Showing posts with label TD Canada Trust. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TD Canada Trust. Show all posts

Expenses in Canada: Comunications, Education and Healthcare.

Various cellular phones from the last decadeImage via Wikipedia

Communications

  • Telephones - You can buy your own telephone, or rent one from the telephone company. Major home phone companies are: Rogers, Bell and Primus
  • Average Cost of Telephone (Monthly): $20 - $40 plus long distance charges.
  • Cellular phones - Many Canadians have a cellular (cell), or mobile, phone instead of or in addition to a land-line. You will need to purchase a phone and pay for the monthly phone service. Major cell phone retailers are: Rogers, Bell, Fido, Telus, Virgin Mobile, Solo and Koodo.
  • Average Cost of Cell Phone (Monthly): $40 + Cost Initial Cost of Phone
  • Cable or satellite television - you may need to purchase cable or satellite service. There is a monthly fee for such service, and it usually varies depending on the provider, the scope of the package and the options you choose.
  • Average Cost of Cable (Monthly): $25 - $50
  • Internet - Many Canadians subscribe to an Internet service, which allows them to surf the web or send emails from their home computer. You can purchase Internet service from most cable or telephone companies.
  • Average Cost of Internet (Monthly): $20 - $60
To keep in touch with your relatives abroad, get a free $5 calling card when you sign up for the Scotiabank StartRight Program

Education

Education is important to Canadians, and attendance is mandatory for children between the ages of six and 16. In Canada, children are eligible to receive free elementary and high school education through the government-funded public education system. Budget for additional expenses such as school supplies, some books, sports equipment and musical instruments.
Scotia® RESP (Registered Education Savings Plan) will help you to provide for your child's post-secondary education, especially when you invest early and regularly. Find out more.

Average costs for Undergraduate or post-secondary education
Province2008-2009 Undergraduate tuition fees (avg. per academic year)*
Newfoundland and Labrador$2,632
Prince Edward Island$4,530
Nova Scotia$5,932
New Brunswick$5,590
Quebec$2,167
Ontario$5,643
Manitoba$3,276
Saskatchewan$5,015
Alberta$5,361
British Columbia)$5,040
Source: Statistics Canada as of March 26th, 2009

About Canada's Health Care

One of the most important things you need to do as soon as you arrive in Canada is to apply for a health insurance card. All members of your family, even newborn babies, must have their own card. You can get an application form from the provincial ministry of health office, any doctor's office, a hospital or a pharmacy.
To apply for a health card, you will need your birth certificate or Confirmation of immigration status in Canada (IMM 5292) and passport. Your Permanent Resident card may also be presented. In most provinces, you will receive coverage as soon as you apply.
Health-care services covered by medicare include:
  • examination and treatment by family doctors;
  • many types of surgery;
  • most treatment by specialists;
  • hospital care;
  • X-rays;
  • many laboratory tests; and
  • most immunizations.
Health-care services not covered by medicare, and for which you will have to pay, include:
  • ambulance services;
  • prescription drugs;
  • dental care; and
  • glasses and contact lenses.
ScotiaLife Financial™1 can help protect you and your family from life's unexpected events. Find out more.

Medical Expenses

Canadian residents enjoy a healthcare system that is publicly funded. Many health services are paid for from taxes and are free to all residents of Canada who hold a provincial health card.
However, not all medical expenses are covered. Depending on the province in which you live, you may have to pay for services such as:
  • Dental care
  • Eye examinations and prescription eye wear
  • Treatment provided by psychologists, chiropractors, physiotherapists, massage therapists, acupuncturists, dietitians and naturopaths
  • Cosmetic or elective surgery

Project helps immigrants connect with workforce

TD Canada Trust Tower, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaImage via Wikipedia

Mentorship offers both learning and networking

There's an old saying in business that often it's not what you know but who you know when it comes to landing a job.
Era Wegad can attest to that.
Wegad, who came to Canada from India a couple of years ago, was able to secure a position in early September as a group sales representative for Equitable Life Insurance thanks to networking and connections her mentor, Mandy Lelke of TD Insurance, had in the community.
Wegad was one of 34 skilled immigrants who have completed a pilot project in the city through the Calgary Region Immigration Employment Council, which connected them with mentors in their fields to improve their chances for employment.
"It did help me in getting my self-confidence and self-esteem better because I saw people in the program believing in me. I thought, 'They believe in me, so I should believe in myself,' " said Wegad, who worked in the life insurance industry in India. "They helped me boost my confidence for sure and (gave) me direction.
"Mandy helped me as to the insurance licence I could get if I needed it. Also, networking and connecting me with the right people."
Job hunting can be hard enough when you know people, but when you're lacking local connections of any kind, it can be far more difficult.
Of 34 successful mentormentee relationships in the council's pilot project, seven mentees have so far secured local employment in their respective fields, with a number of others currently undergoing job interviews.
The employment council's 16-week Mentoring Collaborative is designed to provide skilled immigrants with the tools to secure meaningful employment in their fields, from engineering, engineering services, human resources, IT and project management to sales, accounting and auditing.
Community partner organizations included Bow Valley College, Immigrant Services Calgary, the Calgary Immigrant Women's Association and the Centre for Newcomers -- all of which recruit job-ready skilled immigrants as mentees. Local employers such as Flint Energy, TransCanada Corp., Canadian Pacific Railway, Calgary Airport Authority, TD Canada Trust, Royal Bank of Canada and SMART Technologies recruited appropriate employees as mentors.
"Our purpose is to help local leaders with immigrant employment strategies. The mentoring program is just one of our initiatives," said Marie-France Varin, the council's project leader.
"The reason we went with piloting that first was because there was such a success in Toronto with that similar program."
She said the pilot program will continue.
"We connect skilled immigrants with their Canadian counterpart in an occupation-specific mentoring relationship," she said.
"The main purpose of that relationship is to help these individuals understand their profession within a Canadian context.
"It's also for them to acquire effective job search strategies that are aligned with Canadian standards, and for them to get a better understanding of how to showcase their skills and their talents in their resume and (make sure) the resume does follow Canadian standards."
Also, with many professionals, it's helping them get their professional accreditation in their chosen fields.
"Often it's not what you know, but who you know. And what this program does is it truly connects them with their colleagues in their profession."
Lelke, who mentored Wegad for the 16 weeks beginning in June, said the pilot project connects people from professions in other countries to professionals here.
"It's a good strong match so that they're not just applying for something that is just kind of coming their way and then they're just really not satisfied," said Lelke.
"It's nice to be able to integrate people into the society into what their profession is without them having to go through again the challenges of finding employment just to find employment without something that directly relates to what they've done in the past."
A celebration of the program is being held on Thursday with mentors, mentees and partner organizations coming together.
mtoneguzzi@calgaryherald.com
 
 



Enhanced by Zemanta

Leave us a message

Check our online courses now

Check our online courses now
Click Here now!!!!

Subscribe to our newsletter

Vcita