I got to the Service Canada office not long after they opened, didn't have to queue and am now the proud owner of a Social Insurance Number, which allows me to work in Canada.
For most of the morning I then wandered around downtown "getting my bearings" and picking up leaflets from banks and cellphone shops. Also bought a cake!
Most of the afternoon was spent looking for flatshares online and sending out emails. When Sacha came home from work, she help suggest places I could get a haircut, but this also led to buying chocolates and an icecream.
The three of us then wandered downtown to watch a bike race, which was kinda cool, especially watching the start and the downhill bit. Lycra and silly hats aplenty!
We got some dinner in a family run Vietnamese place before meeting up with two friends, Anna and Duncan, and their dog Bruce to play a board game called Settlers of Catan.
Compared to the UK, it seems like bank accounts really suck. If there was a way to just keep all your cash hidden instead of in the bank, you'd be much better off. Maybe I'll try and open an account tomorrow.
how can keeping money in a current/simple saving account be any worse off than keeping it under your matress..? what sort of rules do they have?
ReplyDeleteThey charge you a monthly fee, and will also probably charge for transactions, depending on the sort of account you have. you will get charged for a withdrawal if you use a different bank's ATM.
ReplyDeletejust so you know: so far I have seen/met... zero mounties
ReplyDeletewhat... sounds sucky if that's the case with all the banks in canada!!
ReplyDeletekeep your eyes open for those imposing men on horseback in tight red uniforms...
It's the same with the banks in the US...they just suck. :(
ReplyDelete