Things to Know About Ontario Canada Before Moving There

This article is meant to be a concise and comprehensive guide to familiarize you with the Province of Ontario in Canada. If you are debating on moving to Ontario, this guide covers the basics of Geography, Recreation, Climate and Economy. It also includes a section called Things to Consider which explains some very important facts that you may want to take into consideration before taking that next step.

Ontario is Canada’s most populated and second largest province, covering 1,076,395 sq. km (415,598 sq. miles). It would take over 30 hours to drive from one end to the other, east to west. Home to Canada’s capital city, Ottawa, the province offers a diverse range of landscapes, from the untamed wilderness of the north to the rolling hills of Ottawa Valley in the east and rich farmlands of the south.

Ontario is dotted with small and medium towns with larger cities acting as hubs for the smaller communities. The north is sparsely populated due to the rough terrain of the Canadian Shield which covers most of Northern and Central Ontario. While the region is not conducive to agricultural, it is rich in minerals. The majority of larger communities are in Southern Ontario, including Toronto, Kitchener/Waterloo/Guelph, London and Windsor.

Recreation spans from theatres and museums to organized sports and outdoor activities, including:

• Baseball & Softball;
• Hockey & Ringette;
• Curling;

• ATV trails;
• Fishing & Hunting;
• Sailing, Kayaking & Canoeing;
• Bike & Hiking trails;
• Downhill & Cross-county skiing;
• Snow-shoeing;
• Golf;
• Horseback riding; and
• Camping.

For the more adventurous, Ontario also offers opportunities for zip lining, spelunking, rock climbing, white water rafting.

The province also has several theme parks. Both Canada’s Wonderland just outside of Toronto and Marineland in the city of Niagara Falls attract masses from across the globe. Other exciting family-oriented parks include, Ontario Place, Great Wolf Lodge, Storybook Gardens, Logos Land and Santa’s Village.

The world-renown falls of Niagara Falls is Ontario’s most famous natural attraction, offering rides on The Maid of the Mist, museums tours and many tourist-oriented activities.

The annual Stratford Shakespeare Festival, located picturesque Stratford, presents plays from Shakespeare and other top-notch writers.

Toronto and Ottawa both offer theatre and broadway productions, music festivals, and a vast array of cultural events. Even smaller communities usually boast local theatres and festivals.

Despite popular belief, Canadians are not snowbound year-round. No sled-dog teams and igloos for the residents of Ontario. While temperatures can plummet as far as - 40 degrees (C and F) in the northern region, summer heat can climb to 38 C (100.4 F) these are the extremes. Averages depend on the region you are considering.

Southern Ontario has warm, humid summers and cold winters. Northern Ontario has shorter warm summers and severely cold winters. Central and Eastern Ontario have hot, humid summers and long, harsh winters.

With 5 of the world’s major automakers and the only nano-technology facility working with quantum computing, Ontario's industry is on the cutting edge. Leading companies in software, fibre optics, advanced technology and a stable infrastructure help the province attract new and foreign business. In fact, foreign countries invested nearly $550 billion in 2009.

Manufacturing sales topped $540 billion in 2010, generating $1.6 trillion in economic activity. The unemployment rate as of July 2011 was 7.2%, the lowest it’s been in years. All of this makes Ontario one of the fastest growing G7 economies.

Minimum Wage

Currently, the minimum wage in Ontario is $10.25. The exception to this is for those employed as wait staff or bartenders who receive $8.90 plus tips.

Job Pool

While jobs in the IT, service and hospitality sectors are increasing, manufacturing has been on the decline. This has been creating an increase of workers in the job pool that have a lower education than is needed in the job market, because many dropped out of high school to begin work at a factory. The province offers apprenticeship incentives, education upgrading and speciality programs to help workers transition to new careers, free of charge.

Shortages

Ontario is experiencing a shortage in many of its skilled trades. As Baby Boomers retire, there are few experienced workers to take their place. The biggest gaps in skilled trades include:

• Doctors
• Registered Nurses
• Registered Practical Nurses
• Advanced Care Paramedics
• Personal Support Workers
• Certified Welders
• Radiographers
• Millwrights
• Mechanics
• Civil Engineers
• Licensed Engineers
• Stationary Engineers
• Engineering Techs
• Industrial Electricians

Healthcare is Not Universal

Many foreigners believe that Canada has universal healthcare which covers all medical procedures and medications. Unfortunately, this is not the case. While Ontario residents are covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) and receive a health card, what is covered by OHIP has been steadily decreasing.

Medication is not covered. Not even for cancer patients. In fact, some medical treatments are not covered by OHIP. Eye exams, glasses and dental visits are no longer covered under OHIP.

Seeing a Doctor

Need to see a doctor today? Sorry, your family doctor doesn’t do same-day bookings. If you need to see a doctor right away, you’ll have to visit the walk-in clinic (if it’s open) and wait 3-6 hours. Monday and Tuesday are the busiest days, so try not to be ill at the start of the week. If it’s an emergency, get yourself to the hospital where the wait is 4-8 hours.

The province is experiencing a doctor shortage which is felt much more in rural communities where options are limited. In fact, some rural areas, such as Renfrew County forbid citizens from seeking doctors outside their community to avoid overburdening the doctors that are available. This can be very frustrating if you would like the freedom to choose the gender of your physician or simply find someone suited to your personality.

Self-Defense

If you are coming from another country, it is very important to know that Canada does not have the “Castle Law” (a.k.a Defense of Habitation Law) which permits citizens to defend their home or property against trespassers. Law enforcement encourages citizens to retreat and call 9-1-1.

If someone breaks into your home, you can prevent the trespasser from taking your belongings or take it back from from them, as long as you do not “strike or cause bodily harm to the trespasser” (section 38.1). So, how does one stop a trespasser from entering a home or stealing your belongings? Canadians are still trying to figure that one out.

You may use “reasonable force” to stop an invader from trespassing, to detain or to remove them from your home or property and to protect yourself from assault. “Reasonable force” does not include the use of any type of weapon, mace or pepper spray (both of which are illegal in Canada).

On the up-side, if you are attacked first, the law permits you to defend yourself, so long as you do not cause grievous bodily harm or use force “more than is necessary.” In fact, “reasonable force” must be the MINIMUM amount necessary, otherwise you will find yourself arrested and charged with serious criminal offences. For those with martial arts training in Ontario, the law requires you to inform your attacker of your training before you use it in self-defence.

You have been warned.

Day Passes and Free Rides for Prisoners

Prisoners are permitted “day passes” to go see their doctors outside of prison and are released, unattended into the streets with the expectation that they will return faithfully to the prison when their doctor’s appointment is over. Not only that, but when criminals have completed their jail term and are released from jail, they are given money and a bus ticket to the community of their choice.

Sex Offenders

Canada does not allow public assess to the sex offenders registry list maintained by the Royal Canadian Military Police (RCMP). Family Watchdog in the USA has started a petition to encourage the Canadian government to open the Canadian Sex Offender Registry to the public.

No joke about it, things are expensive in Ontario. Everything from groceries, clothing, gas (petrol), housing and taxes will shock a lot of foreigners.

It has been calculated that the average citizen of Ontario works 6 months of the year just to pay for taxes. Ontario has recently combined their Provincial Sales Tax (PST) with Canada’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) to create a Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) of 13% which applies to almost every item or service a person can purchase. This tax is even included on utility bills.

Major service providers have a monopoly in their field, “renting” out services to smaller companies so that customers feel they have a choice in service providers. For example, all phone service is run through Bell Canada. Smaller companies can rent from Bell to provide customers with phone and internet service, however they are still bound by Bell’s service, pricing and infrastructure.

Foreigners who are used to Pay-As-You-Go cell phone service will no longer have this option. While cell phone providers in Ontario may call their service Pay-As-You-Go or something similar, they each operate on monthly fee services that may or may not have a term contract attached.

Locally grown foods are generally more expensive than food shipped in from outside of the country. Fruits and vegetables arrive before they are ripe and mature in the stores without the benefit of the sunshine or nutrients necessary to create the proper flavor and nutrition value.

I hope the content of this guide will be of value when weight the pros and cons of moving to Ontario. Like all places, Ontario has many wonderful points and its downside. The key is to assess what standards you are comfortable with.

© 2011 Rosa Lee. All Rights Reserved.