Canadian electrical appliances come with either a two-prong or three-prong plug, and most sockets will accept either. The system is a 110-volt, 60-cycle system. You need a plug adaptor if you are visiting from outside North America. Batteries are universal and are readily available for all appliances. Bear in mind that bargain electrical goods purchased here will probably need modification for use in Europe.
Travel Insurance in Canada
Travel Insurance is essential in Canada and should be arranged to cover health, trip-cancellation, and interruption, as well as theft and loss of valuable possessions.
Canadian health services are excellent, but if you do not wish to pay you will need insurance. If you already have private health insurance you should check to see if the coverage includes all emergency hospital and medical expenses such as physician's care, prescription drugs, and private duty-nursing. In case of a serious illness, separate coverage is also required to send a relative to your bed-side or return a rented vehicle.
Emergency dental treatment, and out-of-pocket expenses or loss of vacation costs also need their own policies. Your insurance company or travel agent should recommend the right policy, but beware of exclusions for pre-existing medical conditions.
Tips & Payments
It is possible to eat well in Canada for a bargain price. A snack in a café seldom costs more than Can$5. In a good restaurant, a three-course meal and a shared bottle of wine often costs between Can$30-$60. Even gourmet dinners can start at Can$50. Fixed-priced menus are common. Luncheon items are generally less expensive, and are often similar to the evening menu without the linen and candles.
Restaurant tax is the 7 percent GST (Goods and Services Tax), plus a varying provincial sales tax, applicable everywhere except Alberta. Taxes are included on the final check as percentages of the total. Tipping in most restaurants and cafés is expected, and should be about 10-15 percent of the check. Service charges are not usually included.
Europeans should note that tipping is expected in bars and nightclubs. In common with most countries, a tip should increase if you are bringing a larger party to a restaurant and for any exceptional service. Penalizing staff for bad service is not common.
Toranto, Canada
Toronto is an enterprising city. Located on the banks of Lake Ontario, it was originally a native Indian settlement dating from the 17th century, and, after 1720, a French fur-trading post.
Fought over by the US and Britain in the War of 1812, Toronto has since been a peaceful city, growing dramatically after World War II with the arrival of over 500,000 immigrants, especially Italians, and, most recently, Chinese.
The first place to start a visit must be the CN Tower, the world's tallest free-standing structure and the city's most famous tourist attraction. From the top it is easy to pick out the sights of the city, and from the bottom a short stroll leads to the Skydome stadium or the banking district. To the north of downtown is the boisterous street-life of Chinatown and the superb paintings of the world-renowed Art Gallery of Ontario. Beyond sits the University of Toronto on whose perimeters lies the fine Royal Ontario Museum and also two delightful specialty collections, the historic Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art and the comtemporary Bata Shoe Museum.
A quick subway ride takes the visitor north to both Casa Loma, an accentric Edwardian mansion that richly merits a visit, and Spandina House, the elegant Victorian villa next door. Many more attractions are scattered around the peripheries of Toronto, including Toronto Zoo and the Ontario Science Centre. The McMichael Art Collection, in nearby Kleinburg, contains an outstanding collection of paintings by the Group of Seven in a modernist setting.
Student Traveller
With an International Student Identity Card (ISIC), full-time students are entitled to substantial discounts on travel as well as galleries, museums, and many other tourist attractions. The ISIC card should be purchased in the student's home country at a Student Travel Association (STA) office in the nearest city.
There are also a wide range of bus and rail discounts available to students, such as the "Go Canada" Accommodation and Coach Pass, which offers both reduced-cost travel and stays in youth hostels across the country. The pass can be booked through local agents specializing in student travel.
VIA Rail also offers students the "Canrail Pass", which allows a period of unlimited travel on all routes. Reasonably priced accommodations are available on university campuses in the larger cities during local student vacations.
There are also comfortable hostels throughout the country, most of which are affiliated to the International Youth Hostelling Federation (IYHF). Eating out is inexpensive, so students can easily find great food on a budget.
Getting around Toranto, Canada
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) operates a huge system of connecting subway, bus, and streetcar lines that serves the entire city. It is one of the safest and cleanest systems of its kind anywhere in the world.
There are two major subways lines, with 60 stations along the way. Be sure to get a free transfer pass if you intend to continue your trip by bus or streetcar after you leave the subway.
To ride buses and streecars, you must have exact change, a ticket, or a token. Tickets and tokens are on sale at subway entrances and stores. The "Pick up a Ride Guide" shows every major place of interest and how to reach it by public transit, and is available at most subway ticket offices. A Light Rapid Transit line connects downtown to the lakefront (called Harbourfront). The line starts at Union Station and terminates at Spadina/Bloor subway station.
It is easy to catch a cab in Toronto; they can be hailed in the street, called in advance, or found outside hotels. There are several outlets that rent bicycles, but as downtown Toronto is busy with traffic, it is best to confine your cycling to the parks. The Martin Goodman Trail is a well-marked scenic bicycle route along the long, scenic waterfont.
As in Vancouver, you will need the right coins for the bus. The regular adult fare is Can$2 across the whole system, and transfers are free for up to an hour. If you are going to be in Toronto for an extended period, it is worth considering a MetroPass for one month, or you can buy 10 tickets or tokens for Can$17. There are day passes for use during off-peak hours.
Ferries to the Toronto Islands run several times an hour at peak times in summer and continue well into the evening. There is also a road bridge.
India's Superpower Persons
India (Bharat) Government
How many of us really know all these people of our country, who actually make policies & law.
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| President | Pratibha Patil |
| Vice President | Hamid Ansari |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Principal Sec. to the Prime Minister's Office | T. K. A. Nair |
| National Security Adviser | M. K. Narayanan |
| Dep. Chmn., Planning Commission | Montek Singh Ahluwalia |
| Minister of Agriculture | Sharad Pawar |
| Minister of Agro & Rural Industries | Mahavir Prasad |
| Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers | Ram Vilas Paswan |
| Minister of Coal | Manmohan Singh |
| Minister of Commerce & Industry | Kamal Nath |
| Minister of Communications & Information Technology | A. Raja |
| Minister of Company Affairs | Prem Chand Gupta |
| Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food, & Public Admin. | Sharad Pawar |
| Minister of Culture | Jaipal Reddy |
| Minister of Defense | A. K. Antony |
| Minister of Development of Northeastern Region | Paty Ripple Kyndiah |
| Minister of Earth Sciences | Kapil Sibal |
| Minister of Environment & Forests | Manmohan Singh |
| Minister of External Affairs | Pranab Mukherjee |
| Minister of Finance | Palaniappan Chidambaram |
| Minister of Health & Family Welfare | Anbumani Ramadoss |
| Minister of Home Affairs | Shivraj Patil |
| Minister of Human Resource Development | Arjun Singh |
| Minister of Information & Broadcasting | Priyaranjan Dasmunsi |
| Minister of Law & Justice | Hans Raj Bhardwaj |
| Minister of Local Govt. | Mani Shankar Aiyar |
| Minister of Mines | Sis Ram Ola |
| Minister of Minority Affairs | A. R. Antulay |
| Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs | Vayalar Ravi |
| Minister of Panchayati Raj | Mani Shankar Aiyar |
| Minister of Parliamentary Affairs | Priyaranjan Dasmunsi |
| Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas | Murli Deora |
| Minister of Power | Sushil Kumar Shinde |
| Minister of Railways | Laloo Prasad Yadav |
| Minister of Rural Development | Raghuvansh Prasad Singh |
| Minister of Science & Technology | Kapil Sibal |
| Minister of Shipping, Road Transport, & Highways | T. R. Baalu |
| Minister of Small-Scale Industries | Mahavir Prasad |
| Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment | Meira Kumar |
| Minister of Steel | Ram Vilas Paswan |
| Minister of Textiles | Shankersinh Vaghela |
| Minister of Tourism & Culture | Ambika Soni |
| Minister of Tribal Affairs | Paty Ripple Kyndiah |
| Minister of Urban Development | Jaipal Reddy |
| Minister of Water Resources | Saif-U-Din Soz |
| Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports | Mani Shankar Aiyar |
| Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Civil Aviation | Praful Patel |
| Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Food Processing Industries | Subodh Kant Sahay |
| Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises | Santosh Mohan Dev |
| Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labor & Employment | Oscar Fernandes |
| Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Nonconventional Energy Sources | Vilas Muttemwar |
| Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Statistics & Program Implementation | G. K. Vasan |
| Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Urban Employment & Poverty Alleviation | Kumari Selja |
| Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Women & Child Development | Renuka Chowdhury |
| Governor, Reserve Bank of | Y. Venugopal Reddy |
| Permanent Representative to the UN, | Nirupam Sen |
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