BLAME CANADA!!

[Dragon Lady]

woah, 811 sounds like the best idea ever. I'm a little jealous of Canada right now.

Seconded.

[Hypatia]

Final question: Who is going to come visit me in Edmonton?!

[NerdGirl]

I'll come visit you!

[Marduk]

Final question: Who is going to come visit me in Edmonton?!

Probably should. After all, I have upwards of thirty relatives in or around Edmonton.

[Craig Jessop]

One more thing: you should definitely have a baby in Canada -- it costs nothing! And your baby will have the health care of a Canadian citizen, along with dual citizenship. So far, that has been the best part about Canada.

The only downside is that your baby can't become President of the United States.

So I was doing some reading about U.S. citizenship requirements, and I found out that a baby born in Canada to U.S. citizens CAN TOTALLY BECOME PRESIDENT!!!!! How cool is that? Congress passed a law in 1790 declaring that "the children of citizens of the United States, that may be born beyond sea, or out of the limits of the United States, shall be considered as natural born citizens" [Act of Mar. 26, 1790, ch. 3, 1 Stat. 104.]. The law has never been changed or challenged, and we've even had candidates born outside the U.S. run for president -- Barry Goldwater (born in AZ Territory), John McCain (born in the Panama Canal Zone), and GEORGE ROMNEY (born in the Mexican colonies)!

How cool!

[ahem.]

Sadly, there is a lot more to it than that. There is ambiguity in other places that casts doubt on whether such a Canadian-born child could be elected US president.

[Yarjka]

One more thing: you should definitely have a baby in Canada -- it costs nothing! And your baby will have the health care of a Canadian citizen, along with dual citizenship. So far, that has been the best part about Canada.

The only downside is that your baby can't become President of the United States.

So I was doing some reading about U.S. citizenship requirements, and I found out that a baby born in Canada to U.S. citizens CAN TOTALLY BECOME PRESIDENT!!!!! How cool is that? Congress passed a law in 1790 declaring that "the children of citizens of the United States, that may be born beyond sea, or out of the limits of the United States, shall be considered as natural born citizens" [Act of Mar. 26, 1790, ch. 3, 1 Stat. 104.]. The law has never been changed or challenged, and we've even had candidates born outside the U.S. run for president -- Barry Goldwater (born in AZ Territory), John McCain (born in the Panama Canal Zone), and GEORGE ROMNEY (born in the Mexican colonies)!

How cool!

That's really interesting. I didn't really it was so undefined. Turns out my daughter can have presidential ambitions after all.

[Hypatia]

I swear someone posted a specific boot brand on this thread...but I cannot find it. Canadians: what brand of boot should I get? Keep in mind, I'll be in Edmonfreakington.

[NerdGirl]

Mine are Sorel, I think, although I haven't worn them probably since I was in Provo because Halifax is not too cold and snowy. Whatever you get, make sure they are waterproof and have good traction and come up at least mid-calf height. If you tend to slip and fall on ice a lot, you might seriously want to consider getting some slip-on cleats for your boots. My dad has some. I think he got them at Canadian Tire. They just kind of slip on to the bottom of your boots so you can wear them on ice, and then take them off when you get inside.

[Hypatia]

Thank you for the advice! I just received my sorel boots and they are amazing! Next on the check list, any final recommendations for a cell phone provider (Rogers?) or a bank?

[Yarjka]

Thank you for the advice! I just received my sorel boots and they are amazing! Next on the check list, any final recommendations for a cell phone provider (Rogers?) or a bank?

Bank of Montreal has been good to me. I recommend them.
My cell phone is still on a U.S. extended plan, since I receive calls from my family and friends in the U.S. far more than I do from anyone in Canada. If people in Canada want to call me, they can call my home number. This might be an option for you if you have a good U.S. plan that allows you to have extended coverage. You can then call people in Canada from your U.S. number, but for them to call you it would be considered an international call. It's working fine for me, but that depends on your situation.

[NerdGirl]

I have Scotiabank and they're good. DO NOT go with ATB. They did nothing but screw up my life before I switched to Scotiabank (ATB only exist in Alberta, in case Yarjka is wondering what the heck that is). TD (Toronto Dominion) also sucks from what I hear. I would just go with Scotiabank, Bank of Montreal, or Royal Bank, whichever is closest to you. And I have my phone with Telus, but Rogers and Bell are also fine. The plans are pretty much identical (and suck compared to American cell phone plans).