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Moving to Toronto!

P

punkrockess

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Hi Everyone,

My partner & I are coming to Toronto later this year on working visas however I have a couple of questions that I can't seem to find the answers for & was hoping that someone could help me on here!!!

Does anyone know what the tax rate for people on working permits in Ontario is?
Does anyone know if there is an issue with my dog crossing the US/CA border several times (we are planning 3-4 trips within the first couple of months to the USA to visit friends & for music festivals) - does she need some sort of pet passport or are shot notifications ok?
Are there any indoor dog parks around Toronto? If not where do people walk their dogs in winter? Just curious as i've been to TO in winter before and saw a few dogs out but remember someone mentioning some kind of indoor area that wasn't covered in snow for dogs to run around...
Are there any good indoor flea markets, that either have vintage or hand made items? i'm looking to bring my current business to TO...

Thanks so much!!!

Bella
 
punkrockess said:
thanks for the productive feedback...
Click to expand...

Oh, don't let him bother you. He's just making a joke, laugh it off. For most people, the thought of an indoor dog park is funny... isn't the whole point of a dog park to be outdoors?! All the dogs I'm familiar with love the snow.

Anyway, a quick Google search shows one in Mississauga (a suburb outside the city proper) which isn't free.

Anyway, the reason you're not getting many responses is because all your questions require research, and we all have our own lives to live. We would be happy to provide some tips or advice, but if you're wondering "what the tax rate for people on working permits" is for example, you would be better off asking Google than asking the members of an urban issues and architecture discussion board.
 
punkrockess said:
Does anyone know what the tax rate for people on working permits in Ontario is?
Click to expand...

I don't know if there are special rates for those on work visas. I'd venture that you'd pay the same income tax as any other resident of Canada with the difference whatever it is being made up by the rules of your home country. For Canda, here are all the tax rates in a handy calculator:

http://www.ey.com/GLOBAL/content.nsf/Canada/Tax_-_Calculators_-_2009_Personal_Tax

Note that this calculator does not include fees for employment Insurance and the Canada pension plan and I think it also excludes the Ontario health surcharge.
 
Hi Keith,

Thanks so much for that link, it's exactly what I was looking for!!!

CDL - i've done some google research however it's all come up lacking information which is why I thought i'd ask some locals about things like dog parks & markets - it all seems very trivial I know, but i've contacted places like Dr Fleamarkets who couldn't provide me with any information on if their market would be the right place for me to sell my wares... thanks for the advice tho!
 
androiduk said:
If your items are handmade, you can try and sell them outside the http://www.stlawrencemarket.com/ which is downtown. It's busiest on Saturday but you can rent tables outside any day of the week. Very reasonable rents, especially during the week.
Click to expand...

thank you! i was looking at this site yesterday but it all looked like fruit & veg, i couldn't find the wares side of it so it's a help to know!!! does it get busy during the day? i was thinking of only going on weekends but if it's busy enough during the week I could not work part time like I had planned & just do that...
 
punkrockess said:
Hi Keith,

Thanks so much for that link, it's exactly what I was looking for!!!

CDL - i've done some google research however it's all come up lacking information which is why I thought i'd ask some locals about things like dog parks & markets - it all seems very trivial I know, but i've contacted places like Dr Fleamarkets who couldn't provide me with any information on if their market would be the right place for me to sell my wares... thanks for the advice tho!
Click to expand...

If you're thinking of Dr Flea's, that's out in the boonies and increasingly "ghetto". Saint-Ouen it's not...
 
There's Urban Dog - http://www.urbandog.ca/index1.htm (it has an indoor facility, so I'm assuming that's much like an 'indoor doggy park').

A pet passport. That's cute, but I don't think one is needed for crossing the border :). But those border guards, you never can tell with them.

I know there was (might still be) a Flea Market on the Southwest corner of Sheppard Ave E / Midland Ave in Scarborough. Unfortunately, I do not know the name of it. I remember a few years back they had items both indoors and outdoors (during the Summer of course). - http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v...&scene=28268124&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1
 
I don't think flea markets are too popular here. I've only been to one a long time ago and it wasn't especially busy I think? I've seen some around but they look like they closed down. Like the one at Sheppard and Midland. It looks dead there. I'm not too sure but think I saw one near a LINC school around Lawrence and Birchmount many years ago?

As for St. Lawrence Market. They do sell more than just fish and veggies. I notice they sell ephemeral, antiques too.
 
punkrockess said:
Hi Everyone,

My partner & I are coming to Toronto later this year on working visas however I have a couple of questions that I can't seem to find the answers for & was hoping that someone could help me on here!!!

Does anyone know what the tax rate for people on working permits in Ontario is?
Does anyone know if there is an issue with my dog crossing the US/CA border several times (we are planning 3-4 trips within the first couple of months to the USA to visit friends & for music festivals) - does she need some sort of pet passport or are shot notifications ok?
Are there any indoor dog parks around Toronto? If not where do people walk their dogs in winter? Just curious as i've been to TO in winter before and saw a few dogs out but remember someone mentioning some kind of indoor area that wasn't covered in snow for dogs to run around...
Are there any good indoor flea markets, that either have vintage or hand made items? i'm looking to bring my current business to TO...

Thanks so much!!!

Bella
Click to expand...

Hey Punkrockess,

Glad you'll be coming to our fair city.

I spent much of my time in Canada up until I got my citizenship on a student/work visa, then permanent resident card. You pay the same tax rate, regardless of your immigration status. The link provided earlier is accurate.

I'll let others deal with the indoor dog park (I am mystified, I'll admit)

For markets, you can take your pick:

Nathan Philip's Square Farmers Market - I assume it will be back this year, might be a possibility

Found Locally has a nice list, as well

Kensington Market - I've seen some individual vendors on the street, but I don't know if they are affiliated with particular stores. I'm sure asking at some stores could get you somewhere.

For crossing the border, you'll need to have your pets vaccinations up to date and bring along proof of vaccination.
 
Welcome to Toronto! And please ignore that rude unhelpful reply above.

There are tons of dogs in my downtown neighbourhood and they seem to love walking outside in all weather. It's the humans who must suffer for them, but at least it gets you outside and exercising even in weather where you might otherwise hibernate!

In terms of flea/craft markets the newish Blue Banana in Kensington Market is probably your best bet. It is a co-operative of sorts, with many sellers sharing two floors of space, and the actual sales and money transactions handled by shared staff. Check out their website at http://www.bluebananamarket.com and click on the "Become a Merchant" link in the footer.

The aforementioned St. Lawrence Market does have some craft tables out front in the warmer months, and an indoor/outdoor antique market on Sundays that includes some sellers of arts & crafts (but it is mainly antiques, as the name would suggest).

And to clarify something that usually confounds newcomers: St. Lawrence Market is a complex of two buildings (the north and south buildings) which mainly function as food and farmer's markets. The surrounding neighbourhood is referred to as the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood. Kensington Market, on the other hand, is only a neighbourhood, and while it contains many small shops and restaurants of different types there is no actual Kensington Market building.
 
Depends on where you'll be living but if you're far enough in the east end, it might be worth your time to check out the Pickering Market, east of the city. They're pretty booming, probably be good for business.

http://www.pickeringmarkets.com/

Or, you could always do like they do in Parkdale and bust out your wares on a blanket 'pon the boulevard! :)
 
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there's also tonnes of booths selling all manner of things beside the harbourfront centre, and it's very, very busy down there in the summer. It's probably expensive to get a spot, but the foot traffic is unbeatable.
 
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