Canada Questions!

[Anselm]

What was the purpose of having 3 downs or attempts for first down in Canadian football versus the 4 downs in American football?

[Kron3007]

good luck finding bills.

What denominations do the bills come in?
somehow I am under the impression that the 'paper' currency is now plastic.  Is that true? 
IF I  understand correctly, the US 'paper' currency is not exactly paper, but more closely a type of linen. 

And What exactly is a Tim Hortons?  (Isnt that the national fast food chain?)

It's a formerly Canadian coffee chain that has since been purchased by a multinational company (primarily Brazilian) and shamelessly advetises it's Canadian roots.  Despite it's sub-par coffee and mediocre everything else, they still somehow manage to remain popular in Canada and people link it with Canada.

Since the take over by the same company that owns Burger King, they are carrying a lot more typical fast food items rather than being a coffee shop.

From my memory, their coffee used to be better and they used to bake their own donuts in house so they were also better, but I don't know if this is accurate or just my memory failing me.

[traductio]

good luck finding bills.

What denominations do the bills come in?
somehow I am under the impression that the 'paper' currency is now plastic.  Is that true? 
IF I  understand correctly, the US 'paper' currency is not exactly paper, but more closely a type of linen. 

And What exactly is a Tim Hortons?  (Isnt that the national fast food chain?)

It's a formerly Canadian coffee chain that has since been purchased by a multinational company (primarily Brazilian) and shamelessly advetises it's Canadian roots.  Despite it's sub-par coffee and mediocre everything else, they still somehow manage to remain popular in Canada and people link it with Canada.

Since the take over by the same company that owns Burger King, they are carrying a lot more typical fast food items rather than being a coffee shop.

From my memory, their coffee used to be better and they used to bake their own donuts in house so they were also better, but I don't know if this is accurate or just my memory failing me.

Their coffee and doughnuts are mediocre. Since I've lived in Canada (on and off for nearly 20 years, but the last five permanently here), that's always been the case.

(I hope this statement doesn't jeopardize my eventual application for Canadian citizenship.)

[Parasaurolophus]

From my memory, their coffee used to be better and they used to bake their own donuts in house so they were also better, but I don't know if this is accurate or just my memory failing me.

Dunno about the coffee being better, but yeah, they used to bake in-house. That stopped sometime in the earlyish aughts.

[lilyb]

From an American in mid-size Rust Belt city close to the northern border:

Tim Hortons may have declined in quality and be thought mediocre. We are thrilled to have it here, though, and it's wildly popular. Its food and coffee are superior to so many of the readily-available alternatives.

[secundem_artem]

What was the purpose of having 3 downs or attempts for first down in Canadian football versus the 4 downs in American football?

Fewer committee meetings huddles.  It speeds up the game.  And don't forget 12 players a side on the field, a 55 yard line and a 65 yard wide field.  A lot more running room.

And until they were re-named the Redbacks, there were 2 teams (Saskatchewan and Ottawa) both named the Roughriders (Rough Riders in the case of Ottawa - aka Ennui on the Rideau, The City that Fun Forgot)

CFL football is also part of Canada's affirmative action program for American college players not drafted by the NFL.  I really wonder why Colin Kaepernick does not sign with a Canadian team.  Doug Flutie and Warren Moon both got their pro careers underway in the Great White North and went on to have great success back in the States once the NFL got a better look at them.

[Catherder]

Tim Horton's won't reveal the exact source of its coffee, but claims it is "ethically sourced" and "environmentally friendly".  I'm not so sure.

Although it uses arabica beans, I believe it imports mainly "sun coffee"-- coffee grown in sunshine rather than shade. Not only is this form of plantation environmentally destructive, it also destroyed the very effective International Coffee Agreement, which kept coffee prices stable and protected those developing countries whose economies depended on their coffee crop.

Sun coffee also has a slightly off taste, which may explain previous posters' (and my own) objection to it.

[Anselm]

What was the purpose of having 3 downs or attempts for first down in Canadian football versus the 4 downs in American football?

Fewer committee meetings huddles.  It speeds up the game.  And don't forget 12 players a side on the field, a 55 yard line and a 65 yard wide field.  A lot more running room.

And until they were re-named the Redbacks, there were 2 teams (Saskatchewan and Ottawa) both named the Roughriders (Rough Riders in the case of Ottawa - aka Ennui on the Rideau, The City that Fun Forgot)

CFL football is also part of Canada's affirmative action program for American college players not drafted by the NFL.  I really wonder why Colin Kaepernick does not sign with a Canadian team.  Doug Flutie and Warren Moon both got their pro careers underway in the Great White North and went on to have great success back in the States once the NFL got a better look at them.

Thanks, I forgot about those other details about the game. 

[Hibush]

Have the provinicial parliaments of Saskatchewan and Quebec ever agreed with each other on anything?
(Asked apropos Canadian academe being a haven for monarchists--Long live King Harry of Canada!)

[Anselm]

You seem to have a confusing sales tax system.  Canadian eBay sellers have a long list of different rates based on which province they buyer is located.  What is up with that?

[Parasaurolophus]

You seem to have a confusing sales tax system.  Canadian eBay sellers have a long list of different rates based on which province they buyer is located.  What is up with that?

The GST is a federal tax of 5% on most goods and services, and is applied everywhere. In some provinces, it's combined with a provincial sales tax and called the HST (harmonized sales tax). Those rates vary depending on how much the province sets for its own share. In addition, provinces levy their own additional sales/retail taxes. And finally, Québec applies its taxes differently: they first apply the larger of the taxes, then add that to the total, and then apply the smaller tax to that new total. (Or, at least, that's how it was when I was a kid--it may have been changed, but I don't recall it being it announced.)

So what's up with that is that provinces have a lot of autonomy, and can levy their own taxes.

[secundem_artem]

Have the provinicial parliaments of Saskatchewan and Quebec ever agreed with each other on anything?
(Asked apropos Canadian academe being a haven for monarchists--Long live King Harry of Canada!)

They all agree they hate the guts of everyone and everything Toronto.

[kaysixteen]

Hortons tried to come here to Massachusetts about a decade back.  It suffered the same date here as Krispy Kreme.  Dunkin , a local firm, annihilated them both.

Would a plebiscite to end Royal tie have a chance to pass in Canada?