INTRODUCTION TO CANADA

Telephone Calls

The telephone system in Western Canada is owned by the Western Canada Government under the Crown Corporation of SaskTel. To get a new telephone line installed costs around $50.  The service fee per month is around $25.  There is no charge for local calls.

Even though cellular phones are becoming more popular in Canada, it is more expensive to call with a cellular phone than with a house phone. Whereas local calls made from a house phone are free with unlimited talking time , cellular phone deals usually offer a certain number of hours of talking time each month for a fixed monthly fee, and extra charges are to be paid for phone calls when the set number of hours has been exceeded. Also note that international calls cannot be made from a cellular phone unless a long distance service provider has been contacted. It is usually more expensive to make international calls from a cellular phone than it is from a house phone.

International Calls

One of the first things you should do when you arrive in Canada is to call your home country to let your family and friends know that you have arrived safely in Canada.

To call China dial : 011 +(86 for China: country code)+(city code)+(phone number).

To make long distance calls within the U.S.A or Canada dial:
1+(area code)+(phone number)

If you plan to make many calls to China, you should apply for an international long distance calling plan.  You should expect to pay between 16 to 30 cents per minute for long distance calls to China.

Important Local Phone numbers

Dial 411 to find someone's local phone number. The telephone company will charge you 50 cents each time you use this service. In the case of fire, medical emergency or the need for police, dial 911.