General Information

TRAVEL TIPS

Currency and banking facilities
Canadian currency is the dollar, which is divided into 100 cents. There are 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 1,000 dollar bills. One and two dollar bills have been replaced by coins often referred to as “loonies” (the bird on the $1 coin is a loon and “toonies $2). The dollar is subject to daily fluctuations and is trading to approx.
$1.00 USD = $1.01 CAD (as of February 18, 2008). There is a foreign exchange booth at the Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport and banks can be found throughout the city.

Electricity supply
The electrical voltage in Canada is 110 volts (60 cycles) which is the same current as in the United States. If you are traveling from Europe or elsewhere, you will need an adapter to use small appliances. Adapters can be found at most department and electrical stores near downtown hotels.

Health Insurance
Visitors are NOT covered by the Canadian Health Insurance Plan. It is therefore recommended that participants arrange their own health and accident coverage. This can be done before leaving home through a local travel agent or medical association.

Liability
The Assembly fees DO NOT include provisions for the insurance of participants against personal injuries, sickness, and theft or property damage. This also applies to any event held during the Assembly period. Participants and accompanying persons are advised to arrange for insurance they consider necessary. Neither the Joint Assembly Organizing Committee, nor its partners or committee members assume any responsibility for loss, injury or damage to persons or belongings, whatever the cause may be.

Entry Formalities (passport and visa)

All visitors to Canada require a TRV (Temporary Resident Visa), except citizens of countries where an exemption has been granted.  For more details, please see Visa/Entry Requirements.

 

Public Transit
The Congress venue and hotels are located in downtown Montréal. There is a shuttle bus from the Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau International Airport that stops at several downtown hotels. The cost for the bus is approximately $13 CAD. Taxis are also available from the airport to downtown at a cost of approximately $35 CAD.

The Tourist Card, for $9 / day or $17 for 3 days, permits unlimited use of the transit system. The subway lines make traveling between downtown hotels, attractions and Palais des congrès de Montréal very practical. For more information on public transit, please visit the website www.stcum.qc.ca.

 

OFFICIAL LANGUAGES

Services at this Joint Assembly will be provided in English and French, however, all aspects of the Scientific Program will be in English only.