Living in Canada

[ikatticus]

Hey all, I am a student from the UK who will be studying in Canada next year. I'm just looking for some general advice, such as what is a good mobile phone company to go with, is there one bank that is particularly aimed at students and is good, and are there any chain stores that are particularly good for getting all my household items that are cheap/quality? I have never been to Canada before so I don't really know where to start!

[Ludwig von Dracula]

Hey all, I am a student from the UK who will be studying in Canada next year. I'm just looking for some general advice, such as what is a good mobile phone company to go with, is there one bank that is particularly aimed at students and is good, and are there any chain stores that are particularly good for getting all my household items that are cheap/quality? I have never been to Canada before so I don't really know where to start!

I have found that Virgin Mobile has some good plans. Not sure what calling to the UK would look like. I've always used credit unions, personally, which tend to be local, so I can't help you out for Toronto. I do most of my shopping at Superstore/Loblaws (also owns many other smaller chains with other names), which is supposedly less evil than Walmart. Not just by "virtue" of being Canadian, but also through some environmental and healthy food initiatives. How much of this is true and how much is spin is difficult to say, but their prices are definitely the lowest of the major Canadian chains (which also include Sobeys and Safeway, at least out West).

A Torontonian will hopefully provide more specific advice.

[Henry Hudson]

most banks offer pretty good student deals. In my experience, the big banks offer better deals than credit unions.

pretty much all banks issue bank cards that use a national debit system called Interac. You can use Interac at almost any store or restaurant, but not really online.

CIBC is thus far unique (as far as I know) in offering a bank card that uses the Visa network, which one can use as a regular debit card or in place of a credit card (online, or in non-Canadian stores/restaurants). Interac is generally usable in US bank machines, but not always; it gets a little quirky. Being from the US, the CIBC card is more what I'm use to for bank cards.

I have both CIBC and Royal Bank of Canada accounts. I'm happy with both banks thus far.

I don't really use mobile phones, so I can't advise.

For groceries, I like Loblaw's and its variants: Superstore, No Frills and Independent (among others). They carry two generic store-brands; No Name and President's Choice, the latter of which is generally quite excellent. No Frills is Loblaw's discount branch, lacking the service departments like the butcher, seafood or deli counters, but carrying pretty much a full line.

There are plenty of other chains in the Toronto area, including Sobey's (and its discount line, Price Chopper. If you go to the US, don't be confused by the US Price Chopper chain. Totally different outfit).

The Kensington Market area of Toronto has some really great small shops, and is the best place to find high quality/low cost cheeses, specialty meats and local produce.

Nearby, Chinatown is chocked full of bargains, both food-wise and in general merchandise.

Honest Ed's, a but north of there on Bloor Street (which is a major east-west avenue, by U of T) has Honest Ed's, a humungous discount variety store (roughly two city blocks, and multiple stories). That larger neighborhood, called The Annex, is a mix of trendy and cheap finds: bookstores, second-hand stuff, etc. And lots of Korean places, too.

[Gaijin Punch]

In terms of mobile phones, all companies are basically the same in Canada, not much in the way of competitive pricing. Especially if you go on a data plan. Most people end up going with different carriers depending on the phone they want. I'm with Rogers, although expensive I have found their customer service to be well responsive compared to Bell (which was absolutely atrocious). My friend is on Wind Mobile and is pretty happy with their service, although it's only good if you stay in specific zones (or you end up paying large roaming fees).

As for groceries, as others mentioned, I prefer Loblaw's because of their President's Choice house brand. Great selection of good and their Blue Menu line has some great products. If you are studying in BC, I would recommend Save-On-Foods. I find Safeway's pricing to be quite a bit higher than most other grocery stores.

[UBCbiograd2009]

In terms of mobile phones, all companies are basically the same in Canada, not much in the way of competitive pricing. Especially if you go on a data plan. Most people end up going with different carriers depending on the phone they want. I'm with Rogers, although expensive I have found their customer service to be well responsive compared to Bell (which was absolutely atrocious). My friend is on Wind Mobile and is pretty happy with their service, although it's only good if you stay in specific zones (or you end up paying large roaming fees).

As for groceries, as others mentioned, I prefer Loblaw's because of their President's Choice house brand. Great selection of good and their Blue Menu line has some great products. If you are studying in BC, I would recommend Save-On-Foods. I find Safeway's pricing to be quite a bit higher than most other grocery stores.

In BC, I'd shop at Superstore because it is the cheapest but they don't have too many stores. In terms of expensive markets then it goes like this Whole Foods> Marketplace IGA > Safeway = Save-on-Foods > T&T Supermarket > Superstore.

However, if you go to some independent fruit stands or T&T, you'll find sometimes that they have better prices for fruits and veggies.

Also alcohol is expensive. Horribly so.

[Ludwig von Dracula]

In BC, I'd shop at Superstore because it is the cheapest but they don't have too many stores. In terms of expensive markets then it goes like this Whole Foods> Marketplace IGA > Safeway = Save-on-Foods > T&T Supermarket > Superstore.

However, if you go to some independent fruit stands or T&T, you'll find sometimes that they have better prices for fruits and veggies.

Also alcohol is expensive. Horribly so.

Good call on T & T. I'd forgotten about them, but they surely have branches in Toronto. It's an Asian supermarket, and although other stores will have a significant selection of shelved Asian products (like Superstore), particularly in certain neighbourhoods, T & T obviously has the largest, plus a lot of fresh stuff.

[coindepth]

if you're in Toronto, WIND MOBILE, is probably the cheapest and best bang for your buck out of all the mobile carriers, however it only offers coverage in Toronto and surrounding areas.

[ikatticus]

Thanks everyone, I guess at the minute the names you're telling me don't really mean much but I will note then down for when I get there and hopefully they will make more sense to me.

On a more specific note, is anyone vegetarian and how is the array of products for veggies out there?

[Henry Hudson]

I'm not a veggie put there seem to be plenty around: shops, restaurants and specialty sections of grocery stores. It's quite common.

[TomEH!]

The "Superstore" is called "Loblaws" in various parts of Canada, so they are the same thing.

The best deal I have found is "Presidents Choice Mobile" which is available at, you guessed it, the "Superstore/Loblaws" You cna buy a $15 or $25 card and you can use it for up to 60 days (then you recharge it with a "pay-as-u-go" card from "L/S"). Anything to avoid signing a contract!

When you go to turn on your phone they will ask for a name, address and telephone number (landline) you cna be reached at. Just give them a friend's info if you don't have one yet. This is one of those anti-terrorist requirement laws they have.

Good luck and dress warm!

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Hey all, I am a student from the UK who will be studying in Canada next year. I'm just looking for some general advice, such as what is a good mobile phone company to go with, is there one bank that is particularly aimed at students and is good, and are there any chain stores that are particularly good for getting all my household items that are cheap/quality? I have never been to Canada before so I don't really know where to start!

[Manservant_Hecubus]

The "Superstore" is called "Loblaws" in various parts of Canada, so they are the same thing.

The best deal I have found is "Presidents Choice Mobile" which is available at, you guessed it, the "Superstore/Loblaws" You cna buy a $15 or $25 card and you can use it for up to 60 days (then you recharge it with a "pay-as-u-go" card from "L/S"). Anything to avoid signing a contract!

President's Choice also offers no-fee banking services, and you can use their machines at Superstore/Loblaws/Your Independent Grocer (all one big mega-chain) or CIBC (one of the big Canadian banks) cashpoint machines for free.