Canada is surrounded on three sides by oceans.
To the north, the Arctic Ocean borders Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.
Off the west coast of British Columbia is the Pacific Ocean.
The Atlantic Ocean, meanwhile, sits to the east of Canada’s Maritime provinces, which include Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.

Dear Mrs. Smith,
I am writing in response to your reservation request for the “Blue Oasis” vacation property. I sincerely appreciate your choosing my rental property for your family’s Christmas holidays; however, I regret to inform you that the home you’ve chosen has already been booked. The good news is that in the same neighbourhood I own another property which is larger - “Seaside Escape.” It has a pool and is desirably situated closer to the ocean. I think this house would be an excellent choice for a family with kids, such as yours, as the amenities include high speed wireless internet, video game consoles, and a four-player table tennis set, not to mention a home theatre system. Although I usually rent it at a higher rate than the slightly less roomy “Blue Oasis,” I am willing to offer it to you for the same price.
The available house is more spacious and luxurious than your original choice. This three-level villa offers a total of 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms that are spread out over two floors and can sleep up to 8 people comfortably. On the main level is a large living room and a formal dining room off the open gourmet kitchen. Beside the kitchen is a recreation room and a separate entertainment room with a large-screen TV. There is also a stunning outdoor pool which has a waterfall on one side and is completely surrounded by tropical landscaping to maintain privacy. Just off the pool is a large seating area with an outside shower and a large barbecue. The home’s wrap-around decks overlook the elegant pool, ocean and dock. There are also many other attractions in the neighborhood, such as restaurants, movie theatres, an amusement park, and a shopping mall.
If you are interested in taking me up on this offer, please let me know by September 21st. As previously mentioned, I am willing to rent you this property for a reduced rate of $1200 a week. Please be advised that a $450 deposit must be made at the time of the reservation, and the remainder must be paid by October 31st. I look forward to hearing from you regarding your decision.
Sincerely,
Sandro Cavalli

A: Regarded as a work of human creative genius, the Rideau Canal is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Historic Site of Canada. Stretching over 202 km from Ottawa to Kingston, it is North America’s oldest, continuously operated canal system. The overall design involves a series of 52 dams that control the water levels, and 47 stone locks that allow watercraft to pass through a series of enclosures containing different levels of water. Remarkably, these locks work much the same way today as they did when it originally opened.
B: The motivation for the canal’s construction came from a need for defense. At the time, the St. Lawrence River served as the primary supply line for the British colony. However, following the War of 1812 against the Americans, the British loyalists recognized the vulnerability of the St. Lawrence to American attack. In 1826, Lieutenant Colonel John By of Britain’s Royal Engineers was tasked with designing a navigable waterway that could serve as a secure military supply route between Montreal and Kingston. The project posed severe logistical and engineering challenges since the desired route consisted of virgin forest, rocky terrain, and untouched rivers and lakes.
C: The construction began in 1826. Independent contractors were in charge of building the waterway, while the Royal Engineers oversaw its design. The skilled work was done primarily by French Canadians, including stonemasons, blacksmiths, and carpenters. The unskilled labour was carried out by immigrants, mainly from Ireland. Over the years, thousands of labourers were involved in the canal’s construction. The vast majority of the work was done manually, with some assistance from draft animals. The excavation was done using shovels, axes, and wheelbarrows. Even the large stones of the locks were set in place using manual cranes. The canal was completed in November 1831 and officially opened in 1832.
D: Although the canal was never used for its intended purpose, it was a commercial success. It became a path for early settlement and a supply route for local resources such as lumber, grains, minerals, and farming products. Presently, the canal functions chiefly as a waterway for leisure craft and recreation. The scenic location offers entertainment for every season including dining, museums, fishing, cycling, hiking, canoeing, snowshoeing, skiing, and skating. In the winter, a 7.8 km section is transformed into the world’s longest skating rink. The Rideau Canal is popular with tourists and locals alike due to its rich history and variety of attractions.
E. Not given in any of the above paragraphs.

Valhalla Air is continuing to fly its Fortuna 3000 Intercontinental jet, touted by the airline’s CEO Goran Pekarchuk as “the world’s best commercial aircraft,” despite its having been grounded in 2014 after several engine failures. For still-unknown reasons, the turbine engine’s ultra-lightweight carbon fibre blades crack and break in midflight. This disrupts engine flow and requires engine shutdown. Some suspect that the company responsible for manufacturing these parts, Mexico’s Power Tech Corporation, is trying to save time and cut costs at the expense of quality.
Racing against European rival Nimbus Air to bring its new product to the skies, the 3000’s manufacturer, Fortuna Aeronautics, hastily reinforced the blades on affected aircraft; conducted quick, semi-scientific tests convincing the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the blade was safe; and acquired that regulator’s approval to re-launch the 3000. This all occurred before the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) had finished its incident investigation. The NTSB responded with a stern letter urging more guidance from independent experts and more stringent and standardized verification procedures for aircraft components.
Despite the band-aid solution, the 3000 Intercontinental is applauded by environmentalists like Eveline Ryall, who praises its enhanced fuel efficiency and reduced carbon emissions. “In a world where three to six percent of greenhouse gases come from jet exhaust, the 3000 Intercontinental is a step in the right direction.”
Interviewed London-Toronto passengers, like Hamida Barzun, gushed over the 3000’s in-flight entertainment system and interior design while dismissing safety concerns. “If there were problems, Transport Canada would have intervened.”
Valhalla Air has welcomed the latest addition to its fleet with an extravagant marketing campaign. In one video, First Officer Andre Pierre says 3000 Intercontinental passengers “just go, Wow.” (“They’ll say the same thing when flames start shooting from the turbines over the Atlantic,” quipped the Globe and Mail’s Sheldon Blumfeld, who lambasted the ads and dubbed the Fortuna aircraft “the Misfortuna.”)
Marketing professor Caitlin Harwood labels the 3000 Intercontinental “a flawed product, flawlessly marketed.” She notes how Valhalla Air’s videos shrewdly ignore overseas outsourcing while emphasizing its made-in-Canada components. “It’s a case study in the triumph of marketing over matter.”