thanks for both of your replies. yes, i've read that i can trade ETFs with questrade, but couldn't find any info on index funds. i know it's less expensive to trade ETFs, but i think i'd start off with index funds because i understand i can take a semi-hands off approach, because i can use the DRIP feature with them
knowing me, i'd probably end up buying ETFs pretty soon because i'd monitor my investments constantly anyway. i'm still pretty new to all of this, so it's much harder to learn by doing when trades cost $30 a pop, vs. $10.
thanks for answering my question. i'm going to go with questrade and maybe switch over to td if there's ever a decent argument for it. right now, the only thing is that i have my personal banking with TD, and it's easy to look at when i have everything in one place.