Welcome to Canada: What you should know

Sources of information

---

• How to find information
• Getting around
• Using the telephone
• The telephone directory
• Call centres and touch-tone telephones
• Emergency 911
• Voice mail
• Pay telephones
• Directory assistance
• Toll-free numbers
• Telephone services for people with special needs
• Using computers
• Public libraries

---

How to find information

Canada’s three levels of government – federal, provincial and municipal – offer a variety of helpful programs and services for newcomers. Where these programs and services are offered in Canada, and who delivers them, may vary, since different provinces have different immigration agreements with the federal government.

We suggest that you:

• get a map of your community;
• get a copy of the local telephone book; and
• contact the immigrant-serving organizations in your community.

This guide, along with an immigrant-serving organization, can help you through the steps you need to take to settle. It can help you sort out the information you are missing and the services you need. The Welcome to Canada guide also includes a checklist to help you with the things you need to do first.

Getting around

It is useful to have a map of the area where you will be living. It will help you to get around and find the services you need. Most bookstores, gas stations and convenience stores sell maps at a reasonable price. You may also be able to get a free map of your community through your local Chamber of Commerce or municipal office. You can also look at maps in the library, at no cost. However, you can’t take maps out of the library.

Using the telephone

Canadians like to use the telephone for communicating. They talk on the telephone everywhere – at home, on the street, in telephone booths. You will find that telephone books are great sources of information. Most of the important telephone numbers you need can be found in alphabetical order in the telephone book. You will receive one from the company that installs a telephone in your home. You may also be able to pick one up from a telephone centre. These centres are often located in large shopping malls. There are also telephone books at the library and in pay telephone booths.

At home: You pay a basic rate each month for telephone service. This pays for all local calls. You will be charged extra for each long-distance call you make. Long-distance calls are made to telephone numbers outside your local area.

Away from home: Pay telephones in most provinces cost 50 cents per local call and you can find them in most public places. If you do not know a telephone number, dial 411 and ask the operator. There is a charge for using this number. You may also purchase telephone cards, which can be used to call anywhere from any telephone, including public telephones.

The telephone directory

Telephone directories include white, blue and yellow pages listed alphabetically by name, subject, service or product.

• The white pages list the home telephone numbers in and around your area.
• The blue pages list government numbers.
• The yellow pages list business numbers: restaurants, services, stores, and so on.

In the front pages of the telephone book, you will find emergency numbers like fire departments and ambulance services. The most important number listed there is an emergency number, 911 in many provinces, which you can call for help in life-threatening emergencies.

The white pages of the telephone book list home numbers in alphabetical order, from A to Z, using the last name of the person first. So look up John Smith under S, for Smith.

The blue pages of the telephone book list telephone numbers for Canadian government departments, including the federal, provincial, municipal and regional governments.

For frequently used government telephone numbers, see the pamphlet called Key Information Sources in the back pocket of this guide.

The yellow pages are found in a separate telephone book in some of the larger cities in Canada.

Call centres and touch-tone telephones

Many businesses and government departments receive so many calls that they have set up “call centres” to help them answer the most commonly asked questions. Call centres use a series of messages that have already been recorded to answer your questions. You find these messages by using the numbers, letters and symbols on the keys of your touch-tone telephone. The call centre message will tell you which keys to press on your telephone for the information you need. If you miss it the first time around, the message will usually tell you which key to press to hear it again. The list of messages is usually called a “menu.” You choose the information you want.

You can also enter information into some call centres, using the keys on the telephone.

Remember: the “pound” key is the one that looks like this [#]. The “star” key looks like this [*].

Emergency 911

If you fear for your safety, or the safety of someone in your family, you should call your local emergency number for help. In many Canadian cities, this number is 911. This connects you immediately to ambulances, fire departments, the police and other emergency services. In other communities not equipped with 911 services, dial 0 and ask the operator for help. Other medical emergency numbers are listed in the first white pages of the telephone book. These may include a poison information number, a distress or sexual assault help line, and a number to call if you or someone in your family is being abused.

Voice mail

Many Canadians, and most Canadian businesses and departments, have some form of answering machine or service to take messages for them when they are away from their telephones. The telephone may ring several times, and then a recorded message will ask you to leave your name and number and a short message. You will usually hear a beeping sound followed by silence. At this point, leave your spoken message and remember to speak clearly and slowly. You may want to repeat your telephone number.

Pay telephones

You may want to use a public telephone when you are out, or before you get your telephone installed. There are many pay telephone booths on city streets, in shopping malls and in airports – any place where there are a lot of people. You pay for these telephone calls when you use the telephone. For local calls, you put in 50 cents (this charge may vary in some provinces) and make your call. You should have the right number of coins to put in the slot. If the call is long distance, you will need to put in more money (in coins) as you go along, and an operator, or the message across the screen on the pay telephone, will tell you how much. Make sure you have lots of coins with you. Eventually, you may want to get a calling card from a telephone company. This card allows you to dial a special code and make calls on public telephones without putting in any money. These calls are then billed on your regular home telephone bill.

Directory assistance

If you need help finding a telephone number, you may call for assistance. Call 411 for local numbers, and 0 for overseas numbers. All telephone numbers have an area code, which refers to the location of the number. You can look up these codes in your local telephone book. If the call you wish to make is outside the local area code, it is probably going to be long distance. Call 1+AREA CODE+555‑1212 if you need help to find the number. Remember, there is a charge for using this service. You can also find telephone directory assistance on the Internet at www.canada411.ca.

Toll-free numbers

Canada is a very large country, and it can be expensive to make calls from one city to another. Many businesses and government departments use telephone numbers that start with 1‑800, 1‑888, 1‑877 or 1‑866. This lets you call them for free, within a province or within Canada. These are known as toll-free numbers. Simply dial the 1‑800, 1‑888, 1‑877 or 1‑866 number exactly as listed. You can search for toll-free numbers on the Internet at www.canadatollfree.ca.

Telephone services for people with special needs

Many telephone companies in Canada can provide special telephone equipment for people with a hearing, speech, visual or physical disability. Contact your local telephone company to get more information on these kinds of services and equipment. You can find the name of the telephone company for your area in any telephone book. The Customer Service number should be in the first few pages of the book. In areas served by Bell Canada, you can also visit a Bell telephone centre. These are usually found in large shopping malls.

Using computers

A great deal of helpful information is now available through the Internet, a worldwide resource and information system. You don’t need to own a computer or have Internet access at home to use it. You can often use the Internet (or “surf the Web,” as Canadians like to say) free of charge at your local public library (you must reserve a time slot), community centre, school, immigrant-serving organization or Service Canada Centre. Useful information can be found on various “websites,” which are like codes or addresses on the Internet.

Public libraries

In most communities across Canada, there are public libraries that can be used free of charge. Libraries are a resource that many newcomers make use of to read the daily newspapers, use the Internet or borrow books.

<< Previous | Contents | Next >>