Health and Safety In Canada

Health Insurance

In Canada, health care costs are very high for foreign tourists (hospital rates from 1 000 to 2 000 CA $ per day). Hospitals and clinics require the submission of an insurance ID card to accept an admission. It is therefore essential to subscribe, before departure, travel insurance with full repatriation assistance.

Quebec hospital emergency rooms are very, very congested, and delays in care are very long: it is the (large) of a weak health system also excellent.

Emergencies

- 911: toll-free number to dial 24 h/24 for all types of emergencies.

Hospital emergency rooms are often very, very congested and time to support very long. This is the weak point of a health system also excellent.

Repellent

By the end of winter, mosquitoes and black flies (black flies biting) proliferate and attack with an aggressiveness that is rarely seen. They can quickly transform your stay into a nightmare (especially from mid-June to mid July).

Some mosquitoes can transmit even, in the south, a potentially fatal disease: the West Nile virus encephalitis. No vaccine available.

Only protection, protective clothes and mosquito nets, and effective skin repellents. On site, in specialty stores in the camping, there are a range of products adapted to the country. But beware, they are generally unusable for 12 years. And bad for your health in any event. If you are traveling with children, buy more before departure (for example the range Insect Screen), or opt for clothing nets, mosquito-like mini head.

Also, ticks are very numerous in all forest areas and tree, in other words almost all of southern Canada. But we must be especially careful in the park area Long Point in southern Ontario.

Ticks can transmit a dangerous infection: Lyme disease. To avoid this, when all rural living:

wrap up warm head (hat), arms, legs and feet (preferably insecticide-impregnated clothing);

do not hesitate to coat the sides remained discoveries with repellents (repellents); check yourself and get regular inspections to reduce the risk (it takes 24 h to a tick to transmit disease).

Downtown

With a low crime rate and an almost nonexistent crime, Canada is not a dangerous destination. Of course, as everywhere, do not attempt the devil and take basic precautions against theft. In the evening, avoid neighborhoods less repute, including Vancouver. The major problem of urban Canada, are homeless, a phenomenon exacerbated by political and social factors. In places, downtown, misery is obvious.

In nature

Many bears roam the forests of the West. Although they rarely represent a danger, we should be careful. When camping, the major precaution is to never leave food in or near your tent, or even toiletries like toothpaste. It is therefore advisable to pack supplies in a plastic bag.
When meeting face to face with a bear, first throw down all the food you are carrying. Do not run away.

Without being alarmist, grizzly bear attacks on humans have increased in recent years in the Rockies, where civilization encroaches on the territory of bears in the Canmore area, in particular.

In the north, the forests are infested with mosquitoes and black flies, small black flies that bite ferociously. Arm yourself with repellents, avoid perfume and wear dark colored clothes. June is the worst month of the year.

On the road signs indicate areas populated by moose (elk) and other caribou. Slow down, especially at night.