MISCELLANEOUS

Electricity
The voltage throughout Canada is 110 volts, the same as in the United States. Electricity plugs have two parallel, flat pins - adaptors are available in many Vancouver stores and also in most countries.

Postal Service
It costs 48 cents to send a letter anywhere within Canada. Stamps can be purchased at post offices and in many pharmacies and convenience stores. Large post offices are open Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00.

There are also several smaller post offices located in shopping malls, convenience stores, and even pharmacies; these post offices are open much later than the larger ones.

You can also use courier services such as UPS, Puralator, Fed-Ex, DHL.

Canada's national postal service is the Canada Post --> www.canadapost.com

Phone Service
Phone - Telus provides residential phone service, including long distance plans and internet service. Long distance charges are cheaper than in Asia and Europe.

Area codes:
For Vancouver and the lower mainland the area code is 604.
For Vancouver Island, eastern, central and northern British Columbia it is 250.

Phone cards - TELUS sells phone cards in various denominations for use in pay phones to place local and long distance calls.

Cellular Phones - You can purchase a no-contract pay-per-use cellular phone or you can get a cellular with a contract obligation (usually at least one year) from several companies (Rogers AT&T and Telus are two). Digital or analogue phones are available. Pagers are also an option.

Pay phones can be found everywhere, often in entrances of larger department stores and in restaurants. They are easy to use and most accept credit cards. Local calls to the surrounding areas cost $0.25 for unlimited time.

Toll free numbers start with 1-800, 1-888, 1-866 and 1-877.

Holidays
The major Canadian holidays are Christmas, New Year's Day, and Easter. Unlike some other countries, most shopping areas are usually closed during the holidays listed.

New Year's Day -- January 1
Good Friday (changes from year to year)
Victoria Day -- Third Monday in May
Canada Day -- July 1st
Civic Holiday (British Columbia Day) -- First Monday in August
Labour Day -- First Monday in September
Thanksgiving -- Second Monday in October (different day from US Thanksgiving)
Remembrance Day -- November 11th
Christmas Day -- December 25th

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