If he's referring to the BMO MC WE then I don't believe there is a minimum spend - the points will be credited after FIRST transaction based on what I saw with my account earlier this month but there is no minimum dollar amount....I imagine even a coffee at Tim Hortons on the card will suffice. I believe you can use them for any travel-related transactions through their travel booking service (which I believe includes hotels and maybe car rentals?) but I'm not sure about timing of points usage, etc.
I got the card because I have a couple trips coming up and the Out of Country Medical/Emergency coverage, trip cancellation, and 4 priority pass passes will come in handy (even if I had to pay the $150 fee which we now don't in the first year).