disclaimer: I did read the faq, but I could only find threads for the UK/US/German gifts.

I have some friends coming over tommorow from Canada and want to give them some Dutch gifts. I had 'pepernoten' and 'hagelslag' in mind, but I want to give a bit more than that. Does not necessarily have to be food I guess, though I will definitely make them try some bitterballen, kibbeling and frikandellen.

Maybe you guys can help, anything you really liked here that you couldn't find in Canada?

So the title speaks for itself, and my parents bought like a ton of these at the Dollarama back when we lived in Calgary and when I first went to school (2008-2010). I don't remember if the paper sleeve on them was of a mountain with cursive text or like a dark grey, cloudy day (though to be honest, a lot of my memories in Calgary are just dark grey, cloudy days and early snow). And because of that, I'm not entirely sure they were branded as Lemon Scented erasers or anything like that; they may have come in a multipack covered in plastic wrap. But that's all I can really remember about them.

Fast forward to 2010: we move to Brampton, I live out the rest of my life and never have the lemon cleaner eraser again. I do remember them from time to time and tried searching it up on Google, heck with AI I was kind of hoping I'd get an exact match, but nope. Nothing.

If anyone else knows what I'm talking about, that's cool. If not...hi.

Thinking about kidspeak/slang the other day, I remembered "scoff". When I was younger (late 60s early 70s) this was a very common word for steal. "Someone scoffed my bike while I was in the store"! I can't find that meaning anywhere. The only definitions listed are to deride something or eat greedily (eat greedily was scarf or scorf, to us) I wonder if this was a Canadian thing or maybe a BC thing? Could have been so localized that it was just my school/neighborhood. Hell, maybe my friends and I made it up... thoughts?

Hi everyone!

I'm planning to drive from Toronto to New York City (Manhattan), and I'm honestly so confused about how the toll system works. I'm hoping someone here can help me figure things out!

A little background:

I'm a university student from Vancouver, currently doing an internship in Toronto. My employer has provided me with an Avis rental car, which is paid for using my manager's company credit card (since I'm an intern and don't have my own corporate card).

I've driven across the border from Vancouver to Seattle before, and it was pretty straightforward. But driving from Toronto to Manhattan seems like a completely different story, especially when it comes to tolls.

I'll be driving a compact SUV, and I'll be the only person in the car.

Here are my questions:

1. How exactly do tolls work between Toronto and Manhattan? Are there toll booths where I can pay manually, or is everything electronic?
2. Roughly how many tolls should I expect to pay? Can I pay them directly using my personal credit card?
3. How do tolls work with an Avis rental car? This is my biggest concern. Since the rental is under my employer's account and my manager's company credit card is on file, I really don't want any toll charges going to that card. It would be awkward and complicated to sort out reimbursement afterward. Is there a way to guarantee that all tolls are charged directly to me instead?
4. Should I get an E-ZPass? I've heard about it but have no idea how it works. Is it worth getting for a round trip? Where can I buy one, and how do I set it up with a rental car?
5. Am I even eligible for an E-ZPass? I'm an international student studying in Canada, so I'm not sure whether there are any residency requirements.
6. Are there any hidden fees or rental-car toll charges I should watch out for? I've read that rental companies sometimes charge additional administrative fees for tolls, and I'd really like to avoid those.

TL;DR: I'm driving from Toronto to Manhattan in an Avis rental car paid for by my employer. I want to personally cover 100% of the tolls and associated fees without anything being charged to my manager's company credit card. What's the easiest way to make that happen?

I'd really appreciate any advice, especially from anyone who's made this drive in a rental car or dealt with Avis and E-ZPass before!

Please help a very confused student out :')

Thanks so much!

Hello, I am a 16 year-old boy from Britain who would really like to do a one or two week trip to Canada for fishing and just being a part of a Canadian family. I’m not really sure how stuff like that would work though is there already prearranged like website to sort things for that as I am a massive fan of fishing and the outdoors if anyone has any advice, please message me

I’m an immigrant originally from a country where middle names aren’t a thing. I just changed my name legally in Canada, and for the first time in my life I have a middle name (moved previous first name to middle, and new first name).

Went in to update my information today, TD said they didn’t have a separate field for middle names but offered they could put both first + middle in the field for first name, in which case I’ll always be addressed as first + middle in the online system, in communications, etc. I told them to just leave it off then but I’m now having second thoughts.

What do most people do in this situation? Apologize if this shows my ignorance, but I’ve been in Canada for a decade and just never thought about this.

Hi everyone,

Has anyone else's local Harvey's enacted a 4 pickle maximum for their burger assembly?

I also noticed that they also only give one pickle per burger that does not specify extra pickles... and only 2 pickles if you request extra pickles without giving a clear number.

(I posted this on r/NoStupidQuestions, though I realized this sub would be more appropriate for a Canadian food chain!)

Albertan here. Every month I check my electricity bill and become frustrated. My bill will say $50 for electricity use, plus $100 in fees! (Transmission, municipal, retail, etc).

Everyone always says to try and find the best rate, but it seems like the rate is completely irrelevant. I could use no electricity and still have to pay almost $100 every month. Is that unique to Alberta or is everyone drowning in these flat fees?

I saw a video where someone made a drink with a gin that changed color, and I got really curious about it. I looked it up and found out it’s called Empress Gin, but unfortunately, it isn’t available in my country. Is it actually good, or is the color-changing thing just a gimmick? I’d really love to try it.

I haven't been looking into them in any real way but im curious if there is anything useful or interesting about them.

Who has first hand knowledge? What is your opinion?

TIA

I just received my new Canadian passport and signed my usual signature on the designated signature line on page 3. One part of a longer stroke extends below/crosses the printed line.
Is this okay, or could it cause an issue when travelling? Has anyone had a similar situation with their Canadian passport?

By unexpected I don't mean something that is a movie/show filmed in Canada by (mostly) Canadian actors. I mean something that isn't made in Canada but has Canadian-based references.

For example, an MMORPG from the 2000s called MapleStory, while developed in Korea (America for its North American server), has multiple Canadian references. The Maple leaf is based off a Canadian maple leaf. Maple Island is based off an island in BC. Victoria Island is based off Victoria BC.

What are some other examples like this?

Hi, everyone! I know this is a strange question, but we're in Montreal and would like to go somewhere—about 4–6 hours from Montreal—to see the Northern Lights between late December and the first week of January.

Is there a place that fits that description, or have any of you had similar experiences in the past?

Hello there!

I’m an American who will be moving to Ottawa next summer, as my wife was offered a great job.

I’m a political junky and listen to the news/podcasts pretty much all day here in the US. I listen to both American news and Global news.

Now that it looks like we’ll be moving to Canada, I’d like some recommendations on good sourced Canadian News outlets or podcasts. Particularly ones that are either moderate or left of center/progressive. I already listen to the CBC, which is great but I’d like to diversify if possible.

Thanks!

Edit to add: thanks for the great recommendations. It sounds like the CBC is the best out there! Also thanks for keeping it civil - Canadians really are very friendly!

So I was reading a Japanese light novel where the premise is one day the entire country of Japan gets Isekai'd to a sort of medieval fantasy world ish, and it got me thinking: what if this happened to Canada? You know what are the political, cultural, and economic implications of what would happen?

I'm curious what you guys would think.

We just did 3 weeks in Canada Vancouver Whistler penticton and are just blown away by how genuinely nice and friendly everyone is

Strangers holding the door, eye contact instead of staring at phone, nice friendly smile, respectful, - on the road and also cyclists. People are also respectful and not racist!

It felt a little weird at first but I somehow have brought back that niceness feeling to my country and aim to be more patient, smiley and gracious to my country people (difficult but I try). Thank you Canada!!

Is it the culture? The way people are raised?? The water? I’m just so intrigued ..

Update - 1 million views later and lots of replies …
Thanks for everyone sharing their insights and I can see Canadians have been raised to be polite and obviously this is just the surface observation I’m not making the assumption everyone is nice deep down etc. no I’m not from the US, understandably w the tension this comment comes up a lot I’m from Asia. Where I come from it’s not necessarily that people are mean but it’s not something everyone or majority does. Some would nod and say hi back if I do but some stare back at me thinking I’m weird - trust me I’ve tried and times like this it makes me not want to try. Am sure most would help me if I asked perhaps it’s introversion, not a cultural norm, or everyone’s trying to hustle and survive I don’t know. If anything this has just made me reflect and a neighbor smiled at me when I held the door for her even tho she was paces away. That made my day so thank you Canada!

For some reason, my CPP didn’t not arrive in end of September , nor the end of August. Yet my OAS did arrive as it always does. Before I call whoever I need to call, does anyone know if there is any reason why I didn’t get my CPP?

Hello. I'm a US Citizen, and I support and advocate for universal healthcare. I have learned about how many of the Social Democracies operate their universal healthcare system. But while I understand some of the economics behind it, I don't know what it's like to actually experience your healthcare on a day to day basis. I have asked Australians and British citizens about their healthcare, and now I'd like to ask Canadians about theirs.

I figured I would share the basis of how my healthcare plan works, and you could tell me what you think of it and how it compares to yours. The general overview of my healthcare plan is as follows:

- I have to stay in-network to receive insurance benefits, meaning I must go to a healthcare provider that accepts my insurance. If I don't, I have to pay completely out of pocket. This doesn't apply to emergency rooms.

- My health insurance is tied to the company I work for. A portion of my check goes to my insurance.

- After I meet my deductible, my insurance pays 70% of my covered in-network healthcare costs, and I pay the other 30%. However, I have an out-of-pocket maximum, so I only have to keep paying my 30% share until I reach that out-of-pocket limit. After I reach my out-of-pocket maximum, my insurance pays 100% of my covered in-network care for the rest of the plan year.

- Healthcare procedures in the US often cost a lot of money, even with insurance. But the out-of-pocket maximum helps with this a bit.

- My plan is a PPO, meaning I can see a wide range of doctors and specialists without needing a referral. I also have a primary care doctor.

- All insurance companies, including mine, are liable to deny claims. This is one of my biggest fears when using medical services. Estimates show that insurance companies in the US deny ~20% of medical claims. Medical procedures can cost tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars without insurance, so it's very bad to have medical claims denied.

- This is of course not the only type of healthcare plan that Americans have, this is simply my healthcare plan, but it is a quite common plan to have in the US, at least to my understanding.

Thanks and I look forward to your replies.

Many places, forums, groups, etc tend to prohibit political discussions of any kind. Likely due to the volatile political system in America.

What about here in Canada? Are political discussions more welcoming here instead of prohibited?

From what I see, lacrosse is more popular in the USA, and even in Australia than in Canada. It's a very affordable game to play, originated here, but yet is hardly taught in schools or played, it seems to me. Yes, we have leagues and such but lets face it, hockey dominates massively compared to lacrosse...

https://streamable.com/epvf54

Thank you in advance!

I found some guys really funny and i think they are Canadian and peaked on Youtube in like 2018 or something. I cant find anything now when i try to search, does anyone remember them? Their style was kinda stunts and exaggerate stuff like vegan things, celberties or politicians.

I can remember some skits:

They had slam poetry, dressed up as a cow in front of animal protesters and normally suddenly Emma Watson would always appear. They also did skits about Justin Treadau.

The most spesific one i can remember is the Kernel from KFC outside a chicken slaughterhouse mixing in with protesters that was "welcoming" the trucks full of chickens.

Anyone remmeber them or what their name was?

PS! Sorry for my English.

In other countries the price listed is tax include, just curious what it’s not this way here!

According to Industry Facts , in 2025 Canada consumed over:

> 742,000 barrels of gasoline per day

> 503,000 barrels of diesel per day

According to AI using the Canada Energy Regulator to break down the numbers, Canada exports:

> 400,000 barrels of gasoline per day

> 150,000 barrels of diesel per day

https://www.canadianfuels.ca/industry-facts/

I understand the product flow is limited by pipeline capacity, mostly flowing south, but if the barrier was removed, would this be a net gain for Canada by lowering fuel prices, thereby lowering the cost of living?

Planning a trip in September 2027 from Australia, will land in Vancouver around 18th September and make our way through places such as Whistler, Kamloops, Jasper, Banff / Lake Louise/Moraine, Canmore and finish in Calgary before flying out to our next stretch of travel. About a two week stint, so would anticipate finishing in Calgary on 1st/2nd October. Nothing is finalised just early stages of planning.

I've read a couple articles, but want some proper Canadian advice. Initial plan is to only drive during the day. What was the weather like this year during those days as an example? Curious about the roads and about sudden icy conditions or sudden snow that may catch us off guard, in what areas do we need to be extra careful and allow more time for driving?

We will be stopping frequently to check out sights along the way of course and are in no rush getting from A to B, while nothing is finalised, just looking for tips and real life experiences. Any advice would be appreciated, even on places to must see or avoid along these stretches. Thanks mates! :)

ETA: Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions, super helpful and lots to take onboard to ensure a safe and fun trip 😊 keep the suggestions and advice coming!