Moving from Western to Eastern Canada

Moving to Ontario was a headache to say the least. It started with how to get ourselves and our stuff there.

We explored several options:

1. Renting a uhaul and loading it up and driving it to Ontario.
Nah. Too long a drive in the cold weather across unfamiliar territory. We were afraid of getting into an accident or getting eaten by a bear along the way (I'm actually serious here. The idea of driving cross country was a beary scary one). Also, the cost of renting the uhaul was too expensive.

2. Shipping it over via Greyhound.
They didn't do furniture.

3. Getting a mover.
That was the most feasible option to us at that point. Just pack everything up and leave it to the experts whilst we flew to Ontario.

So we begun our journey of finding movers and getting quotations and trying not to get a heart attack from the high prices or getting conned by the overly cheap (and dodgy) ones.

Most movers charge by weight so the heavier your stuff is, well, the more you pay. Thankfully, we didn't have much stuff that was really heavy. The blessing about rental housing in Canada is that they usually come with the larger kitchen and laundry appliances so no struggling with the washing machine or fridge necessary.

We did heaps of research about moving companies as there were too many scary stories out there and lousy ones that lost or damaged or stole your stuff. After many calls and emails, we found a decent and professional moving company that didn't charge an arm and leg. We paid 2000+ in total for our stuff to be picked up in Calgary and moved and dropped off in Ontario.

For anyone interested in a good, reasonably priced moving company, try Riteway Movers. Sam, the main contact person is Calgary, is awesome (calgary@ritewaymoving.com). They were really fast and strong and even carried our sofa down the stairs as it wouldn't fit in the lift without being dissembled. We were on the seventh floor.

The two guys who delivered our stuff in Ontario were really professional and friendly too I applaud their cheery attitudes and hard work.

You may think that coming here and moving our stuff here was the hard part. Nope, the hardest part was just beginning.

Finding a livable space that was reasonably priced and that they’d rent to you was about as easy as hunting a bear in downtown Toronto. The nastiest people I've ever met in Canada work as property managers in Ontario. The nicest thing I can say about them is that their level of meanness surpasses the quality of the housing they manage.

We also had a rather unpleasant experience with zolo and their insistence that we pay the entire year's rent upfront as we were new to Ontario and still job hunting so that was the only way we would ever find a place to live. Every zolo agent we spoke to seemed to sing the same tune.

Even with the nicer real estate agents, it was still difficult to convince them or the owner that you were a good tenant. People in Ontario are really paranoid about people and distrustful. An irony since many of them are actually breaking the law by asking for more than one month's rent upfront.

It was frustrating to say the least. The best thing about Calgary was how easy it was to rent a place. We only had to show the the bank statements to prove we had the funds. The apartments/ condos there are much nicer and better built than in Ontario too. It was always warm and quiet in my Calgary apartment compared to the constant draft and noise in my current place. I can hear the phone and alarm clock ringing for the apartment above mine! Honestly, I didn't particularly like Calgary as I prefer bigger, more developed cities but I really liked my apartment and the view of the river from my window.

Finally, I found a decent enough apartment with a listing agent and owner willing to rent it to me. 

But if you think that it’s all smooth sailing from there on, think again. When I got the keys and went into the apartment for the first time, I realized how dirty it was. It was disgustingly filthy. There were even maggots in the kitchen from the rotting food pieces and lots of garbage left the China student who'd lived there previously didn't bother to throw. Lots of stains everywhere and the stove and fan were dripping with oil. The fridge smelt awful. The edges of the bathtub were covered with dust. The carpet in the room was so dirty it had stiffened up. I'm guessing she wasn't a big fan of cleaning or cleanliness. It took two weeks, two bottles of Easy off, two bottles of Jif, two bottles of disinfectant, a bottle of carpet cleaner and a bottle of dishwashing liquid before the place was livable. Even so, some stains will never be erased.

I've lived in Singapore, Australia, South America and Calgary and the dirtiest places I have ever encountered were in Ontario.

But, I'm here and determined to make the best of it so wish me luck!