CURRENCY
The legal currency is the Canadian dollar, which is divided into 100 cents. Bills are available in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dollars. Coins are available in denominations of 5, 10 and 25 cents, plus 1 and 2 dollars. Canadian and US currencies are not at parity. US currency is accepted at most places with varying exchange rates. Consult the Bank of Canada Website for exchange rates. To avoid any inconvenience, we recommend that visitors obtain Canadian currency at the official exchange rate at a financial institution or travel agency when they arrive.
INSURANCE
The fees for the Conference do not include any provisions for the insurance of participants against personal injury, sickness, theft, or property damage. This also applies to any event held during the Conference period. Participants and accompanying persons are advised to arrange for any insurance they consider necessary. Neither the Organizing Committee nor the agencies or partners involved in the organization of the Conference assume any responsibility for loss, injury or damage to persons or belongings, whatever the cause may be. Access to health care is costly for non-residents and we therefore recommend that participants arrange their own travel insurance (health and accident coverage). We also recommend that you arrange insurance for lost luggage and other incidents.
LANGUAGE
The official language of the Congress is English.
UNITS OF MEASURE
Canada uses the metric system.
TAXES
The federal goods and services tax (GST) of 5% and the Québec sales tax (QST) of 9.975% are added to all purchases (taxes are subject to change). For more information, visit the websites of the Canada Revenue Agency and Revenu Québec.
TIPPING
In Canada, tips are not included on restaurant bills but are left to the customer's discretion. A tip of 15% of the total cost before taxes is recommended. We suggest you do the same for taxis. Porters expect $1 per bag.
PARKING
The Château Laurier Québec offers safe and heated indoor parking under the hotel. The average daily cost is $26 (unlimited in/out access) with valet service plus applicable taxes. You can also park by yourself the
cost is $21.74 per days plus applicable taxes (limited in/out access).
SAFETY
Québec City is a small, welcoming and safe North American city. Québeckers have built a stable, peaceful society through their open, tolerant culture, with 400 years of incorporating influences from France and England, and now Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa. As in all large cities, caution should still be used in order to avoid falling victims to petty crime.
VOLTAGE
In Canada, electricity is 110 volts, as in the rest of North America. Appliances from other countries outside North America require a power adaptor.
CLIMATE
In the autumn (from the end of August until mid-December) the thermometer goes down to between 5o and -10o Celsius (between 40 oF and 14 oF). So a warm coat is recommended. Please note that this information is based on seasonal norms and is provided as guidance only. There are always exceptions to the rule!
Weather information: theweathernetwork.com