Requirements for Entering Canada (Passports and Visas)
Visitors must hold a valid passport; a visa may be required in some cases. Delegates from USA will not need passeport. For more information about visas, please consult the Citizenship and Immigration Canada Web site at www.cic.gc.ca. You may also consult the nearest Canadian embassy, the consulate, a customs broker or your travel agent.
Letter of invitation
People who must receive an official letter of invitation to participate in the Conference may contact the
ISSTDR Québec 2011 secretariat. This procedure was developed to facilitate obtaining a visitor's visa or permission to attend the Conference, not for covering registration fees and other expenses. The letter of invitation in no way commits Conference organizers to providing financial or other support.
To obtain a letter of invitation,
click here to download the PDF form. Once completed, please fax it to 1 418 658-8850 or email it at
isstdrquebec2011@agoracom.qc.ca. This information will enable us to prepare your letter.
Currency
The legal currency is the Canadian dollar, which is divided into 100 cents. Bills are available in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dollars. Coins are available in denominations of 1, 5, 10 and 25 cents, plus 1 and 2 dollars. Canadian and US currencies are not at parity. US currency is accepted at most places with varying exchange rates.
Consult http://qc.finance.yahoo.com/currency for exchange rates.
To avoid any inconvenience, we recommend that visitors obtain Canadian currency at the official exchange rate at a financial institution or travel agency when they arrive.
Units of measure
Canada uses the metric system.
Taxes
The federal goods and services tax (GST) of 5% and the Quebec sales tax (QST) of 8.5% are added to all purchases.
For more information, visit the Web sites of the Canada Revenue Agency and the Ministère du Revenu du Québec .
Tipping
In Canada, tips are not included on restaurant bills, but are left to the customer's discretion. A tip of 15% of the total cost before taxes is recommended. We suggest you do the same for taxis.
Porters expect $1 CDN per bag.
Safety
Québec City is a small, welcoming and safe North American city. Québeckers have built a stable, peaceful society through their open, tolerant culture, with 400 years of incorporating influences from France and England, and now Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa. As in all large cities, caution should still be used in order to avoid falling victims to petty crime.
Voltage
In Canada, electricity is 110 volts, as in the rest of North America. Appliances from other countries outside North America require a power adaptor.
Insurance
The fees for the Conference do not include any provisions for the insurance of participants against personal injury, sickness, theft, or property damage. This also applies to any event held during the Conference period. Participants and accompanying persons are advised to arrange for any insurance they consider necessary. Neither the Organizing Committee nor the agencies or partners involved in the organization of the Conference assume any responsibility for loss, injury or damage to persons or belongings, whatever the cause may be.
Access to health care is costly for non-residents and we therefore recommend that participants arrange their own travel insurance (health and accident coverage). We also recommend that you arrange insurance for lost luggage and other incidents.
Climate
Québec's climate is humid continental. July is the middle of the Québec summer. Temperature average is between 20° and 25° Celsius during the day.
Weather information: Environment Canada
Language
The official language of the Conference is English.