The Canadian Internet Project has released [press release 
pdf] its report [ pdf] emanating from its 2007 study of Canadian internet habits.
Some of the study findings seem to contradict conventional wisdom that berates Canada’s international broadband rankings.
The CIP study finds that Canada is actually a world leader in Internet usage:
In comparison to the rest of the world, Canadians continue to be among the heaviest Internet users. Internet penetration increased by 6 percent to 78 percent in 2007. The average number of hours spent online also increased from 13 in 2004 to 17 hours per week in 2007. Canadian Internet users are typically very experienced and have been online for an average of nine years.
The Canadian Internet Project is a research initiative of the Canadian Media Research Consortium, under the direction of Prof Charles Zamaria (Ryerson University) and Dr Fred Fletcher (York University) in partnership with: Heritage Canada and the Treasury Board Secretariat, the Ontario Media Development Corporation, Telefilm Canada, Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada, Bell University Labs, eBay, CBC, and the CRTC.
The study found that Canada ranks number one for Internet engagement by its eldest citizens. According to the report, Canadians over 60 years are not just using e-mail and search engines, but are also engaging in activities more similar to what their grandchildren are doing, such as social networks and posting online content.
However, a language divide became markedly apparent, with adoption of only 67% of French-speaking Canadians versus 82% of English-speaking Canadians. The gender gap has pretty much disappeared (80% of males are online, 77% of females), but males were found to have been more actively engaged in a greater diversity of activities and applications on-line.
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