A while ago I was accepted to do a PhD in Montréal and in about four weeks I’ll be moving there from The Hague, in The Netherlands. This is my first time in Canada so while I’m really looking forward to it, I really have no idea what to expect. With four weeks until blast-off, I thought I’d call on all those more knowledgeable than me about Montreal in particular and Canada in general to tell me some more about it and fill me in on the dos and don’ts.
One issue that I’ve been wondering about that I’ll just go ahead and ask about is electrical appliances: will they work there? Say I have a toaster and a thing that will convert the plug from a Dutch one to a Canadian one, will it work or will it blow up? How could I tell, where could I find out?
Another thing: I have a fairly old Nokia cell phone. Would it work in Canada, if I inserted a Canadian sim-card, or is it just be wholly incompatible and will I need a new cell phone?
There’s a ton more things that I’d like to find out about, things about the bilingual situation in Montréal and Québec, tourist information – what bars and coffee places and hip discos to go to, etc. but I’ll be back to ask more specific questions about that once I think of them.
Montreal is one of my favourite cities (I like it as much, if not more, than my hometown of Toronto). It’s a great place to live… no lack of things to see and do, regardless of the season, and definitely more “European” in feel than most other places in Canada. I think you’ll really enjoy it there.
So, onto the information:
Appliances: You can buy a converter to user your European applicances, but make sure you buy a heavy-duty one designed for electronics if you plan on using it with laptops or the like. When it comes to basics like kettles or toasters, though, it might be better just to buy new ones in Canada rather than transport something from home.
Cell Phone: Make sure your Nokia works on the 850/1900 MHz frequency, which is used by both of the GSM carriers in Canada (Rogers and Fido). Some features, like internet browsing, may not work properly unless you purchase a new handset… but phone and .
You’ll probably pay a nominal fee for the SIM card if you’re buying on its own, instead of together with a handset (~$25, but that may have changed in the past few years).
Also, don’t worry too much about the language issue, at least within Montreal. Most locals speak at least some English, and most are actually quite fluent in both official languages. You’ll probably find that a little basic French will definitely make your day-to-day a little easier, especially in some neighbourhoods/businesses/etc which are more franco-centric, but it’s not an absolute necessity.
If you’re bringing a computer, check to see if it has a switch to flip to change the power supply from 220V to 120V. If not, you’ll need a converter or a new computer. Canadian power supply is 120V/60Hz compared to Dutch 230V/50Hz, so unless you want to bring converters for all your appliances, you’ll need new ones that work on Canadian voltage/frequency. Things like toasters aren’t very expensive, so it may be cheaper to buy new ones here rather than buy converters and lug them and your current appliances with you.
Most laptop power supplies these days are dual voltage – that is, they’ll work on both 120 and 220 volts. Check what is printed on it. My laptop works both in the U.S. and in Europe without a converter.
For stuff like toasters, etc. I wouldn’t attempt to haul the stuff over. Montreal seems to have quite a few Salvation Army Thrift Stores (google salvation army thrift store montreal), and I see Value Village also has several stores in Montreal. There are probably other options for getting cheap used appliances; ask the locals when you arrive.
… you everybody for these replies… (stupid 5 minute editing window )
I’ve gone and ordered a laptop in Canada since they’re a lot less expensive there than they are in The Netherlands. I figure that a laptop I buy there will work there so I’m not too worried about that. The things I’m bringing to Canada that may or may not work include a hair clipper/electric razor, camera battery chargers, Ipod chargers and an external hard disk. Anyway I could tell from looking at those appliances whether they’ll work or not?
So tell me some more about life in Montreal. I’ve been told that going out for drinks is prohibitively expensive - what would I have to reckon with if I were to buy a beer in a half way decent bar? What are the good beers What about supermarkets there, what do regular things cost, such as a beer, a gallon (or do they use litres) of milk or a loaf or bread or some tomatoes, or a carton of apple juice? What are the supermarkets called? Do they have Albert Heijn there?
Hi Švejk, welcome! I know little about electronics, so I’ll try to answer your lifestyle questions instead.
Going out for drinks can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it. I’ve hung out in $12 a cocktail lounges and $10 a pitcher sportsbars, and had a great time in each. Many places have a happy hour, which we call a “5 à 7” (five-to-seven), where you can get two drinks for the price of one or enjoy other specials. And terrace dining and drinking in summer is a tradition.
As for beer, you’ll be spoiled for choice. McAuslan, Rickard’s, and Unibroue are three brands with products I enjoy. Heck, Unibroue even sponsors a restaurantin Montreal. You might want to check that out if you want to try an interesting take on traditional local cooking.
For prices, why don’t you try checking some local advertising flyers? Depending where you’re located, you might have access to a major chain like Metro, Provigo, or IGA, and/or an “ethnic” market (sorry, couldn’t think of a better term) like PA or Mourelatos. You can also get basic groceries at big pharmacies, and at convenience stores (which we call “depanneurs”, after the word “depanner” (to help someone out)).
Most any electrical device will have printed on it somewhere the acceptable input voltages. For example, the simple Duracell AA charger I have sitting on my desk has a label on the bottom that reads “Input: 100-240 VAC 50/60Hz 8W.” The label also provides other information, but this is what’s relevant to you. This charger will work on either the 120V/60Hz grids or the 240V/50Hz grids with no problems. A great many devices that are powered through small transformers (those little black power bricks) don’t much care about input voltages. But, always check what’s printed on the power brick.
Simple electrical devices designed around resistive elements, like toasters, are a completely different story. Stamped into the bottom of my toaster is “120VAC 60Hz 800W”, which means that it’s not designed to work on 240V. If I were to plug it in to a 240V outlet using an adapter bad things might happen - it would become a 3200W device, which would likely lead to bits of it melting and starting a fire. Plugging a 240V toaster into a 120V outlet would result in 1/4 of the standard output, which isn’t as dangerous as 4x the standard output, but is also not likely to make toast.
Razors and the like are often designed to be compatible with 120V and 240V systems. Again, read what’s printed on the device in question.
Hope you have a great experience in Canada. Montréal is a faourite city of mine, but I also like Québec City and Ottawa, both of which are reasonablly close to Montrál (by Canadian standards). Hope you get a chance to check them out.
As for beers, I’ve never been in the Netherlands so can’t compare directly, but in my experience travelling in the U.K., Ireland and France, we found the cost of transport to be much cheaper in those countries than in Canada, but the price of beer and food to be much higher in those countries than in Canada.
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