Miss Thing

Miss Thing is a post card and I believe she originally had been hung by my roommate and landlord on the door to the laundry room in our San Francisco flat. I adore her. I adore the absurdity of her. I spotted her when packing up to move across town and simply couldn't leave without her. Isn't she precious? Isn't she perfect? ...the shoes, the hat, the Capri Pants? Aren't clean towels wonderful! One has to wonder what her theme music would be. Could we expect a crescendo as she opens the door to the machine or when the fresh, fluffy, warm clean towel is placed up to hug her face? Would we then see a sparkle in her eyes? Or have we just accepted her continuous, never ending gleam of joy? Let us hope her satisfaction remains forever. 

Miss Thing

Toronto Snow

Apparently I've been neglecting my blogging duties. Many apologies. Where does the time go? Anyway...

...here are a couple of pictures of Toronto's first hard snow fall of the year. The first two were taken last night on the front step of the house just before bed at approximately 11:00pm. The second two were taken the next morning at about 7:45am. Beautiful, eh?

If one wants to experience snow in San Francisco, one drives to it. To that extent, I am still feeling quite the Californian. What is this white stuff outside my windows? I haven't driven to Lake Tahoe or Yosemite Valley!

Aside from that which I drove to at Tahoe and Yosemite, the only other snow I've dealt with in the last six years was a flash storm in Portland, Oregon.

I will undoubtedly have to get used to this again. Luckily we have been told that our drive is professionally plowed. At least that is one chore I don't have to acclimate to again. I hope. A plow has yet to be seen. 

I am looking forward to learning how to cross country ski. Eric and I joined an outdoor activities/social club and I am hoping to connect to a group within willing to deal with a novice.

I wonder how much snowshoes cost?

Oriole Parkway, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Advice - General #3

In speaking with other immigrants I continue to glean very useful information and sometimes even expand on it. New friends of ours recently raved about their health care provider and health clinic. This thrills me because I have always relied on stellar reviews and referrals in choosing a doctor and dentist. I've relocated several times and my experience told me that my buddy's enthusiasm for his and his husband's general practitioner was such that I should collect the contact information and hope the doctor and clinic were accepting new patients. 

In every new city I've moved to I've had to wait to become a patient of my future doctor. Not unexpectedly, the situation here in Toronto (as in the U.S.) is the same. Eric and I have a five to six month wait to become patients at our chosen health clinic. We are both healthy people so this situation is not problematic. 

Now, for minor and immediate concerns there are walk-in clinics, urgent care centers and, gods forbid, the hospital emergency room. During our three month waiting period to use OHIP benefits we had the "opportunity" to experience both the clinic and UCC. All puns aside, these visits were relatively painless and pleasant and the medical attention received more than adequate. And the non-provincial health care plan out-of-pocket cost for a Toronto walk-in medical clinic visit was less than half the price of a comparable uninsured visit to a doctors office in The States. Word. ...I'm just sayin'.

So, say you are immigrating to Canada from U.S. And let's say you are moving to a province like Ontario that has a three month waiting period to use the benefits of the provincial health insurance plan. And let's say that you have an immediate need for or just want to proactively avoid any additional waiting time to establish a relationship with your own physician. If you have social connections in the area in which you will be living and those folks are comfortable referring you to their health clinic or family doctor, in order to reduce further wait time I highly recommend that you collect the pertinent information and sign up with the clinic as soon as possible. This could even mean before you leave The States. Your residential area is key because certain health clinics have catchment areas and to be treated or seen you must live within those boundaries.

A good family doctor is an important part of one's support system. For those U.S. to Canada immigrants with health concerns, families or children, the information and suggestions above may help to reduce anxiety and transition time. 

Ottawa, Thanksgiving, Autumn Colours

Eric was in Ottawa on a business trip for the last two or so weeks and we decided that his situation demanded that I join him for a long weekend holiday. Here are some pictures of the city of Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau Park, Quebec.

Gatineau Park

Parliament Hill.

The Rideau Canal locks.

Parc de la Gatineau

Nuit Blanche

"For one sleepless night, experience Toronto transformed by artists"

Last night Eric and I attended "Nuit Blanche", an all-night city-wide art party that "transforms" Toronto. We chose to stroll down Queen St. West on our way to a separate event called 'Chunk'. We missed all of the bigger art installations but experienced dozens of smaller open-gallery exhibits as well as hundreds of red bicycle safety lights installed throughout Trinity-Bellwoods Park. Unusual. The sidewalks were a mass of interested people and the night was full of energy. Our art walk ended at a bar called, "Beaver" to meet a couple of new friends and socialize at gathering called "Chunk." We finished our evening out with a late night feast at "Golden Griddle."

Nicely Said...

Someone needed to say it aloud.

Advice - General #2

Provincial Health Care Eligibility - If you are relocating to Canada, you, and possibly your family, will need to be covered by your provincial health insurance plan. In Ontario one must be issued a work permit valid for at least six months to be eligible for OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan). The employer's intent to hire the main applicant must be for three years for an accompanying spouse and/or children to be eligible. Note the difference. The intent to hire can be stated easily in a job offer letter (signed on letterhead). An employer unfamiliar with hiring a non-Canadian may be hesitant to put such a statement in writing. You may reassure them that by doing so, they do not waive their future right to terminate a lousy employee. The advice here is that communicating all this beforehand avoids possible long delays re-writing or amending offer letters to include the appropriate statements or dates. You will need the original, signed offer letter when applying for OHIP at Service Ontario.

Health Care Benefits Waiting Period - Depending on the province, you may have a waiting period to use the health care insurance plan. In Ontario for example, the wait is three months beginning on the first day of your residence. To get an OHIP card and take advantage of the benefits you must apply with Service Ontario during that three month period. Apply earlier rather than later as it may take several weeks to receive the card(s).

Oh, and...

If you, like Eric and I, make the decision to risk not having any health insurance during the waiting period, please note that in case of an unexpected sniffle, there are walk-in health clinics where one can pay cash for services at very reasonable rates.

Legal Canadian Work Status for Families - Your spouse or children may also be eligible for Canadian work permits if yours is valid for six months or longer. Other restrictions apply but, if HRSDC has issued an LMO, chances are those requirements already are covered. Work permit applications are processed and issued at the appropriate Canadian Consulate or by Immigration at a border crossing. All can apply together initially on one application, or the family can wait and do so individually after landing. As the main applicant, your work permit will be tied to a specific employer. Your spouse (common law partner) and children may apply for an "open" permit that will allow them to work anywhere.

In our case...

Eric's employer applied for a three year LMO. HRSDC issued the LMO for two years stating that the job market was too uncertain for a longer period. We applied for our work permits with Canadian Immigration at the Queenston/Lewiston Bridge at the border crossing near Niagara Falls, NY. Eric's work permit was issued for two years. I obtained an "open" work permit as his "common law" partner. In regard to provincial health insurance, we both qualified; Eric based on the length of his work permit and I based on his employer's intent to hire him for three or more years. As mentioned above, the intent was stated on the original, signed job offer letter (on letterhead) which we submitted to Service Ontario along with our residential lease (as proof of residency) and my own two year work permit.