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 Jack, I have the most incredible news! Of course, it would be so much better if I could tell you in person, but since I’m near bursting with the excitement of it all, waiting until you get back from Chicago is simply out of the question. If you can believe it, I’ve been offered a promotion! To be honest I think I might still be in shock. I really didn’t think this day would ever come. Thankfully, I listened to you and all your wisdom, honey, when it came to sticking things out. I was convinced I’d be stuck in that cubicle writing boring memos for the rest of my life, but you assured me, if I just had patience, something great would come out of it all. Now, after five long years, something great has finally arrived; I’ve been promoted to Manager of International Accounts!
Of course, I know what you’re probably thinking: the title doesn’t sound too glamorous, and it’s a long way off from my dream job as a travel writer. However, although I won’t be doing any writing in this position, I will be getting paid to travel all over the world—so at least the travel bug inside of me will be content. Also, there would be a significant salary increase with this position, meaning we would be able to afford that beautiful two-bedroom condo we’ve had our eye on. Imagine, soon we might actually be able to say we own a little piece of Toronto!
I am, of course, getting ahead of myself and before I officially accept the position, there are some important things to consider. For one, as excited as I am about all the travel involved, it would mean delaying having children for another few years; something I’m not sure we want to do. Also, the workload will be pretty intense. In fact, I could see it being the case that although I’ll get to travel to beautiful places like Thailand, I won’t actually have the time to see any of them. Anyways, I’m anxious to hear what you think. If you have time after the conference today, write me back!
Katy

A: As well as a complex road system for car owners, an important aspect of urban infrastructure is a cost-effective public transit system which is fast and easily available for use by the general public. In Canada, all cities and most major towns utilize a public transportation system. In most areas, networks of buses provide the main mode of public transportation. Although bus services are not as fast as private cars, they are able to carry many passengers and can operate on conventional roads with numerous stops that easily connect to other forms of transit, such as trains and ferries. These services are operated at either a provincial or municipal level; for example, public transit in Metro Vancouver is provided by Translink, whereas other areas of British Columbia are serviced by the provincial agency, BC Transit.
B: In densely populated urban areas, the ability to move large numbers of people rapidly becomes even more important. Accordingly, most large cities provide rapid transit lines which facilitate the transport of people across greater distances and in less time than alternative transit systems. These systems, commonly referred to as metros or subways, use rail tracks and are separate from regular traffic. Citywide systems can be found in places such as Montreal (“Metro”), Calgary (“C-Train”), and Edmonton (“LRT”). In addition, some rapid transit systems, such as Vancouver’s Skytrain, span across the sprawling city limits and link to neighbouring municipalities.
C: In addition to buses and rapid transit lines, some metropolises also offer other ecologically friendly and economical forms of public transit. These additions to the public transit system supplement the regular bus services and faster train services. For example, the public transit system in Toronto includes a unique system of streetcars or “trolleys” which run along tracks on public streets. These rail vehicles are lighter and shorter than conventional trains, and are classified as “light rail.” In Vancouver, the public transit network includes a “Seabus” (or passenger-only ferry) which provides public transportation across the Burrard Inlet.
D: Well-developed public transportation systems have many benefits including efficient transportation for large populations, eco-friendly alternatives to private vehicles, and significant savings for transit users. A much-neglected truth is that the average Canadian driver spends approximately $9,500 per year, while the amount paid for monthly public transit passes in Canada comes to only $740 to $1550 annually. With this cost difference, Canadians who are willing to trade in their cars for public transportation stand to save thousands of dollars a year.
E. Not given in any of the above paragraphs.

Global warming has drastically reduced the extent of sea ice in the Canadian high Arctic, whose islands are now navigable in summer without ice-breaking equipment. Recently a Danish coal carrier vessel, the Aurora Borealis, navigated this route from Vancouver, Canada to Pori, Finland. “We’ve proven the Northwest Passage is open to the world as a viable transoceanic shipping route. It shaved four days, 2,000 kilometres, and $200,000 off the Panama Canal route, and its deeper waters let us carry 25% more cargo,” said company spokesman Marcus Lindstrom.
Like its Scandinavian and Russian counterparts, the Canadian government considers its arctic passage a national territorial waterway. Deemed “historic internal waters,” the route falls unquestionably under Canadian jurisdiction, explains Northern Development Minister Bruce Anderson. Anderson applauds a new atlas produced by cartographer Adriana Chevrier and Inuit elders, showing Inuit land and sea ice routes dating back centuries and shoring up Canada’s claim to the Arctic archipelago by virtue of the legal principle of long-time use and occupancy. Modern commercial traffic helps, too. As international law professor Zachary Michaels said in a public lecture, “Valuable legal precedents are established every time a foreign vessel makes the crossing while complying with its legal obligation to register with and be monitored by the Canadian Coast Guard.” Beyond that, annual prime ministerial visits and Canadian Forces exercises in the region bolster Canada’s claim.
However, Canadian arctic sovereignty is recognized by neither the EU nor the US, the latter due to Republican-backed non-ratification of UNCLOS (the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea). The US considers the Northwest Passage an international waterway, balking at its northern neighbour’s registration and monitoring requirements and once allegedly steering a nuclear-powered submarine through the route without permission. “Recognition of Canadian arctic sovereignty would be detrimental to our economic interests,” said Republican senator Morris Homeniuk, who points out that Canada still owns no reliable modern patrol vessels, often depending on the US Talisman to escort its ageing Canadian icebreaker to safety. “This is not what sovereignty looks like,” says Homeniuk.