The official languages of Canada are French and English. In Quebec, the province east of Ontario, French is the chartered public language. Every Quebec government official is expected to be fluent in French, and all publications and educational materials overseen by government offices are to be published in both French and English. Often you will see American brands at the store with French and English labels stamped on the packaging.
Canada uses the Canadian dollar (CAD) as its primary currency. The Canadian dollar is weaker than the U.S. dollar, but not by much. 1 CAD is equal to 0.71 USD. Many American brands in Canada don't adjust their prices for currency exchange, so at malls and shopping centers, I sometimes get a 30% discount!
A bottle of water in Toronto is typically less than two Canadian dollars, which after conversion makes it slighlty cheaper than in the U.S.
The best meal I had this week was Lanzhou hand-pulled beef noodles. One of my favorite things about Toronto is the number of Asian resturants!
