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 Scott,
Has everyone adjusted to their new city yet? I know moving to Vancouver might have been difficult on your family, but you made the right choice. You would have been crazy to pass up such an amazing opportunity. That being said, the office sure isn’t the same without you!
Anyways, you’d been asking if I had plans for the “big anniversary,” so I had to write and tell what happened. Since Kelly loves the outdoors, I had the brilliant idea of hiking in Algonquin Park. I say “brilliant” because, as you know, I’m not a nature guy—a fact which might explain why my romantic gesture went so wrong.
We decided to bring Sparky, figuring he’d love running around off-leash. Big mistake! We’d been hiking for about 2 hours when Sparky, having spotted something interesting, suddenly tore off into the bush. Worried he’d get lost, we went chasing after him. Apparently, however, we should’ve been more worried about ourselves getting lost. By the time we’d caught up with him, the trail was nowhere in sight and we had no idea where we were. While Sparky sat wagging his tail, thinking this was the best game ever, Kelly and I panicked. Since we hadn’t told anyone where we were going, it made no sense to stay put and wait for help. So we decided to keep walking, hoping we’d picked the right direction. Five hours later, with no sight of the trail and a darkening sky, we had our doubts. Amazingly, just as we started to think all was lost, we stumbled across an abandoned ranger cabin. There wasn’t much inside, but it had the essentials: a map, a compass, a few cans of beans, and a bed. Having eaten the last of our food hours ago, we quickly dug into the beans. Then, exhausted, we collapsed into bed. The next morning we used the map and compass to lead us out of the woods. It turns out we’d only been a few kilometres from our car!
Needless to say, I have no intention of venturing back into the woods any time soon. Make sure to be careful if you do any hiking out there. It’s easier to get lost than you think! Cheers,

A.On May 8, 1987, Canada introduced the one-dollar coin now known as the “loonie.” It is eleven-sided and gold-coloured (it’s actually bronze-plated nickel). The coin features a design by Ontario wildlife artist Robert Ralph Carmichael—a loon on one side and Queen Elizabeth II on the other. Canada is, after all, still a member of the British Commonwealth. The loon is a water bird common across Canada, known for its ability to swim great distances under water and for its beautiful, haunting call.
B.The loonie wasn’t Canada’s first one-dollar coin. A silver dollar was introduced in 1935, featuring an image of two voyageurs paddling a canoe on one side and, to display Canada’s British connections, an image of Britain’s King George on the other. But the silver dollar—which was made of nickel by 1967—wasn’t used much because of its size and weight (about 23 grams). What was in common use was a green-and-white paper bill. However, the paper bills wore out within a year, which is why the loonie was introduced. It was expected to last twenty years, saving taxpayers $175–250 million.
C.In fact, the Royal Canadian Mint intended to use the same voyageur design for the new coin, but the master dies were lost somewhere between Ottawa and the Winnipeg production facility. The dies were entrusted to a courier service instead of to a high-security service. Worse, apparently no one asked the courier representative who showed up to take possession of the dies for identification. Worse still, designs for both sides of the coin went in the same package instead of in separate packages. For these reasons, the Mint suspected foul play and, fearing counterfeits, decided to go with a new design, that by Carmichael. An investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police concluded, however, that the dies were simply lost in transit.
D.In 1996, the orange-brown two-dollar paper bill was also replaced with a coin. Called a “toonie,” the silver coin has a gold center (actually nickel and bronze) featuring another Canadian animal, a polar bear on an ice floe. Already light, at 7.3 grams, a lighter version was introduced in 2012 by replacing the nickel with steel. A lighter version of the loonie was also introduced. Unfortunately, the lighter coins didn’t work in coin-operated machines, such as vending machines, parking meters, and washers and dryers in laundromats. As a result, many business owners have had to pay thousands of dollars to replace and upgrade their equipment.
E. Not given in any of the above paragraphs.

A recent visit to Canada by Turks and Caicos Premier, Rufus Ewing, resparked interest in Canada’s annexation of the country. Turks and Caicos, a Caribbean archipelago of 40 islands, has been a point of interest in Canada’s history. This most recent debate marks the third time in the last century that Ottawa politicians have pushed to make the territory Canada’s eleventh province. With over 300 kilometres of beaches, the tropical paradise would certainly be a welcome asset.
Ewing hailed Canada as a role model of fiscal responsibility from which his country could learn, accolades that resounded in Ottawa on the foreign leader’s recent diplomatic junket to spur bilateral trade and tourism. When asked about the possibility of Turks and Caicos becoming a Canadian province, the Premier skirted the issue. He said he would not dismiss the idea completely, but he also offered us a glimmer of hope with the tantalizing observation that “there is no marriage without some kind of relationship first.”
Liberal politician Peter Goldring is spearheading the latest campaign for the annexation and feels that much of the legwork has already been done. According to Goldring, “Canada has the greatest proportion of foreign investment in Turks and Caicos, and the second highest number of tourists to the country. Annexation would permit further growth in these areas.” Goldring also argues that the island could serve as a gateway to Latin America. “The location would be ideal for military support from Ottawa and particularly for disaster relief,” he adds.
Disappointingly, Conservative politician Janice Bloom calls the whole idea a pipe dream.
“Canada is not in the business of annexing tropical islands,” she claims. “Annexation would be extremely complicated since it would involve changes to the islands’ tax and health care systems.” Bloom contends that the government has more pressing matters.
Yet, according to a recent poll, the majority of the islands’ residents support the proposal. Cab driver Ron Douglas says he’d love the opportunity to work in Alberta’s oil industry. However, he admits the primary concern of many locals is that Canada’s rules are too strict. “They go against the laid-back attitude of us islanders.”