Driving in Canada: licence, roads and tolls

Free highways with one big exception, and a winter tyre law that carries a fine.

• Highway 407 around Toronto has no booths. It photographs the plate and bills the owner, so a hire car collects the toll plus the rental company's administration fee months later.
• Quebec requires winter tyres from 1 December to 15 March on every passenger vehicle, including hire cars. British Columbia requires them on many mountain highways from October.
• The alcohol limit is 0.08 % federally, with provinces suspending licences administratively from 0.05 %. In practice, treat it as do not drink.
• Distances are continental. Toronto to Montreal is five hours, Calgary to Vancouver eleven, and the Trans-Canada across the prairies is a multi-day drive.
• Wildlife on the road at dusk is a real hazard in every province with trees, and moose collisions are frequently fatal.