Getting Into Canada

[Station Master]

quote:Originally posted by Gaby:
-40º - Please tell me you are joking! I’m going to have to buy a whole new wardrobe just to see GL in concert?

hey Gaby, i'm NOT joking but you're NOT reading! lol....i said it was -40C (or F)up in Hearst, which is far north of where you'll be ...this maps shows Hearst right in the middle of it at the tip of the Hwy#11 marker, which is actually Yonge St...Hamilton is southwest of Toronto which is where Yonge St. starts...so no panic, Lightfoot women fans can still plan to dress skimpy during their visit, lol



"it's the longest street in the world"

(hey, i'm still trying to figure out 8th Ave, lol)

[This message has been edited by jj (edited October 18, 2004).]

[jj]

quote:Originally posted by Gaby:
-40º - Please tell me you are joking! I’m going to have to buy a whole new wardrobe just to see GL in concert?

hey Gaby, i'm NOT joking but you're NOT reading! lol....i said it was -40C (or F)up in Hearst, which is far north of where you'll be ...this maps shows Hearst right in the middle of it at the tip of the Hwy#11 marker, which is actually Yonge St...Hamilton is southwest of Toronto which is where Yonge St. starts...so no panic, Lightfoot women fans can still plan to dress skimpy during their visit, lol



"it's the longest street in the world"

(hey, i'm still trying to figure out 8th Ave, lol)

[This message has been edited by jj (edited October 18, 2004).]

[charlene]

i think i've been in every one of those little towns in north ontario....up to the north west is red lake. head north another 300 miles and you get to Pickle Crow on Pickle Lake....talk about remote - NO trains to run on time. following my grandfather the miner all over the province took us everywhere as kids.

[charlene]

i think i've been in every one of those little towns in north ontario....up to the north west is red lake. head north another 300 miles and you get to Pickle Crow on Pickle Lake....talk about remote - NO trains to run on time. following my grandfather the miner all over the province took us everywhere as kids.

[Gaby]

Char, that sounds lovely. It must have been so exciting.
Thanks, jj. My mistake.
Skimpy clothes? No chance! Even for the highlight of the year, it’s still going to be jeans and t-shirt.

[Station Master]

so his wife was the mother of a miner's child? lol...holy, that's way further north than i was whining about (although i've been to Oulu, Finland...pretty near Arctic Circle) i've worked in many spots on north shore of Superior and got to charge mileage to a client when driving to visit/detour the Terry Fox site on the way to Thunder Bay...a rare perk, lol ...Whitby is a long way from Red Lake, pal...hey, how you gonna get yourself of THAT Pickle, lol

Gaby, you still might wanna bring longjohns, cardigan, toque and your turtleneck or dickie

[jj]

so his wife was the mother of a miner's child? lol...holy, that's way further north than i was whining about (although i've been to Oulu, Finland...pretty near Arctic Circle) i've worked in many spots on north shore of Superior and got to charge mileage to a client when driving to visit/detour the Terry Fox site on the way to Thunder Bay...a rare perk, lol ...Whitby is a long way from Red Lake, pal...hey, how you gonna get yourself of THAT Pickle, lol

Gaby, you still might wanna bring longjohns, cardigan, toque and your turtleneck or dickie

From what I remember of my research the Canadian government requires that you have something like three or six months of income when you enter the country, and there is also what they call a "landing fee" you need to pay when you first touch down on Canadian soil. I don't remember how much the landing fee was or the exact income requirements. The income supposedly guarantees that you don't land there without the means to support yourself while you look for a job and a home. I believe there's a different process if you come into the country with employment already lined up, but again I don't remember. I remember looking at the total figure and thinking it would take me years of saving to be able to afford to immigrate.

quote:Originally posted by TheWatchman:
Why is it expensive to move to Canada? I mean, what is it that makes it so expensive?

From what I remember of my research the Canadian government requires that you have something like three or six months of income when you enter the country, and there is also what they call a "landing fee" you need to pay when you first touch down on Canadian soil. I don't remember how much the landing fee was or the exact income requirements. The income supposedly guarantees that you don't land there without the means to support yourself while you look for a job and a home. I believe there's a different process if you come into the country with employment already lined up, but again I don't remember. I remember looking at the total figure and thinking it would take me years of saving to be able to afford to immigrate.

quote:Originally posted by TheWatchman:
Why is it expensive to move to Canada? I mean, what is it that makes it so expensive?

[Tyler]

Seems like my Dad told me once (many years ago) that you had to have enough money to live for a year and that was to guarantee that you didn't end up on the welfare rolls. He thought it was an idea that would be good for the US to adopt. Even with the currency exchange rate it seems like Canada is pretty expensive. I was looking at apartments and jobs when I was up there just to compare. We had a bunch of newly graduated nurses from Canada when I was in the ER, they said they could pay off their student loans so much faster working in the US.

[brink]

Seems like my Dad told me once (many years ago) that you had to have enough money to live for a year and that was to guarantee that you didn't end up on the welfare rolls. He thought it was an idea that would be good for the US to adopt. Even with the currency exchange rate it seems like Canada is pretty expensive. I was looking at apartments and jobs when I was up there just to compare. We had a bunch of newly graduated nurses from Canada when I was in the ER, they said they could pay off their student loans so much faster working in the US.

[LSH]

yeah, it would be a terrific policy for the US to adopt, but it won't happen, sigh. that's what the current taxpayers are for...

gaby, I'll be in jeans and a longjohn top for sure. maybe longjohns under the jeans.

[LSH]

well, just visited the acceptance agent at my local post office got my stuff together. almost done. He asked that I come back and give him a review of the concert. he was jealous lol. so the acceptance agent is a lighthead.

[Gaby]

Laurel! Seems like we’ve both been finalising things.
Today, I’ve confirmed flights, travel and medical insurance.
My cheap (HAH!!) flight has more than doubled, plus airport tax and insurance!!!!!!!!!
If it were anyone other than Gl……….frankly, I wouldn’t bother!

PS - (grin) If there are any engineers in Toronto who could show me round their factory and need some automation, lasercutting or bending (No jokes, please!) done in the UK, I might just about get it past my accountant.

[Cathy]

quote:Originally posted by vlmagee:
Well, I have a different view of living in a tourist town. My favorite place to be is at my home on Saratoga Lake, just outside of Saratoga Springs. The whole area is a summer tourist mecca, and the healthy tourist industry is responsible for many of the nice aspects of the area. The only real irritation is the limited downtown parking in the summer, but I take that in stride. I moved there for the horse racing, so I have always experienced the summer crowds. The summer population is around 50,000; the year-round population is about 25,000. But without the horse racing and the performing arts center (an amphitheater), the area wouldn't be the same, and it wouldn't have much money either. Most people who are not school teachers or government employees work in some aspect of tourism (restaruants, hotels, motels, and shops on Broadway).

The "natives" don't mind the tourists, and it is the friendliness of the local people that demonstrated to me that people don't have to be rude (as they are in Fairfield County CT). Some locals even rent out their homes for the racing season, giving them some extra cash for their own vacations.

Even in the busy season, the "city" maintains its charm. You just have to leave time to find a parking place if you are going downtown, and you have to make reservations if you want to eat at the fancy restaurants (most of them are almost empty in the off season).

I'm not really trying to sell it, but I just love it and some of my friends from "the country" like it too (eg Cathy). She hasn't been there in the summer yet, but one can always just stay by the lake and not even know the crowds are there ... The area most definitely has four seasons, and is well known as part of the Fall foliage area. Winters can get very cold - the lake freezes in December and the ice doesn't break until late March. There is usually a lot of snow on the ground during that time, and a nice sprinkling of "snow days" for the kids.

Right now I have the "pleasure" of living in a Denver suberb. I don't ski, and I fail to see the charm here, although I did drive to the mountains to look at a rustic cabin. It was cute, but in the winter we'd get snowed in and my husband can't afford to miss work. And, outside of the mountains, the seasons are weird here. It is always sunny, and rarely cold, and even when it snows it doesn't last long (except in the mountains). The only real plus is that the humidity is low: good for my hair, but I have to keep my guitar humidified.



I most certainly was there in the summer,a couple of times, in fact. Once before horse racing started and again just last year. Remember we went to the state park and took the Battle Of Saratoga tour, and almost roasted to death in the hot sun? And I went for a couple of swims in your pool, too.
My favorite thing to do at Val's place is to grab the fiddle, go sit down by the lake, under the big shade tree and fiddle for hours. There's something about the combination of the lake and fiddle that is very soothing.

My favorite thing about Saratoga Springs is the music scene. There's live music playing everywhere in the summer.

Cathy http://www.cathycowette.com

[LSH]

Gaby!
Just sent it all off via fedex ovnt to my expediting service. They'll have it Monday by 3 pm. then I just have to wait a week or so for my passport. EXCITEMENT! I've been trying to stay mellow and not think about it, so as not to jinx myself. As soon as I have my passport in my hot little hand, it'll be license to celebrate!
see you there girlie!

[Tyler]

quote:Originally posted by Gaby:
Laurel! Seems like we’ve both been finalising things.
Today, I’ve confirmed flights, travel and medical insurance.
My cheap (HAH!!) flight has more than doubled, plus airport tax and insurance!!!!!!!!!
If it were anyone other than Gl……….frankly, I wouldn’t bother!

PS - (grin) If there are any engineers in Toronto who could show me round their factory and need some automation, lasercutting or bending (No jokes, please!) done in the UK, I might just about get it past my accountant.

Aha! A little business and pleasure? When I was still on the ambulance I used to go to the ambulance barns, get a card, and turn it in for a tax write off.

[brink]

quote:Originally posted by Gaby:
Laurel! Seems like we’ve both been finalising things.
Today, I’ve confirmed flights, travel and medical insurance.
My cheap (HAH!!) flight has more than doubled, plus airport tax and insurance!!!!!!!!!
If it were anyone other than Gl……….frankly, I wouldn’t bother!

PS - (grin) If there are any engineers in Toronto who could show me round their factory and need some automation, lasercutting or bending (No jokes, please!) done in the UK, I might just about get it past my accountant.

Aha! A little business and pleasure? When I was still on the ambulance I used to go to the ambulance barns, get a card, and turn it in for a tax write off.

[Cathy]

quote:Originally posted by Gaby:
My Mum always warned me about getting into cars with strange men! lol

Seriously, Bill, that’s a lovely idea. Lets hope we can coordinate.
I’m hoping to get into Toronto Sat 27th, midday. But this could change. The baggage handlers at Heathrow keep going on strike at weekends so, if things look the slightest bit iffy that week, I’ll just take off a few days early.

I once sat front row center, right next to Bill at a Lightfoot concert and he was a perfect gentleman. You have nothing to worry about, Gabe!

Cathy http://www.cathycowette.com

[Cathy]

quote:Originally posted by jj:
lol, Gaby...i first tried it way up in Hearst, Ont (that's at the tip of Yonge St/Hwy#11) and it sure hits the spot on a cold day...i was watching smoke come out of smokestacks and it's weird but the smoke travels straight across the sky instead of upward, a local said 'that means it's cold' ...it was -40C, which is the temp where F and C are equal, no conversion necessary, so life's just generally less confusing up there, lol )

yeah, there's enuf fat in the stuff to help one survive a good few weeks in those cold woods!

Strange. I always thought smoke rose straight up on a cold day and traveled sideways when it's cloudy. Maybe that only happens in Maine. We are kind of weird up here.

I once had a college student from Tennessee that I hired one summer. He noticed another employee eating poutine and asked if he could have a taste. He though it was delicious, and asked what it's called, and where he could get some. The other guy, one of the worse practical jokers I've ever met, told the kid it was Poontang, and he could get it at the restaraunt down the street. Zack, the kid from Tennessee, called in a order of Poontang just about ever night that summer, while the rest of us sat back and tried not to giggle. I can't even imagine what the people at Pat's Bar & Grill thought.

Cathy http://www.cathycowette.com

[jj]

So Bill, to get back to your original question, last Friday (the 22nd) my daughters and I "crossed over" from Pennsylvania and they asked for ID for everyone in the car. I had my drivers license and all of our birth certificates and we got right through!

[BILLW]

quote:Originally posted by Frkmry:
So Bill, to get back to your original question, last Friday (the 22nd) my daughters and I "crossed over" from Pennsylvania and they asked for ID for everyone in the car. I had my drivers license and all of our birth certificates and we got right through!

Frkmry,
Thanks. Just for the heck of it I went and got a passport. I hope they like my picture,LOL.

Bill

[Station Master]

quote:Originally posted by Cathy:
Strange. I always thought smoke rose straight up on a cold day and traveled sideways when it's cloudy


yeah, a low ceiling makes sense, i could have gotten Quirked around by a local with bad info, lol...let's find out:

Dear Quirks & Quarks,

What causes smoke emitted from smokestacks to travel across the sky rather than rise upwards?
I noticed this one winter morning when I was traveling through Hearst, Ontario. It was not a windy day.
Thanks,
jj

ps) 900 more replies here and we'll surpass the legendary StationMaster's pic posts

[jj]

quote:Originally posted by Cathy:
Strange. I always thought smoke rose straight up on a cold day and traveled sideways when it's cloudy


yeah, a low ceiling makes sense, i could have gotten Quirked around by a local with bad info, lol...let's find out:

Dear Quirks & Quarks,

What causes smoke emitted from smokestacks to travel across the sky rather than rise upwards?
I noticed this one winter morning when I was traveling through Hearst, Ontario. It was not a windy day.
Thanks,
jj

ps) 900 more replies here and we'll surpass the legendary StationMaster's pic posts