The best when travelling abroad is to use credit cards and ATMs for cash. Typically you'll get th best exchange rate of the day (since it does actually fluctuate) and there is no fee like there are at most currency exchange counters set up for tourists.

Sigmagirl,
Last time I went to Toronto I found it easier to exchange it either just over boarder (there are some exchange knosks) or if you staying anywhere near the airport----I did a lot of my exchanging there. I also didn't get assessed any fees.
It's a lot easier to use Canadian currency because you don't have to figure out the percentages.

Quite honestly, anyone who's worked in the service industry in general can probably come up with a similar list!!!

Hi sigmagrrl,
A few things....
It is probably best to obtain Canadian money while in Canada. Also, Credit Cards and ATMs are a good way to go.
MasterCard and VISA are used a bit more widely than Am/Ex cards.

As for some "faux pas", these are things that bug me, as a Canadian...
- when people say "you Canadians say eh a lot". (CUZ I don't!)
- you Canadians pronounce it "oot" and "aboot" (for out and about)
- please don't make remarks that our money is all different colours and that it is "monopoly money". I have traveled all over the world and more often than not, the legal tenders of the world have different coloured denominations.

That's about it. Enjoy your time while in Toronto, and when you go back to the USA, make sure that you get rid of your Canadian coins, since you might not be able to get rid of your coins when you get back to the USA!

Have FUN!! :D

Go to the bank. It doesnt matter where it is but if you go to a store then they will rip you off.

You can only get exchange rate on anything a dollar and more.

The money is easy:

BLUE-5 dollars
Purple: Ten
Green: 20
Red-50

Do not get $50 or $100 bills. A lot of places in Canada will not except $100 bills because we have had a lot of forgeries.

Yellow: dollar
Red and yellow: $2.

Its pretty easy to figure out. BIG NUMBErs.

Oh if you ever go to Hull either speak good french or none at all! hahhahaha they hate english.

Another note: Walmart does NOT sell beer. The LCBO and Beer Store do and they close before 9 and they (i dont think) are open sundays.

Another note about our currency:

$1 coins are called Loonies and $2 coins are called toonies.

I love loonies and toonies ... but I always think I'm running out of money when I'm not, because I'm not used to having change of much value in my wallet! The Sacajawea dollar coins haven't really caught on yet.

That took some getting used to, especially when the Toonie was first introduced, I thought I had no cash on me, then I would dump out my change purse and find about $20 in there.

Some beer stores are open until 10 or 11. The Beer Stores that close earlier usually have a handy dandy sign on the door telling you the location of the next closest beer store that is open later. Aren't we such nice folk?

One thing you should definately take advantage of while you're here is the shopping. We have some fantastic stores and a shirt that is 50 dollars here is only about 30 bux U.S. Shop like mad!!! I know I would. Just be warned that in Ontario you'll be charged a whopping 15% tax on everything you buy. (Yah, I know it's a lot, but we have great health care, so don't slam us!). It sounds like a lot, and it is. But you lucky Americans get the Goverment Sales Tax (which is 8% I believe) back when you go back over the border. Just make sure you keep your receipts and pick up a GST form.

Guess that's all the advice I have. Have a blast here. Toronto is a GREAT city :).

I think the single biggest rise I saw out of any Canadian this past week was when one of my brothers ran out of cash and told the fella that he'd just run back to the hotel and print more up on his computer:D

Something about being in town with around 500 of your brothers makes you say very brave things...

I'm an American living in Canada (and married to a Canadian) and all I have to say about that post is...

"You hate us 'cause you ain't us!" :D

Actually, I've decided to elaborate on a couple of points. It's mostly light-hearted, but also a direct by-product of hearing anti-American rhetoric almost every day of the 16 months that I've lived here:

1. It is not neccessary to wear the American flag on every peice of clothing that you wear..or wear Tommy Hilfiger every day. I know you love your country but you dont have to wear a USA shirt EVERY DAY AND EVERY WHERE YOU GO.

But if you're Canadian (or even if you aren't), be sure to wear a Canadian flag all over your clothing and on your day pack so that everyone will know that you're not like those nasty Americans. It's okay to be patriotic if you're from anywhere except the United States.


2. Just because you are an American it doesnt mean you have ANY special status in Canada. yes you are an American, No you do not have to tell me every 5 mins and NO you are not going to be waited on hand and foot at every second even if you yell: I AM AN AMERICAN!!

However, if you're Canadian, you certainly get special status in the United States, especially if you're an actor or a comedian.


4. PLEASE exchange your money BEFORE YOU COME because its not by law that resorts or any other places other than the bank have to give the exchange rate. WE DO NOT GIVE EXCHANGE RATE ON PENNIES. Just because its American Money doesnt mean it gets the exchange rate.
Please refrain from complaining every five minutes about "how expensive" everything is when you come to visit your neighbo(u)rs to the south. It gets really old, really fast, and although we're terribly sorry about the state of the Canadian peso, it's really not our fault that the rest of the financial world responds with "Canada, who?" when asked about the value of the Canadian dollar.


5. Please do not throw my currency in my face and yell at me to configure out this CRAZY CANUCK MONEY! No offence but our change is very EASY to figure out. It looks EXACTLY identical to yours! WOW!
See response above. And please don't go on and on about how "boring" the colo(u)rs are on American money. Maybe that's the problem with Canadian currency; it looks like Monopoly money, so people don't take it seriously!

6. Do not expect every place to carry Budwiser Beer. We like to drink good beer-*that was a cheap shot and just a joke!* When you order a beer it is not-CanadianBlueBluelite its Canadian OR BLue. Do not constantly compare our beer to yours.
No, you'd much rather sit back on your (diminished) laurels and say how much better you are than the US while 95% of Canadians live so close to the US border it's like they're huddled there to keep warm.

7. We do not say EH at the end of every sentence so dont expect us to.
And we don't all say "you all" at the end of every sentence, and if we're Southern, we don't all sound like Jed Clampett or Elly Mae. If you're going to try to amuse us by saying "y'all", please learn this little tip: IT IS NEVER USED IN THE SINGULAR!

8. You do not have to talk to Canadians like they are 5 years old..or call us Baby U.S or think we live in Igloos.
And you do not have to publish silly lists telling Americans how to behave when we visit up north. We are not the big bad bullies you may think we are. Some of us actually know where Ottawa is on the map, eh?

9. Dont look so amazed that we have highways and hydro..ooh and do not ask: Do you know where Ohio is? Because we do know where things are in the world.
Unless you're the guy who tried to sell us a car, who, when he found out I was from Atlanta, asked me how the gambling was there, becuase he thought Atlanta (Georgia) was ATLANTIC CITY.

11. No we do not have 3-5 Walmarts in every town. Especially Peterborough we only have ONE and we do not have SUPER Walmarts. You dont have to tell me that in America that you have 3 Walmarts in a town that is smaller than ours.
The difference between Wal-Mart and Zellers? Two words: Martha Stewart. I rest my case.

12. Not every city has a mountie. They are in Ottawa and only dress up in uniform for SPECIAL events. Ottawa is 3 hours drive away from Peterborough and Nova Scotia and Vancouver are on opposite sides of the country not just down the road. You dont have to yell at me because my country is too big. So is yours!!
Not every city has a mountie, but just about every province, and every municipality without it's own police force does. They're called the RCMP - ever heard of them? Oh, and Atlanta and Atlantic City? Not related. Not even close.

13. PLEASE do not litter or disrespect our natural environment..learn how to drive a boat, throw trash in the trashcans etc. This is not your backyard this is someones country.
Unless of course, you live in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, where it's perfectly okay to dispose of your used needles and condoms on the street, or preferably, bury them in a sandbox in a park that is populated by children.


14. Just because you are American it still means you have to pay for parking. Do NOT CALL MY COUNTRY A WELFARE STATE THAT YOU HAVE TO SUPPORT. WE SUPPORT OURSELVES!
Unless you live in Quebec where the government has all manner of special subsidies just so you'll reconsider that whole "separation" issue.


:D ;)

.
 

Why do Canadians always wear Speedos at the beach?

LOL.
The only men I have seen wear speedos here were either men from Quebec (don't ask me why) or Europeans. We mock speedos here. At least, everyone I know does.
Are there speedos out West?!?

Do you people really need a donut store on each street corner?? And why does each item of clothing you own have "ROOTS" plastered all over it?

-Rudey
--"I came here from Canada and they say that I'm...slow, eh?"

I'm out west and ...
 

Out west ... Umm, not that many (TG!!!!) ... perhaps on tourists and some older people that have come to Canada.

and that is all I will say on this matter/thread - 'nuff said.