Air Canada Star Alliance Gold status will be obtainable at 35K status miles/EQMs (on a combination of any Star Alliance carriers - one does need to fly on a single AC flight, to get AC *Gold status).

One can get priority boarding, priority line check-in, lounge access (even in lounges in USA for US domestic flights). Air Canada (on its own metal) also allows its own Star Alliance Golds (ie SE or Es) upto 4 checked bags per passenger per flight (even if one is flying the cheapest AC economy fare, which earns no status miles/EQMs).

With Star Alliance Golds, one can get upgrade certificates, for the cheapest upgradeable economy fares (ie tango plus fares), as well as "full-fare" economy fares (ie latitude fares). With AC's Star Alliance silvers, one only gets upgrade certs for the latitude fares.