If I were you (Sasi). I am telling this based on experience of IT people that I have seen:

1. Come with spouse (see point 2) and take the company accomodation. This has to be near your office.

2. If you come around this time, you will come in peak winter (expected to last till April-2015) which is a bad time. Your easy mobility will be cut due to lack of car and dependance of public transport. In this regard, It may be even good, if your spouse come after April 2015. Now let us assume that you are alone.

3. Your friends in the office will help you. Even your boss / manager at the office might be able to help you find accomodation.

4. Find a good one bed room apartments (this is my recommendation). Better take it near a place near your office (if available) or near square-1. This will set you off by $ 900-$ 1450 a month. $ 1450 will be a condo apartment with all facilities.

5. Try to find a desi who has a car and make friends with him. He may be your office collegue, a malayali or even a CD. If alone, make friends with a bachelor with a car. During weekends, explore the nature of Toronto in his car. You can put Gas in his car to offset his cost. If not, get a bus pass (unlimited) and roam around. Meet Canadians and talk to them. The first sentence should be on the weather or on ice hockey. See if this is the people whom you want to spend more time with etc..

6. There is IKEA which is a good and cheap furniture store. Try to get your furniture there. Also you can get discarded furniture (in good condition) on the road or your can use Kijiji website to find 2nd. hand furniture at throwaway furniture. Many will deliver it to you at an additional cost of $ 10 or $ 20.

7. Try to visit museums / ROM on free days like Thursday from 5 pm to 6:30 pm. As a IT man you can set your own office timings.

8. Food, FH has already told you where to get groceries. At your neighbourholld food bank, you can also get groceries for free. I suggest you use it in the first month when your salary is not been given to you.

9. On weekends, instead of cooking, you can visit soup kitchens where you get get food for free. You can also visit Gurudhwara's for the same. Free food, any time.

10. If in a condo, all washing and drying is free. But if in a basement or apartment, then you will have to pay for laundry and drying cloths. $ 1.50 for one use or more. If your elecricity is free, wash in your tub and put the cooking range on and dry the cloths by the side of the cooking range.

11. Avoid Quikstar and other MLM marketing people. Avoid giving lons to desi's. They will come with all stories to steal your money.

This is end of phase 1 of my advice. More will follow. Hope to ensure a comfortable stay for you in Canada. I am based in Kerala. If needed, PM me your phone number and I will be ready to answer any more of your questions. I habe 9 years experience of living in Canada

Murali The Krishna

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I am a Gents and not a Ladies.

12. At the end of your stay, if you wish, you can donate a small percentage of your savings to food bank, soup kitchen, etc., in the form of food items. It will go to help the needy and keep food banks running.

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Give free food http://www.thehungersite.com ||

Exactly. I used to do the same while in Canada. But once I returned to India, I found it wrong to have donated to Canada. In India itself, there is too much poverty. I have seen many pathetic cases. (now donot tell me that India has 20% like that. It may be hardly 1% or 2% but the extreme deserving may be like .01%).
So my suggestion to all of you who want to help is, whatever you decide to donate, please send it to India. May be through your parents it can go to the needy or you can help world vision or there are many old age homes in need of money. Donot waste it in Canada where it goes to feed junkies and where the Govt. is fully equiped to take care of its citizens, residents, visitor, refugees and the like.

Murali The Krishna.

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I am a Gents and not a Ladies.

lol
Finally !
TK couldn't hold back for long - his famous 11 pointer ;-)

Quote:

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Originally posted by san-hugo

lol
Finally !
TK couldn't hold back for long - his famous 11 pointer ;-)

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Chandresh

Advice is free – lessons I charge for!!

Chandresh :
I think you don't know much about shelters. These shelters are a haven for drug addicts and Homo's. So it is not safe for an IT software engineer to use these places.
While talking about free shelters, a fellow CD can give 2 weeks of free accomodation (while he goes to India) to the OP or even Gurudhwara's give free accomodation for limited time.

Murali The Krishna

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I am a Gents and not a Ladies.

Quote:

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Originally posted by tamilkuravan

Exactly. I used to do the same while in Canada. But once I returned to India, I found it wrong to have donated to Canada. In India itself, there is too much poverty. I have seen many pathetic cases. (now donot tell me that India has 20% like that. It may be hardly 1% or 2% but the extreme deserving may be like .01%).
So my suggestion to all of you who want to help is, whatever you decide to donate, please send it to India. May be through your parents it can go to the needy or you can help world vision or there are many old age homes in need of money. Donot waste it in Canada where it goes to feed junkies and where the Govt. is fully equiped to take care of its citizens, residents, visitor, refugees and the like.

Murali The Krishna.

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