Canada Thread 5

[berrycherry]

sa scarborough, mas mura kasi, compare sa iba (sa kijiji site)
sige sige, kitakits tayo, hehe
may friend din ako don, pero siyempre, hindi ako makikitira, mahirap naman istorbohin ang privacy nilang mag-asawa, hehe

magkano yung nabili mong sale ticket, para may idea lang,  hehe

lapit na pala alis mo.. naka-attend ka ba ng COA, CIIP and PDOS?
hindi ako naka-attend g COA kanina, sana pwede pang magreg ulit

mga around $650 one way yung ticket namin.. sale price na yun. Yes sis naka attend kame ng CIIP, helpful din..

Hi mga sis! We had to decide din between Au and Ca before. I hope we did the right choice, nag Canada kami. Mas marami kasi kami relatives dito though nasa ibang provinces nga lang. If weather talaga ang icoconsider, mas sanay tayo sa AU pero masasanay din tayo sa winter dito sa Canada

Sino pala ang taga [textspeak!] dito?

ano sis mga nagustuhan nyo sa canada compare to australia?

[aimz_ashley]

hi mga sis...
we're a family of 3.
7months pa [textspeak!] ang baby ko and we're planning sana to apply.
saan at paano kami magsstart?
thanks in advance!

[Shadow Angel]

Anyone here na taga Quebec City?

[berrycherry]

Scarborough has a lot of pinoys who rents out their basement.
madami rin apartment rentals - try viewit.com
just dont get that apartment complex at markham road near the 401

sis Rics.. san po ba ok na magstart or tumira lalo na sa mga tulad naming new comers in toronto? Wala po kasi kameng relatives dyan, though may friend yung hubby ko but hindi naman sila close..

[eischied_21]

Between Manitoba and Saskatchewan, ano kaya mas ok in terms of low cost of living and weather condition?

[sarsingkit]

^sis, I think pareho lang.

[Vans]

@eischied_21, mas mataas ang taxes sa MB pero madami rin tax credits (e.g. Tuition fee income tax rebates, Manitoba family tax credit)
Prov sales tax :
MB - 8%
SK - 5%

Provincial personal Income tax rates:

MB
10.8% on $0 to $31,000
12.75% on $31,001 to $67,000
17.4% on over $67,000
Non ref tax credit: basic personal amount and spousal amount = $9,134 (each)

SK:
11.0% on first $44,028
13.0% on $44,029 - $81,767
15.0% over $81,767
Non ref tax credit: basic personal amount and spousal amount = $15,639 (each)

Sis, please note prov taxes lang to, di kasama yung federal. Syempre, tignan mo rin kung san mas malaki sweldo at mas mababang unemployment rate.

In terms of weather, di naman sila nagkakalayo. May mga araw na pumapalo rin ng mga below -30c pag winter

[gorgeous_me]

san kayo bumili n winterclothes dito sa pinas, kung may December pumunta dyan sa Canada

[berrycherry]

sis Vans.. kapag -30c, nakakalabas pa ba kayo ng bahay? 

[Vans]

Naku sis, taga britsh columbia ako pero madalas ko nakikita yan sa weather report. hehe Nakakalabas pa naman yun mga tao. Kaya naman yun, basta naka winter jacket, thermals at boots.
Naalala ko yun friend kong taga edmonton, pumunta ng toronto, -3c yun temp, sabi nya pinagpapawisan na sya.

[eischied_21]

Thanks @Vans very detailed naman yun post mo. Ganun pala yun magkaiba pa ang provincial at federal tax. Nabasa ko nga na may tax rebate and Manitoba and Saskatchewan pag nag-aral. 60% tax rebate sa Manitoba, not so sure sa Saskatchewan pero meron din. Hindi rin nagkakalayo ang personal tax.

Pero san kaya mas ok tumira yun tipong very city yun environment (kahit na province ang Manitoba and Sask)? Sana may nakaexp na dito tumira sa Manitoba or Saskatchewan and makapagshare ng exp

[sarsingkit]

ako sis taga Winnipeg, Manitoba ako. 

Minimum rate here is higher by a few cents lang than Saskatchewan. Hindi pa kasi ako nakapunta sa Saskatchewan kaya hindi ko masabi kung ano ba yung way of living nila dun. Nakakadaan lang pag nagdadrive going to Alberta. Kung in terms of weather, pareho lang naman situated in the prairies ang Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Lumalagapas pa ng -30 dito. Hehe. Pero hindi naman buong winter ganun. May peak days din and bumaba din pero definitely, may snow all winter. Nakakalabas naman, syempre kailangan mo pumasok sa work diba. Basta maglayer ka lang ng clothes. If you really want to settle here, better to come by summer or fall para magauage mo and may adjustment ka pa ng konti come winter time. Mas ok din kung dito ka na bumili ng winter clothes para alam mo kung ano yung needs mo.

And oh, we have higher PST (parang VAT) pala than Saskatchewan.

Dito maraming Pilipino. I do not know if that has an appeal to you. Some kasi like that, some don't. Province type nga lang dito but same din naman with Saskatchewan. Wala masyado magawa pero if you really want to have a hobby, magagawa naman. We make use of what we have na lang. Pag winter, you might want to try winter sports. We have family friends that goes ice fishing pero hindi ko pa nagawa, takot ako. Pag summer, we go camping, fishing, road trips saka we normally go to the US. Maiipon mo kasi pero mo kasi wala naman nga luho dito. Simple lang buhay dito but I like it kasi walang traffic. You have more time for family and other things. Like any other places in Canada, may mga shady areas din dito so something to keep in mind pag maghahanap kayo ng bahay.

Although may plans kami ni hubby to move to other province, I will not discourage people to settle in Manitoba. Marami akong kilala na dito na talaga sila forever and masaya naman sila. We have Lolas who have been living here since the 70's, hindi naman nila naisip magretire sa ibang province. Kahit malamig, nakakaisip pa rin ng activities yung mga yun.

[eischied_21]

Thanks @sarsingkit. Sabi nga ng friend ko from Ontario, Winnipeg daw ang pinakamaraming pinoy (not sure how true). Magkakalapit lang ba ang Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba? One of the reasons na gusto ko to live in Canada is malapit sa US. So kun bored ka na pwede pumunta ng US for a short travel. How long ba ang US from Manitoba/Saskatchewan? Ano mode of transpo kun walang car? May train or bus ba? And ilan hrs ang travel din to Toronto from Manitoba/Sask?

Sis, you mean buong winter may snow talaga sa Manitoba and that is for 3/4 mons? I'm OFW in a country with Winter also pero walang snow.

[sarsingkit]

In order from West to East ay: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Qubec and then the Atlantic Provinces. The territories are up north pa.

So makakatabi ang Alberta, Sask and Manitoba but NOT necessarily magkakalapit. If going to key cities, Winnipeg going to Regina, Sask ay 6 hours, then ANOTHER 4 hours to Calgary, Alberta and 6 hours to Edmonton, Alberta. Winnipeg to Vancouver, mga 2 days pero may 1 night stopover daw. I've only experienced land travel going to Banff, Alberta. That is another 2 hours from Calgary. So total of 12 hours if Winnipeg to Banff. Vancouver, I've been there pero plane. Wala akong tyaga sa land travel ng more than 12 hours. Sige 14 hours pero max na yun. I've never been to Toronto pero mga kakilala ko kasi they travel by plane going to Toronto eh. I know there are buses pero hindi ako sure kung saan sila sumasakay.

The border of Manitoba and the US is North Dakota which is another probinsya. Closest we can go na town in North Dakota is Grand Forks, which is mga 2 1/3 hours. Nakuha namin to ng balikan ng 1 day. Naglunch and grocery lang kami sa Grand Forks tapos uwi na. Ayun, na ramdom check kami ng CBSA. hehe. Ang next na pwede puntahan in the US is Fargo which is also in North Dakota. Dito pwede na magshopping but hindi pa talaga ako nakastop ng Fargo. Also, some people I know will get flights from Fargo to anywhere in the US and Carribean just because mas mura if coming from the US. They will drive to Fargo and leave their cars and land in Fargo again. If mega shopping talaga sa mga outlets, Minneapolis, Minnesota is the closest which is 8 hours. That is the farthest I went to the US ng land travel. The shortest time na nagawa namin is long weekend. So 3 days and 2 nights. We have relatives, driving all the way pa to Chicago, Las Vegas, Wisconsin. Hindi ko na ata kaya yun. So, if mas malayo pa, we take plane na. The downside here is Winnipeg is mostly connecting flights ka. Bihira ang direct if going to the US. I know there are buses going to Las Vegas pero hindi ko din alam kung saan sila sumasakay.

Yes, may snow ng mga 3-5 months. Minsan 6 pa. Usually kasi November, may snow fall na pero natutunaw pa yun. December talagang winter na until mga March to April if malas ka. Pero usually, April, natutunaw na ang snow. When I say snow, snow na nasa lupa at hindi natutunaw. Minsan natutunaw ng konti if temperature rises pero other than that, constant snow ang nilalakaran and driving. Yung snowfall na as in parang umuulan, hindi naman everday. Depende pa rin sa year eh. Last winter, we are lucky, konti ang snowfall. The other years, medyo madami. We also get snow storms so talagang ang taas ng snow after. Populated areas with high foot traffic like downtown, lagi naman nikiki-clear ng city yun pero residential, mga once a week but you shovel your own pathway. Winter naman is sanayan lang. We adapt. May heater naman sa mga bahay and establishments eh. -5C nakatsinelas or shorts na ibang tao dito.

[rics]

my apologies for the late reply sis..

for starters, you can try looking at Scarborough, but yung along or near the subway line so you can easily commute going to Toronto downtown which is the business hub. Madami pinoys who rents out basement apartments here, maganda rin public transpo system.

Another option is around the area of Mississauga or Brampton - madami industries so it might be easier to look for work.

try viewit.com - select ontario then select a city (e.g scarborough, brampton etc)
you can see a map so you can have a perspective of where it is actually located.
If you select Scarb - you might want to check apartments along s1 and s2 or at victoria park avenue madami low rise apartment rentals and malapit sa subway. I remember may isang gtalker din here and I suggested that same area to them and nakakuha naman sila ng apartment.

when are you due to arrive?
if i drop by a pinoy store usually may naka post doon basement rentals i might be able to get one for you.

sis Rics.. san po ba ok na magstart or tumira lalo na sa mga tulad naming new comers in toronto? Wala po kasi kameng relatives dyan, though may friend yung hubby ko but hindi naman sila close..

[gorgeous_me]

sisies, pwede pa-explain, medyo nagguluhan pa din ako kahit naka-aattend na ako ng COA, haha
yung GST ba, tax for items na nasa supermarket...etc? yung price ba na andon, included na yung tax, or magbabago kapag nagbayad ka na? dpende kung sang province ka

sa Toronto kasi plan ko, tapos my HST (GST and PST n to no)? hehe

ano ba pinagkaiba ng federal at provincial tax?

and ano tawag don sa tax sa work? CRA?

LOL, sorry, nakakalito kasi

[gorgeous_me]

when are you due to arrive?
if i drop by a pinoy store usually may naka post doon basement rentals i might be able to get one for you.

ay pa-update na din ako, haha, makikisali na din ako kay @berrycherry
pero mas mauuna siya kesa sa akin, by Dec pa ako e, hehe

[sarsingkit]

GST and PST are taxes paid for goods and services but not all. May mga tax exempt pa rin na mga bagay. Yung GST and PST ina add pag magbabayad ka na. So on top pa yun sa nakikita mong presyo sa mga label. Sa atin may vat diba pero kasama na sa presyo. Makikita mo na lang yung calculation sa resibo. Dito amount before taxes ang presyo sa labels. Federal and Provincial income tax ay deduction sa sweldo. Canada kasi is a federal government so taxation structure differs from one province to another. Both the federal state and the provincial government charge you income tax and yung tax for goods and services.

Ontario is HST. Harmonized ang tax so combined PST and GST. GST is under Federal so same amount across Canada. PST is provincial so iba-iba per province.

CRA is Canada Revenue Agency. Yung BIR sa atin. Mas malupit pa kay Kim Henares ang CRA. Hehe.

That is fine, you will get used to it.

[berrycherry]

my apologies for the late reply sis..

for starters, you can try looking at Scarborough, but yung along or near the subway line so you can easily commute going to Toronto downtown which is the business hub. Madami pinoys who rents out basement apartments here, maganda rin public transpo system.

Another option is around the area of Mississauga or Brampton - madami industries so it might be easier to look for work.

try viewit.com - select ontario then select a city (e.g scarborough, brampton etc)
you can see a map so you can have a perspective of where it is actually located.
If you select Scarb - you might want to check apartments along s1 and s2 or at victoria park avenue madami low rise apartment rentals and malapit sa subway. I remember may isang gtalker din here and I suggested that same area to them and nakakuha naman sila ng apartment.

when are you due to arrive?
if i drop by a pinoy store usually may naka post doon basement rentals i might be able to get one for you.

this october po ang dating namin.. search ko din po sa viewit.com... thank you po sis rics

[gorgeous_me]

GST and PST are taxes paid for goods and services but not all. May mga tax exempt pa rin na mga bagay. Yung GST and PST ina add pag magbabayad ka na. So on top pa yun sa nakikita mong presyo sa mga label. Sa atin may vat diba pero kasama na sa presyo. Makikita mo na lang yung calculation sa resibo. Dito amount before taxes ang presyo sa labels. Federal and Provincial income tax ay deduction sa sweldo. Canada kasi is a federal government so taxation structure differs from one province to another. Both the federal state and the provincial government charge you income tax and yung tax for goods and services.

Ontario is HST. Harmonized ang tax so combined PST and GST. GST is under Federal so same amount across Canada. PST is provincial so iba-iba per province.

CRA is Canada Revenue Agency. Yung BIR sa atin. Mas malupit pa kay Kim Henares ang CRA. Hehe.

That is fine, you will get used to it.

wow, thank you for detailed explanation
oo nga nakakalito pa din siya, haha..dai kasing tax, tapos iba iba pa per province, hehe

sabi kasi sa COA, kapag bumili ka, isipin mo kung sang kang province, at yun yung lalabas na tax, hehe