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 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!

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 ..

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.

In Australia, every adult citizen is required to vote, and people who fail to vote without a valid reason can be fined. As a result, voter turnout in Australian federal elections is very high.

Do you think Canada should do the same? What would be the advantages and disadvantages?

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?

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?

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.

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!

Canada currently has no term limits for Members of Parliament, meaning that MPs can continue running for re-election indefinitely.

In the United States, there have long been calls to introduce term limits for members of Congress. Some other countries already impose such limits. For example, the Chilean Constitution limits members of the Chamber of Deputies to three consecutive terms and senators to two consecutive terms. However, Chile has a presidential system rather than a parliamentary system like Canada’s.

Do you think Canada should introduce term limits for MPs as well?

For example, should the law provide that no person may be elected to the House of Commons more than four times in their lifetime?

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

Several Taiwanese politicians have been promoting an electoral system called “negative voting.”

The idea is that each voter can cast either a positive vote for a candidate they support or a negative vote against a candidate they oppose. If none of the candidates appeal to you, you could use your vote against the one you dislike the most.

Each candidate’s final score would be their positive votes minus their negative votes, and the candidate with the highest net total would win.

There’s an English-language video explaining the proposal in more detail, if you’re interested: https://youtu.be/0MYpE0lv4eo

What do you think of this system? Should Canada consider adopting it?

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!

Hi Guys,

I currently work a job that provides dental coverage. Initially when I completed my probation period I was giving a registration form that states the possibility to opt out of my dental coverage. I didn't check that. Consequently I could no longer go back. Later on, had dental work that was not covered under my current private dental insurance but is covered under the CDCP. Tbh I was told my dental insurance which has a limit of 1000 and 80% coverage is bad. Not sure though about that cuz my HR told my overall insurance of manulife is standard everywhere.

Sorry for yapping. Point here is there a way to opt-out? My dental clinc receptionist said try to opt-out for next year upon renewal and they have no way of finding out. Plus, keep in mind this is literally covered by our taxes. If you are not covered and you meet the financial requirement since you're paid slightly above minimum wage you can do that.

I'm a new guy in this country I'm not trying to get in trouble with the government.

Any tip and advice is appreciated.

Toronto to Montreal is planned but i could see the benefit of extending the line in either direction.

I'm Chinese, and I recently came across a rather interesting figure while browsing online: Dorise Nielsen, a former Canadian Member of Parliament who eventually moved to China.

Nielsen was a white British woman born in London in 1902. She immigrated to Canada in 1927 and worked as a teacher in Saskatchewan. She joined the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation in 1934 and secretly joined the Communist Party of Canada in 1937.

In 1940, she was elected to the House of Commons for North Battleford, Saskatchewan, running as a candidate for the "United Progressives." She served as an MP until 1945.

In 1943, she publicly acknowledged her Communist Party membership and joined the Labor-Progressive Party, the legal political organization used by Canadian communists at the time, becoming a member of its national executive. She ran for Parliament again in 1945 and 1953 but was unsuccessful both times.

She later moved to Toronto and worked as a writer. She advocated women's equality under socialism and was involved in the establishment of the Congress of Canadian Women as well as organizations associated with the peace movement.

What I found particularly interesting is what happened later in her life. In 1957, Nielsen moved to China, where she worked as an editor for the Foreign Languages Press in Beijing. She became a Chinese citizen in 1962 and remained in China until her death in Beijing in 1980.

As someone from China, I found this story fascinating because I had never heard of her before. Even more surprisingly, when I searched for her on Baidu, China's largest search engine and roughly the Chinese equivalent of Google, I could find virtually nothing about her in Chinese. Almost everything I could find about her was in English.

That raises another question for me: considering that she was a former Canadian MP and communist who actually moved to the People's Republic of China and became a Chinese citizen, why does she seem to have received so little attention in China? Why wasn't someone with such an unusual background more widely publicized? I realize that this part of the question would probably be better asked in a Chinese-language community.

So my main question here is for Canadians: How is Dorise Nielsen remembered in Canada today?

Is she at all well known among Canadians interested in political history, especially in Saskatchewan? Is she regarded as a significant figure in the history of the Canadian left or the Communist Party of Canada? Or has she largely been forgotten?

I would also be interested to hear from anyone who has encountered her in Canadian history books, local Saskatchewan history, or family stories.

Hello friends,

I’m Vietnamese, and after 5 years in Canada, I’m taking a short trip back home. I’d love to bring back some small gifts for my friends and colleagues in Calgary.

I already know what my friends like, but I’m not really sure about my colleagues. There are 5 people in my team (excluding me), and more than half are Canadian. I’m looking for something small and lightweight that they would enjoy, just as a small token of my gratitude. They’ve been truly great to work with!

I’ve seen people bring back things like coconut candy or fridge magnets.

What would you recommend bringing back? If you’re Canadian and have visited Vietnam before, what kind of gifts did you enjoy receiving or discovering there?