O Canada: Thanks and a question...

Dear Canada,

First and foremost, I want to thank you for your magnificence and your hospitality. We've been visiting from Montana for a few days now and have had a wonderful time. It's been cooler here than recent temperatures in Bozeman, and yet much warmer and drier than on previous visits we've made to Alberta and BC. Everyone has been friendly and helpful, including the wildlife. On our first night near Sunwapta Falls, we had a chance to watch a mountain goat perform one of their usual daredevil acts. It took my son (7) quite awhile to figure out where we were pointing but eventually even he achieved a solid viewing through binoculars. Just tonight we had two separate black bear sightings, one of which was a mother and cub. The second sighting, a lone bear near the roadside, included a once-in-a-lifetime view of the bear, balancing on his/her rear, hind feet up in the air arranged just right to get a good, extended and solid belly scratch.

Now, for my question, and, honestly, I'm not trying to be confrontational in any way. I'm mostly just perplexed and looking for assistance from those of you that are more experienced at life in Canada. So, here goes: How exactly am I supposed to interpret your speed limit signs? We've covered many kilometers here in Alberta, everything from Calgary's main roadways to the nooks and crannies of Jasper National Park. I've tried driving 5 over the speed limit, 10 over, even 15 over but I still find myself going 20-30 km/hr slower than just about everyone on the roads. Our 1995 4Runner gets pretty squirrelly at speeds beyond 110 km/hr, and literally cannot even get to those speeds on a grade. So, even if it's common practice to drive 120-130 km/hr around here, we just can't maintain that pace. Even so, I'm just curious. Do people here in Canada ever get speeding tickets? Is there some understood fudge factor to the speed limit? A lot of money went into producing and installing all those speed limit signs (70, 90, 110) and it seems a shame that they can all be that off the mark. Or, maybe they're meant to be interpreted as miles per hour? That'd definitely be closer to the speeds we've experienced during this trip...

So, once again, thank you, Canada, for making us feel so welcome and for a great family vacation. Thank you for welcoming Iron Maiden to the Saddledome, giving us the incentive to schedule this road trip. And, if you can spare a moment, please help me understand the practicalities of your speed limits. I'd appreciate some experienced insights.

Sincerely, David