Oh, Canada. The land of igloos and maple syrup. Where everyone says sorry and drinks Tim Horton's. It's a beautiful place to visit (and yes, it's more than just Toronto), but like any country, there are plenty of dos and don'ts to remember when visiting.
A Redditor asked Canadians, "What are some less obvious "don'ts" in Canada?" Many had a lot to say about their home and native land.
"Here in southern Ontario, winter can be -30 [-22 Fahrenheit] with wind-chill, and summer temps can reach +30 [86 Fahrenheit] or more with humidex. It's a good idea to dress in layers no matter the season."
As a Canadian myself, I can attest to the fact that the temperatures can get crazy. From freezing to warm in a single week, or even a day!
For the most part, Canadians are very serious about not having shoes indoors. In a country where the weather can change on a dime, it just doesn't make sense. You never know what's on your soles.
Though the original Reddit thread is asked by a European person, this is pretty good advice for Americans to remember, too.
"Also, when asked how far away something is, we tend to answer in time units. It's 'a ten hour drive,' or 'a two hour ferry ride,' or 'a five hour flight.'"
Canada is the second largest country by area. You can hardly travel across one province in a day, let alone coast to coast.
"It's not strictly necessary etiquette but don't be surprised if someone does that to you."
Unless you live in a big city or a densely populated area, people are going to nod or say hi to you when you pass them on the street. It's a cultural thing, I guess.
This is especially true if you find yourself on highway 401 during rush hour. It is, after all, the busiest highway in North America.
"The number of times I’ve seen tourists feeding bears along the side of the road is staggering. That puts everyone at risk all because people want to stage a fun photo. That bear is at potential risk of being shot and it is very unsafe for the people that gather around."
Bears aren't unique to Canada, so it's weird that people would even think to do this...
"The sayings, expressions and swear words have evolved separately over centuries, just like new world English speakers."
I speak French, and let me tell you: Canadian French is very different from France French.
People may underestimate the bears in Canada, but they really underestimate these guys. Canadian geese are fiercely territorial and will chase you down if you get too close to their families. Unfortunately, they also have teeth.
A donair is a modified Turkish doner sandwich that originated in a Halifax (Nova Scotia) restaurant. You just have to respect it for what it is!
It's generally pronounced like New-Fin-Land, or New-Fun-Land. If you say it like it's three different words, people will definitely look at you funny.
Escalator etiquette is very big in Canada. It's just like driving on the street; slow traffic keeps right, and fast traffic passes on the left.
Sure, we might all speak the same language (for the most part), but Canada and the United States are two very different countries. And Canadians hate being confused for Americans.
Canada is full of good drivers. Unfortunately, it's also full of... bad drivers. I feel like the amount of bad drivers is what makes the good drivers so good, if that makes sense.
Come to think of it, you'll see very few cars or trucks with Canadian flags on them. But you'll see them on people's front yards a lot. I guess you don't really need to remind people you're Canadian if you're already in Canada.
This is definitely related to the point about Canadian weather being wide-ranging and unpredictable. You might even see snow in June, so dress accordingly.
If you're planning on taking the bus anywhere, make sure you take an earlier one. Because the buses in Canada always seem to be running late for one reason or another.
Just like Newfoundland, Toronto isn't strictly pronounced the way it's spelled. There are plenty of other cities like that too, like Calgary.
Tipping is pretty normal in the U.S. and Canada, but I always forget that most other countries... don't tip. Tipping culture isn't perfect, but if you don't tip in Canada, it's considered pretty disrespectful to the servers.
"...it's considered rude if you don't respond to 'thank you' with 'no problem!' or 'you're welcome.'"
"No worries!" is another acceptable response. Or really, anything that acknowledges the fact that somebody said thank you.
"This is where our famous ‘Sorry’ comes from. You’re not apologizing, you’re just acknowledging someone else’s existence and voicing consideration in their general direction."
"Sorry" is used in a lot of different context, not just to apologize to somebody. Sorry is used in place of "excuse me," if someone is in your way, or if you didn't hear what they said ("sorry?"), or because you're in the way. The Canadian "sorry," is multi-use.
