ICOST 2011
9th International Conference on Smart Homes and Health Telematics
20-22 June 2011, Montréal, Canada.
Coorganized by
Canada - Some Facts
Language
Canada's official languages are English and French. The spoken language in Québec is French. Most people do speak English. Ask 'Parlez-vous anglais? ' (Do you speak English?) before seeking information.
Time Zone
Montréal city follows Eastern Standard Time (EST, also denoted HAE in French), which is GMT-5h.
Weather and Climate
Spring (March 21 - June 21) & Summer (June 21 - September 21)
Passing seasons (°C/°F)
| January | -9/15.8 | February | -8/17.6 | March | -1/30.2 | |||||
| April | 6/42.8 | May | 13/55.4 | June | 18/64.4 | |||||
| July | 21/69.8 | August | 19/66.2 | September | 15/59 | |||||
| October | 8/46.4 | November | 2/35.6 | December | -6/21.2 | |||||
Currency
The currency is Canadian Dollar, designated CAD$. The Canadian Dollar is divided into 100 Cents.
Tax and Tipping
Sales taxes are NOT included in the price of purchases. Two taxes are charged in Québec : the federal one (TPS : 5%), and the provincial one (TVQ : 7.5%, 8.5% after January 1, 2011).
Service charge is NOT included in bills, so it's common to round up bills (mean tipping is about 15%). Another rule : the more people, the larger the tip.
Here are the most common cases for tipping : restaurant, bar, taxi, hairdresser, ...
Telephone
Telephone numbers in Canada consists of the country code, followed by the area code (3 digits) and the number itself (7 digits).Canada's country code is 1, and is for long-distance call inside North America (including USA).If you want to reach a person outside the North Amercian continent, use the international code (011), followed by the national code of the country you want to call.
The area code for Montreal is usually 514 , but could be different. Please refer to the official map of the area code
If you want to call emergency, dial 911.
Office and Shopping Hours
Business office hours are generally Monday-Thursday 8 am to 4 pm.
Shopping hours are generally Saturday-Wednesday 8 am to 5 pm, Thursday-Friday 8 am to 9 pm.
Voltage
The electric voltage is 110 volts (60 cycles). A standard voltage converter and plug adapter should be sufficient for conversions.