Canadian Welcome

In the Toronto area, it’s possible to purchase what’s called a Day Pass when using the buses and subways. These allow unlimited travel throughout the city for one day at one low price.

Why would you want to use public transit in Toronto? For one thing, if you are visiting some of the attractions in the downtown area, parking is extremely expensive if you can even find a vacant spot for your car. Plus, driving downtown is one of my most hated activities. People cut you off, walk right in front of your car, yell at you if you drive too slow. I try my best never to drive in downtown Toronto.

The subway system is fast and easy. There are stops all over the downtown area and certain areas north, east, and west of the city as well.

Buses are available wherever subways don’t run and waiting time is minimal. Mind you, I didn’t think much of the bus system when I lived in Toronto. Sometimes during rush hour I might have to wait five or ten minutes. But now that I’m in a smaller city and the buses run every half hour, I realize the service wasn’t that bad.

Anyway, back to the day passes. You can’t purchase these on the buses, those are exact change only. But you can buy a pass at any subway station and at a number of convenience stores. Single use by one adult applies to any day of the week.

Family or group use is limited to Saturday, Sunday, or holidays only. A family or group is considered to be one adult and no more than 5 children under 19, or two adults and no more than 4 children, or two adults.

Since prices change, I can’t quote an exact amount, but when my family and I attended Disney on Ice one Sunday, the pass was about $7.50  for four of us. Less than half of what it would have cost us to park downtown and much less hassle.

Technorati Tags: Toronto Transit, day passes, transit service, subway, bus

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When I worked within the English as a Second Language (ESL) department at George Brown College, the students were often very interested in learning some of the slang terms used by native Canadians.

Although the majority of slang is used by younger people, I thought I’d mention some of the most common terms and their meanings (these will probably not be found in any dictionary and are slightly fadish, which means that they may become unfashionable to use as time goes on).

• wicked – while the proper definition of wicked is “bad”, people use it to mean something that is really amazing. For instance, “that’s a wicked movie”, meaning it’s a really great one. This is my least favourite slang term.
• my bad – used when someone makes a mistake or admits to doing something wrong. Example: “I didn’t finish my homework. My bad.”
• bro – short for “brother”, but used as a greeting not only for actual brothers, but good friends as well. Example: “See you later, bro.”
• later – instead of saying “see you later”, the phrase has been shortened to “later” when saying goodbye to a friend.
• peeps – refers to your “people”, that is, your circle of friends. Example: “I’m going to the movies with my peeps”.
• not – used after you say something obviously untrue. Example: “I hate chocolate. Not.”

There are many more slang terms that I, as a grandmother, don’t know. Just be aware that words in the English language aren’t always used the way they should be.

Technorati Tags: slang terms, English expressions

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I live near Toronto in what is called the tricities area, since there are three small cities all side by side. The area is also a centre for technology and boasts two universities, Waterloo and Laurier, and the School of Architecture.

Waterloo Region recently started a website to encourage new immigrants to settle in the region. Called the Newcomers Waterloo Region Website, it provides information on employment, skills credits, and community and government services.

Although the majority of immigrants to southern Ontario target Toronto, small town living such as that found in the tricities area is something that should be considered. For more information, go to their site at Newcomers Waterloo or visit citizenship Canada  for information about other government programs in Ontario.

Technorati Tags: immigration to Ontario Canada, Waterloo Region immigration

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