Postal Services

All mail posted in Canada must have Canadian postage stamps attached. First-class letters and postcards are $0.54 to destinations within Canada, $0.98 to the United States, and $1.65 to all other destinations. Post offices are open Monday–Friday only. If you would like mail sent to you while traveling, have it addressed to yourself, c/o General Delivery, Main Post Office, in the city or town you request, Alberta, Canada. The post office will hold all general delivery mail for 15 days before returning it to the sender. The website of Canada Post is www.canadapost.ca.

Telephone

Alberta has three area codes. All of Alberta south of Highway 16, including Calgary and Banff, is 403, whereas the northern half of the province, including Edmonton and Jasper, is 780. Newer phone numbers have a 587 prefix. All numbers must be dialed with these prefixes, including local calls. The country code for Canada is 1, the same as the United States. Public phones accept $0.05, $0.10, and $0.25 coins. Local calls from pay phones are usually $0.35–0.50, and most long-distance calls cost at least $2.50 for the first minute from public phones. Prepaid phone cards, which are available from gas stations and drug and grocery stores, provide considerable savings for those using public phones. They come in $5–50 amounts.

Internet

Internet access is available across Alberta, including in all city and resort hotels, many motels, and some bed-and-breakfasts. For public access, the most reliable places to get online are local libraries, where more often than not you only need to show some identification to use a computer. At the libraries in Calgary, Edmonton, Canmore, Banff, and Jasper, reservations may be needed. Internet booths can also be found in airports and some shopping malls.

© Andrew Hempstead, from Moon Western Canada, 3rd Edition