kellys247

well i thought i would just share our experience since we made the jump from scotland to canada!

Husband and I flew out on the 11th nov from glasgow to iceland with our 2 children, 8 large suitcases and 4 carry-on bags! we rented a log cabin in iceland for the nights stayover and flew from iceland to edmonton the following day.
To keep costs low and so as Husband wouldnt have to drive straight off the flight, we booked us on to an overnight greyhound coach which took us into Regina. (not advisable if travelling with children as the wait was 6 hours after flight landed and the bus depot wasnt the nicest (or warmest) place to be waiting in -16 conditions on first night in canada!

we arrived safely and well rested regardless and were lucky to have husbands new employer meet us from the station and take us for a bite to eat!

we met our landlords straight after and collected keys, paid first month rent and saw our lovely house for the first time. Landlord had kindly left us blow up beds, some essential groceries and toiletries etc for our first couple nights.
We also were given access to a company car and mobile phone until we sorted our own which made things a lot easier.

Getting our SIN numbers took 15 minutes and was an easy and friendly process. we then had to sort out bank accounts which was rather stressful, we opted for scotiabank as we heard good reviews about the newcomers account so we visited our local branch to be greeted with 2 trainees on front desk. after explaining our situation and telling them we wished to open an account that day and deposit a large sum of money, they messed about at front desk clearly lacking in any banking knowledge, yet never asked a senior member for help, nor were they being shadowed!
after 20 minutes of questions etc they then gave us an interview for the following day, another 10 minutes of explaining why we needed an account asap they finally called over a senior member of staff who took us into a room to begin the process!
We left with a checking account card each and appointments for the following week to apply for our credit cards.

We then visited sasktell to enquire about tv and internet, this process was pretty straightforward and we had agreed and signed a contract within half hour, paying $300 deposit which we will get back after 3 months. it took a week exactly from the date we ordered for them to come out to the house and install our service. (we have been told this is pretty quick).

Next stop was mobile phones, we chose rogers due to a few peoples recommendations. i needed a new phone and hubby just needed a sim card. the plan i chose on an iphone 5c is $50 per month or $45 sim only so OH just decided to pay the extra $5 a month and get the same phone also. we paid a $240 deposit altogether and left the store under an hour later.

Calling the gas and electric companies to change to our names was painless and took a matter of minutes.

Registering the children for school is a bit of a drawn out process... firstly we had to contact the canadian welcome centre and make an appointment to attend the following day for a seminar on the education system and hand over kids documents, we arrived and did as asked, then we were told to come back in a couple days later for the childrens academic assessments.
This assessment took just over 2 hours and the kids were taken into a room to be tested on general writing and reading skills and then we were told which grades they would be in on starting school. The welcome centre then arranged a school meet and greet visit for another day on which we went and had a tour of the school, informal chat with the principal and then finally given a start date for the following day, along with an arm-long list of supplies the kids would require for term! (paper, folders, memory sticks, glue, scissors, pens, crayons, felt tips, cellotape, highlighters and dictionaries among many other items) we had to shop for all these essentials the night before first day so i would advise finding out what you need prior to the visit so as to shop around for best prices.

Kids require ski trousers and the appropriate hat/scarf/mittens to be able to start school prepared, we found a few things in wallmart and also canadian superstore!
It seems to be normal practice in this area that elementary schools do not have canteens in them so packed lunches are essential unless you collect kids for lunch at home.

We have also came to the conclusion that food shopping is pretty much on par with prices in the Uk although seems more due to the currency! some things are cheaper and some dearer, its just about finding out where is best for various items. electricals seem cheaper even with adding on the tax, however the usual moan of cheese prices is sadly true! its rather expensive!
Canadians are brilliant at giving advice on best places to eat/drink and shop though so its quite easy finding your bearings!

Husband had to convert his driving licence into a canadian one, first time he visited SGI and had a terrible few hours being asked for more information that didnt seem necessary. After calling his place of work, his boss advised him to visit another office in which they had his licence ready in a quarter of that time! lesson learned is if anything seems to take forever for no apparent reason other than having a jobsworth serving you, then just go elsewhere

We sorted a car after being here just under a week, visited a dealership and managed to get in house finance for a 2yr old hyundai, $3000 deposit and an employers reference and all our usual passport/visa/employment contract etc was required.

Health cards can be applied for online and have been advised they usually take a couple weeks to be posted out.

We sold our furniture before coming here and bought new when we arrived, there are so many places to shop, leons, canadian tyre, real canadian superstore, home depot etc to name but a few, there is no shortage of places and we found that household items are reasonably priced and some items cheaper than in the UK i.e sofas and TV's!

Well thats the essential things out the way, now just for a few things we have learned so far...

*The weather is bearable when you wrap up, although the temp is still pretty mild at -16/-20 odd we did expect a lot worse due to the reports of some people!

*Canadians really dont understand the scottish accent unless you slow down to an almost robot dialect! (and even then, they struggle. i asked for a 'caramel latte' at timmys, got handed a 'camomile TEA') lol i now talk in a slight canadian accent to try and be understood!!

*you HAVE to park a certain way in the street, facing the way you drive or else you WILL get a ticket!

*EVERYONE takes shoes off at front door, even delivery men carrying sofas.....haha

*buying beds and mattresses should require a few classroom hours of teaching first!! (its completely strange at the least)

*a LOONIE is a dollar and a TOONIE is 2 dollars!

well sorry for the long drawn out review but we just felt it might help anyone moving to the area, every little bit of information always helps along the way we are settling in great and kids are loving the big yellow bus and lockers at school! we have met some lovely people already and enjoying the canadian life so far! next step, apply for PR!!!

MillieF

Kelly welcome to Canada

It's all a bit exhausting for the first few weeks....but it sounds like you and yours are fitting in beautifully! Congratulations!

kellys247

Thanks MillieF,
yes we are all a little surprised at how smooth the process has been.... feels like home!

rivingtonpike

Good for you. It'll take a while to get properly settled (years), but sounds like you've made a solid start.

kellys247

thank you rivingtonpike, im hoping the next few years go as smoothly!

graham and george

Great write up Kellys247.I have been in sylvan lake now a week and what you have said hits the nail on the head.As with driving license, I had problems with having no proof of address so had to use my work address. Got charge $ 87.00 to change over. Will go home for Christmas in the uk.then my wife and children will follow witch is the great part.
All the best .

kellys247

Hi graham and george looks like they have serious issues on the drivers license front depending where you decide to go! we were $35 to change details and they kept asking for an 'abstract certificate' which we didnt have, and now know we didnt need! we spoke to a few people who were in and out in minutes, minus the charge yet others had the same experience as us! just must depend on who is serving you at the time!
all the best for when your family join you and have a lovely xmas and glad to hear a fellow expat is getting on well too!

itsasmallworld

Congratulations and Welcome to Canada! You have clearly made a great start on getting everything sorted out. Just imagine, you will basically be all sorted out by Christmas - how fantastic! Best wishes to the whole family.

kellys247

Thank you, yea we are glad to have everything in place so we can just enjoy our first Xmas here! Next on the to do list is buy the tree and decorations! � ����� ����

caretaker

Careful out on the road; I just spent a couple of hours running errands for work and it's hell on wheels out there.

kellys247

Oh that bad?? Maybe we will give shopping a miss tonight then! Lol

caretaker

Oh just go, it stopped snowing just after I got home, probably start again later. When the road is crappy you just have to go slower; everyone this afternoon that I saw was doing ok with a couple of exceptions. There was a semi vs car incident somewhere earlier though. If you're used to driving in a big city all our traffic is going to seem slow and sparse, even in peak times. Clean all the snow off your car, not just the windows. It will make you easier to see for the other drivers and if you just clear little peep holes it's worth a ticket. -28 Saturday night then it'll get nicer again.

PearlyQueen

Hey Kelly, Glad to hear your trip over ran smoothly and that you're all settling in well Good luck to your husband in his job. Will you be working or just looking after your kids?

Your comment about the latte did make me laugh! maybe when you have some free time we could meet up for a cuppa? Wishing you and the fams all the best with your new life in Canada.

kellys247

the hubby ended up doing the shopping run caretaker haha he got back in one piece thankfully!! sat sounds just delightful... a day of hibernating watching dvds may be in order then!

Hello pearlyqueen, how are you guys getting on? hubby is liking his job and the kids are enjoying school and i am hoping to start work in the next couple weeks!
feeling pretty at home here to be honest which i hope lasts :~) would be lovley to meet up for a coffee and compare stories! just inbox me your number and we can arrange a day

caretaker

Here's a revised forecast, Monday night is now supposed to be the cold one. You can amaze the kids - when it's that cold you can take a pail of water outside, throw it in the air, and it will freeze into ice crystals before it hits the ground.
Edit: Apparently I have this all wrong, Environment Canada is saying -26 Monday night - whew! This is good weather for those of us anxious to get out ice fishing.