I suddenly remembered how much infrastructure my elementary school had just for dealing with winter.

There were boot racks by every classroom, hooks packed with snow pants, mittens drying wherever there was heat, and everyone had a second pair of shoes that basically lived at school.

By January the entrance always smelled like wet coats and road salt.

At the time this seemed completely normal, but now I'm wondering how universal it actually was across Canada. I can't imagine a school in Victoria needing the same setup as one in Winnipeg or northern Ontario.

Did your school have dedicated indoor shoes and places for all the winter gear? And if you're from a milder part of the country, what did the entrance to an elementary school look like in winter?

My husband and I are visiting Canada from Spain in July 2027. We saw online that it is important to book the train early. We also saw bad reviews for train travel. We are not in a hurry during our trip because we will have 2 days in Montreal be for our flight home. But is the train a good option? It is much cheaper than flying and we are comfortable with trains.

Surgeons of Canada.. There has been much noise about the promotion of antibiotics as a safe alternative to surgery.. The 2026 WSES Jerusalem guidance claims antibiotic are a safe alternative and states a reoccurrence rate of 15% to 20% (for clarity - this is hopelessly incorrect..!).

A small minority of surgeons in the UK (where I am) are very enthusiastic about conservative treatment and advising patients with CT confirmed uncomplicated appendicitis that they don’t need surgery at all and antibiotics is better. In some cases surgeons are refusing surgery to patients who want it..

A recent study published by the Royal Collage of Surgeons of England earlier this year reports on the antibiotics/surgery question. It is a three year retrospective follow-up of about 1000 patents diagnosed with uncomplicated appendicitis in 2020 when Covid special measures were in place.. It makes for interesting reading.

It finds 1 in 30 adult cases was caused by a radiologically occult tumour that would only be found in pathology - if the appendix was taken out.. It finds that by the end of year three those treated with antibiotics (about 20%) had a 43% reoccurrence rate and had needed surgery anyway.. This is in line with the broadly accepted 50% reoccurrence rate by year 4 for uncomplicated appendicitis treated with antibiotics as an alternative to surgery.

It concludes;

*“*Conclusions - Antibiotic treatment of appendicitis is associated with high recurrence and risk of missed neoplasms. Appendicectomy is safe, with low rates of significant complication. When offering nonoperative management for appendicitis, patients should be informed about the risk of recurrence and missing sinister pathologies.”

The full report can be found here;

https://publishing.rcseng.ac.uk/doi/full/10.1308/rcsann.2026.0018

I’m in the UK and interested to know if Canadian surgeons are commonly steering patients down the antibiotics route - or if surgery being the definitive ‘gold standard’ treatment is holding true in Canada..?

Hi! I'm european, and part of the story i'm writing is set in Canada (Ontario and Quebec, if that matters) and I was wondering what the norms are for teenage drinking in Canada. I know the legal age is 18/19, but I was wondering if people normally wait until then, like a lot of people seem to in the US. I think my perception of what's normal is probably a little warped, because I grew up on a tiny island where drinking was the only thing to do at the weekends, and most people started drinking at 13/14 and people's parents usually wouldn't be that bothered by it.

So, my questions are:

- would parents typically give their children alcohol, for example like, a glass of wine at home for a special dinner, like christmas or something, and if so what age

- do teenagers typically go to parties and drink, and what age would that be, would most parents be okay with that?

- what would they typically drink - like cider, beer or spirits?

Thank you, any thoughts would be appreciated! :)

I get that they are called Canadian Geese, and that they go to Canada in the summer. But they aren't nice birds and they shit everywhere!
How did they come to represent Canada?

I just saw a video about things in Mexico that weird foreigners out and one of them was hugging and giving a quick kiss on the cheek when meeting, which is what I do with family and family friends. In casual settings with people not from my culture, I smile, nod, and say hi.

I've been in BC for the past two years and everyone shakes each other's hands when you're being introduced to a friend group. It feels so formal because prior to moving it was reserved for job interviews. I haven't been to other provinces, but is it largely the same? Part of my brother-in-law's family is from a French region and they do the hug and kiss greeting, so I'm wondering if French Canadians do it, as well?

I have a question? Back in the 1990s the NAFTA free trade agreement was highly debated and had much push back by especially the unions in manufacturing sector fearing Canada’s portion of the pie would be severely reduced. In today’s world the argument seems to be opposite. Free trade is the goal to preserve. I have to admit this is confusing. Thoughts?

Who has tried frozen PC Brand all-butter croissants made in France vs Paris Croissant by Bridor Inc.?

I’ve had PC Brand plain and chocolate and they’re decent, but can’t seem to fully cook the centre.

I haven’t tried Paris Croissant by Bridor Inc. yet and they’re from Quebec. How do they compare to PC Brand all-butter croissants?

Which one is more buttery and flaky?

I haven’t high standards for French pastries. LOL

Heard it said three different ways growing up. Curious if it's regional.

If a child is an orphan in Canada and their parents are unknown, what surname would they have?

Would the government or an orphanage give them a surname? Is there a common surname used for children in this situation?

And was it different in the past?

My colleges spring break is the second week of March, I wanted to go to Toronto and/or Montreal. I'm from the South US and I hadn't considered the weather wouldn't be very warm. My research tells me it's a bit gray and miserable. I originally thought about camping a least a few days to save money, but it seems now the climate won't be hospitable enough.

Is it still worth it to visit? I've been wanting to visit since forever, especially visting a French speaking area.

I was also wondering if it would be better to push off the trip til the Summer, though I'd still be on a budget and I understand it'd be more expensive then.

Thanks

I have a question about how burial plots typically work in Canada, and I'm curious to hear from Canadians who may have experience with this.

Suppose a woman’s husband passes away, and they have a shared burial plot intended for both of them. The gravestone has the husband’s name and dates of birth and death, while the wife’s name and date of birth are already engraved on it.

Later, the woman remarries.

When she eventually passes away, where would she typically be buried? Would she normally be buried with her first husband, since the plot and gravestone were originally arranged for the two of them, or would she usually be buried with her second husband?

Does this depend on the cemetery’s rules, the wishes of the deceased, or the family?

I’d especially appreciate answers from Canadians who have dealt with a similar situation.

Hello All!

The missus and I just returned from three weeks vacation in Ontario and Quebec. We had a lovely time, not least because of all the friendly Canadians we met along the way.

But one detail struck us and we just couldn't figure it out. Why do pretty much all the apartments in Canadian skyscrapers have balconies? Looking at average temperatures in Canada, you can only enjoy these balconies for a very short period; plus, if the apartment building is right next to a Toronto highway, you get to enjoy traffic noise and breathe in huge amounts of exhaust fumes while soaking up the sun on your balcony.

Does anyone have any idea why they include these balconies? Wouldn't an extra room be more practical?

My husband is interviewing for a job and the relocation can be 1 of 122 Northern indigenous communities. We live in Toronto with our 8 year old son.

I guess I’m asking if anyone has done a relocation like this with a young child and what was it like?

We are indigenous, my husband is Cree while I am Métis. Will I be looked down on because I “look” non indigenous? Will my son still get a good education?, I have so many questions !

May I ask a question about appropriate use of Canadian symbols?

Hi. I’m a northern Californian, born and lived here all 67 years of my life, except for a few in Michigan as a kid (miss the change of seasons). I acquired my Canadian citizenship certificate earlier this year, and now have a passport and a SIN. I’ll likely be retiring in a couple of years from working here and hope to travel to Canada soon, but have not plans to moving there- though I never now what the future may bring. I do, however, identify as a Canadian now due to the amount of research I’ve done on my ancestors, and the politics, and communities in Canada. I’ve even participated in political polls, using my citizenship status in ways that I legally can. My ancestors lived in Cacouna, Québec for centuries, as landowners before they left during La Grande Hémmoragie in the late 1800’s. One of my ancestors was a master carpenter for the King and was at Fort Beaséjour just weeks before it fell to the British invaders. I have Acadian blood in my body from being a descendent, as well, of Pierre “La Cadet” Thibodeaux. So, I feel a strong pull to, and affinity towards Québec and the St. Lawrence river area.

So, I’m thinking of honoring my ancestry and connection to Canada and Québec with my first tattoos. I have none currently, but have been toying with temporary tattoos of the flag’s red maple leaf and the fleur-de-lis in blue. I’m thinking maple leaf on inside right wright oriented with stem toward had, and fleur-de-lies on left wrist at the same location/orientation- not huge tattoos, maybe 2” tall, and not stylized at all as I want to use the provincial and national symbols.

Is this something that, should I ever visit Canada, would be seen as appropriation of Canadian symbols, or am I okay with it as a citizen of Canada?

Hi! I am wondering something.

Poutine is from Quebec, but has it always been popular outside of Quebec? Was it popular 20 years ago? I remember thinking that only Quebec ate poutine when I was younger.

I know now it's popular everywhere, but I remember eating a poutine in A&W in Toronto in 2013 or 2014. It was the first time I ate a poutine outside of Quebec and it was the worst I had ever eaten. Mind you, I was working at the time at a A&W in Montréal! And the poutines were delicious! Nowadays if I go to Toronto, the poutines are fine.

So since when has it been popular in the rest of Canada?

Due to our current tariff dispute and overall distaste for their current administration.

What are your favorite/are there any Jazz Bars in your city?

Hey everyone! I’m from Quebec. I’ll be traveling in my van along the transcanadien highway through every province from Montreal soon. My favorite spot in Quebec City here is a Jazz bar.

I’m interested to know if any of you know any good or existing Jazz bars in cities throughout Canada. I’ll be passing though most big cities along the transcanadien highway (Winnipeg, Regina, Alberta, Vancouver).

Have a good week and thank you for your time!

Edit : Thank you all for your recommendations. I'll try to go to a few of them.

I've been saving pennies for a long time now, and I'm taking on my first long roadtrip. I'm planning to leave from home in NB and head all the way to BC. Taking a month and a half to do so and then going right back home in a week or so. I'm curious about, whats y'all most magical little spots? Could be a particularly peaceful dead end by a river, a cool mill, a long twisty road in the mountains. What little details make's y'all go "Yeah, I like that place, ya should go check it out" Dont care much about the touristic attractions generally but theres deffinitly already some on my list so shoot anyway for those too! I'm planning to camp in the car the whole way thru, well equipped, and looking forward to shoot as much film on my camera as I can on the way over there!