About our country knows very little about Canada. NHL and maple syrup - perhaps, on this knowledge of the Russian man in the street about the country are limited. In general, the security situation in Canada can be described in three words: a very safe country. Which, moreover, has great potential for the development of tourism.

Annually, the Canadian authorities allocate about $ 80 million to the state program to attract foreign tourists. The rules of importation / exportation from Canadian customs are standard: it is forbidden to import perishable products, explosives, weapons, drugs, resale items, plants and seeds. Tourists from Russia wishing to visit Canada for less than 6 months need to obtain a visa.

Public order

Foreigners who come to Canada for tourist purposes or study note the high level of security in the country. Nevertheless, we advise you to be more careful on the outskirts of big cities, especially Ottawa and Montreal, and also in the "black" quarters.

In the metro and at the stations you can stumble upon a large number of homeless people. For the most part, they are harmless, since the state takes good care of them, but hostile individuals can also meet. In this case, contact local police immediately.

Smoking in public places is prohibited in most Canadian provinces. For disobedience, a smoker is fined.

Change the currency "from hand" - a common trick of crooks. To exchange money, banks, exchange offices, airports, stations or hotels should be used.

Canada has many national parks and nature reserves: they are the pride of Canadians, and it is strictly forbidden to litter them on their territory, build bonfires or harm the environment environment in some other way.

About cultural diversity

There are a lot of visitors in Canada. Immigrants coexist peacefully, and the diversity of cultures and religions is welcome. For example, here you can meet a Chinese, not a word who does not know in Chinese, but excellently speaks in English. Or another example: the official language of Quebec is French. Nevertheless, the French spoken in Canada is very different from its European brother, and so that you can immediately not understand what kind of language ...

Be careful with xenophobic statements: according to the Canadian law you can be held accountable for them.

In a conversation, it is desirable to avoid such "sick" for Canadians as independence of Quebec and the current situation of the indigenous population of Canada.

On the road

If you decided to rent a car, consider the following:

• in Canada right-hand drive
• in Quebec province road signs only in French (and in Vancouver they are in English and Chinese);
• on motorways in some big cities of Canada there is a band "Diamond Lane" - it is only for the movement of buses and sometimes for taxis and / or bicyclists, and the journey through it threatens you with a fine (not to mention the risks of an accident);
• in many Canadian cities (with the exception of Montreal) is allowed to turn right onto the red light (after stop); ±​​$ parking near the fire hydrant is prohibited;
• on canada There are possible burglaries in big cities in big cities, so we strongly recommend that you do not leave valuables in the car. Due to the prevalence of this type of theft, in Montreal (and in some other cities) for a car door that is not unlocked, or for valuables left in the car, you can even be fined;
• Driving under the influence threatens deportation from the country ;
• In many Canadian provinces there are high fines for talking on a mobile phone in the car while driving.

The nature does not have bad weather ...

In winter, in Canada, storms and snow blizzards are possible , especially common in the eastern territories (on the Atlantic Pober hedgehog), but sometimes possible in the west of the country. If you travel by car, find out in advance the weather forecast, and also take with you a set of accessories for first aid: in a heavy storm you may have to spend the night in the car. In eastern Canada, you need to dress warmly, wear a scarf and gloves, because of the strong winter winds, there is a risk of frostbite.

In summer, wildfires occur in the western and northwestern parts of the country (especially in British Columbia). In this case, the roads will be blocked, therefore, before going on a trip by car, check the news bulletins.

Useful addresses and phones

911 - universal rescue phone (ambulance, police, fire service). In regions not covered by this system, you need to dial '0' and call the desired service through the operator.

The Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Toronto:

175 Bloor Street East, South Tower, Suite 801, Toronto, Ontario

Tel .: 1-416-962-99-11

Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Montreal:

3655, Avenue du Musée, Montréal, Québec

Tel .: 1-514-843-59-01

Nadezhda Kantur