🥐 Where to eat in Ottawa: BeaverTails, ByWard Market

This little walk-up stand on George Street is where the BeaverTails story went big. The pastry was first served at a craft fair in Killaloe, Ontario, in 1978, and in 1980 the first booth opened right here in the ByWard Market. It's a hand-stretched, whole-wheat dough fried until crisp, then topped while warm. Barack Obama stopped here on his first visit to Canada in 2009.

🔹 Price: the Classic (cinnamon sugar) and the Killaloe Sunrise are about $8.25 each before tax; loaded flavours run about $9–10
🔹 Hours: daily 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Friday and Saturday until midnight
🔹 Address: 69 George St, a short walk from the Rideau Centre and Parliament Hill

💡 Tip: Order the Killaloe Sunrise and squeeze the lemon wedge over the cinnamon sugar. It's a classic for a reason.

📍 Google Maps: BeaverTails ByWard Market

🇨🇦 @canada

🍁 Where to go in Quebec: Montmorency Falls, Québec City

Just 15 minutes from Old Québec, this 83-metre waterfall roars down a cliff beside the St. Lawrence. Ride a glass cable car up, cross the suspension bridge right over the crest, then walk down the panoramic staircase with spray in your face.

🔹 Daily access: $13.90 per adult until Nov. 1 ($10.42 in low season); 17 and under free; plus tax
🔹 Cable car: $14.95 adult round trip, unlimited rides that day
🔹 Cable car and services: daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m. until Nov. 1; closed Nov. 2–Dec. 18, but the site stays open (no access fee then)
🔹 5300 boulevard Sainte-Anne, Québec City

💡 Tip: Go in the morning before tour coaches arrive, and wear shoes with grip, since the stairs get slick from the spray.

📍 Google Maps: Parc de la Chute-Montmorency

🇨🇦 @canada

🚨 JUST IN: Canada and the UAE sign a free trade deal in Ottawa

🔹 Tariffs on over 99% of Canadian exports to the UAE will be cut or removed once it is fully in force, expected in 2027
🔹 Signed during the Abu Dhabi crown prince's first-ever visit to Canada, alongside a defence cooperation deal

🇨🇦 @canada

🎤 JUST IN: Canada names 5 finalists for its first-ever Eurovision

🔹 William Cloutier, Josiane, Rêve, Talk and Tyler Shaw were picked by a jury from 325 entries for Eurovision 2027 in Bulgaria next May
🔹 Canadians can vote up to 10 times on CBC until Nov. 5; the winner is due by December

🇨🇦 @canada

🗣 Canadian English: zed (the letter Z)

🧣 In Canada, the last letter of the alphabet is usually called zed, the same as in the UK, Australia and most of the English-speaking world. Americans call it zee. So in Canada you'll hear "from A to zed" and even "Gen Zed."

🔊 Say it: ZED (rhymes with "bed" and "red")
🔜 "Is that Zack with a zed, or Zach with an h?"

🌎 Same letter, different English:
🇨🇦 zed 🇺🇸 zee 🇬🇧 zed

💡 Careful: You'll still hear "zee" in Canada too, especially in the alphabet song, where it rhymes with the other letters. Both are understood, but "zed" is the usual Canadian choice, so don't be surprised when a Canadian reads a Z out loud as "zed."

🇨🇦 @canada

🍽 Where to eat in Québec City: Ashton Côte-du-Palais

Locals still call it Chez Ashton. Ashton Leblond started with a chip truck in 1969 and put poutine on the menu in 1972 — fries, fresh cheese curds, and house gravy that helped make the dish a Québec City staple. Easy stop in Old Québec near the Château Frontenac.

🔹 Price: authentique poutine about $9.15 before tax; loaded versions about $12–16; most meals under $25
🔹 Hours: Mon–Thu & Sun 11 a.m.–8 p.m.; Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–10 p.m.
🔹 Address: 54 Côte du Palais, Old Québec (G1R 4H8), short walk from Place d'Armes

💡 Tip: Cheese curds should squeak — ask for "frais du jour" and grab extra napkins.

📍 Google Maps: Ashton Côte-du-Palais

🇨🇦 @canada

🍁 Where to go in Newfoundland and Labrador: Signal Hill

St. John's most famous lookout sits above the Narrows, with Cabot Tower on the ridge where Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal in 1901. Late October is quiet: free grounds and ocean views.

🔹 Grounds & parking free, open year-round · Visitor Centre & Cabot Tower closed for the season (ended Oct 9, 2026; adult $10 when open) · 230 Signal Hill Rd, St. John's · ~10–15 min from downtown
💡 Tip: Dress for wind — the summit is exposed. North Head Trail is steep with drop-offs; use the summit lookouts for an easy visit.
📍 Google Maps: Signal Hill

🇨🇦 @canada

🚨 BREAKING: Bank of Canada raises key rate to 2.5%

🔹 Overnight rate up a quarter-point from 2.25% — first hike since 2023
🔹 Bank cites persistent energy-driven inflation; next decision Dec. 9

🇨🇦 @canada

🚨 JUST IN: Céline Dion to sing Paul McCartney songs for animated film

🔹 She'll perform original McCartney tracks for High in the Clouds (also voices Sugartail)
🔹 Soundtrack via Universal; news follows her Paris comeback residency

🇨🇦 @canada

🗣 Canadian English: cheque

🧣 In Canada, the paper order you sign to pay money from your bank account is a cheque. That's the preferred Canadian spelling, the same as in the UK. Americans write it check.

🔊 Say it: CHECK (sounds exactly like "check", rhymes with "neck")
🔜 "My landlord still wants the first month's rent by cheque."

🌎 Same thing, different English:
🇨🇦 cheque 🇺🇸 check 🇬🇧 cheque

✏️ Canadian spelling: Only the bank payment gets the "-que". A check mark and the verb "to check" are spelled check in Canada too.

💡 Careful: "Please check the cheque" is correct Canadian English: "check" is the action, "cheque" is the piece of paper.

🇨🇦 @canada

🥐 Where to eat in Edmonton: Duchess Bake Shop

A much-loved French-style bakery on Edmonton's 124 Street. The signature is the macaron, and the croissants are made the traditional way with imported butter.

🔹 Try: macarons ($2.95 each: salted caramel, pistachio, lemon, rose, vanilla), classic croissant ($5), pain au chocolat ($7), a gift box of 7 macarons ($26). Prices before GST.
🔹 Hours: Mon–Sat 9 a.m.–6 p.m., Sun 9 a.m.–5 p.m. From Nov. 1 winter hours start and it closes an hour earlier every day.
🔹 Address: 10718 124 Street NW, in the 124 Street shopping strip west of downtown. A smaller sister shop, Little Duchess, is in Ritchie Market (9570 76 Avenue).

💡 Tip: Want a whole cake? Preorders need at least 48 hours and are picked up at the 124 Street shop only.

📍 Google Maps: Duchess Bake Shop

🇨🇦 @canada

🍁 Where to go in British Columbia: The Butchart Gardens, Brentwood Bay (near Victoria)

Open year-round, and autumn is a quieter time to go: red and golden Japanese maples, chrysanthemums, dahlias and seasonal pumpkin and gourd displays fill the grounds.

🔹 Admission (incl. tax): Nov. 1–30 adult $28.60, youth (13–17) $14.30, child (5–12) $3; through Oct. 31 adult $36.75
🔹 Gates: 9 a.m.–4 p.m. to Oct. 31, then 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. daily in November; the grounds stay open one hour after the gates close
🔹 About 22 km from downtown Victoria: BC Transit bus #75 from Belleville St. at Government (about 50–60 min, $6 DayPASS), or a 35–45 min drive

💡 Tip: Staff-led greenhouse tours run on weekends from Oct. 31 to Nov. 29. From Dec. 1 it switches to evening Christmas hours (3–9 p.m.).

📍 Google Maps: The Butchart Gardens

🇨🇦 @canada

🚨 BREAKING: Ottawa to invest up to $1.6B in Toronto-based AI company Cohere

🔹 Carney announced it in Montreal at the Canada-EU summit; funding comes in stages, alongside private investors including Nvidia and Bell
🔹 Cohere commits to at least 1,000 new Canadian tech jobs and $1.7B in computing infrastructure by 2030, and will keep its HQ in Canada

🇨🇦 @canada

🎸 JUST IN: Bryan Adams releases "Lake Ontario," a song rejecting the push to rename the lake

🔹 The Kingston, Ont.-born rocker answers the U.S. order calling it "Lake America": "Lake Ontario is forever"
🔹 It's on his new album How's It Goin', out Nov. 6

🇨🇦 @canada

🗣 Canadian English: washroom

🧣 In Canada, the polite everyday word for a toilet room, especially in a public place like a mall, restaurant or office, is the washroom. Asking "Where's the washroom?" works anywhere from Halifax to Vancouver.

🔊 Say it: WASH-room (just "wash" + "room")
🔜 "Excuse me, are the washrooms past the food court?"

🌎 Same thing, different English:
🇨🇦 washroom 🇺🇸 restroom / bathroom 🇬🇧 toilet / loo

💡 Careful: Many Canadians also say "bathroom," especially at home. In the US, "washroom" still exists but sounds old-fashioned, and in the UK, asking for the "toilet" is normal and not rude at all.

🇨🇦 @canada

🥯 Where to eat in Winnipeg: Gunn's Bakery

A North End institution on Selkirk Avenue, baking old-country-style kosher breads, bagels and pastries since 1937. Locals come for the apple jacks (apples and cinnamon in flaky pastry), cinnamon buns baked in syrup, butter tarts and braided koilech, also known as challah.

🔹 Price: online menus list a 6-pack of bagels at about $7.60 and an apple jack at about $4.70 (delivery-app prices; in store may differ)
🔹 Hours: weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Fridays until 5), Saturday 7 a.m.–3 p.m., closed Sunday
🔹 Address: 247 Selkirk Ave, Winnipeg, MB, in the city's North End

💡 Tip: Go in the morning for the best choice of bagels and buns, and remember it's closed on Sundays.

📍 Google Maps: Gunn's Bakery

🇨🇦 @canada

🍁 Where to go in Ontario: The Distillery Historic District, Toronto

A national historic site a short walk east of downtown. The old Gooderham & Worts distillery began here in 1832, and its Victorian brick buildings and cobblestone lanes are now a car-free village of shops, galleries, cafés and theatres.

🔹 Free to walk around; district hours Mon–Wed 10am–8pm, Thu–Sat 10am–9pm, Sun 11am–8pm (open 364 days a year)
🔹 55 Mill St; 504A King streetcar to Distillery Loop, or walk from Union Station
🔹 Paid Green P parking on site; dog-friendly lanes on a leash

💡 Tip: The Distillery Winter Village Christmas market runs Nov 12 to Jan 3. Entry is free Mon–Wed until Dec 13, but tickets (from $16 plus HST) are needed from 4pm Fri–Sun, so go early.

📍 Google Maps: The Distillery Historic District

🇨🇦 @canada

🚢 BREAKING: Ottawa fast-tracks $5.9B Roberts Bank Terminal 2 port expansion in Delta, B.C.

🔹 Listed as a "project of national interest," it would add 2.4 million containers a year, about 50 per cent more Port of Vancouver capacity
🔹 Ottawa says it could open in 2035, not 2039, and support about 17,000 jobs

🇨🇦 @canada