So, I've been in Canada since July and so far it's been pretty average. There are a few things I miss like having a family doctor and a decent cup of tea. The family Doctor thing isn't so bad now we have our OHIP cards - now we don't have to pay to be insulted and ignored for 4 hours. Favourite line so far "I don't get paid to do blood tests after 5" - a line you'd never hear from the NHS.

But these things are beyond the control of us mere mortals. However, there are some things that someone might be able to help us with...

1) I don't believe for one minute that my 18 year driving record counts for nothing in Canada, but I'm having trouble find the insurers that agree. They're all after a fast buck here but Canadian insurance companies seem different to the UK - in the UK the premiums are quite reasonable but then they make it as difficult as possible for you to get a payout if you ever need one. Here, they just go straight for the high premiums with ridiculous (sorry, for some reason my mind has gone blank - I can't remember the word for the bit we have to pay before they pay...).

Something my family and I liked to do was to phone up Pontins and book one of their chalets for a weekend for the stupid rates they had like £30 for 3 nights. Canada doesn't seem to have Pontins or anything like it. Strangely, "weekend break" seems to involve either a tent or another country. 8 month old baby and sub zero temperatures makes the camping idea silly. "Another country" for a weekend break with two kids is just prohibitively expensive. "Bed and breakfast" seems to be a quaint English idea.

So, to summarise my rants - has anyone discovered an insurance company that isn't going to rip me off for being British and has anyone found out what Canadians do at the weekend (it's not watch TV because the TV is awful ). I'd just like to throw a few clothes in a bag, drive off somewhere on Friday evening, come back on Sunday evening and not spend $1000 to do it.

Steve

"I'd just like to throw a few clothes in a bag, drive off somewhere on Friday evening, come back on Sunday evening and not spend $1000 to do it"

If you find out let me know!

They go ice fishing.

And that's the good news.

Get a trailer?

So a goodly portion of the people from the UK come to Canada to enjoy the great outdoors and see the diversity of that outdoors.

You want to go to a Pontins or Butlins lookalike holiday camp?

Ain't nowt stranger than folks.

Shakes head and wanders off muttering incoherently.

If this was open, it might be the kind of thing you were looking for:

http://www.bingemans.com/bingemanshome.php

30 seconds on tripadvisor.

Johnson Insurance for Ontario..we got our quote down to CAD$1300 for a brand new CAD$75,000 car. They recognised our 8 years no claims from the UK.

Can pm you contact details if you like.


Chris

Pontins? Pontins!

Well I suppose it makes a change from mar*ite.

Seems like you are going through a bit of an unsettled time if you are saying eveything is just average after only being here just 4 months. Also, I think that wanting too get away for the weekends this early into your move is quite unusual.

Are you into your own house yet, or are you renting something temporarily? Are you living in your chosen area or would you prefer to be living either in a town/city or out in the country. This makes a huge impact on how you feel day-to-day. We chose to live on the edge of a town. We are surrounded by countryside but not isolated, so don't feel the need to go anywhere at the weekends other than explore our local area.

Maybe your expectations were that it should be the same as Britain. This is Canada. Like any other country in the world, its not Britain so you have to stop thinking everything is the same just because we all speak English. I am not being sarky either - just think, if you moved to Italy, would you think it should be the same as the UK - no, probably not.

We can't get registered with a Dr here which feels strange when you are used to having one. The walk-in clinic service here has been very good though. We can even have blood samples done as early as 6.30am at the local hospital - its suits the folks that work all day. Guess you may just have rude staff at your clinic - report them. I had a good Dr back in the UK but some other surgeries were appalling - couldn't get passed the receptionist and had to wait a week for an appointment.

Tea - I can buy exactly the same tea as back home. If not, I would have brought a shed-load in my container. Get rellies to send over a few boxes for you.

UK driving record - got mine recognised. Quotes dropped from $2700 to $950. You have to search around though. Go to a broker. Ask around in BE.

There are plenty of campgrounds/chalets/cabins/hotels/motels for some nights away - not for 30 GBP for 3 nights though - that is cheap

TV - I always knew the British TV was the best in the world so I knew it would be different here but I happen to think that its not that bad. I only watch for a few hours in evening. The only soap I watched was Corrie and we get that here. Boys here can watch their their Euro footie too. You maybe need to look into what TV packages you can buy. There are ways of tracking down your favourite programmes online too. Plenty of BE people do just that. I also order comedy DVDs from the UK.

Everything does take some getting used to but once you come through this transition period you'll feel more at ease with everything.

Favourite line so far "I don't get paid to do blood tests after 5" - a line you'd never hear from the NHS.


We was in the waiting room at 2.30 for my son to have his eye test, by 4pm, he had fallen asleep as there was no play area and he was totally BORED

Asked the nurse again about being seen and guess what they dont do eye tests after 4pm :curse:

After a kick off the guy agreed to do it, got the new prescription for him, took it to glasses place etc etc
1 week later picked up the new glasses, he was v.v excited cause he could pick his own frames, guess what!!!!


Prescription 7x stronger than his old pair and the poor guy cant see a thing, yet another trip to the eye clinic, this time made at 9.15 am

NHS - hmm good reason to leave the uk

Why oh why did you move here?

Let this be a lesson to people to do your homework.

Been in Canada for 18 months this time around, and certainly not having an average time, but since you're looking for some supportive moaning here are my top few quibbles...
- Banks - how can the Canadian system be so antiquated, not only do you have to pay for the privelage but you then don't earn any interest and have to jump through hoops to get set-up
- 4 way-stops, i want a good roundabout/traffic circle, makes so much more sense
- Insurance - also had problems with no recognition of UK history and record, did win a car though so that helped, but will be scouring these forums when I come up for renewal as it seems some people had more luck
- Dr/Dental costs - I know I get benefits and can claim back the costs, but spending $100's of dollars for a check-up and cleaning seems like a good racket to get in on
- TV - so many adverts, then I got a PVR and I no longer moan!!
- Taxis - can I get a taxi in Calgary ever? Extreme solution was to get wife pregnant so I had a DD!!

Sure theres been more stuff worth moaning about but hey life's too short

Would be funny for me too if it wasn't true...

Tell me about it, they don't pay you interest on chequeing accounts and very small on saving accounts, yet they charge the same interest as the UK if you need to borrow.

You pay for cheques (I never used them in the UK for more than 10 years).

You get charged for transferring money between your own accounts!! yourself!!! On-line!!!

You cannot just make an on-line payment, unless the person you want to pay is in their pre-compiled list of payees!!

If you need to pay someone off the list, you have to go into the bank and pay for the privilege.

The banks here must be super rich with amount of charges they levee at you.

Don't wish too hard, you may not like the consequences, we have a few round-a-bouts here and I've already been hit by a woman going all the way around in the outside lane!!! :curse: