American moving to the GTA

Ok, here's a linkdump of a few pages I found useful. -http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomer/guide/index.html -http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/reho/ (landlord cannot prevent you having pets!) -http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/program/ohip/ohip_mn.html -http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hcs-sss/index_e.html -http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/driver/handbook/contents.htm (bring some proof of how long you have been a licensed driver in the US - if it's more than some number of years, you can just trade in your US license for a full Ontario license, without having to go through the "graduated" steps) Also, learn to love http://home.cogeco.ca/~husky66/Milk/. One of the many mysteries of the north.

I used to work retail in Toronto with a fellow who lived in Oakville and commuted back and forth via GO every day. However, he was a bit of an odd duck so I don't know how ridiculous this is. I would absolutely prefer to live in Hamilton over Oakville. No question. You may want to read the wikipedia entries on Hamilton and Greater Toronto Area. Hamilton is part of the GTA only from the perspective of a bureaucrat. No resident of either place would consider the other part of the GTA, imo.

... and congratulations and Welcome! (I told you Hamiltonians are friendly, even ex-Hamiltonians)

Live in Hamilton. Rental or home purchase in Hamilton is 50% or less of the equivalent GTA property. Lots of nice options close to McMaster - Westdale, Dundas, Ancaster, etc etc. If you live anywhere west of downtown, you shouldn't ever be bothered by the steel smell, which isn't so bad these days anyway I lived in Hamilton from '81 to '88; I now live in Toronto but get to Hamilton alot. Then and now, I still find Hamilton a friendlier city. I met my future wife there :). The business core of Hamilton has run down a bit, and the area is hurting in general because of layoffs and closures in the heavy industries (steel, steel products, fabrication, appliances), but if you're employed... you're set. There have been alot of well-executed renewal and revitalization projects in the last 10 years, including a nice waterfront park.

The university should help you with health plan - they will almost certainly have a temporary plan that you can buy to stand in during the OHIP waiting period. Talk to the international students/scholars office. If you have critical meds, get this taken care of up front, maybe in a visit before you move. The university's help may be hugely valuable when you're coming through immigration. Have a phone and the phone number of someone in the principal's office with you when coming through -- if the immgration officer doesn't know what they're doing they can fuck up and often the university can pull strings to get you/your spouse back into the proper category. You will need to make a list of all the stuff you're bringing in. Itemized. On ours we had things like "20 boxes books. 3 boxes pots and pans." so it doesn't have to literally be item-by-item, but be as specific as you can while you're packing up. We had a friend stand by with a clipboard while we loaded the truck and write down the contents of every box as it went by. Ontario has a list of cars and whether they meet import requirements (daytime runing lights, emissions, etc -- most within the last 5 years are fine). You'll need to get a separate safety inspection which can end up costly - we had to replace our windshield for a couple hundred dollars because it had some pitting, for example. To fully import the car to Canada, you may need to show up at the border with the title to the car 24-48 hours in advance of when you want to bring it across formally, so customs can run a search on the title. BE AWARE OF THIS! Car insurance in Ontario is insanely, insanely expensive. OMG. It's unreal. Call around and get a lot of quotes. Also, formally, to drive in Canada with US insurance (during the first week or whatever while you're getting everything switched over) you're required to get a special paper from your US insurance company. Your US credit ranking won't transfer (or didn't IME). So you may need to get a "secured" credit card from your bank to start establishing Canadian credit. This may not be an issue because of your spouse, but look into it. If you experience is like mine, you will need a Social Insurance Number (SIN number), which is like a social security number, to open a bank account. The sooner you can get a SIN number from the university the better. Bureaucratic holdups in Canadian university administration can be huge, so be prepared to work from your US bank account for a while, paying fees to have money transferred -- also be prepared in case your first paycheck is delayed. On the bright side: all the desk personnel I dealt with in the motor vehicle bureau, the health services registry, etc were super-nice and helpful, in stark contrast to the way they are in the US. So, it will be a fair amount of running around registering things your first few weeks, but it should be nice and civil.

I know some people who live in Burlington and take the bus to Hamilton - so it's definitely possible. It also probably takes over an hour each way. Public transit in Burlington/Oakville isn't great compared with Toronto, but it is workable. Getting a car/license for the SO is probably your best bet. As for housing, Burlington and Oakville are very expensive (300k for a townhouse). Hamilton is a fair bit cheaper. Unless you're totally against it, living in Hamilton is probably the way to go. The area by the University is pretty nice. I've never noticed any smell in Hamilton's downtown, or by the University. If you live by the steel plants, all bets are off - but chances are you won't be living there. The transit system is probably better too. If your SO has a job in Toronto then Oakville may be the best bet - as it is easiest in terms of taking the Go Train. I believe access to Burlington/Hamilton is a little more limited on the weekends (but you could check the http://www.gotransit.com website for a better idea.) Congrats on landing the dream job.

I have imported a car from the US to Canada. I had to pay 7% sales tax on its blue book value. How long had you owned the car? Were you moving (back?) to Canada after a long stay in the US? The relevant section is http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/english/tax/guides/rst/202.html: "Eligible individuals may bring their household goods and equipment into Ontario exempt from RST" Also, "Individuals or businesses entitled to the settler’s effects exemption on motor vehicles must fill out an exemption declaration (MV-2 form) when licensing a vehicle at an Ontario Ministry of Transportation Driver and Vehicle Licence Issuing Office. Proof that the vehicle was previously licensed in another province, territory, or country, is required."

Jamesonandwater, I quote from the VERY web page you linked to: Your vehicle will also be subject to provincial or territorial sales tax and safety requirements, so you should check with the vehicle department of the province or territory to which you are moving. Please be careful of taking advice from people who don't know... oh never mind. Suffice it to say, import/duty tax and sales tax on value are two different things. I have imported a car from the US to Canada. I had to pay 7% sales tax on its blue book value.

Ah, I brought my car over after I moved, and they let it in without charging me, but told me I'd have to do upgrades and "pay a tax" once I was landed. I suppose the tax is that registration fee that jamesonandwater is talking about. I didn't know I could bring it in when I first moved here, so I left it in the US. It looks like from her link if it needs upgrades (daytime running lights) you'll have to pay that registration fee, though, even if you bring it in under personal effects, but that fee is much less than the GST on it would be.