Practicalities, for those considering a move

There are a few people who read this blog who are considering a similar move to what we have done. And while I try to make the blog somewhat entertaining and informative with the pictures, I am aware that I gloss over the challenges - especially the financial ones (who wants to hear about that). But since some people are thinking along similar lines, I thought I would write a blog dedicated to the practicalities of moving to Canada, so those considering a similar move will be informed of things that they might not have considered before. This information is not designed to put people off, but to bring awareness, so they can plan.
Firstly I will say, come for the experience not the money, because the living costs are similar to those in Australia. Secondly, we are considered only temporary residents at this stage, so we don't have as many rights, and being such new residence we have no credit history, which makes things more complicated. To get a loan we needed 35% deposit, but with the help of a mortgage broker we got that down to 25%. Canadians can get a loan with no money down, though I wouldn't recommend it, considering the cost of housing in Greater Vancouver. When looking at where you might live and the costs of buying a place, check out www.mls.ca. We looked at this site alot and were able to get a really good idea of the areas and the costs and style of housing over there. But when it came to teh crunch it was when we physically here that we could get a proper feel for considered areas. Investing in a street map of general area you are intending to go in Canada is a good idea. When we were looking at houses, we would sometimes find a house that seemed nice, but was considerably cheaper than comparable ones. The map often showed us why - beside a major highway, thoroughfare or cemetary!
We can't get a credit card or other or any other credit, such as a car loan or store card for 6 months, because we have no credit rating- evidence of a good one in Australia doesn't count. There are alternatives to getting a car loan, some car yards will sell a brand new car and have some shonky plan to let you new residents pay it off over 2 years. I don't know the details, but it sounded like a scan. We are actually secretly happy that we don't qualify for a credit card even though it would take the pressure off right now.
If you have kids, you aren't eligible for family assistance benefits for 18months of residency, which is not actually mentioned on the web-site - so that one got me. The Australian family assistance benefit will pay part B for 12 weeks after you leave and Part A for up to tree years if you maintain communication with the FAO.
You may as well not bring any electrical items from Australia unless they are dual wattage. Even with the right adaptors my electrical items struggles to the point of being useless.
In BC, at least, you will need to pay a security deposit when you hook up your gas with Terasen Gas, which is about $450 and comes along with your first monthly bill, and is paid back to you after a year. BC Hydro, the electric company, are the same, but their bill came along two weeks after we had hooked up and was a more reasonable $180 - they normally bill bi-monthly. Telus the national phone company are crap so avoid going with them. Shaw seem to be the preferred alternative, but you will need to sit down and compare each youself. You will need to buy a reciever if you want to get any kind of TV reception, these cost between $60-$200. If you get cable, don't bet on getting any decent channels unless yo are willing to fork out.
BC fuel costs about $1.10 at present and are generally cheaper for those who live further out of town. Ladner is pretty cheap, when compared to Richmond or Vancouver. Digital photos can be processed for .30c each including taxes. You don't pay for water here, it is covered in your council rates called property tax, which can be included with your mortgage, which for us is about about $200/fortnight, but it depends on the value of your property. If you buy a condo, consider the monthly service or condo fee, not all have them. They do range in cost, but some are really high. This fee covers grounds maintenece gardening and othere services -i.e some complexes have pools, gyms and other services.
Vehicle insurance in BC is scarily expensive -keep that in mind if you are used to being a two car family - we are paying $360/month! Make sure you get references from every vehicle insurer you have ever used in your life, with the PRECISE dates of when you were insured with them i.e dd/mm/yyyy, not just the month and year. If you have this documentation you may be elilgle for a discount. We have been trying for 5 months to get a discount because we didn't have the commencing day of when we were insured with a couple of companies. And while one company was fine about revising this information, we had heaps of trouble with the other company, they just couldn't see why we ahd to do this and were resistant to our additional requests, "don't complain to us...just give us the information we need!!!"
Medical insurance will cover all your hospital, doctor and dentist fees 100%, but the cards take three months to process. Keep that in mind because it will set you back $80- each person for a consultation only without a health card number. Also apply for a social insurance number (SIN) as soon as you get there. I think you need it to get paid - like a tax file number.
There is probably heaps of other things, but I can't think now. I want to say that our experience here so far was been very positive and good, we think Canada is a beautiful and peaceful country and we are enjoying our life here. Not that we disliked Australia, we love Australia - it is where our hearts lie - but when called you must respond....