Must see/do in Hamilton

I spent four months living in Hamilton (September to December). I worked at the Central branch of the Public library. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there—it’s a vibrant city with strong arts and community organizations, lots of students, and many beautiful parks and trails.

Waterfalls: Hamilton is full of trails that are great for running, cycling, and hiking. There are over 100 waterfalls in Hamilton—I dare someone to visit each one during their co-op. http://cityofwaterfalls.ca/waterfall_walks.html This website is a great resource for tracking them down. http://www.hamilton.ca/CityDepartments/PublicWorks/Parks/PublicTrails/ a list of all the public trails in Hamilton. cityofwaterfalls.ca

Artcrawl: This is something that happens every month in Hamilton. It’s a great way to see their thriving art and music scene. http://www.supercrawl.ca/

~Liz, Fall Co-op

Living in Regina

Regina is a small city with a big city feel; at least that’s one of the city’s numerous unofficial taglines. Basically there’s no shortage of things to do and people to meet on any day of the week. Unfortunately, the city gets a bad rap for being boring and un-exciting – this is mostly because events and things to do aren’t easy to find for newcomers and visitors. If you’re making the move to Regina (congratulations, by the way) don’t hold it up to incredibly high standards and you’ll have an amazing time. I’ve lived in Regina all my life, so I thought it best to write up this guide.

Misc / Things to Do/Links

·         The free biweekly newspaper the Prairie Dog Magazine is the best source of information on upcoming events including movies, music, theatre and other entertainment. Their website also lists events.

·         Regina has many excellent local restaurants to suit a variety of tastes, experiences and budgets. Many incorporate local meat and produce. There are also the standard chain restaurants and bars you’ll find across the country.

·         Links:

o   City of Regina

o   Tourism Regina

o   Regina Public Library

o   Globe Theatre

o   Regina Symphony Orchestra

o   Saskatchewan Cultural Exchange [SCES] (live music)

o   University of Regina

o   Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region

§  Physicians Accepting new Patients

§  Walk-in Clinics

o   Saskatchewan Government Insurance (vehicle registration, drivers’ licenses)

·         Lastly, as a long-time resident of Regina I’d be glad to help you out if you have any questions. Email me at lukasmiller@gmail.com anytime.

~Lukas, Fall/Winter Co-op

Living in Kingston

Kingston is a small city with a lot to offer. Landlords are somewhat skeptical of renting to undergrad students, but they are very keen on dealing with graduate students. Finding a 4 or 8 month rental or sublet should not be too difficult. There are places available year-round, but you will certainly have your pick during the summer months. 

There will be several places near the main Queen's campus and further west near Queen's Faculty of Education. If you want a really quiet place, there are several apartments full of seniors and small dogs just north of Princess Street that are accommodating to mature students. There are several discount grocery stores, thrift stores, and Giant Tigers to save money on household items and groceries.

Co-ops in Kingston are rare compared to Toronto or Ottawa, so you'll generally find less rental advice. But comparatively, it should be easier and cheaper to locate a place here.

Although closed in the winter months, taking the ferry to upper New York State makes for a good day or weekend trip. If you don't have a car, you can bike across Wolfe Island. VIA Rail is a great way to move a small amount of items to Kingston. Traveling by Greyhound can be cheaper, but dealing with the transfer at the Bay Street station in downtown Toronto can be a pain with luggage.

~Matthew, Summer Co-op

Living in Guelph

Congratulations!

Guelph is one of the best cities to live in! The local transportation is quite wonderful – on time, friendly, used heavily by students, and occasionally driven by the clinically insane. But it will get you where you need to go. The city itself is quite walkable/passably bike-able (though, some main roads are suicide for bikers – we don’t judge you for riding on sidewalks). It’s pretty reasonable to find a place to rent between 350-500 if you don’t mind roommates, since it’s a big University town that also offers co-ops in many programs (so it’s easy to usurp someone’s lease).

The arts/music/culture scene is fantastic and there’s lots of wonderful places to eat and shop. Make sure to visit the downtown for a plethora of community driven events and functions. And say hi to the public librarians – they’re fantastic people!

~Ashley, Fall Co-op

Saskatoon Health Region

Welcome to the Paris of the Prairies!

One thing must be said up front – the bus system is seriously flawed. This is coming from a long time resident and public transit user. If you know where you are working, plan to live nearby. Fantastic areas to live are City Park, Nutana, and University Heights. Rent is kind of up there for a smallish city – 500+ with roommates, and much much more for a bachelor (and many bachelor apts. are basement suites).Stay away from the “alphabet” neighbourhoods on the west side. (Avenue R, Avenue P, etc)

The culture of the city is very vibrant – lots going on in the local music, writing, and art scene. You’ll hear people talking about “the boom” excessively. If I had a dime for every time… I wouldn’t be in library school. If you’re here for the winter, learn to layer. Average temps can waver between -25 to -50 for weeks at a time. It’s a “dry” cold, so dress with multiple layers, socks, and in a wind-impenetrable way. It’s tolerable. Maybe it’s part of the reason people here are so down to earth – nature is constantly kicking our ass and there’s nothing we can do about it.

The city is getting friendlier for bikers, and it’s got a quickly growing younger population. There’s lots going on in community development with the public library – check it out! We also have the highest per capita volunteers than any other Canadian city, and the highest average hours of sunshine a year.

~Ashley, Winter Co-op