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An American moving to Canada: what should I know?

Oh Canada

The health care and attitude towards same sex marriages (I'm not gay but I believe that everyone deserves equal rights) in Canada are what basically keeps me from moving from just outside of Toronto to Portland, OR. (Those and the lack of George Bush)

As far as utilities, avoid Rogers if you can :p I don't know how different the cell phone situation is but I do know that Rogers is the only carrier that supports GSM phones, them and Fido I believe. So there isn't much competition, so Rogers over charges for their services and lack of customer service. But from what I've heard Bell isn't much better.

It does get cold in the Winter, although Winter isn't what it used to be here in southern Ontario. (Our first winter storm of the season is supposed to arrive tomorrow and people are freaking out about 1-5cm :rolleyes:)

Get used to paying taxes for everything... I don't know if its better in Alberta or not, but taxes in Ontario are ridiculous... you can pretty much count on 1/3 of your salary going to taxes. Just today on the news they were trying to pass a bill to tax bottled water.

The RCMP might be something for your partner to look into. I know I saw on the news a while ago they were looking for new recruits because they are finding they aren't getting as many people signing up. My cousin is a mountie, and it appears he gets pretty good benefits.


Hmm... what else? There are a lot of Tim Hortons (I can't stand their coffee, gimme Starbucks or Second Cup any day). I've never had Canadian Bacon, I do enjoy our Canadian Beer, and I absolutely hate hockey. But hey, our dollar is strong right now which is a bonus, and our economy seems to be doing well.

I think you'll enjoy it. :eek:
 
Yowza, thanks for all the replies guys! Sorry, I'm a bit of a message board slacker these days...

~David said:
- We all have pet beavers
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Um, whee!

- We live in igloos during the winter
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Um...

- We drink nothing but beer and watch nothing but Hockey
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Whee!!!!

Tim Hortons! I remember them from my trips through Quebec and Ontario. Best freaking coffee I'd had in my life. (Then again I had been stuck in a car for the past six hours...)

In regards to the ever-important cold issue: I'm hoping that surviving several brutal NYC winters is adequate preparation. While the actual temperature in New York would never get that low (the lowest I ever remember it getting was maybe -5) all those long narrow avenues create a wind-tunnel effect that really does intensify the cold. Plus you spend more time on average walking around outside, rather than in a car, so you are more aware of it. On the plus side, you get lots of exercise from doing the power-walk to the subway station in subzero windchills every morning. :D

As for the taxes, I think I'm pretty much used to that, having lived in New Zealand for over a year. I think the relatively (compared to the US) inexpensive healthcare should balance that out for me, since I was paying exorbitant amounts for a prescription in America that costs me about $25 for a six-month supply in New Zealand - as a non-citizen and non-Commonwealth member.

I'm glad to hear that utilities don't seem that much more expensive than I'm used to. In New Zealand, decent broadband is worth its weight in gold, but that's probably because of the higher cost of wiring a tiny island nation off in the south Pacific.

We're still up in the air about Edmonton vs. Calgary. Honestly, it probably depends on where my partner has a better chance of getting a ticket into the PNP programme. From my perspective, the University of Alberta (Edmonton) has a better law programme than Calgary, but there's not much point in going to Alberta if I'm going to have to commute 3+ hours to see him on weekends.

He is considering the RCMP but because they require applicants to be Canadian citizens he'd have to wait at least two years (or is it three?) after he becomes a permanent resident to be able to apply...and even then, he'll be pushing 30 by that point so it's not a sure thing. Also apparently they assign new recruits to the far-flung reaches of the country for the first year, so we'd probably have to spend that year apart. Not cool. :(
 
I live in Southern Ontario, at the same latitude as Northern California and the same longitude as Key West. We get very little snow. The summers are hot and humid. Spring and fall are beautiful. Calgary is a long, long, long way from here. But to answer your questions about Canada...

1) We have no celebrities, only politicians.

2) We have a multi-billion dollar Federal Ministry of Fishing.

3) Getting sick does not mean losing your house.

Really, what more do you need to know? :D
 
BadlyDrawnGirl said:
We're still up in the air about Edmonton vs. Calgary. Honestly, it probably depends on where my partner has a better chance of getting a ticket into the PNP programme. From my perspective, the University of Alberta (Edmonton) has a better law programme than Calgary, but there's not much point in going to Alberta if I'm going to have to commute 3+ hours to see him on weekends.

He is considering the RCMP but because they require applicants to be Canadian citizens he'd have to wait at least two years (or is it three?) after he becomes a permanent resident to be able to apply...and even then, he'll be pushing 30 by that point so it's not a sure thing. Also apparently they assign new recruits to the far-flung reaches of the country for the first year, so we'd probably have to spend that year apart. Not cool. :(
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I live in Edmonton so I'm probably a little biased when I tell you that Edmonton is better than Calgary, but realistically, both cities are wonderful to live in.

Vanmacguy had it pretty much bang-on, except for the Vancouver being the best of the bunch thing;), and it really depends on what type of atmosphere you like living in more. Calgary's more white-collar and Edmonton's more blue-collar. We have a fierce rivalry between the two cities but we get even more up-in-arms when someone from outside Alberta insults either city.

Both cities have a lot of culture. Edmonton is the festival capital of Canada (we have the world's second largest fringe festival) and there is never a shortage of things to do in the summer. Calgary has the Stampede (a huge rodeo and exhibition) and is closer to the mountains. Calgary has a little more vibrant downtown-core and Edmonton has the world's second largest shopping mall complete with indoor amusement park.

Your partner should not have a problem getting on to either police force as they are both recruiting like mad to keep up with economic boom going on in this province right now. You are right about the RCMP being a little different though. My wife's best friends' husband just completed his RCMP training and he must go where they tell him for the first 2 years of his employment and then he is free to transfer where he wants to.

And given the nature of this forum, you'll be happy to know that there is a large and vibrant Mac community in the province, too. Although, alas, no Iphone to speak of. However, my neighbour ducktaped his Krazr to his Touch and called it an Iphone. :D I guess we're getting closer!

Well, welcome to Canada (in advance) and enjoy yourself!!
 
I've enjoyed reading the responses in this thread. I've lived in Ottawa pretty much all my life so it's interesting even for me to hear about what regular life is like in Vancouver, Edmonton, etc. I've visited all those places, but never spent significant time there.

Obviously there is no single answer to "what is it like living in Canada" - as you can see, your lifestyle will be very different whether you live in Vancouver, Edmonton/Calgary, Toronto/Ottawa, or the east coast.

I've never really perceived that much of a difference in quality of life between Canada and the USA. What I have noticed when I drive through the States is how everything seems to be so "old". Buildings, houses, cities, settlements, have been around for hundreds of years and have a long heritage. Canada is a relatively new country in comparison, and you can see it.

Get used to cute nicknames for your large-denomination coins (the loonie and toonie) and colorful money. :)
 
yesssss our bills don tlook all the same so you won t have to actually stare at it for a couple of minutes before you know how much money you ve got.... ontario car insurance its extremely over the top expensive imo... but alberta is not bad at all...
 
eRondeau said:
I live in Southern Ontario, at the same latitude as Northern California and the same longitude as Key West. We get very little snow. The summers are hot and humid. Spring and fall are beautiful. Calgary is a long, long, long way from here. But to answer your questions about Canada...
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Windsor? I'm thinking of heading down that way just to climb Mackenzie Hall.
 
vanmacguy said:
It's spelled tuque eh?

I'm in Vancouver but have lived in Thunder Bay, Saskatoon, Calgary and Edmonton.

I think it's a good thing that you move to Alberta first, and then head out to BC. That's what I did and I can honestly say that I wouldn't live anywhere else now.

Cheers.
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Good post I think you covered the west well. I lived in Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Vancouver island and think the island was the best. Been in Bangkok for the last ten years and think I'll just stay here. No block heaters eh.
 
There's only one piece of advice I can give about this, and it's not gonna be practical like most of the previous replies are. Recently, I attended a lecture/workshop on bipolar disorder and mania, and the speaker said that at every Canadian workshop she attended, at least one Canadian would ask her why so many Americans are manic. So once you get to Canada, don't be surprised if everyone thinks you're crazy. ;)
 
Kamera RAWr said:
One of my all time favorite Canadian shows... "This hour has 22 minutes".
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Also "Royal Canadian Air Farce" though I think this may be starting to get old for some people. Same style of political satire. One nice thing about Canada is our politicians aren't afraid of a little bit of self-mockery, and they'll even make appearances on these shows (often to face a parody of themselves!)

"Corner Gas" is a show that I've grown to really like, too. :D
 
eRondeau said:
1) We have no celebrities, only politicians.

2) We have a multi-billion dollar Federal Ministry of Fishing.

3) Getting sick does not mean losing your house.
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This last is one of the main motivations behind us moving to Canada: a sense of economic sanity. Not just in regards to healthcare but for a wide range of things. You just don't see this unchecked acceleration of expenses that you see in the uber-privatized American world.

I really, really, REALLY want to go to law school. However, I'm going into public interest law (was trained under an immigration attorney so I have never wanted anything to do with corporate law) and I am not willing to destroy my future family's financial outlook by saddling myself with $100,000 of debt while earning a $40,000 salary. Even as an international student in Canada, I can expect to pay around $36,000 for my legal education and be eligible for loan forgiveness programmes when I graduate. Sounds like a good deal to me. (Of course, Canadian law schools are much more competitive than their US counterparts, but oh well, I'll just cross my fingers lol.)

Edmonton does sound more up my alley than Calgary, and I believe their police force has more available spaces than Calgary's, but we'll see. It is a shame that Vancouver is on the west coast since I grew up an east-coaster in the US and all my family and friends are over there, but I suppose we'll just have to sign up for a sweet air miles deal or something.

I'm happy to hear that the Mac community is flourishing in Alberta. :D Of course, I'm still buying my Macbook in America, until the Canadian markup eases a little.

Out of curiosity, what are the Canadian regulations on maternity leave and other benefits (pensions, sick leave, etc)? And what about health insurance?
 
BadlyDrawnGirl said:
And what about health insurance?
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Provincial health insurance will pay for your visits to doctors, health clinics, and hospitals. You just show your health card when you arrive. The cost to you depends on the province and possibly your income level. In BC and Alberta, it's a fixed cost per person, per year. In Ontario, it's a fixed cost that scales based on income. In every other province, as far as I understand, there is no "health care premium" so it's "free".

The provincial plan generally does not cover prescription drug costs or dentists, eye care, etc. For that, most competent employers will give you a private health care plan that will cover from 50% to 100% of those costs. Often they base their payout on an "industry average" so you will still have to pay a few bucks here and there. This is probably similar to the private health plans you could get in the States.
 
Would quite like to move to Canada, stupid house prices in the UK mean that i will never move up the property ladder to a detached house.

Plus, SNOW IS GOOD!, never ever bloody snows where i live in the UK, just cold and rainy.
 
I find that Canada can be a bit more socially progressive than the US. Here in the US, if you present a modern idea, then you are immediatley labeled as a liberal or even more crudely a socialist.

Enjoy Canada's healthcare system, modern cultural ideaology, and uniqueness. As others, I may see you up there if the 2008 elections go bad.. :(
 
notjustjay said:
What I have noticed when I drive through the States is how everything seems to be so "old". Buildings, houses, cities, settlements, have been around for hundreds of years and have a long heritage. Canada is a relatively new country in comparison, and you can see it.
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Ha Ha, the USA is old and full of history? Eh? Try taking a look round these fine shores - you will find hundreds of years of modern history. thousands of years of buildings and settlements. over 100,000 years of habitation.

Love Canada myself though. Maybe in a few years. Eh?
 
Remember once you have moved there to post here how disgraceful it is that the loonie is worth more than the dollar but this is not reflected in the higher dollar prices charged in Canada for Apple products.

It is a tradition you are expected to uphold.
 
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