Diary of our move to Canada
May 7th 2018, 8:37 am
#91
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Location: St Catharines, Ontario From Bournemouth UK
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Re: Diary of our move to Canada
Day 4 Chill out time, checking the neighbourhood
Well, on Sunday we decided to take sometime out and travel on the local transportation to view different neighbourhoods. We headed to the local bus stop, when my other half informed me that the bus does not sell a day pass and does not give change. Turned around and headed to the nearest ttc stop, Main St, where we paid for a 1 Day pass $12.50. At the weekend the one day pass is good for a family or 2 adults like us.
Other half wanted to show me Thorncliffe Park apartments, so we headed west on Line 2 of the subway Kennedy/Kipling and got off at Pape station. The bus station is connected to the subway, so we jumped on the first bus which quickly tools us to our destination. Travelling through Greek town neighbourhood, we did like the vibe on a Sunday morning. Wish we could find a house rental in this area.
After lunch, other half decided to go for a pedicure for the first time in her life with her sister. I decided to head down to Kensington market. Very easy to get there from Main St. Took subway line 2 to Spadina (13 Stops), then the streetcar 510 (5 stops) to Nassau. Kensington market reminds me of Notting Hill in London, UK. Lots of cool independent stores and drinking establishments. After an hour strolling around the stores, I headed for the Kensington brewing company for a rack of beer. That's 4 different samples of their locally brewed beer held together on a wooden rack. Very tasty and good value at $9. After that, headed across the road to our favourite vegan restaurant Urban Herbivore to pick up a Moroccan stew and a sweet potato curry to go. Would recommend both dishes as they were delicious.
More house hunting on Day 5 and a potential job opportunity through an old work connection on LinkedIn. Details to follow tomorrow.......
Well, on Sunday we decided to take sometime out and travel on the local transportation to view different neighbourhoods. We headed to the local bus stop, when my other half informed me that the bus does not sell a day pass and does not give change. Turned around and headed to the nearest ttc stop, Main St, where we paid for a 1 Day pass $12.50. At the weekend the one day pass is good for a family or 2 adults like us.
Other half wanted to show me Thorncliffe Park apartments, so we headed west on Line 2 of the subway Kennedy/Kipling and got off at Pape station. The bus station is connected to the subway, so we jumped on the first bus which quickly tools us to our destination. Travelling through Greek town neighbourhood, we did like the vibe on a Sunday morning. Wish we could find a house rental in this area.
After lunch, other half decided to go for a pedicure for the first time in her life with her sister. I decided to head down to Kensington market. Very easy to get there from Main St. Took subway line 2 to Spadina (13 Stops), then the streetcar 510 (5 stops) to Nassau. Kensington market reminds me of Notting Hill in London, UK. Lots of cool independent stores and drinking establishments. After an hour strolling around the stores, I headed for the Kensington brewing company for a rack of beer. That's 4 different samples of their locally brewed beer held together on a wooden rack. Very tasty and good value at $9. After that, headed across the road to our favourite vegan restaurant Urban Herbivore to pick up a Moroccan stew and a sweet potato curry to go. Would recommend both dishes as they were delicious.
More house hunting on Day 5 and a potential job opportunity through an old work connection on LinkedIn. Details to follow tomorrow.......
Last edited by glendem4; May 7th 2018 at 8:45 am.
May 8th 2018, 10:07 pm
#92
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Re: Diary of our move to Canada
Day 5 House hunting and dealing with 1980s Banking system
We thought we had secured a 3 bedroom apartment in Don Mills - 110 Parkway Forest Drive for $2120 per month. We were showed a sample 1 bedroom display unit, but they refused to show us the actual apartment as it was being "renovated". Didn't think it was much of an issue at first. We were requested to get a pre authorised cheque for first and. Last months rent and filled out an application form. After sleeping on our decision we decided to withdraw our application. Buyer beware, if you don't see what you are purchasing, you have no recourse and we felt uncomfortable with the whole process.
Thats when we had to get the preauthorised cheque back from the rental company, go back to the bank and wait 20 minutes for the teller to process the cheque and clear the funds back into our account. The U.K. Banking system is way ahead of the system here in Canada. Everyone still trusts paper! Crazy
We have decided to focus our search on East York area where we are staying in an Airbnb. The Taylor creek park trail is on our doorsteps, the beaches are a stroll away and all the shops you can need are on Danforth Ave. It only takes 19 minutes on the subway to get down town as well.
we set up our phones with ttag.ca to make calls back to the UK for only 5c per minute. Ttag give you an initial free 40 minutes which we think is great. PM us if you want more details and Free airtime. It is a simple system to use if you have unlimited call minutes on your Canadian sim.
We thought we had secured a 3 bedroom apartment in Don Mills - 110 Parkway Forest Drive for $2120 per month. We were showed a sample 1 bedroom display unit, but they refused to show us the actual apartment as it was being "renovated". Didn't think it was much of an issue at first. We were requested to get a pre authorised cheque for first and. Last months rent and filled out an application form. After sleeping on our decision we decided to withdraw our application. Buyer beware, if you don't see what you are purchasing, you have no recourse and we felt uncomfortable with the whole process.
Thats when we had to get the preauthorised cheque back from the rental company, go back to the bank and wait 20 minutes for the teller to process the cheque and clear the funds back into our account. The U.K. Banking system is way ahead of the system here in Canada. Everyone still trusts paper! Crazy
We have decided to focus our search on East York area where we are staying in an Airbnb. The Taylor creek park trail is on our doorsteps, the beaches are a stroll away and all the shops you can need are on Danforth Ave. It only takes 19 minutes on the subway to get down town as well.
we set up our phones with ttag.ca to make calls back to the UK for only 5c per minute. Ttag give you an initial free 40 minutes which we think is great. PM us if you want more details and Free airtime. It is a simple system to use if you have unlimited call minutes on your Canadian sim.
Last edited by glendem4; May 8th 2018 at 10:09 pm.
May 9th 2018, 4:37 pm
#93
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Re: Diary of our move to Canada
Day 6 House hunting in East York and local shopping
We decided to just focus on a 2 mile radius of where we are staying. It takes too long on public transport to head up to North York Don Mills area, especially from East York. We have also decided to use one property search engine realtor.ca which is a bit like rightmove back in the UK. Once you find properties you like use ONE agent only, it makes life a lot easier. The MLS multi list system here in Toronto means any agent can get to view any property and it's the Landlord that pays for the service.
So it is a great way for new immigrants to find property quickly.
We have found a lovely agent called Julie Hughes at KellerWilliams who is helping us on our search. Julie will come to your location and pick you up and drive you around to see the properties. She will also set you up on an internal property search system that shows you properties 24 hours before they appear on realtor.ca
we have found food shopping in Metro the best. The quality of food and quantity are far and away better than other supermarkets. Think Waitrose in the UK. We have also food shopped at Sobeys which is a bit like Sainsburys. Still struggling with the concept of going to a liquor store to buy alcohol. The U.K. And Europe make it so easy to buy beer and wine
We decided to just focus on a 2 mile radius of where we are staying. It takes too long on public transport to head up to North York Don Mills area, especially from East York. We have also decided to use one property search engine realtor.ca which is a bit like rightmove back in the UK. Once you find properties you like use ONE agent only, it makes life a lot easier. The MLS multi list system here in Toronto means any agent can get to view any property and it's the Landlord that pays for the service.
So it is a great way for new immigrants to find property quickly.
We have found a lovely agent called Julie Hughes at KellerWilliams who is helping us on our search. Julie will come to your location and pick you up and drive you around to see the properties. She will also set you up on an internal property search system that shows you properties 24 hours before they appear on realtor.ca
we have found food shopping in Metro the best. The quality of food and quantity are far and away better than other supermarkets. Think Waitrose in the UK. We have also food shopped at Sobeys which is a bit like Sainsburys. Still struggling with the concept of going to a liquor store to buy alcohol. The U.K. And Europe make it so easy to buy beer and wine
May 9th 2018, 4:39 pm
#94
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Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ontario
Posts: 40,018
Re: Diary of our move to Canada
Day 6 House hunting in East York and local shopping
We decided to just focus on a 2 mile radius of where we are staying. It takes too long on public transport to head up to North York Do Mills area, especially from East York. We have also decided to use one property search engine realtor.ca which is a bit like rightmove back in the UK. Once you find properties you like use ONE agent only, it makes life a lot easier. The MLS multi list system here in Toronto means any agent can get to view any property and it's the Landlord that pays for the service.
So it is a great way for new immigrants to find property quickly.
We have found a lovely agent called Julie Hughes at KellerWilliams who is helping us on our search. Julie will come to your location and pick you up and drive you around to see the properties. She will also set you up on an internal property search system that shows you properties 24 hours before they appear on realtor.ca
we have found food shopping in Metro the best. The quality of food and quantity are far and away better than othe supermarkets. Think Waitrose in the UK. We have also food shopped at Sobeys which is a bit like Sainsburys. Still struggling with the concept of going to a liquor store to buy alcohol. The U.K. And Europe make it so easy to buy beer and wine
We decided to just focus on a 2 mile radius of where we are staying. It takes too long on public transport to head up to North York Do Mills area, especially from East York. We have also decided to use one property search engine realtor.ca which is a bit like rightmove back in the UK. Once you find properties you like use ONE agent only, it makes life a lot easier. The MLS multi list system here in Toronto means any agent can get to view any property and it's the Landlord that pays for the service.
So it is a great way for new immigrants to find property quickly.
We have found a lovely agent called Julie Hughes at KellerWilliams who is helping us on our search. Julie will come to your location and pick you up and drive you around to see the properties. She will also set you up on an internal property search system that shows you properties 24 hours before they appear on realtor.ca
we have found food shopping in Metro the best. The quality of food and quantity are far and away better than othe supermarkets. Think Waitrose in the UK. We have also food shopped at Sobeys which is a bit like Sainsburys. Still struggling with the concept of going to a liquor store to buy alcohol. The U.K. And Europe make it so easy to buy beer and wine
May 9th 2018, 5:16 pm
#95
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Joined: Jul 2017
Location: Ontario
Posts: 204
Re: Diary of our move to Canada
Day 6 House hunting in East York and local shopping
We decided to just focus on a 2 mile radius of where we are staying. It takes too long on public transport to head up to North York Don Mills area, especially from East York. We have also decided to use one property search engine realtor.ca which is a bit like rightmove back in the UK. Once you find properties you like use ONE agent only, it makes life a lot easier. The MLS multi list system here in Toronto means any agent can get to view any property and it's the Landlord that pays for the service.
So it is a great way for new immigrants to find property quickly.
We have found a lovely agent called Julie Hughes at KellerWilliams who is helping us on our search. Julie will come to your location and pick you up and drive you around to see the properties. She will also set you up on an internal property search system that shows you properties 24 hours before they appear on realtor.ca
we have found food shopping in Metro the best. The quality of food and quantity are far and away better than other supermarkets. Think Waitrose in the UK. We have also food shopped at Sobeys which is a bit like Sainsburys. Still struggling with the concept of going to a liquor store to buy alcohol. The U.K. And Europe make it so easy to buy beer and wine
We decided to just focus on a 2 mile radius of where we are staying. It takes too long on public transport to head up to North York Don Mills area, especially from East York. We have also decided to use one property search engine realtor.ca which is a bit like rightmove back in the UK. Once you find properties you like use ONE agent only, it makes life a lot easier. The MLS multi list system here in Toronto means any agent can get to view any property and it's the Landlord that pays for the service.
So it is a great way for new immigrants to find property quickly.
We have found a lovely agent called Julie Hughes at KellerWilliams who is helping us on our search. Julie will come to your location and pick you up and drive you around to see the properties. She will also set you up on an internal property search system that shows you properties 24 hours before they appear on realtor.ca
we have found food shopping in Metro the best. The quality of food and quantity are far and away better than other supermarkets. Think Waitrose in the UK. We have also food shopped at Sobeys which is a bit like Sainsburys. Still struggling with the concept of going to a liquor store to buy alcohol. The U.K. And Europe make it so easy to buy beer and wine
May 9th 2018, 8:37 pm
#96
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Re: Diary of our move to Canada
Have you looked into the townhouses on Valleywoods Drive in Don Mills. When we moved to Toronto in the early 80's when I was a late teen we lived in a townhouse for a few months there. For all I know the townhouses could be gone and a meat rendering plant could have been built there.
May 9th 2018, 9:00 pm
#97
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Re: Diary of our move to Canada
Enjoy.
May 9th 2018, 9:23 pm
#98
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Re: Diary of our move to Canada
Similarly, many people in Ontario load up at duty free or on short trips to the USA.
I would say that the # of outlets in a town is a bigger factor than the prices which I don't find as big of a deal as the places to actually buy the beer (most of my purchases..occasionally wine, basically never for spirits).
In Nice a year or so ago we were at a supermarket called Casino with our daughter and they had some crazy 1/2 hour sale on beer and wine where it was basically 50% off and even 50% off already 'on sale' prices as they needed to get rid of stock before the next days' delivery. Our daughter ended up getting a large selection of 'quality' 3 euro wines for 1.50 euros. Free enterprise at its best.
May 9th 2018, 10:43 pm
#99
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Re: Diary of our move to Canada
I don't bother with the duty free but do go to Premiere Wines. I always say what I have and am ready to pay the taxes on it at the border but have always been sent on my way (with a case, I haven't tried with a pallet or a tanker full.) Even if the tax and duty is paid it's still way cheaper than the LCBO when both stock the same product.
May 9th 2018, 11:05 pm
#100
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Re: Diary of our move to Canada
Our daughter ended up getting a large selection of 'quality' 3 euro wines for 1.50 euros. Free enterprise at its best
It was awful. Like vinegar but not good enough for chips. Maybe they used it for pickling.
May 10th 2018, 2:09 am
#101
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Re: Diary of our move to Canada
I remember Casino supermarket but I can't remember where from. Calais maybe?
In my 20s I was on holiday at Cap d'agde (not the naturist part) and a shop there had ridiculously cheap wine, you just had to bring your own container.
It was awful. Like vinegar but not good enough for chips. Maybe they used it for pickling.
In my 20s I was on holiday at Cap d'agde (not the naturist part) and a shop there had ridiculously cheap wine, you just had to bring your own container.
It was awful. Like vinegar but not good enough for chips. Maybe they used it for pickling.
One of the major supermarket chains in France probably in the lower half customer/demographic wise. The Casino in Nice did have wine for 2 euros/bottle (0.75 litre bottle) and their own brand of beer was very cheap....
May 10th 2018, 12:12 pm
#102
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Location: Hamilton, ON
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Re: Diary of our move to Canada
It's my understanding that LCBO management has also loosened up wrt the minimum quantities they'll take on for a given SKU (another point that has always worked against small breweries); also, since LCBO branch managers have a large amount of discretion wrt what they stock in their store - and, presumably, know what they can shift and maximize their sales - we're finally in a situation that's more amenable to getting decent beers without having to resort to a schlep to the brewery.
Another point: when the LCBO *do* bring in something decent from Europe (pretty frequently in my local), it's typically at a pretty damn good price. That said, I'd love a Quebec-style dep in my neighbourhood ;-) Or even a garage like a couple in Buffalo I know that have small but very well stocked selections of well-priced, hard-to-find stuff.
May 10th 2018, 12:45 pm
#103
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Re: Diary of our move to Canada
Until very recently, microbreweries in Ontario have had a bugger of a time getting in to the LCBO (beer store is a virtual non-starter - there's a very good documentary kicking around on Vimeo that explains the previous situation). With the rapid growth of microbreweries in general, it would have been political suicide to not budge on this.
It's my understanding that LCBO management has also loosened up wrt the minimum quantities they'll take on for a given SKU (another point that has always worked against small breweries); also, since LCBO branch managers have a large amount of discretion wrt what they stock in their store - and, presumably, know what they can shift and maximize their sales - we're finally in a situation that's more amenable to getting decent beers without having to resort to a schlep to the brewery.
Another point: when the LCBO *do* bring in something decent from Europe (pretty frequently in my local), it's typically at a pretty damn good price. That said, I'd love a Quebec-style dep in my neighbourhood ;-) Or even a garage like a couple in Buffalo I know that have small but very well stocked selections of well-priced, hard-to-find stuff.
It's my understanding that LCBO management has also loosened up wrt the minimum quantities they'll take on for a given SKU (another point that has always worked against small breweries); also, since LCBO branch managers have a large amount of discretion wrt what they stock in their store - and, presumably, know what they can shift and maximize their sales - we're finally in a situation that's more amenable to getting decent beers without having to resort to a schlep to the brewery.
Another point: when the LCBO *do* bring in something decent from Europe (pretty frequently in my local), it's typically at a pretty damn good price. That said, I'd love a Quebec-style dep in my neighbourhood ;-) Or even a garage like a couple in Buffalo I know that have small but very well stocked selections of well-priced, hard-to-find stuff.
May 10th 2018, 1:20 pm
#104
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Re: Diary of our move to Canada
This is the doc I was talking about (which also does a great job explaining how the Beer Store came about, and why it's such a travesty):
It's a full-length documentary, but well put together and helped me get my head around the whole back story.
It's a full-length documentary, but well put together and helped me get my head around the whole back story.
May 10th 2018, 4:04 pm
#105
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Posts: 30,259
Re: Diary of our move to Canada
This is the doc I was talking about (which also does a great job explaining how the Beer Store came about, and why it's such a travesty):
Straight Up: The Issue of Alcohol in Ontario
It's a full-length documentary, but well put together and helped me get my head around the whole back story.
Straight Up: The Issue of Alcohol in Ontario
It's a full-length documentary, but well put together and helped me get my head around the whole back story.