There is residual chlorine or today more likely chloroamine in tap water. Part of the reason for that is to keep pathogens from growing in the pipes. Though depending on season and basic water quality there may be none.

If you care, ascorbic acid or one of it's salts line sodium ascorbate reduces[1] chlorine and chloroamine. Takes just a tiny amount, works instantly.

[1] Chlorine -> chloride. chloroamine-> chloride + NH3.

I could have misunderstood! But when you can smell it when you shower and taste it when you drink it, there is a considerable amount of residue of chemicals in the water. Maybe I smell it because I'm used to water without it. I don't know if it's actually harmful, but when there are alternatives widely deployed, for instance in the Netherlands I don't see the reason for taking the risk.

Canada is a very large country with a wide variety of water. I'm quite surprised that you were somewhere where you were able to smell/taste chlorine in the water as that has not been my experience, but at least one other commenter seems to agree with you. That said, small amounts of chlorine are perfectly safe.

I grew up in a city where chlorine is not used. In Canada, and almost every other country I've lived in, I can clearly taste the chlorine in the water, while locals always insisted it was tasteless.

Lake Ontario (Canada) water definitely has some chlorine taste/smell, but you get used to it and it is perfectly safe.

Maybe Canada is an exception, but in most places the chlorine is left in the water because the distribution network isn't entirely sterile.

Missed the Canada part. Canada likely has very pure water from snow melt.

So half a year they have to get it from north or preserve in sterile tanks? :) I live near Urals above 99% of Canadians and there is no snow for 6 months.

An example, San Francisco historically got it's water from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. It's all from alpine snow melt and springs. Used to not be chlorinated because it's organic content is very low. I assume a lot of Canada is the same.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O'Shaughnessy_Dam_(California)

There is more precipitation during a warmer half of the year on their territory outside of ocean shores where it's in reverse, also the gap between those grows further to north.

Most Ontario Canada's water is from the great lakes