To all my Canadian friends,
As I've bragged about over and over again, I'm moving to Canada as soon as I finish my master's degree here at BYU this summer to start a PhD program at the University of Alberta.
So, tell me everything about Canada! What are the best phone companies? Does Netflix work well up there? Will I be able to watch Dr. Who? Is metric used for everything? Why is the Queen on your money?
What else do I need to know?!
BLAME CANADA!!
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NerdGirl
- President of the Lutheran Sisterhood Gun Club
- Posts: 1810
- Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2008 6:41 am
- Location: Calgary
Re: BLAME CANADA!!
Awesome!
Okay, here's what you should know.
Phone companies - probably Rogers is the best cell phone company in Alberta. My family has had Bell, Telus, and Rogers, and Rogers seems to be better by far. Better customer service and coverage. But you should know that cell phone plans are generally crappier than they are in the States and usually do not include things like free nationwide long distance.
Netflix - Netflix Canada only has video on demand, so you can't get actual DVDs sent to you. But the on demand selection is not bad, and it's only $7.99 a month.
Doctor Who - Heck yes! New series are usually shown on CBC, and there are reruns on the Space channel (which is pretty standard in cable packages) all the time.
Metric system - It's uses formally, but people are still kind of pissed off about it and it hasn't entirely infiltrated the public consciousness. So you'll find a mixture. Speed limits are in km/hr, and driver's licenses will have your weight in kg and your height in cm. But if you ask someone how far away something is, they'll probably tell you in miles or yards. And people will talk about their heights and weights in pounds and feet. Temperature can go either way. The news will report it in Celsius, but if you say a temperature in Fahrenheit, no one will look at you funny, especially if they're older than about 60. Those signs in front of banks that tell the time and then the temperature usually have both.
Food you should eat - Royal pizza in Edmonton is awesome. We always used to go there all the time (well, when we visited Edmonton) back when we could eat wheat. If you like chicken and/or ribs, go to Swiss Chalet. It's a national chain of what my Texan friend that I've introduced to it would call "barbecue". But it's really good. Also, McDonalds has slightly different menu items as it does in the US, and they have really good salads here. Tim Hortons is a really big deal. It's like the Starbucks of Canada (but we do have Starbucks). Except the only non-coffee drink (other than juice) they have is hot chocolate and hot smoothies, which are like hot chocolate only they're caramel, butterscotch, or hazelnut flavored. But they have decent (but expensive) sandwiches, chili, soup, doughnuts, and all kinds of baked goods. My tiny school that fits in one city block has not one but two Tim Hortons. My favorite grocery store is Superstore. They have really interesting store brand stuff (called President's Choice) and usually the best prices. Sobeys is also good. Safeway is good, but definitely more expensive. Oh, and cheese comes in weird-shaped blocks here for some reason (usually). But Alberta does not have milk in plastic bags like the Eastern half of the country does. We have Wendy's, Taco Bell, Burger King, Taco Time, A&W, Dairy Queen, New York Fries, Manchu Wok, and lots of little sushi places. And donairs and poutine. I'm not a fan of either, but people will tell you you have to try them.
Sales tax - 5% in Alberta, but food has no sales tax. There's a 5% federal sales tax, and some provinces have provincial sales tax on top of that, but Alberta does not. One of many things that pisses off the rest of the country. Provinces are pretty autonomous, and people see Alberta as being really rich and having all this stuff that they don't have. Which isn't exactly true, but whatever.
Winter - Edmonton will definitely get REALLY COLD! Like all of those stereotypical things you hear about Canada that mainly aren't true actually are true in Edmonton in the winter. You will need boots and a long and warm coat and mittens. Mittens are warmer than gloves. If you do ever get frostbite (don't be too worried, because it's not that common and I've never actually had it), DON'T RUB SNOW ON IT! People will tell you to, but rubbing it is actually really dangerous and can cause permanent damage. Here's what you should do: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/oax/safety/frostbite.php Once it gets down below about -20 C, frostbite becomes a concern if you're out long enough, but if everything is covered up you should be fine. If it's below -40, you have a good excuse to just stay home for the day.
Plugging in your car: People do this in the winter so their batteries don't freeze. Underground parking garages (which are called Parkades) even usually have posts with outlets. If you have a garage, you don't need to worry about it. But if your car is going to be parked outside, it might be an issue. I don't know how you get a plug on a car that doesn't already have one, but maybe talk to a mechanic once you're here.
The Queen (whom I call the Quing, which is a word my dad made up when realized God Save the Queen doesn't rhyme when you put in Queen instead of King) - She's technically the head of state of Canada and every other commonwealth country, but she has no real power. We have a Governor General, who's supposed to the Queen's representative, but s/he also only has ceremonial power. You'll find people, especially in Alberta, who are very anti-monarchy. Which brings me to...
Government and Politics: We have about 5 main political parties - The conservatives, liberals, NDP (stands for New Democratic Party - pretty similar to the liberals), the Green party, and the Bloc Quebecois (only in federal politics). In Alberta, the conservatives have been in power since before I was born. If you want to discuss politics with people in Alberta, you should read the following for background: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Klein, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Stelmach, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Duckett, and then once you've read about Duckett, watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DxeCK5Ne_Q The whole cookie incident is talked about all the time, and I could go on and on for hours about politics and healthcare, but those are just some basic background so you'll know what people are talking about. My parents are involved in politics and healthcare (from the administrative side) and my dad actually knows Stephen Duckett, and says he's not as callous and incompetent as people would have you believe. Anyway, it's a mess, but there are a lot of "I'm eating my cookie" jokes, so now you know where they come from. Oh, and you should also read about these people, who are trying to overthrow the conservatives: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildrose_A ... of_Alberta Alberta is pretty conservative, and some of us who are not conservatives will actually join the conservative party so we can vote on who their leader will be, because we know that whoever it is will end up being in charge.
Healthcare: Is not the nightmare that people would have you believe it is. There are issues with ER wait times and there's a big family doctor shortage in Alberta. The situation is much better in other provinces (healthcare is something that's completely run by the provinces, and the federal government has no say in it unless they're breaking a law, so there's a lot of variation on the general theme). The last government screwed a lot of things up. But contrary to popular belief, doctors do not work for the government. Most hospitals get funding from the government, but usually from other sources as well. But doctors are independent business people (well, they might work for the student health center if you get a family doctor at school, but they aren't employees of the government). What the government does run is the health insurance. Just the basic health insurance, which pays for everything but drugs, optometry, dentistry, ambulances, and most cosmetic procedures. Most people have supplemental health insurance to pay for drugs and stuff. You can get that from the government at very discounted rates if you're poor, but I have it through school and most people have it through work. But Alberta health insurance, which I think you will be eligible for after living in Alberta for a year, pays for doctor visits, surgical procedures, midwifery (yes, which is awesome), etc. You can go to any doctor you want. You don't have to get things preapproved. It just pays for it. All of it. If you go to the ER, they're not going to call the insurance company. You don't have to worry if they'll cover a test or procedure - if your doctor says you need it, it's covered. If you have any questions about healthcare, ask, because I can give you a lot of information. And the UofA will probably have a health plan for international students that you can get until you're eligible for Alberta health.
The Church: Alberta's pretty full of Mormons. Not like Utah. Probably more like California. Edmonton has a temple and multiple stakes, and everyone there knows my mom. She joined the church in Edmonton back in the 50s. There will be tons of institute classes and tons of singles (or mid-singles, if you're in that age group) things you can go to if you're into that sort of thing.
Bookstores: The big bookstore in Canada is called Chapters. But if you're buying books online, Amazon.ca has better prices and selection than Chapters.ca.
Stores in general: We have Old Navy, the Gap, H&M, Sears, The Bay (a big dept store that used to be a fur trading company), La Senza is the equivalent of Victoria's secret, The Body Shop, Bath and Body Works, Lush (best bath stuff ever - you must check out Lush if you've never been to one). No Dillard's or JC Penney. No Target, but apparently we're getting Target soon. Yes Walmart. No KMart. Yes Toys-R-Us. And sometimes malls have big grocery stores in them, which freaked out one of my friends when we were in Victoria. Don't be afraid.
Movies - Always come out at the same time here that they do in the US. Same deal - movies are expensive, then you spend a thousand dollars for popcorn.
That's all I can think of right now, but let me know if you think of any other questions!
Okay, here's what you should know.
Phone companies - probably Rogers is the best cell phone company in Alberta. My family has had Bell, Telus, and Rogers, and Rogers seems to be better by far. Better customer service and coverage. But you should know that cell phone plans are generally crappier than they are in the States and usually do not include things like free nationwide long distance.
Netflix - Netflix Canada only has video on demand, so you can't get actual DVDs sent to you. But the on demand selection is not bad, and it's only $7.99 a month.
Doctor Who - Heck yes! New series are usually shown on CBC, and there are reruns on the Space channel (which is pretty standard in cable packages) all the time.
Metric system - It's uses formally, but people are still kind of pissed off about it and it hasn't entirely infiltrated the public consciousness. So you'll find a mixture. Speed limits are in km/hr, and driver's licenses will have your weight in kg and your height in cm. But if you ask someone how far away something is, they'll probably tell you in miles or yards. And people will talk about their heights and weights in pounds and feet. Temperature can go either way. The news will report it in Celsius, but if you say a temperature in Fahrenheit, no one will look at you funny, especially if they're older than about 60. Those signs in front of banks that tell the time and then the temperature usually have both.
Food you should eat - Royal pizza in Edmonton is awesome. We always used to go there all the time (well, when we visited Edmonton) back when we could eat wheat. If you like chicken and/or ribs, go to Swiss Chalet. It's a national chain of what my Texan friend that I've introduced to it would call "barbecue". But it's really good. Also, McDonalds has slightly different menu items as it does in the US, and they have really good salads here. Tim Hortons is a really big deal. It's like the Starbucks of Canada (but we do have Starbucks). Except the only non-coffee drink (other than juice) they have is hot chocolate and hot smoothies, which are like hot chocolate only they're caramel, butterscotch, or hazelnut flavored. But they have decent (but expensive) sandwiches, chili, soup, doughnuts, and all kinds of baked goods. My tiny school that fits in one city block has not one but two Tim Hortons. My favorite grocery store is Superstore. They have really interesting store brand stuff (called President's Choice) and usually the best prices. Sobeys is also good. Safeway is good, but definitely more expensive. Oh, and cheese comes in weird-shaped blocks here for some reason (usually). But Alberta does not have milk in plastic bags like the Eastern half of the country does. We have Wendy's, Taco Bell, Burger King, Taco Time, A&W, Dairy Queen, New York Fries, Manchu Wok, and lots of little sushi places. And donairs and poutine. I'm not a fan of either, but people will tell you you have to try them.
Sales tax - 5% in Alberta, but food has no sales tax. There's a 5% federal sales tax, and some provinces have provincial sales tax on top of that, but Alberta does not. One of many things that pisses off the rest of the country. Provinces are pretty autonomous, and people see Alberta as being really rich and having all this stuff that they don't have. Which isn't exactly true, but whatever.
Winter - Edmonton will definitely get REALLY COLD! Like all of those stereotypical things you hear about Canada that mainly aren't true actually are true in Edmonton in the winter. You will need boots and a long and warm coat and mittens. Mittens are warmer than gloves. If you do ever get frostbite (don't be too worried, because it's not that common and I've never actually had it), DON'T RUB SNOW ON IT! People will tell you to, but rubbing it is actually really dangerous and can cause permanent damage. Here's what you should do: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/oax/safety/frostbite.php Once it gets down below about -20 C, frostbite becomes a concern if you're out long enough, but if everything is covered up you should be fine. If it's below -40, you have a good excuse to just stay home for the day.
Plugging in your car: People do this in the winter so their batteries don't freeze. Underground parking garages (which are called Parkades) even usually have posts with outlets. If you have a garage, you don't need to worry about it. But if your car is going to be parked outside, it might be an issue. I don't know how you get a plug on a car that doesn't already have one, but maybe talk to a mechanic once you're here.
The Queen (whom I call the Quing, which is a word my dad made up when realized God Save the Queen doesn't rhyme when you put in Queen instead of King) - She's technically the head of state of Canada and every other commonwealth country, but she has no real power. We have a Governor General, who's supposed to the Queen's representative, but s/he also only has ceremonial power. You'll find people, especially in Alberta, who are very anti-monarchy. Which brings me to...
Government and Politics: We have about 5 main political parties - The conservatives, liberals, NDP (stands for New Democratic Party - pretty similar to the liberals), the Green party, and the Bloc Quebecois (only in federal politics). In Alberta, the conservatives have been in power since before I was born. If you want to discuss politics with people in Alberta, you should read the following for background: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Klein, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Stelmach, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Duckett, and then once you've read about Duckett, watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DxeCK5Ne_Q The whole cookie incident is talked about all the time, and I could go on and on for hours about politics and healthcare, but those are just some basic background so you'll know what people are talking about. My parents are involved in politics and healthcare (from the administrative side) and my dad actually knows Stephen Duckett, and says he's not as callous and incompetent as people would have you believe. Anyway, it's a mess, but there are a lot of "I'm eating my cookie" jokes, so now you know where they come from. Oh, and you should also read about these people, who are trying to overthrow the conservatives: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildrose_A ... of_Alberta Alberta is pretty conservative, and some of us who are not conservatives will actually join the conservative party so we can vote on who their leader will be, because we know that whoever it is will end up being in charge.
Healthcare: Is not the nightmare that people would have you believe it is. There are issues with ER wait times and there's a big family doctor shortage in Alberta. The situation is much better in other provinces (healthcare is something that's completely run by the provinces, and the federal government has no say in it unless they're breaking a law, so there's a lot of variation on the general theme). The last government screwed a lot of things up. But contrary to popular belief, doctors do not work for the government. Most hospitals get funding from the government, but usually from other sources as well. But doctors are independent business people (well, they might work for the student health center if you get a family doctor at school, but they aren't employees of the government). What the government does run is the health insurance. Just the basic health insurance, which pays for everything but drugs, optometry, dentistry, ambulances, and most cosmetic procedures. Most people have supplemental health insurance to pay for drugs and stuff. You can get that from the government at very discounted rates if you're poor, but I have it through school and most people have it through work. But Alberta health insurance, which I think you will be eligible for after living in Alberta for a year, pays for doctor visits, surgical procedures, midwifery (yes, which is awesome), etc. You can go to any doctor you want. You don't have to get things preapproved. It just pays for it. All of it. If you go to the ER, they're not going to call the insurance company. You don't have to worry if they'll cover a test or procedure - if your doctor says you need it, it's covered. If you have any questions about healthcare, ask, because I can give you a lot of information. And the UofA will probably have a health plan for international students that you can get until you're eligible for Alberta health.
The Church: Alberta's pretty full of Mormons. Not like Utah. Probably more like California. Edmonton has a temple and multiple stakes, and everyone there knows my mom. She joined the church in Edmonton back in the 50s. There will be tons of institute classes and tons of singles (or mid-singles, if you're in that age group) things you can go to if you're into that sort of thing.
Bookstores: The big bookstore in Canada is called Chapters. But if you're buying books online, Amazon.ca has better prices and selection than Chapters.ca.
Stores in general: We have Old Navy, the Gap, H&M, Sears, The Bay (a big dept store that used to be a fur trading company), La Senza is the equivalent of Victoria's secret, The Body Shop, Bath and Body Works, Lush (best bath stuff ever - you must check out Lush if you've never been to one). No Dillard's or JC Penney. No Target, but apparently we're getting Target soon. Yes Walmart. No KMart. Yes Toys-R-Us. And sometimes malls have big grocery stores in them, which freaked out one of my friends when we were in Victoria. Don't be afraid.
Movies - Always come out at the same time here that they do in the US. Same deal - movies are expensive, then you spend a thousand dollars for popcorn.
That's all I can think of right now, but let me know if you think of any other questions!
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NerdGirl
- President of the Lutheran Sisterhood Gun Club
- Posts: 1810
- Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2008 6:41 am
- Location: Calgary
Re: BLAME CANADA!!
Also, the drinking age in Alberta is only 18, which means that all those drunk freshmen you'll see on campus aren't actually breaking any laws (unless they have open alcohol in public).
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Humble Master
- Posts: 364
- Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:23 pm
Re: BLAME CANADA!!
Watch Corner Gas. It teaches you everything you need to know about Canada.
Everything.
And it's exceedingly entertaining.
Everything.
And it's exceedingly entertaining.
Re: BLAME CANADA!!
This isn't super pertinent to Canada, but NerdGirl, Lush is fantastic! The Karma perfume smells so awesome, it makes me want to drink it.
Re: BLAME CANADA!!
I watched Strange Brew. That teaches me all I need to know about Canada, eh?
Re: BLAME CANADA!!
Yes. Just stay away from hockey players in suits controlled by magic tones.Hypatia wrote:I watched Strange Brew. That teaches me all I need to know about Canada, eh?
Deus ab veritas
Re: BLAME CANADA!!
Okay, I've been putting together a list of things I need to do. Check this out and let me know if I should add anything:
Get a student visa (study permit...something like that)
Put an engine block heater on my car
Get a new phone (Bell, I guess? I really want to stay with an iPhone and I heard rumors that there is no exclusivity in Canada...any thoughts?)
Get a bank account (Yikes! Any suggestions here would be most appreciated!)
Join a fitness club (how well do you know Edmonton? I've not had good luck finding one online)
Join a bike group (road biking!)
Join a food co-op if they exist
Get a new driver's license (I doubt you know the answer to this but...will my US license work up there?)
Make friends (Canadians are supposed to be super-duper nice. Please let this be true!)
I keep going through waves of being ecstatic and being terrified - your frostbite warnings did absolutely nothing to assuage this fear. Check out the coat I bought: http://www.canada-goose.com/products-2/ ... que-parka/ That should keep me warm! I was up in Edmonton a few weeks ago and I was shocked that my gloves did absolutely nothing to keep my hands warm. Even my feet were cold through a pair of shoes and wool socks. The mittens and boots suggestion was very good!
Goodness! I'm so nervous! I don't even know who the...Prime Minister?...is! Is everyone up there going to shun me for being a stupid, fat American? How quickly can I get Canadian citizenship?
Get a student visa (study permit...something like that)
Put an engine block heater on my car
Get a new phone (Bell, I guess? I really want to stay with an iPhone and I heard rumors that there is no exclusivity in Canada...any thoughts?)
Get a bank account (Yikes! Any suggestions here would be most appreciated!)
Join a fitness club (how well do you know Edmonton? I've not had good luck finding one online)
Join a bike group (road biking!)
Join a food co-op if they exist
Get a new driver's license (I doubt you know the answer to this but...will my US license work up there?)
Make friends (Canadians are supposed to be super-duper nice. Please let this be true!)
I keep going through waves of being ecstatic and being terrified - your frostbite warnings did absolutely nothing to assuage this fear. Check out the coat I bought: http://www.canada-goose.com/products-2/ ... que-parka/ That should keep me warm! I was up in Edmonton a few weeks ago and I was shocked that my gloves did absolutely nothing to keep my hands warm. Even my feet were cold through a pair of shoes and wool socks. The mittens and boots suggestion was very good!
Goodness! I'm so nervous! I don't even know who the...Prime Minister?...is! Is everyone up there going to shun me for being a stupid, fat American? How quickly can I get Canadian citizenship?
Re: BLAME CANADA!!
Stephen Harper. [/knowledge of Canadian politics]Hypatia wrote: I don't even know who the...Prime Minister?...is!
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NerdGirl
- President of the Lutheran Sisterhood Gun Club
- Posts: 1810
- Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2008 6:41 am
- Location: Calgary
Re: BLAME CANADA!!
Your US driver's license will work up here! So unless you plan on staying here permanently, I wouldn't bother getting an Alberta one.
Fitness clubs - you'll probably be able to work out for free at the UofA gym, but I have no idea how good it is. The only other help I can offer is that I've heard good things from a friend who lived there a couple of summers ago about the Edmonton YMCA: http://www.edmonton.ymca.ca/
Food co-ops are pretty in up here, so I'm sure there will be several you can choose from.
And there is no iphone exclusivity anymore, so just go with whatever company has the plans that suck the least.
You'll make tons of friends! Canadians are very friendly, and Northern Albertans are some of the friendliest. There's tons of stuff to do in Edmonton. Lots of museums, lots of art and theatre, lots of sports and outdoorsy stuff. Lots of lakes nearby. You'll be shocked at how green and warm it is when you get there in the summer. And you should add "watch Corner Gas" to your list. Oh, and I forgot to tell you that we get American TV channels up here, too. CNN, CBS, ABC, PBS, etc. You can still watch all of that.
Fitness clubs - you'll probably be able to work out for free at the UofA gym, but I have no idea how good it is. The only other help I can offer is that I've heard good things from a friend who lived there a couple of summers ago about the Edmonton YMCA: http://www.edmonton.ymca.ca/
Food co-ops are pretty in up here, so I'm sure there will be several you can choose from.
And there is no iphone exclusivity anymore, so just go with whatever company has the plans that suck the least.
You'll make tons of friends! Canadians are very friendly, and Northern Albertans are some of the friendliest. There's tons of stuff to do in Edmonton. Lots of museums, lots of art and theatre, lots of sports and outdoorsy stuff. Lots of lakes nearby. You'll be shocked at how green and warm it is when you get there in the summer. And you should add "watch Corner Gas" to your list. Oh, and I forgot to tell you that we get American TV channels up here, too. CNN, CBS, ABC, PBS, etc. You can still watch all of that.
Re: BLAME CANADA!!
I believe that after 60 days or so in the country, you're supposed to exchange your U.S. Drivers' Licence (note the Canadian spelling) for a Canadian one. I went a good six months before I did it, but that's because they needed my driving record from Utah, and I had to go get that in person, so I just waited until I went back home on a vacation. I don't think anything would have happened though if I got pulled over, but thankfully I never found out.
By the way, if you're going to be a student, you might like to know that you're allowed to bring a car with you without importing it, regardless of what the authorities may tell you. This is something that I kept getting conflicting answers on, but finally tracked down the correct information. So don't worry about all the hassle of figuring out how much it would cost to import your car. Also, make sure you look closely at the expiration dates on any visas or official documentation you get from the government -- I didn't and I had to go through all sorts of hoops to renew my visa as a result.
Basically, living in Canada gives you all the hassle of living in a foreign country without the joys of a foreign experience. Poutine helps, though.
By the way, if you're going to be a student, you might like to know that you're allowed to bring a car with you without importing it, regardless of what the authorities may tell you. This is something that I kept getting conflicting answers on, but finally tracked down the correct information. So don't worry about all the hassle of figuring out how much it would cost to import your car. Also, make sure you look closely at the expiration dates on any visas or official documentation you get from the government -- I didn't and I had to go through all sorts of hoops to renew my visa as a result.
Basically, living in Canada gives you all the hassle of living in a foreign country without the joys of a foreign experience. Poutine helps, though.
Re: BLAME CANADA!!
And Tim Hortons. mmmmm peach juice.Yarjka wrote:Basically, living in Canada gives you all the hassle of living in a foreign country without the joys of a foreign experience. Poutine helps, though.
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Unit of Energy
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Re: BLAME CANADA!!
poutine=gross, although tim hortons is good. Then again, I'm not a huge fan of gravy to begin with.
Re: BLAME CANADA!!
You don't need to be in Canada to go to Tim Horton's. (There's one a couple of miles from my house.)Unit of Energy wrote:poutine=gross, although tim hortons is good.
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Unit of Energy
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Re: BLAME CANADA!!
yeah, but you do have to be in the eastern US if you aren't in Canada. And the only reason I have to be that far east is to visit Canada
Re: BLAME CANADA!!
True. And we don't have Cora's. Hypatia, be sure to eat at Cora's for me!
Re: BLAME CANADA!!
Cora's, check! What's Cora's?
Also, I still need banking advice!
Also, I still need banking advice!
Re: BLAME CANADA!!
The sizes at Tim Horton's require some adapting -- I ordered a medium hot chocolate and the cup was about the size of my fist, if even that. I can't even imagine what a small would look like.
Timbits are good though. Chocolate Glazed. Mmm.
Timbits are good though. Chocolate Glazed. Mmm.
Re: BLAME CANADA!!
I use Bank of Montreal. I haven't had any problems so far. I'm not sure about Alberta, there may be some other banks there, but here in Ontario, BMO has a pretty good presence. I set up a US savings account so that any checks I get from family or friends in the US I can deposit in Canada without having to convert the money to Canadian dollars. Then the Canadian chequing account serves all of my needs for cheques I get from Canadian sources -- for spending money. One thing that threw me for a loop in Canada: most banks charge you for going over a certain number of transactions with your debit card. So, for example, I can only use my debit card something like 20 times in a month before getting slapped with a fee. If you sign up for one of their premium accounts, then this doesn't happen, but the premium accounts have an annual fee in addition to the charge that applies if you go below a certain level of funds in your account, like, say $2000 dollars (which I do frequently).Hypatia wrote:Also, I still need banking advice!
The other banks I see frequently are Scotiabank, TD Bank, and RBC. Basically, compare all the banks when you arrive, looking to see if any are offering special discounts for students. If you'll be on campus a lot, it would be nice to get one with an ATM near whatever buildings you'll be at a lot.
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NerdGirl
- President of the Lutheran Sisterhood Gun Club
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- Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2008 6:41 am
- Location: Calgary
Re: BLAME CANADA!!
Cora's is a breakfast and lunch place that is a gluten-eater's dreamworld. Waffles, pancakes, French toast, crepes, fruit, eggs, some sandwiches and salads. I'm not a huge fan, but that's probably because there are only about 3 things on the whole menu that I can eat.
Banking - if you're planning to move back to the US when you're done (and even if you're not sure), I would recommend keeping an American bank account rather than closing it and transferring everything up here. I had an American account and kept my Canadian account while I was at BYU. I have a Student's First account at the Alberta Treasury Branch, just because ATB was the only bank in the tiny town I grew up in. My account has free checking, I think, not that I ever write checks. And I'm pretty sure I get unlimited debit transactions and some other fancy stuff like that. I'm probably going to switch to Scotiabank when I'm in med school because they have really good lines of credit for med students. There are some branches of Wells Fargo up here, so you might look into that if you happen to already be a Wells Fargo customer. But it doesn't really matter what bank you pick. There aren't any particularly bad ones that I know of. Your ATM card is your debit card here, there are no Visa/Mastercard debit cards. This is important to know, because you can't really use them online. If you do a lot of online shopping, you will need a credit card or paypal. And they're starting to put these chips in all the debit and credit cards that are supposed to be more secure than just the regular magnetic strip. They're these funky gold crazy 80s-microchip things on the front, and you stick it in the bottom of the machine and it reads it, then you type your pin number. Which I think means you have to type a pin and sign if you use your credit card at the store, but I haven't used my credit card at the store since I got the new chip one (and my debit card is still chipless), because I'm scared of screwing it up.
Banking - if you're planning to move back to the US when you're done (and even if you're not sure), I would recommend keeping an American bank account rather than closing it and transferring everything up here. I had an American account and kept my Canadian account while I was at BYU. I have a Student's First account at the Alberta Treasury Branch, just because ATB was the only bank in the tiny town I grew up in. My account has free checking, I think, not that I ever write checks. And I'm pretty sure I get unlimited debit transactions and some other fancy stuff like that. I'm probably going to switch to Scotiabank when I'm in med school because they have really good lines of credit for med students. There are some branches of Wells Fargo up here, so you might look into that if you happen to already be a Wells Fargo customer. But it doesn't really matter what bank you pick. There aren't any particularly bad ones that I know of. Your ATM card is your debit card here, there are no Visa/Mastercard debit cards. This is important to know, because you can't really use them online. If you do a lot of online shopping, you will need a credit card or paypal. And they're starting to put these chips in all the debit and credit cards that are supposed to be more secure than just the regular magnetic strip. They're these funky gold crazy 80s-microchip things on the front, and you stick it in the bottom of the machine and it reads it, then you type your pin number. Which I think means you have to type a pin and sign if you use your credit card at the store, but I haven't used my credit card at the store since I got the new chip one (and my debit card is still chipless), because I'm scared of screwing it up.