When you move or travel to a new country, no matter how much research you do before, there are still certain things that can surprise you once you’re there.
Here are a few examples when it comes to life in Canada, written from a French person’s perspective.
1. Prices (taxes, tips, and cost of living)
If no one has warned you, your first purchase in Canada may come as a surprise. Here, prices are displayed before sales taxes.
Sales taxes vary from one province to another and range from 5% to 15% (provincial + federal taxes). If you buy a pair of shoes priced at $100, they will cost you $115 at the checkout in Quebec and $113 in Ontario. Read GST, PST, HST: Understanding Sales Taxes in Canada.
At a restaurant or bar, you will have to add a tip on top of the taxes and the advertised price. The minimum to pay is customarily 15%. If you order $100 worth of food from the menu, you will have to add 15% in taxes + 15% in tip, bringing your total to $130.
The cost of living is relatively high in Canada, particularly in its major cities. It is important to arrive with enough savings.
The coexistence of debit cards and credit cards in Canada might also surprise you, since credit cards remain relatively rare in France (see How to Open a Bank Account in Canada as an IEC Permit Holder). People in Canada also tend to talk more openly about money, salaries, etc. (the subject is less taboo than in France).
2. Getting paid every two weeks
While hidden sales tax and tip are unlikely to be a pleasant surprise, the system of being paid every two weeks might be a welcome change.
In Canada, you can receive your salary twice a month (on the 1st and 15th of the month, for example), or every two weeks (meaning 26 pay cheques a year), which also works out to twice a month, except for two months of the year when you will receive three pay cheques.
This is quite convenient, especially when you first arrive and have plenty of expenses (first rent payment, buying furniture, a car, winter clothing, etc.). Recurring payments such as rent and bills are still monthly.
3. The dynamic job market
When you arrive in Canada, you may be surprised by how dynamic the job market is.
Here, you can find and lose a job relatively quickly. You might be let go at 10 a.m. and told not to come back for your noon shift, but you may also be able to find another job just as quickly.
Whereas the largest number of job postings is to be found in major cities, today we would instead recommend moving away from them to reduce the competition from other working holiday makers.
4. The sheer size of the country
Canada is more than twice the size of the European Union.
Its vastness can be awe-inspiring, but it can also be frustrating. Here, getting to even the nearest destination can take several hours or even several days depending on your mode of transportation.
The advantage is that you will never get tired of Canada: there will always be another place to discover. That said, travelling across the country will demand a certain budget, since domestic airfare is expensive.
5. The extreme climate
You probably expect this one, but experiencing it is another matter. The first snowfalls, the first below-zero temperatures, the first -15°C days, but also the first heat waves. The weather in Canada is as diverse as Canadians themselves.
In and around Vancouver, the climate is milder. But expect brutal winters just about everywhere else.
6. Proximity with wildlife
The animals in Canada are not the same as those you are used to seeing in Europe.
In fact, coming across a bear on the road, a beaver in a park, a raccoon on the sidewalk or spotting a whale while kayaking are not necessarily rare occurrences in many parts of Canada. Read 10+ Common and Rare Animals to Meet in Canada.
Rest assured that you won’t be running into a wild moose in downtown Toronto.
7. The number of parks and lakes
There are more than 3 million lakes in Canada, representing 60% of the world’s lakes. They cover 9% of Canada’s territory on their own. Incredible, right?
There are also more than 40 national parks, covering a total of 224,466 sq km of territory. Some of these parks contain several hundred lakes.
So wherever you go in Canada, you will find breathtaking landscapes!
8. You can’t smoke on a patio
The French are known for being heavy smokers. In France, you will still see smokers on the streets, in parks and, above all, on café patios.
If you try to vape or smoke while having your coffee in Canada, a server might very well come over to ask you to stop. You will have to leave the establishment’s patio and move away to smoke your cigarette, even if no one is sitting close to you.
The law prohibits smoking within 9 metres of any door or window that opens (this therefore also applies to all entrances to buildings, bars and restaurants).
9. Cannabis use is legal
If you didn’t already know, cannabis use is legal in Canada. You would probably figure it out pretty quickly from the unmistakable smell and the many cannabis shops you come across.
10. Friendships and relationships with Canadians
Canadians have a reputation for being very nice and polite. While this is true for the most part, you may be surprised by how difficult it can be to form real friendships with locals. They are very warm and friendly, but they often surround themselves with friends they have known since childhood. It can be more difficult to enter their inner circle (being invited over for dinner, meeting the family, etc.) compared with what you might be used to in France.
When it comes to romantic relationships, things are also quite different, particularly during the dating phase. Until you are officially a couple, there is no expectation of exclusivity, unlike in France, where people tend to consider themselves a couple after the first kiss if they decide to see each other again.
Jade, a Quebecoise living in France, wrote the following (translated from French) on pvtistes.net:
“In Canada, every stage is important. First, you date each other, then you have a conversation to clarify that dating is now exclusive, and finally, you have one last conversation to talk about where things really stand: you are officially a couple! These stages can happen quickly, or they can take several weeks or months. In France, it’s simple: if you kiss (without having a blood alcohol level that’s through the roof), it’s implicitly understood that you’re a couple…”
Of course, these are generalizations and they don’t apply to everyone.
The banking system, food, the size and format of milk or juice containers, the “Hi, how are you?” from shopkeepers, milk sold in plastic bags that you put in a pitcher. And if you’re a French-speaker moving to Quebec, the linguistic differences will take some getting used to as well!
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