# Free wireless pubs and cafes?



## icemakk (May 12, 2000)

I had posted this in the trouble shooting forum and realize it belongs here.
I just got my airport card as I find there are many places offering wireless for free. 
Perhaps we can share this knowledge? I am in Toronto for 2 weeks so anyone have some leads?
By the way, avoid Second Cup as they want a ripoff 9 bucks/hr!!!

If you are in Saskatoon the Irish Pub at the Parktown hotel has it for free.

Windsor there is one called the Coffee Exchange. Downtown across from Yuk Yuks

In T.O. The Drake Pub/Cafe
Queen and Beaconsfield.
Any others to add?

[ March 26, 2004, 10:42 AM: Message edited by: icemakk ]


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## icemakk (May 12, 2000)

Here is another place in Toronto with free wireless.
Lonestar Cafe
On Front Street near Simcoe in the Bank of America building. If you are having a meal you can go in and log on!!

Also there is a WiFi detector avail.
http://www.kensington.com/html/3720.html

To help you locate places!


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## (( p g )) (Aug 17, 2002)

I posted a note about a month ago with some choice locations here in Ottawa. Perhaps the time is ripe for a wiki-style website where users from across Canada can contribute all the free wi-fi spots they know about.


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## interact (Mar 11, 2004)

Nice spot in Calgary that I found ... Cuppa Gogo. (Try the peach smoothy.)

I know that the city downtown core has a free zone ... Calgary Public Library. It's a larger area than just the library.

I find that most of the Wi-Fi sites are AWFUL. Incomplete, out of date. There is a need for an up-to-date site.


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## fragpie (Oct 18, 2003)

I noticed a sign in Hemingway's in Yorkville for wireless net... no clue whether it's pay or free.


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## marrmoo (Jul 24, 2003)

I was grabbing a burger at the Wendys located at Yonge/College.
Just for fun opened the laptop and hello free wifi. Unsure if it was thier network or another unprotected one in the building.


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## däycüs mäximüs (Nov 30, 2002)

anything in the hamilton area, guys?


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## icemakk (May 12, 2000)

I am going to Hamilton this week. I will look. I am very interested to know if there are any in Calgary when i get back.
I just bought a Wifi detector ($45.00) so I will be seeking them out.


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## däycüs mäximüs (Nov 30, 2002)

that would be the coolest. i wanna know if i can sit at a pub with the ibook! the future is here, people!


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## The Great Waka (Nov 26, 2002)

Well, maybe not actual free wifi spots, but here a nice map of open connections. Maybe some of them leak over into a pub  

NakedWireless


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## The Librarian (Apr 11, 2003)

in toronto, my local watering hole is a hot spot:

The Rhino in Parkdale, located at Queen West and noble (near dufferin).


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## icemakk (May 12, 2000)

Hey Great Waka, the map on the link is great!!

A friend read that san francisco stadium
is going wi-fi. you can watch a ballgame and download
porn! (or what ever you use the net for)


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## icemakk (May 12, 2000)

Calgary has some free high speed wifi downtown as a demonstraion project.
here is a link with a map. Calgary wifi links 

Also the Unicorn Pub on 8th ave has it.


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## icemakk (May 12, 2000)

Here is a great site that lists wifi connections world wide. There is a spot on the bottom RH of the page to add links to locations you know of.
wifi hotspots


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## K_OS (Dec 13, 2002)

The Swiss Challet on Queenway and Islington has free wireless


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## farfisa (Nov 5, 2003)

SpaHa, at Spadina and Harbord (Toronto) has free wireless. Haven't been there in a while though...


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

North Vancouver, a free wireless coffee house at Lonsdale & 19th, forget the name, but it's on the east side of Lonsdale at 19th Street.

-Howie


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## icemakk (May 12, 2000)

Well the list is growning!! Keep 'em coming.
I am really interested to know of nay others out west.
I travel in Edmonton, Red Deer, Vancouver, Regina, Saskatoon and want to find more.
I heard that Pearson Airport has it but I could not locate it with my wifi detector.
Anyone know about this?


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Try here:

http://www.wi-fihotspotlist.com/

Cheers


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## MrVermin (Jul 26, 2002)

What most do not know is that almost all colleges and Universities are going Wireless for Students. All you have to do is park in the Seneca College parking lot near the main building (Don Mills and Finch) and wou have free internet... 

Same hold true about Centennial College on Progress....

MrVermin


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## jonmon (Feb 15, 2002)

U of T has MAC filtering


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## icemakk (May 12, 2000)

I think some complaints to the powers that be at U fo T are in order. MAC filtering??? And they call themselves a place of higher learning???


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## VertiGoGo (Aug 21, 2001)

The Bridgehead coffee location at Bank and Gilmour in downtown Ottawa is a hot spot. I think their other two Ottawa locations also have them, but cannot confirm that. 

And to boot...they have the best coffee in the world! Mmmmm...organic, shade grown and fairly traded coffee from small scale farmers...what more could you ask for!?!


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## mose (Jan 14, 2001)

Going to hamilton on the 1&2nd

Ramada Plaza Hotel in downtown
Hamilton.

Is there a hot spot in that vicinity???

ta


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## interact (Mar 11, 2004)

MAC filtering = Media Access Control filtering. 

Not what you may have been thinking.


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## MrVermin (Jul 26, 2002)

I use only the best filters on my MAC's ....









We now return you to our regularly scheduled thread...









MrVermin


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## RC51Pilot (Mar 26, 2004)

I find my house is a pretty good wi-fi hotspot, but my wife's coffee sucks  

Anyone know of any places in London?


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## Cam (May 24, 2003)

For those in Mississauga I heard the sony store at square one has free wifi, haven't been there to test it yet  

cheers
-Cam-


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## icemakk (May 12, 2000)

In Edmonton you can get free wireless at N.A.I.T. College in the HP center. It was a bit slow but free is free.


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## kent (Oct 18, 2003)

On versiontracker there's a cool little app called "macstumbler" and this program will help you find accessible wi-fi networks. I haven't used it much lately, but it's really quite interesting. Basically, when you run the app it searches for wi-fi networks (assuming your machine is wi-fi ready) and will even tell you what kind of security the network has. Essentially, you could be sitting in a park in some big Canadian city, open your powerbook, iBook etc, and find dozens of wi-fi networks on macstumbler. For the supergeeks (you know who you are - myself inc.), you can even hook up a GPS unit and assign a Lat & Long coordinate to the network you've found. So, in essence, this app may help you find a lot more free wi-fi networks or at least check out your options.

When I setup my AEBS, I chose to make the network "invisible" and therefore macstumbler cannot "see" the network, but when I turn that option off....you guessed it: my network is visible. I love this stuff - it's so cool!


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## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

> The Swiss Challet on Queenway and Islington has free wireless


Are you serious? Swiss Chalet?? LMAO!









BTW, that Swiss Chalet is actually at the Queensway *and Kipling*


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## icemakk (May 12, 2000)

If you site near the Yuk Yuks office in Calgary you can log on...shhhh


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## interact (Mar 11, 2004)

ICEMAKK ... find any Starbucks in Calgary that have WIFI? That would be an ideal spot for me ...


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## icemakk (May 12, 2000)

I don't usually go into Starbucks as I have trouble getting my loan approved to buy their over-priced coffee.















I will check. Try the wifi hotspot link listed further back in the thread.
By the way, Tim Horton is my type of Java!!


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## interact (Mar 11, 2004)

Thanks. I've been on all three of those WiFi links and the listings are pretty slim on Calgary. The best is the local site (infoport.)


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## icemakk (May 12, 2000)

Any wifi users in Sask?? I am heading to Saskatoon and Regina this weekend. (Apr 30-May1)
I found the Freehouse and the Parktown Inn's pub for S'toon.
Any leads in Regina? The wifihotspot site lists 2. The Quality Inn, which I assume is only for guests and Timothys McCullum Hill Center on 1881 Scarth. (no idea where that is)
If you find any spot anywhere that is not listed in the wifi hot spot site
wifi hot spots 
Please add them to the site while you are there. You will need to have server info to get it on the site.
By the way, in Calgary there is "Cuppa Go Go" on 17th ave near 14 st SW. free and easy to get on to.


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## interact (Mar 11, 2004)

I believe I recommended trying the peach smoothie at Cuppa GoGo on the 1st page of this thread?!  

Still no Starbucks in Calgary with WiFi?


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## Bjornbro (Feb 19, 2000)

I wish William's Coffee Pubs would offer wireless internet.


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## icemakk (May 12, 2000)

Yes interac you did.
DOH!!


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## rollee (Feb 26, 2003)

macstumbler is so much fun! i found 8 networks in my buiding which i never knew existed. WEP on for 30% of these.
marvelous!
not to mention the app looks great in my dock.

[ April 25, 2004, 01:26 AM: Message edited by: rollee ]


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## Fred (Jan 14, 2004)

It's not free, but HAMILTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (service with Westjet and Canjet) where I work has WiFi. Open up your powerbook and Safari will automatically redirect to the service provider so you can sign up for service at by-the-minute, daily or monthly rates.


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## Pamela (Feb 20, 2003)

> Still no Starbucks in Calgary with WiFi?


Try the Starbucks website to find a location near you with wifi. But the site is a little buggy. It said that Vancouver didn't have any. Even though I haven't found one that has wifi, I still find it hard to believe that there are *none*. 

Just select "Wireless Hotspot Stores" from the "Store Type" pull down menu.

And to talk about the price of Starbucks coffee...I find it hard to believe that they can't afford to supply free internet. At least a free hour a day or something.


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## mikef (Jun 24, 2003)

Doesn't StarBucks charge for their WiFi access? They definitely do in the US from my experience.

Timothy's Coffee has WiFi as well, but it's not free either.

On the other hand, my neighbours have lots of open access points... that's how I tested my home VPN setup


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## Pamela (Feb 20, 2003)

Yeah they have teamed up with T-Mobile and you can set up an account with them to work at Starbucks. 

It may just be me, but I can't find a Starbucks in Canada that has wireless. That's Messed up dude.


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## (( p g )) (Aug 17, 2002)

You're right Pamela, Starbuckies in Canada still don't have a wi-fi service...and if they did it would likely be a pay service. 

For those of you in Ottawa, here are a few key spots with free wifi:

Steamer's Coffee House on Strandherd
Bridgehead Coffee on Bank
The Roasted Cherry on O'Connor
Nepean Sportplex on Woodroffe


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## mikef (Jun 24, 2003)

I am not a regular to StarBucks (opting instead to pay my mortgage rather than drink expensive coffee), however I cannot honestly say that I've ever seen a StarBucks that advertises wireless in the window like in the US.


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## icemakk (May 12, 2000)

Another Calgary wifi spot i found that is free. Hooked restaurant on Memorial Dr and 10 st. (as you come into Kensignton)
Good sea food too.


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## mr.muggles (Jul 27, 2004)

This is a good resource:

http://wirelessbandit.nerdsunderglass.com/

Has an RSS news feed as well. Covers the city of Toronto very nicely.

Although at last check tonight the site seems to be down


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## imgmkr (Jul 6, 2004)

mr.mugles, that link is not loading up. they must have owrkign their server...  
anyhow, i will be going around Toronto downtown checking out hotspots for my company, spotmeeting.com
i'll riding motorcycle most of time, yamaha R6 going around getting GPS coordinate for free/fee-based hotspot in cafe, restaurant, hotels and schools. 
btw, doesn anyone know which GPS receiver PC card is available for Mac?


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## Wireless Bandit (Aug 29, 2004)

Hi folks, Wirelessbandit.com is up and running. It was down as we reconfigured a bit and moved our servers to another ISP. Thanks for your patience and support!


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## Croptop (Apr 20, 2004)

Hey everyone. Let me just take a minute to recommend WirelessBandit.com. I know his site says that it is a list of hotspots in the Toronto area but he's got entries for quite a few areas in Ontario. And his search engine will cover any area in Canada and the U.S.

I'm sure if we started sending him our list of hotspots in and out of Ontario, he'd add them to his database.

BTW, I have no affiliation with wirelessbandit.com. I'm just a happy user who found a great spot right across from work in London for my wife to hang out, drink coffee and surf the web for free.


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## kevs~just kevs (Mar 21, 2005)

Is wirelessbandit.com not running anymore? I can't get the page to load...


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

.


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## lpkmckenna (Jul 4, 2004)

I'm using a free wifi node right now. I'm in the P.A.T.H. in Toronto, just west of the St Andrew subway station. A cafe called Bento Nouveau provides free access here. The network is called SPUTNIK_AP160. It's 8:30 pm, everything is closed, but the wifi access isn't. Cool!!

I'm planning to test many of the free wifi spots in the P.A.T.H. myself, so I'll let y'all know how it goes.

Interestingly, this very spot also has access to a Rogers/HotSpot point. But it isn't free, so screw'em.


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## kevs~just kevs (Mar 21, 2005)

I found a spot where I work, at the Clerica Centre (bloor and Islington) in the food court by New York Deli. The signal is very week and sometimes not enough to load websites as I found out this morning, but yesterday afternoon it was great... strange, because I was in the same spot today...


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## imeldamac (Aug 20, 2005)

Sugarbowl in Edmonton -- near the university, great coffee, beer, food, atmosphere and almost always filled with ibooks and powerbooks.


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## mr.steevo (Jul 22, 2005)

Sugarbowl is great. I wish there was one across from Grant macewan college downtown. alas, we here have dumpy Picards. Free WiFi though.

s.


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## lpkmckenna (Jul 4, 2004)

Just came back from wifi scouting at the Eaton Centre. Holy crap! If you do find a decent node, there's no where to sit!

It seems that Fido/Rogers/Telus/Bell are providing all the free nodes, but the overall experience just completely sucked.

I left, and now I'm again sitting under the Sun Financial Building near St Andrew station, sitting on the floor, getting great access.


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## DP004 (Mar 9, 2005)

I must ask at my own risks to this group of specialists:

How can you you connect in those places without the whole password procedures needed to access someone else's network?

If there is no password, how can you be sure that nobody can remotely access your computer while you are on-line at those places?


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## lpkmckenna (Jul 4, 2004)

just conf your network sharing and firewall settings to keep the jerks out.


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## kevs~just kevs (Mar 21, 2005)

found a hotspot at Timothy's Bloor and Royal York. Good signal here, I could watch the keynote from yesterday with no problems.


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## kevs~just kevs (Mar 21, 2005)

Free wifi at Whimpy's Kingston Rd & Manderley (close to Kingston rd and Warden upper beaches in T.O)


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## kevs~just kevs (Mar 21, 2005)

Carrot Common! Danforth and Chester area in T.O...


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## rgray (Feb 15, 2005)

Fredericton, NB


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## moonsocket (Apr 1, 2002)

rgray said:


> Fredericton, NB


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## SilverMaple (Apr 22, 2006)

I discovered a hotspot while visiting the Kennedy Eglinton library located in a plaza just west of Kennedy on the north side of Eglinton Avenue East.
There is a computer store in the plaza so I think that's where the signal is coming from.


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## lightbulb (Oct 24, 2005)

With my dandy iPhone, I can surf free at the St.Lawrence market while enjoying my back bacon sandwich.


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## EvanPitts (Mar 9, 2007)

Williams Coffee Pubs have free WiFi in Hamilton. There is one across from the University n Main St. West; and another at Bayfront Park at the base of John Street.

Granddad's Donuts on James North and Burlington Street also has free wireless.


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## hhk (May 31, 2006)

Bjornbro said:


> I wish William's Coffee Pubs would offer wireless internet.


Last time I was at the one at Sherway, I thought I saw a sign that said WiFi was there or coming soon.


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## hhk (May 31, 2006)

More and more open networks are getting locked down. What's a bandwidth parasite to do? I find libraries and schools are good places to find open connections. Of course, sitting in your car, with your computer on your lap, in front of a school might look a little suspicious. 

One place where there absolutely should be an open network should be City Hall. But, you can't find one. At least I couldn't last summer.


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## Drew_Ty (Apr 14, 2005)

I found Blenz Cafe to be a great place that offers free wifi if you're ever in the Greater Vancouver area. All you have to do is actually just ask the barista what the password is and they'll give it out to you; usually the password is "Mocha" or some funny coffee name, lol. Anyways, here is the list:

Vancouver
• 1201 Robson St.
• 1055 Dunsmuir St.
• 609 Granville St.
• 1203 Davie St.
• 2953 West Broadway
• 345 Robson St.
• 2506 Granville St.
• 700 Davie St.
• 508 West Hastings
• 338 Helmken St.
• 695 West Broadway
• 650 West 41st Ave.
• 935 Denman St.
• 605 Robson St.
• 999 Granville St.
• 1615 Robson St.
• 2470 Commercial St.
• 992 Robson (@ Burrard)
• 1100 Burrard St.
• 508 Davie St.
• 5784 University Blvd.
• 3297 Cambie St @ 17th Ave.
• 807 Hastings St.
• 550 Burrard St.
• 401 Burrard St.
• 495 Georgia St.
• 232 Howe St.

Burnaby
• Metropolis

North Vancouver
• Lonsdale @ 15th St.

West Vancouver
• Park Royal South
• Horseshoe Bay

Richmond
• 9040 Blundel
• 8100 Ackroyd

New Westminster
• 599 6th Street

Coquitlam
• Coquitlam Centre

South Surrey/White Rock
• 1711-152nd St.

Surrey
• Central City
• SFU Kiosk
• Fleetwood Village (Not available)

Steveston
• 3900 Bayview Dr.

Pitt Meadows
• Meadowtown Centre
Kelowna
• 2823 Pandosy St.
• 538 Yates Rd.
• 297 Bernard Ave.

Victoria
• 1328 Douglas Street at Johnson
• 1001 Douglas St.
• 733 Yates St.
• 200A - Victoria Bay Centre

Westbank
• 3550 Carrington Road

Whistler
• 4388 Main Street

Note that in Whistler it is pretty ridiculous to try and get wifi anywhere else, as they charge an absurd amount. I think the local hotels in my area were charging $9.95 per hour.

The Tim Horton's location in New Westminster on 6th and Belmont st has free internet, but I believe that is due to some resident not blocking their connection.

The Grind coffee shop on Main st and King Edward Ave in East Vancouver has free wifi, again, all you have to do is just ask the barista. I've seen people pretty much bring in their whole office setup and park it in there, lol.

Also Simon Fraser University and the University of B.C. both have wifi but I know the former requires you to be a student but I think with the latter there is a way to register for it while on campus.

Anyways, hope this helps.

P.s., I'm up for this nation wide web site to help out with FREE wifi seekers.


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