el Guapo said:
Dan,
I was in the Overland Park Super Target (not a big box, but a Huge Freaking Box with lots of appeal) this weekend and I saw a pair of snowshoes for $40. You want me to pick 'em up for you. If you get to Canada and you don't have them they will laugh at you. Canadians, and Canadian wanna be's are like that.
I've lived in Canada my entire life and don't know a single person who owns snowshoes. *shrug*
As for getting hired in Canada, I don't really think its much different, Dan. You quote: "You must be between the ages of 16 and 65, and you must be either a Canadian citizen, permanent resident (landed immigrant), or hold a valid work permit."
OK, so that's not a requirement to be a citizen. I'm sure Canadians working in the USA need to get a work permit of some sort as well, but there is undoubtedly a different system of work permitting in each country. At first glance it might look like a catch-22 in that you need a work-permit to work, but cant get a work-permit until you have job lined up... but that isn't necessarily a problem. That's what cover letter explanations are for. Other posters in this thread have gave some great advice about mentioning CIP equivalencies, et al.
Toronto is a hellhole. So are its immediate surroundings. Stay away. Planning for the Province of Ontario, what with their green buffer thing or whatever they've called it, is quite hot right now.
Ottawa is nice, but its crawling with politicians.
Edmonton and Calgary are on fire. BC is also on fire.
As for Quebec it wouldn't matter if you could speak French, anyways. You won't get hired unless you're actually French-Canadian. Pretty common discrimination in hiring for public service jobs, well, actually for most jobs. There is a joke in Canada where three crazy maritime fishermen find a genie in a lamp, and they each get one wish. One of them wishes for something stupid, like a fish. The second fellow, a Quebecois, wishes for a wall around Quebec to keep out the anglais. And then the other fellow asks the genie if the wall is watertight, to which the genie replies "yes, surely." "OK, fill it up," quips the 3rd fellow.
Dan said:
When you applied, was there anything you had to do that went above and beyond what you do in applying for a job in the States? Did you get hit with a "we can only hire you if there's no qualified Canadians" type requirement? Are you covered by the provincial health care plan?
I'm going to go a bit further and ask .. do you qualify for Canadian citizenship?
Technically, everyone is covered by health care. However, those able to must pay health premiums (this is most people and would certainly be you, with the sort of money planners make). For those on welfare, for example, health premiums are waived.
I know that health fees in different provinces work very differently, though. I'm used to BC, where you don't have to pay for an ambulance. In Ontario, you have to pay for your ambulance rides. It seems that you can safely ignore the bill, though, and they don't generally chase you for it. It's a strange adjustment. In general, Ontario also has less items covered by health premiums than other provinces do, I've found.
As far as I know there is no difference in health premiums paid by Canadian citizens vs. American citizens with work permits. A working Canadian and a working American both pay the same amount into the system, as far as I know.
Although most of this discussion is moot anyways because you will have health benefits if employed by a city.
