The Toronto Thread

astonaidan

So guys, random question.
So I have met a non Irish girl and well what would be the story with bringing her home, is it very difficult?

wittyusername

astonaidan wrote: »

So guys, random question.
So I have met a non Irish girl and well what would be the story with bringing her home, is it very difficult?

If she's a Canadian citizen she could get the Canadian equivalent of the IEC as long as she's eligible: swap.ca/out_eng/destinations/ireland-visa-essentials.aspx

You can apply and get the forms etc from the travel agency beside MEC on King west. The application process seems a bit more straightforward than for Irish people coming to Canada; there isn't quite the same clamour for places

retalivity

I read that question in completely the wrong context.

allanb49

astonaidan wrote: »

So guys, random question.
So I have met a non Irish girl and well what would be the story with bringing her home, is it very difficult?

if she fits in your suitcase just declare her coming into Dublin you'll be fine.

Shipping costs for humans has skyrocketed as they go by weight

astonaidan

So guys to change over to a canadian licence all i need is my irish one and some money, yes?? Sick of bringing my passport on nights out

Pythia

astonaidan wrote: »

So guys to change over to a canadian licence all i need is my irish one and some money, yes?? Sick of bringing my passport on nights out

No, you also need your letter of entitlement from the NDLS in Ireland.

Billy86

Service Ontario can issue you an ID card though - just need your passport, and I think one proof of address document. Pop in get your picture taken, hand over $35, but the downside is they mail it out to you a week or two later rather than giving it to you there and then.

SupraSonic_26

Hey folks 2 questions, 1st about a mobile provider when i get over im hearing to go with wind was lookign at their site im just wondering tho with there unlimitied data is it unlimited or whats the aup cap because im one those people who just always on my phone using data with 3 here back home and its all you can use.

2nd question if anyone has stayed in canadaina hostel whats the closest service ontario buidling to get my sin if anyone one knows cheers?

Billy86

SupraSonic_26 wrote: »

Hey folks 2 questions, 1st about a mobile provider when i get over im hearing to go with wind was lookign at their site im just wondering tho with there unlimitied data is it unlimited or whats the aup cap because im one those people who just always on my phone using data with 3 here back home and its all you can use.

2nd question if anyone has stayed in canadaina hostel whats the closest service ontario buidling to get my sin if anyone one knows cheers?

1. Wind has it's ups and downs - it's service is REALLY choppy outside of maybe 3/4 of the main cities (and even then choppy in some areas)... think late-90s Meteor. They also don't work with a lot of phones for some reason, didn't with my Note 3. But they are by far the cheapest - mobile prices here are exorbitant, apparently it's the 2nd or 3rd most expensive country in the world for them. You'll be looking at about $80-85/month (tax included) for unlimited calls and texts (only within Canada) and 2gb of data. Thankfully pretty much everywhere has wifi but it's pitiful, the guy in the Rogers shop in the Eaton Centre even told me they just charge that much simply because they can (he wasn't being a d!ck about it, just being honest when I asked why everywhere in Canada is so expensive).

2. I don't know, but there is one just past College and Bathurst, maybe a 20-30 minute walk from Canadiana if Google Maps is telling me the truth. The weather has got a lot better recently (still a bit dreary, but it's above freezing these days and 99% of the snow is gone at least - set to pick up a good bit more soon). If you go up Spadina Ave and cut through the Kensington Market area it's a really nice walk with tonnes of cool places to pop into along the way, with some more good spots on College Street. There is a Service Ontario across the road from there as well which will convert your drivers licence for you, or give you an Ontario age card, for $35 - they can be pretty strict on pub/club doors here sometimes even if you are clearly WAY over 19, so it's a good investment rather than taking your passport or whatnot out with you.

Use the hostel staff too, I didn't stay there but hostel staff are typically pretty sound and know a lot of places around to go and see or get stuff like that done.

RichFTW

SupraSonic_26 wrote: »

2nd question if anyone has stayed in canadaina hostel whats the closest service ontario buidling to get my sin if anyone one knows cheers?

You can get your SIN at City Hall which is about a 10-15 minute walk from the Canadiana. It's also pretty nice building (more so the old one) and setting so worth going to just to see.

Also the three main banks are straight across the road so you can set your bank account up on the same trip. The Eaton Centre is also really close and has all the major mobile phone operators so you can get all three things sorted within an hour or so.

SupraSonic_26

Cheers folks i arrive may 4th so im one those ones likes to know much as i can before i go over well prepared ha.

As mentioned above thats one more thing i forgot to ask im a sucker for cheap clothes and love markets so does kensington market have stalls sell cheap clothes were talking pennys gear like shirts shoes runners t shirts ect thanks.

Billy86

SupraSonic_26 wrote: »

Cheers folks i arrive may 4th so im one those ones likes to know much as i can before i go over well prepared ha.

As mentioned above thats one more thing i forgot to ask im a sucker for cheap clothes and love markets so does kensington market have stalls sell cheap clothes were talking pennys gear like shirts shoes runners t shirts ect thanks.

Tonnes of gear, a mix of second hand and new stuff. Haven't checked around for proper clothes yet but I got gloves for $3 and a hat for $5 when I lost mine out (it was -40 in Feb, literally warnings of frostbite if you stayed outdoors unprotected over 10 minutes!) but it's got plenty of stuff. There's a shop called Tom's Place in there that does really low priced suits and office clothes too apparently, if you need to get some for interviews etc. Really low priced fruit and veg shops also, and a really nice butcher (but the cheapest stuff is in a place called Lucky Moose near Dundas and Spadina - $2 for 1lb of pork mince, and $3.20 or so for beef mince! Got a kilo of strawberries for $2 in there too the other day). Some people think Kensington looks dodgy as hell when they first come over but that's just because there is graffiti pretty much everywhere (and a constant bang of weed :pac: ).

If you're knocking around Kensington you should also get a quick bite in one of the Jamaican places... and make sure to go to Burgernator, it's ridiculously good!

SupraSonic_26

Billy86 wrote: »

Tonnes of gear, a mix of second hand and new stuff. Haven't checked around for proper clothes yet but I got gloves for $3 and a hat for $5 when I lost mine out (it was -40 in Feb, literally warnings of frostbite if you stayed outdoors unprotected over 10 minutes!) but it's got plenty of stuff. There's a shop called Tom's Place in there that does really low priced suits and office clothes too apparently, if you need to get some for interviews etc. Really low priced fruit and veg shops also, and a really nice butcher (but the cheapest stuff is in a place called Lucky Moose near Dundas and Spadina - $2 for 1lb of pork mince, and $3.20 or so for beef mince! Got a kilo of strawberries for $2 in there too the other day). Some people think Kensington looks dodgy as hell when they first come over but that's just because there is graffiti pretty much everywhere (and a constant bang of weed :pac: ).

If you're knocking around Kensington you should also get a quick bite in one of the Jamaican places... and make sure to go to Burgernator, it's ridiculously good!

cheers billy good to know im from limerick so nothing ever looks dodgey to me when your from there haha. Thats one thing i was gonna ask is best place to get meat im into my bodybuilding and need a good cheap butcher for my chicken fillets,turkey ect. Finding it hard to find a good proper hardcore bodybuilding gym in toronto aswell all these pretty gyms annoy me people not training properly out on their phones ha. the market sounds exactly what i want tho cheap and handy to start is it open every day or just sundays? ill def check out those food joints sound like good grub.

SupraSonic_26

One thing im really looking for is a proper hardcore bodybuilding gym ive searched online but cant find anywhere its all these pretty gyms which i dont like training in.

edit: actually found one around the corner from the hostel lol goodlife gym

RichFTW

SupraSonic_26 wrote: »

One thing im really looking for is a proper hardcore bodybuilding gym ive searched online but cant find anywhere its all these pretty gyms which i dont like training in.

edit: actually found one around the corner from the hostel lol goodlife gym

Goodlife are a chain of gyms and they dominate the market, wouldn't be a hardcore gym but some branches have a decent set up.

Fortis Fitness is probably your best bet for a hardcore gym. Omar Isuf did a tour of it on youtube if you want to check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s17eJs6Nu9Q

Has a load of power racks and a couple of powerlifters train there.

SupraSonic_26

RichFTW wrote: »

Goodlife are a chain of gyms and they dominate the market, wouldn't be a hardcore gym but some branches have a decent set up.

Fortis Fitness is probably your best bet for a hardcore gym. Omar Isuf did a tour of it on youtube if you want to check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s17eJs6Nu9Q

Has a load of power racks and a couple of powerlifters train there.

thanks rich looks good will def take a trip down to them when i get over, should i just go to kingston market for my meat?

RichFTW

SupraSonic_26 wrote: »

thanks rich looks good will def take a trip down to them when i get over, should i just go to kingston market for my meat?

I don't shop at Kensington market for meat as it's a bit of a trek so I can't really say. Definitely stick to the local butchers though over the supermarkets. Just to give you an example: chicken breasts are $3.50 per pound at the butchers I go to and ~$13.50 per pound at the supermarket Loblaws. That's the cheapest I have found that it is actually edible. Got chicken and other meat at Walmart before and it was terrible and only marginally cheaper than $3.50 p/lb (was also on sale as well I think so would be more expensive normally).

Nosso Talho is the name of the place I go to, its either Brazilian or Portuguese. It's decent quality meat, good prices and the steaks are pretty nice. It's on the Bloor subway line as well so easily accessible. It's the best I've found anyway so I don't go anywhere else for meat.

Find an Asian greengrocer for fruit and veg too. Literally half the price of supermarkets and better quality for most stuff.

SupraSonic_26

cheers rich ill look it up now, ya all about keeping it cheap i like to eat clean and usually cheaper to eat clean like brown rice chicken fillets ect bodybuilding food. Not long to go now over in 2 weeks suppose its transitioning what i do here at home over to there which for me really just land there, get my sin and bank account, job, an apartment, explore the city go out and travel but keeping it in budget ha.

Lollipops23

SupraSonic_26 wrote: »

Hey folks 2 questions, 1st about a mobile provider when i get over im hearing to go with wind was lookign at their site im just wondering tho with there unlimitied data is it unlimited or whats the aup cap because im one those people who just always on my phone using data with 3 here back home and its all you can use.

2nd question if anyone has stayed in canadaina hostel whats the closest service ontario buidling to get my sin if anyone one knows cheers?

Stayed at the Canadiana for quite a while, loved it there. Location was great and the staff were sound. If you're job hunting the location can't be beat.
Your other options would be Hi Toronto (mixed reports) and Planet Traveler (good reports, but a bit away from downtown etc if you're jobhunting).

I actually live really near Planet Traveler now in a rented house, it's not a bad location (College and Bathurst) but only once you're a bit more settled.

Stay away from Wind-one of my housemates has it and it's constantly conking out on him. Not worth it. I was with Fido (alright) and am with Koodo now (no complaints).

pilgrim pat

Whats it like getting cash work in Toronto , and renting a place to live ect ..?

Lollipops23

pilgrim pat wrote: »

Whats it like getting cash work in Toronto , and renting a place to live ect ..?

If you're a lad, the labouring is your best bet for cash in hand work. Especially now the weather is getting better.

You'll have a hard time renting somewhere without proof of employment though- they practically asked for a blood sample from me they needed so much paperwork!!

LusciousOis

I'm just going to ask a few questions so feel free to answer anyone you want if you have some info on it that would be great thanks

1. I know this one might be the most obvious but just wondering about jobs? how easy is it to pick up a basic job? and to move from one job to another? I also heard that minimum wage is rising in Ontario if that's true?

2. I've lived in America for a while so no the stress that can be caused in trying to find a place to live with employment letters, credit checks and background checks etc. Would anyone have any advice on what to do first when arriving in terms of setting myself up with a place to live? Also maybe nice/good value/Irish areas anyone know of?

3. What do I need/where do I need to go too to get a Social Insurance Number?

4. Really interested in joining a sports club once I get settled either Toronto GAA or Toronto Irish FC. Just wondering if anyone is involved I'd love to know more about them.

5. What are the best streets/areas for nightlife?

Thank you

Lollipops23

LusciousOis wrote: »

1. I know this one might be the most obvious but just wondering about jobs? how easy is it to pick up a basic job? and to move from one job to another? I also heard that minimum wage is rising in Ontario if that's true?

It very much depends on what industry you're talking about. Plenty of bar/server jobs now it's summer, but you may need a SmartServe cert. Minium wage is currently $11 but that doesn't count for servers, who make 9 something + tips. One of my roommates works in a busy restaurant and does quite well. It's very hard work though.

LusciousOis wrote: »

2. I've lived in America for a while so no the stress that can be caused in trying to find a place to live with employment letters, credit checks and background checks etc. Would anyone have any advice on what to do first when arriving in terms of setting myself up with a place to live? Also maybe nice/good value/Irish areas anyone know of?

I stayed at a hostel for the first while, mainly to get settled and meet people. Others used Airbnb. I found my house on Irish and New in Toronto, a facebook group that's really handy.

LusciousOis wrote: »

3. What do I need/where do I need to go too to get a Social Insurance Number?

This should be your first port of call. Bring your passport (which will have your work permit stapled inside it from the airport) and go to your nearest Service Ontario office.

LusciousOis wrote: »

4. Really interested in joining a sports club once I get settled either Toronto GAA or Toronto Irish FC. Just wondering if anyone is involved I'd love to know more about them.

There are several clubs to choose from. I suggest asking around once your here. Again, Irish and new is a good place to ask.

LusciousOis wrote: »

5. What are the best streets/areas for nightlife?

Depends- clubbing or bars? Downtown is a bustling area, but tbh there's great bars all over the city!

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

Not too long now til I'm over there!

astonaidan

Ok guys pure random question, im looking to get a mug with a hippo on it has anyone seen anything that fits this description around the place

wittyusername

astonaidan wrote: »

Ok guys pure random question, im looking to get a mug with a hippo on it has anyone seen anything that fits this description around the place

Toronto Zoo maybe?

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

So, I'm here since Thursday night, and I love it!! The lady at emigration was horrible. I had absolutely everything I needed in order but she was still horrible. She questioned why I had return flights booked, (in case I didn't want to stay, at least it was activated) she questioned why I visited the country previously. She was rude but eyes on the prize, she issued the visa for two years.

I was so exhausted Thursday night we just went straight to hotel. Yesterday I wandered around downtown, got my sin sorted, opened a bank account with TD who were so helpful and lovely, got issued there and then with a debit card. Then it was time for the fun stuff!! I went shopping, and while in one store the girl that was helping me asked me where I was from and I explained the whole on a visa thing, just arrived etc, she told me they were hiring, that she would get her manager because she thought I'd fit right in and boom - now I'm getting ready for an interview!! The manager called me back for one today and just said to bring my resume with me.

I was really not expecting that, or to stay, but I'm going to do it and see how things go from there. I can not believe how it happened, not even there a full 24 hours, not looking -- it's a good sign!

It seems to be quite an easy place to get around. Met a Canadian friend for dinner last night, found this super nice French restaurant and was back in my hotel in about thirty mins on the subway. Not difficult at all. Everybody I've met seems really lovely, and friendly and most of them welcome you to Toronto!

Super happy after the airport experience!!

sashafierce

This post has been deleted.

Intifada

Guys what's the wifi situation like? Looking at some short-term accommodation and some have wifi, some don't. Wondering if I get somewhere that doesn't, will it be easy to find a hotspot - either a free one or something I pay for (i.e. prepay on a phone)

Billy86

You can find WiFi in tonnes of places here, but that's may ky because every single mobile data plan is... :pac: