10. After You Get Here

Table of Contents

Once you’re in Canada, you have all the usual problem that you’d see moving somewhere else in your home country, exacerbated by our doing everything differently.

Toronto is a good example of a high-priced city. When we were last looking for an apartment there, my wife came up with an elegant trick. She drove around the neighbourhoods she was interested in, looking for apartments that weren’t advertised on the ‘net.

She found three low-rise buildings that had met the test of time and, more importantly, were amortized. The owners were making good money by not overpricing them, which kept them filled. Newer, taller buildings usually have to set high prices to pay off their construction debt. That keeps them from attracting residents, so they raise their rents some more to cover the large numbers of vacancies.

For example, in 2025 a one-bedroom apartment at any of three we looked it was $2,100 a month in Canadian dollars, or  $1,512 in US dollars. In a new building or especially downtown, it would be more like $2,700. That’s $600 or 28% more for the same value. Unimpressive.

If you earn a middling wage, $2,100 will be around 1/3 of your income, which is normal. If you are working minimum wage, though, it would take half your income.

We found one near a main highway and within easy walking distance to the subway. We found two more walking distance from Yonge and Eglington, which is the centre of midtown and a main subway stop. All three qualify as being part of a “15 minute city”, with nearby stores, schools and theatres.

If you look on-line, you’ll find all the high-priced places. Then, explore the neighbourhoods you like and look for the ones that aren’t on the net. You should aim for ones that cost about 70% of the high-price ones. If you get below about C$1,500, though, you’re looking at a basement apartment in a triplex.

• •Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (AAISA) - a toolkit on settlement and integration resources across Canada, such as free pre-arrival services (by the Government of Canada), an Alberta refugee claimant resources handbook, etc.  

Most of the five big banks have programs to attract newcomers For example, Scotiabank has one called the “StartRight” program.

You will need medical insurance, just like a visitor, until you can qualify for OHIP or anther provincial health plan.

Most travel insurance is available through your credit-card issuer. For example:

There are also sites which compare the prices of different plans.

You’ll need to convert your prescriptions to Canadian. Like moving somewhere else in the US, this means you’ll need a copy of your prescriptions from your doctor, and often a medical history.

You won’t have a doctor yet, so reach out to an online service. In Ontario, this is Health811.com, the new name for Telehealth Ontario. Health811 can get you an on-line appointment with a doctor. The doctor can then “cosign” your prescription or provide you with a Canadian prescription.

They may need to look at your medical history to know about the medicines you take.

If you do not have a current prescription, Health811 can still help.

Resources:

Canada has free medicare, but we haven’t been importing or training enough doctors, so you will probably need to work with someone like Rainbow Health Ontario to find a doctor. Health 811 will also help you find a doctor who is accepting new patients.

In the meantime, there are walk-in clinics or community health centres in most towns and cities in Canada.

Resources  (Ontario)

You’ll need a collection of documents:

In some languages, you’ll need certified translations of these.

Contact local school board as early as possible, to do things like scheduling health screenings.

School is mandatory from ages 6 to 18, and all children, regardless of their immigration status, have the right to attend public schools. If you do not have proof of permanent residency or a work/study permit, reach out to school and school board.

To reduce culture shock, there are government and school board support programs for newcomers.

Resources

The best, of course, is to continue with your existing employer. After that, you’re into the job-hunting process, which is an entirely different book.

Fortunately, there are people who will help.

Resources to help you find employment

Regrettably, many of the skilled trades have non-tariff barriers. Reach out to the self-governing body as early as you can, or you may need to come as a student and take Canadian training in your industry. The medical profession is famously reluctant to let anyone reduce the demand for doctors.

If you are a permanent resident, an accepted refugee or have a work permit, you can join your provinces’ Medicare plan. For the Ontario Hospital Insurance Plan (OHIP) in particular, you can either apply in person at ServiceOntario offices, or online. You will have to spend 153 days out of the next year in Ontario, though, to permanently qualify as an Ontario resident.

You can drive on your US or other license for between 60 and 90 days, and that includes the time you’re waiting for a license-exchange appointment. That waiting can eat up much of your time, and if you exceed it, you will need to stop driving, so apply as soon as you arrive.

Resources

Here’s a few “translations” of store names from US to Canadian, courtesy of Nova Scotia Healthcare Infusion.

from Nova Scotia healthcare infusion, ask for permission or rewrite

Lots of organizations don’t help immigration, but do help immigrants