What rules catch Brits out in Canada?

Most Canadian laws will feel familiar. A few are stricter than in the UK or simply different, and newcomers get caught out in their first weeks. Here are the main ones, with Ontario and BC as examples where provinces differ.

At the border

• Declare all food, plants, animals and animal products (meat, cheese, eggs, seeds, soil on boots). Undeclared items can be seized and you can be fined
• Declare cash and monetary instruments (cheques, travellers’ cheques, bank drafts) worth C$10,000 or more in total, arriving or leaving. It isn’t illegal to carry it, but not declaring it can lead to seizure and a penalty
• Declare every firearm and weapon. Many are banned outright, including pepper spray, flick knives and butterfly knives. Individuals can no longer import handguns
• Tell the officer if you are carrying more than C$800 of gifts or goods, or alcohol and tobacco over the personal allowance

Cannabis: legal, but not across the border

Recreational cannabis is legal in Canada, but it is illegal to take it into or out of the country, in any amount, even if you have a medical prescription and even if you are travelling to a place where it is legal. Each province sets its own rules:

Drink-driving

The criminal limit is 80 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood, the same as England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Scotland is 50 mg). But the rules around it are tougher:

• Mandatory alcohol screening: since December 2018, police can demand a breath sample from any driver they lawfully stop, even without suspecting you have been drinking
• Refusing to give a sample is a criminal offence, punished like being over the limit
• A first conviction brings a criminal record, a minimum fine of C$1,000 (more at higher readings) and a driving ban of at least a year
• Most provinces also have a “warn range” from 50 to 80 mg. In Ontario, a first warn-range result means an immediate 3-day licence suspension and a C$250 penalty. BC has a similar roadside ban
• Young and novice drivers must have zero alcohol in most provinces

A criminal record can affect your immigration status. The easy rule is not to drink at all if you are driving.

Phones at the wheel

Holding or using a phone while driving, even stopped at lights, is “distracted driving”. In Ontario a first conviction means a fine of C$615 to C$1,000, 3 demerit points and a 3-day suspension. In BC the fine is C$368 plus 4 penalty points, which also raise your insurance. Check the current fines on your province’s website

On the road

• School buses: when a bus’s red lights are flashing, traffic in both directions must stop, unless there is a central barrier. In Ontario a first offence costs C$400 to C$2,000 and 6 demerit points
• Right turn on red: allowed across Canada after a full stop, unless a sign says otherwise. It is not allowed anywhere on the island of Montreal
• Open alcohol: you can’t carry an opened bottle or can in the car unless it is out of reach, for example in the boot
• Drive on the right, and speed limits are in kilometres per hour
• Pedestrians: cross at crossings and lights. Jaywalking rules are set by provinces and cities, and you can be fined

Drinking in public

Drinking in streets and most parks is banned in most of Canada, unlike in much of the UK. Some cities now allow it in named parks or beaches, and in Montreal you can drink in parks with a meal. Look for signs. Alcohol is sold in provincial liquor stores and, in some provinces, supermarkets and corner shops, and the legal drinking age is 18 or 19 depending on the province.

Wildlife

Never feed wild animals, including bears, deer, coyotes and even squirrels in national parks. It is illegal in national parks, with fines of up to C$25,000, because fed animals lose their fear of people and often have to be killed. Store food and rubbish securely when camping. See making the most of summer.