Practical Information for visiting Ontario

Coverage for mobile networks is excellent across southern Ontario with widespread 5G, and follows the highways north.

Canadian mobile plans are expensive by international standards; a prepaid SIM or an eSIM bought before arrival usually costs less than a local plan.

Wi-Fi is universal in hotels, cafes and libraries, and free public networks cover much of downtown Toronto.

In the backcountry, expect no signal at all. Algonquin’s interior, most of Georgian Bay’s islands and the Shield lakes are genuinely off-network, and a satellite messenger is sensible for longer trips.

Power is reliable, though ice storms occasionally cause extended outages.

Ontario is a safe place to travel, with low violent crime by international standards. The genuine risks are environmental.

• Winter cold is dangerous. Wind chill can bring exposed skin to frostbite within minutes, and every winter brings deaths from people caught out underdressed.
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• Winter driving: black ice, whiteouts and multi-vehicle pileups in the snow belts. Snow tyres are effectively mandatory in practice.
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• The Great Lakes are not benign. Rip currents drown swimmers every summer, Superior is cold enough to cause incapacitation quickly, and storms build fast.
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• Backcountry: no signal, black bears, and hypothermia in any season on the water.
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• Ticks carrying Lyme disease have spread through southern Ontario.
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• Petty theft in the cities, and car break-ins at trailheads.

Canada has excellent healthcare, but visitors are not covered by it and costs are high. Travel insurance is essential — an emergency room visit can run to thousands of dollars.

No vaccinations are required beyond routine cover; being current on measles and influenza is sensible.

Ticks and Lyme disease are the main outdoor health concern in the south. Check for ticks after walking in long grass or brush, and remove any promptly.

Blackflies and mosquitoes are ferocious in the north in late May and June; repellent and a head net make the difference.

Cold injury in winter and heat and humidity in July are both real.

Tap water is safe throughout the province.

Pharmacies are widespread, and many minor issues can be dealt with by a pharmacist.

Tipping is not optional in practice: 15 to 20 per cent in restaurants and bars, a couple of dollars for a taxi, and a few for housekeeping.

Sales tax of 13 per cent is added at the till rather than shown on the label.

Alcohol is sold in licensed stores and increasingly in supermarkets; the legal age is 19, and open containers in public are prohibited.

Cannabis is legal and sold in licensed shops, with the same age limit; smoking it is restricted to the same places as tobacco, and taking it across an international border is a serious offence in either direction.

Queueing and holding doors are taken seriously, and apologising reflexively is a genuine habit rather than a stereotype.

Land acknowledgements open many public events; listening attentively is the expected response.

Emergency number: 911 for police, fire and ambulance, from any phone.

Medical. Hospitals treat emergencies regardless of status, but visitors are billed and the amounts are large. Carry your insurance details. Walk-in clinics handle minor problems more cheaply and quickly than an emergency department.

In winter, check road conditions before driving between cities — the province publishes live reports, and highways do close.

In the backcountry, leave a trip plan with someone, carry a satellite messenger, and register at park offices where required. Search and rescue is competent but distances are long.

On the water: lifejackets are legally required to be aboard, and the coast guard monitors the Great Lakes.

Most countries have consulates in Toronto and embassies in Ottawa.