Along the subject line of SIM cards and cell phones in Canada - I don't know if it would help our US cousins but all new cell phones in Canada must be "unlocked" or offered to be unlocked by the seller. This means that any compatible SIM card (correct size as well) from any carrier will work in any new phone purchased up here.
"SIM locking was ultimately banned in Canada on December 1, 2017 as part of amendments to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's Wireless Code. All new devices in Canada must be sold unlocked, and carriers must offer to unlock existing phones free-of-charge."
Would unlocked phones be helpful in the US? Give you more options for carrier selection? You could pop anyone's SIM card into your unlocked phone and it should work.
