We're worried that I won't be able to find employment in Canada to pay our bills! Owing to the current state of the economy, I've been laid off from my last two jobs and haven't found work in months. I've worked as a paralegal in various capacities (litigation, Federal court matters, collection, quasi-regulatory financial) and also have a background with web-based journalism. I can assemble and fix computers, so I've considered taking some sort of certification test.

I know Toronto will be expensive, and the stipend my wife would receive probably wouldn't cover our expenses. Should we play it safe and stay in the US? Or is it worth the risk to accept any offer from Toronto and hope I can find a job?

Where to buy a specific clock.

Mitheral — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:03:18 -0800

Where can I get a kitchen clock similar to this one. Difficulty: Plug in electric not battery operated. By similar I mean:

relatively plain.
8-10 inches in diameter.
Relatively thick as pictured.
As previously mentioned it must be plug in electric not battery operated which is the problem with the pictured clock.
Up to 40 dollars.

I'd prefer a Canadian source, brick and mortar or online, but I'm willing to pull from the states as long as shipping isn't more than the clock (IE: No FedEX/UPS only shipping options).

Remotely buying a computer in the UK from Canada

krunk — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:40:49 -0800

My parents (in Canada) are trying to buy a PC for their family in the UK, but they're having trouble finding a store that will take their money. Apparently they won't accept foreign credit cards, or even money orders. He's tried Dell, PC World, Curry's, and a few others. Any ideas?

recovering photos from a gnawed-upon SD card

scruss — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 08:41:19 -0800

Are there any services (preferably in Canada) that will attempt to get data from a damaged SD card? A friend has baby pictures on an SD card, which said baby later found and used as an inappropriate teething aid. The card doesn't show up on any computer/card reader, though most card readers do accept it.

I've tried RescuePro, PhotoRec and PhotoRescue, all on Mac. None of them even see the volume.

Where should I live in Vancouver?

Alex404 — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:06:16 -0800

Where should I live in Vancouver? So, I've recently moved from Toronto to Vancouver, to do an 8 month stint at a lab at UBC. I'm currently staying at a friend's, but am planning on moving out in January.

Where should I live!? I'm a total west end, downtown, night life loving, pub crawling, cafe haunting, everywhere walking Torontonian, and I'm finding the transition to Van a little difficult. I can totally see why people love Van, and I'm trying to remain open minded, but I'm really not an outdoorsy type (I like parks, but have no urge to take off in the mountains for intensive recreation), and I crave some scene.

I've heard that I want to locate myself either in the downtown, or maybe commercial drive area. I just want an existence where groceries, coffee shops, bars, etc are within walking distance, and I'll bike to UBC when I need to head over there (proximity to UBC isn't important).

Thanks for your help! Canada rocks.

What do you use your cell phone for?

Decimask — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:10:52 -0800

What do you use your cell phone for? Odd question, I know. Some short background:

I got my first cell about 3 years ago--a super-basic cell with the minimum number of bells and whistles I could find. I have yet to pay a dime on ringtones, games or wallpapers. What I've come to realise is that:

A camera would have been handy

Making calender entries without a QWERTY keyboard sucks

Now I'm planning on moving to a plan of some kind. But I'm seeing features on some phones and wondering: What the hell would I ever need that for?

So, like it says on the front page, what are you using your cell phone for?

A little help, eh?

I_Love_Bananas — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 07:48:28 -0800

Help me find a Canada hoodie... ... for an Xmas gift. I am sure it's anime or manga-related, since that's her world, but my niece asked for specifically a red hoodie with a white maple leaf for Xmas. I cannot find one anywhere.

I need online options only! As long as it gets here by Xmas, I can order from anywhere that will ship in time. It can also have the word "Canada" on it, but it needs to be red with white, no other color options. THANKS!!

Will any British Columbia vineyards ship ice wine to California?

mote — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:07:58 -0800

Will any British Columbia vineyards ship ice wine to California? A former supervisor, who lives in California, got me a job interview in Vancouver that went really well. I'd like to express my appreciation with something suitably Canadian. canadianwineshop.com seems happy to ship from Ontario vineyards, which is close, but I thought I'd see if y'all could get me any closer! I appreciate that alcohol shipments seem to fall into an insane regulatory environment, though. Thanks!

How to avoid the H1N1 while vacationing it its hotspots?

pick_the_flowers — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:09:11 -0800

How can I make sure I don't get H1N1 for Christmas? I live in a (underdeveloped) country where only 1 case of H1N1 has been reported. It was reported about 2 weeks ago. I've learned Tamiflu is (allegedly) available here, but there is no talk of vaccine.

I'm going to Canada for Christmas/New Year.

I'm concerned that the H1N1 is going to spoil my vacation; it seems so many people I know either have it now or have had it recently.

Can I get some kind of vaccination upon arrival? Is that a good plan?

Looking for advice.

Wrong address on the envelope, what am I to do?

913 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:00:50 -0800

Canada Post filter: I sent a registered letter yesterday. I JUST realized that the return address I put on the envelope is slightly incorrect. What can I do? - The address isn't totally incorrect. It should be 905-109 Street but I accidentally wrote down 109-905 Street (there is no such address in my city - it's technically the middle of a park).

- The letter inside the envelope has the correct address on it.

- For all intents and purposes, I'm not able to contact the recipient to tell them the address on the envelope is incorrect.

Basically, I'm looking to see what my options are. I've tried calling Canada Post but they're closed until tomorrow morning (I will try again then).

Do people respond to letters (to a company) via the address on the envelope or would they use the address on the letter? Would I be able to re-direct mail from that address to mine? Main issue is that it would probably be registered mail coming to me, too - so I'd have to sign for it.

Prescription to Move.

beautifulcheese — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:02:42 -0800

Canada Filter: I live on Vancouver Island, BC. We just had 180mm of rain in a day and a bit. I have Seasonal Affective Disorder. The two do not mix. Where should I move? I also struggle with depression the rest of the year so there really seems to be no respite. Today my psychiatrist recommended that I should think about moving somewhere else for the long run. It is getting harder and harder to get through each fall/winter.

So where should I move? I need to stay in Canada simply because I love my country. I'd like it to be sunny but not too hot in the summer (nothing above 27-30C on average). I don't like the cold or snow but I suppose I could adapt. It just isn't something I have ever experienced and it frightens me.

It feels like I am in the mildest climate of Canada already and I prefer that. I just need sun added in. I would settle for less gray and not constant rain.

So suggestions? Favourite places? Experiences of places where you felt the weather lift your mood?

30% exchange rate, really? Give me a break, weight watchers!

cgg — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:36:23 -0800

WeightWatchers Canada vs WeightWatchers United States -- is there a difference, besides price, for the online version? I'm thinking of joining the online version of WeightWatchers. The main site (the .com), has three months for $65 USD. The canadian version (.ca) has the same three months for $85 CDN. Last time I checked, it's been years (decades?) since the exchange rate was 30%. Does anyone know why on earth I should sign up for the Canadian version? Assume I'm not interested in their real life meetings at all. Do they not take Canadian credit cards? Is there a difference between the programs, or does one take canada-specific products into account? Do they just assume canadians are suckers?

Does anyone have a Toronto bank that they love?

scrute — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:15:02 -0800

My bank has quit the banking business leaving me high and dry -what is your favourite non-TD or BMO banking option in Toronto? I have been a big fan of Citizen's Bank of Canada (not the same as the US bank of the same name) for years, but they have gone out of business. While they have sold mortgages and secured credit to TD, they are leaving those of us with unsecured lines of credit on our own (TD's choice I believe).

I need to replace my unsecured line of credit ($10k) and open a new account. I don't have much in the way of assets but have a stable, reasonable salary and a good credit rating. I also have a relative who is happy to co-sign on a line of credit, but most banks now refuse this practice and I do not want a traditional loan.

I am happy to consider credit unions or similar alternatives. I have had horrible experiences with Bank of Montreal and TD in the past and have no interest in banking with either of those institutions.

So, where can I get my line of credit with a reasonable interest rate and a good chequing account? Bonus points for affordable wire transfers and programs for New Canadians (my husband lives overseas (wire transfers) but will be moving here once we manage to sort out his visa (New Canadian programs)).

Where to buy daiginjo sake in Vancouver

findango — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:24:13 -0800

Where can I buy a bottle of Daiginjo sake in Vancouver? BC Liquor Stores carry a number of Junmai and Ginjo options, but no Daiginjo, from what I've seen. Does anyone know where I might look (preferably downtown)? I've checked Granville Island already. Cheers!

Can someone recommend a reliable, reasonably priced vendor for snap frames in Vancouver or Canada?

branparsons — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:34:43 -0800

Can someone recommend a reliable, reasonably priced vendor for snap frames in Vancouver or Canada? I'm looking for a company in Vancouver (BC) or Canada who sells snap frames like the ones on this site at a reasonable cost.

Any recommendations from those have experience with a vendor (through this product or any other) would be fantastic, but any tips in general are appreciated! I can also look at America if someone has preferred vendor there. (I'm sort of looking at displays2go, linked above, but not sure about their reputation and want to compare pricing, etc.)