5 things that stood out to me in Ontario as someone from Alberta

Canada is a massive country, and while many of the things we enjoy nationwide are universal, travelling somewhere new can still feel like a bit of a culture shock.

I'm from Alberta, and most of my trips to Ontario have revolved around the GTA. Because of that, I've never really had the chance to explore much else. Recently, though, I spent a couple of days in Ottawa, travelling there from Toronto by VIA Rail.

For starters, I loved getting a glimpse at all the charming little towns along the way, and the journey made me infinitely jealous that there's nothing comparable between Calgary and Edmonton.

Here are five other things that surprised me about Ontario as an Albertan:

Flowers being planted in early April

I saw this almost immediately upon arriving and was shocked to see workers out planting flowers in early April. This is something that is just unheard of in Alberta unless you're trying to kill your plants before they even have a chance to take root. It's simply not safe to plant anything here until the frost finally disappears for the season, so mid-May, at least.

SO MUCH WATER!

Of course, when you look at a map, it's obvious there's a lot of water in Ontario. But until you have a front row seat to it, it's hard to fully grasp the sheer scale and force of it all moving through the province. No wonder hydro is king. And sure, Alberta has its fair share of lakes, but there are very few where you can't see the other side. Lake Ontario is definitely not one of those.

There are still payphones

It warmed my heart to see payphones in the year 2026. This is something you just don't see in Alberta anymore.

Allison Stephen/Daily Hive

So much jaywalking

Look, Albertans definitely do this too, so I'm not trying to say this is something unique to Ontario or anything, but I was honestly surprised by how common jaywalking is. It doesn't seem to matter if you're young, old, or anything in between; if there's a break in traffic, Ontarians are going for it. Perhaps we're a little more wary of being mowed down by a lifted pickup truck, but we're a little more reserved when crossing the street.

Beer in the grocery stores

This isn't really something you'll find in grocery stores in Western Canada, so it was kind of fun seeing beer sold in a Canadian grocery store like this. It really is the little things sometimes.