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Canadians Carve the Ice

Every year, many cities and towns across Canada hold ice sculpture exhibitions and competitions. Artists carve hundreds of thousands of pounds of ice with power saws and other tools to produce their sculptures.

In Canada, We Are Freezing!

All Canadian families have a freezer, usually as part of the refrigerator. Since Canadians go to the grocery store on average once a week, they buy in large quantities and freeze certain foods. So, strawberries in the freezer … to eat this winter and dream of summer.

There Is a Desert in Manitoba

Originally, the Spirit Sands Desert measured 6,500 km2. Now it covers only 4 km2. It is covered with sand, with dunes shaped by the wind and cacti. The temperatures are very high. It is a special desert because it receives 300 to 500 millimetres of rain per year.

In Canada, There Are Residences for Seniors

Homes for the elderly are called “seniors’ residences” if they are independent or require some assistance (semi-independent). When a person reaches a certain age, he or she can move into these residences.

In Winter, We Plug in the Car

In winter, we use devices to heat the car engine. This is essential when the temperature drops below 0 °C. You do not need to heat the engine all night; three to four hours are enough. Install a timer to limit the amount of time you have to run the engine.

Eating Turkey on Thanksgiving: A Tradition!

The Thanksgiving holiday dates back at least 2,000 years. In Canada, this holiday is celebrated on the second Monday of October. It is the festival of the earth. It celebrates the bounty, abundance, and fertility of the earth. This holiday is borrowed from the Americans. We also borrowed their menu: turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie. And why do we eat turkey on Thanksgiving? Because during the summer, we fatten up the turkey and by October it is ready to eat… Enjoy your meal!

Canadians Are Equipped for Winter

Canadians have everything they need to enjoy winter: warm clothing, snow shovels, winter tires, snowplows, snow blowers, snow melting calcium, lock de-icers, winter sports, Winterlude and carnivals, and do not forget the flu shot. So, let’s enjoy the winter!

The Mosquito, an Insect That Stings…

The mosquito is an insect that has a slender body, two wings and long legs. Usually, mosquito bites are not dangerous and do not transmit serious diseases. The best way to protect yourself from mosquito bites is to use a mosquito repellent.

New Brunswick Has Reversible Waterfalls

The highest tides in the world are in the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick. Twice a day, two bodies of water meet in the Bay of Fundy. There are 100 billion tons of water in the Bay of Fundy. This large amount of water reverses the tide and produces reversible waterfalls. A great spectacle of nature!

Quiet! We Are Shooting Movies in Alberta

Over 3,000 people work in the film, television, and digital production industry in Alberta. Since 1900, American and European productions have been filmed. To date, film crews have received over 22 Academy Awards for their excellent work.

Canada Is a Very Large Country

Canada’s surface area is 9,984,670 km2. Canada stretches 7,000 km from east to west. It takes more than 7 hours by plane to cross it from coast to coast. Canada is 18 times the size of France and 50 times the size of Senegal. Ontario is almost twice the size of France. It takes 24 hours to drive across Ontario. Impressive, is not it?

In Winter, Canadians Are Like Onions!

To protect themselves from the cold of winter, when Canadians go outside, they dress “like onions.” An onion has many skins… Do like an onion, wear many clothes. So you are warm? Take off a sweater. You are cold? Add a sweater! And go play outside!

In Canada, We Play Football and Soccer

Both sports are played with a ball. Football is a contact sport and you carry the ball in your hands. In soccer, you push the ball with your feet.

There Is Sugar in Maple Water

In Canada, the maple trees flow every spring: this is maple water. With this water, we make taffy, sugar, syrup, and butter. Yummy! It is sweet and it is good! Canadians go to the sugar house to eat eggs, baked beans, ham, maple pie and, most importantly, hot maple taffy on snow.

During the Holiday Season, You Can Get Around With Your Car Without Driving It

You had too much to drink? Call Operation Red Nose! During the holiday season, if you drink alcohol, Operation Red Nose volunteers will take you and your car home for free. To date, 50,000 volunteers have provided 1,579,614 rides across Canada.

In the City, Wild Animals and Humans Cohabit

The growth of cities disturbs some wild animals and forces them to live with humans. So we often see raccoons, squirrels, skunks, rats and many others in cities. Sharing space is not always easy. Wild animals are attracted to food and to places where they can hole up. Simple solutions can reduce conflicts between these animals and humans: tidy up and seal up garbage, plug holes that allow them to enter homes.

There Is an Army That Is Not an Army

The Salvation Army is an organization that helps people in need. It is the largest provider of all kinds of assistance after the Government of Canada. For example, it provides clothing, food, care for the terminally ill, housing for battered women and young parents, and child care.

It Is Hard to Get Through a Winter Without a Cold or Flu

Winter equals snow, cold and flu season! The best protection against influenza is the vaccine. Every year, around mid-November, there are free flu vaccination programs. Get informed!

Ice Skating … to Go to Work

In Ottawa, Canada’s capital, people can use skates as a means of transportation in the winter. They skate on the Rideau Canal, the longest outdoor skating rink in the world. It is 7.8 km long. To warm up along the canal, people can enjoy hot chocolate and a popular Canadian pastry called “beaver tail.”

We Eat Maple Leaves

In Saskatchewan, there is a species of mussel called the Maple Leaf because it is shaped like the maple leaf on the Canadian flag. It is a protected species because it is in danger of disappearing.

Everyone on Board!

Many people use the city bus, but not everyone can sit in a “reserved seat.” These seats, located at the front of the bus, are reserved for people with disabilities, seniors, pregnant women and people who use a mobility device such as a cane or walker.

Thrift Shops

A thrift shop is a business where second-hand clothes are sold at very good prices. There are all kinds of thrift shops: family and children’s shops. There is something for everyone, at all prices. Ask around! There is certainly a thrift shop near you.

Dog Sledding in the Great North

Every year in February, from Yukon to Alaska, the Yukon Quest is the largest and most difficult dog sled race in the world. The teams are composed of a driver and 14 dogs. They travel 1,648 km in temperatures that can drop to -50 °C. The fastest teams take 12 days to complete the journey. All along the way, the crew is followed at a distance by wolves who do not like to see their territory occupied by dogs and humans.

Parking in Canada Is Not Free!

When you park your car, always check the parking meter! A parking meter is a device near a parking space. You have to put money in that device or use a credit card to buy parking time. Buy enough time, or you will get a ticket! And it is expensive!

Canadians Catch Fresh Fish During Winter

When lakes and rivers are covered in ice, small fishing huts are set up to shelter fishermen. It looks like a little village on the ice. Fishermen are making holes in the ice and dropping their fishing lines. In the spring, all the huts are moved to the water’s edge.

In Quebec, There Is an Ice Hotel

Unique in North America, the famous Quebec-Canada Ice Hotel is built in winter and melts in spring. Fifteen thousand tons of snow and 500 tons of ice are used to build the hotel. This hotel, where nearly 4,000 people sleep each year, has 36 rooms, a chapel, two exhibition rooms and a bar.

You Want a Dog… You Will Need a Shovel

Why a shovel? Because in some cities, there is a bylaw that requires dog owners to pick up their dog’s feces while in public places. They have to take them home to throw them away, or they will have to pay a fine… And it is expensive!

Fall Is the Season of Colours

It is in the fall that the Canadian forest displays its most beautiful colours. Yellow, red, green, orange and purple invade the forests. Take advantage of the first days of fall to go for a walk in the forest or to visit the orchards and vineyards.

A Cup! … and It Is Not a Cup of Coffee

Hockey is considered the national sport of Canadians. From October to June, Canadians live to the rhythm of hockey games. Of the 30 or so teams, only one will win the Stanley Cup, North America’s oldest and most prestigious trophy. The winning team parades through the streets of their city to show off the cup.

There Is an Iceberg Parade in Newfoundland

In the spring in Newfoundland, from early April to late May, you will see icebergs (ice hills) moving along the east coast. These icebergs are up to 5 m (two to three floors high) and can weigh up to 9 billion tons. They do not travel alone … there are up to 30,000 of them per year.

What Time Is It?

Canada has six time zones. There is a time difference between the different provinces. For example, when it is 6:00 p.m. in Ottawa, it is 3:00 p.m. in Vancouver. Also, in Canada, clocks are set forward one hour in the spring. They are reset to standard time in the fall.

Human Beings Have Gone Down Niagara Falls

It is hard to believe, but it is true! At the beginning of the 20th century, men and a woman made the Niagara Falls descent … in barrels. Can you imagine a 52-meter descent into 1,500 m3 of water per second? It was so dangerous that the government has now banned the practice.

We Can Drive on an Ice Highway

In Nunavut, there is an ice highway with an average thickness of 125 cm. This highway is almost 567 kilometres long. It is a dangerous highway because the thickness of the ice varies with the temperature.

In Spring, We Clean

In the winter, sand and small rocks are spread on icy sidewalks, streets, and roads to make it easier for cars and pedestrians to move. In the spring, when the snow has melted, cities must clean the sidewalks, streets, and roads.

In Canada, the Law Is the Law!

The proof? A pedestrian does not have the right to cross the street at a red light, even if there are no cars, and it is night, and he is alone.

Canadians Ride Motorcycles Even in Winter

This motorcycle is called a snowmobile. It is a motor vehicle that travels on snow. It is an important means of transportation for Indigenous peoples. It is also a very popular winter activity in Canada. Several provinces have trail systems reserved for snowmobiles. For example, Ontario has a 41,000 km trail system.

Canada Is Smoke-Free… And Fragrance-Free!

This is the law in several provinces: no smoking or wearing perfume in public places; for example, hospitals, restaurants, and workplaces.

The queue is… One behind the other!

Have you heard the expression “waiting in line?” In Canada, it is a social norm; for Canadians, it is a matter of respect. We line up everywhere: at the bank, in restaurants, at the post office, etc. We line up behind each other and wait our turn. Do not try to get in front of anyone … you will be told.

In Nova Scotia, the Water Does Not Freeze

Nova Scotia is a 580 km peninsula surrounded by four bodies of water: the Atlantic Ocean, the Bay of Fundy, the Northumberland Strait, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The water is deep and never freezes.

It Is Sunny at Midnight in the Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories is often referred to as the “land of the midnight sun” because they are located in northern Canada. In the summer, the sun almost never sets, and in the winter, it is dark most of the day.

Summer Is the Time to Move to Canada!

Every summer, thousands of Canadians leave their homes to go to … another home called “the cottage!” It is a second home often built on the shore of a lake or river, or in the woods.

In Canada, There Is an Indian Summer

The Indian summer is the period of good weather for three consecutive days in mid-fall. The days are warm and sunny. The forest shows beautiful colours: red, yellow and orange, all against a deep blue sky. But beware! The Indian summer is capricious. It is difficult to predict and does not occur every year.

In Canada, There Are Large Uninhabited Spaces

Canada is big. When planning a trip, always check the distances. In some sparsely populated areas of Canada, you can drive more than 100 km before finding a gas station, a store or a place to sleep. So keep an eye on the amount of gas in your car.

We Are Watching the Meteorologist… Groundhog

Canadians have a funny way of predicting the end of winter. It is Groundhog Day. The groundhog is a large rodent that lives in the woods and fields. In the fall, it makes a hole in the ground and becomes inactive until March. According to tradition, every year on February 2nd, the groundhog emerges from its hole. If he sees his shadow, Canadians will have to wait another six weeks for spring, otherwise spring will soon arrive.

Politics Is Colourful in Canada

It is simple! In Canada, we associate political parties with colours. For example: You vote for the Liberal Party, you are a “red.” If you vote for the Conservative Party, you are a “blue.” You vote for the New Democratic Party, you are an “orange.” No, not the fruit, the colour! You vote for the Green Party, you are a “green.”

The Confederation Bridge Is the Longest in the World

The 13 km Confederation Bridge linking Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick is the longest bridge in the world built over an ice-covered strait in winter.

It Is Good to Live in Canada

Every year, the United Nations publishes the Human Development Report. Countries are evaluated according to 11 criteria. Every year, Canada is one of the top 10 places in the world to live!

Spruce Resin Can Be Chewed

The first chewing gum in Canada was discovered by Indigenous peoples. They chew the resin from a tree: the spruce. This resin has been called “spruce gum.” This gum is chewed to relieve toothaches, headaches, and indigestion.

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